Hi! I’m Dr. Laura Paris, health detective
I help people achieve health beyond their wildest dreams – with a personalized holistic approach. Allow me to tell you my background story, how I help people, and my credentials. . .
All through my 20s I felt unwell, with chronic aches, pains, and a general feeling of malaise. Doctors never had answers for me – nothing showed up on their tests to explain my symptoms. I knew something was wrong and I was determined to do whatever I could to get better. Fortunately, it was the 1990s and I was living in San Francisco, where holistic practices abounded. When I discovered them, I was all in…
I found holistic medicine in the 90s and never looked back
Holistic medicine treats the “whole person” rather than focusing too narrowly on single symptoms. It emphasizes the connections between the mind and the body, avoids the overuse of drugs, and has borrowed such practices from Eastern traditions as acupuncture and yoga.
I fell head-over-heels in love with yoga and acupuncture in the 90s, as well as other practices that connect the mind and body. I decided to go to medical school, but not the traditional kind. It was Chinese Medicine that called my name. However since my bachelor’s education was in Fine Arts and Women’s Studies, I needed to take two years of pre-med classes first.
I was a pre-med student when at the age of 33, my inflammation exploded. All the joints in my body swelled up, and I was riddled with stiffness and pain. It was excruciating to turn a doorknob, walk down a flight of stairs, or even hold a fork. I felt crippled and devastated. And finally, my condition showed up on lab tests. It was undeniably an aggressive type of Rheumatoid Arthritis, an autoimmune disease. This is what was brewing in my 20s, I knew it!
As a medical student, I was in a good place to learn everything I could about healing autoimmunity and my condition. And in the process, I discovered Functional Medicine. This approach came about in the mid-1990s, so it was new on the scene. It was Functional Medicine more than anything else that helped me climb out of my debilitating condition and live with wellness and vitality today. I knew I had to integrate it into my practice when I became a doctor.
Medical school in 2000
I went to medical school to become a Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine, with specialties in gynecology and orthopedics. In 2004 I opened my first clinic, and I’ve spent the past 20 years working with patients on both sides of the Monterey Bay. Through added programs, I became double-certified in Functional Medicine in 2016 and 2022 with specialties in digestive health and immunology.
I love working with motivated people who want to go beyond the limits of conventional medicine and add holistic care to the mix. I partner with patients to get to the root cause of their symptoms instead of masking them. I value safe, evidence-based integrative medicine, and I work with adults of all genders, ages, races, and abilities.
How do I help people?
I work with private patients and groups in these formats:
Work with me from anywhere in the United States. Or, see me locally in Capitola or Monterey, California.
My credentials
My formal credentials are below. In addition, over two decades of seminars, mentorships, and study groups round out my knowledge and expertise.
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