Today we’d like to introduce you to Skylar Stumpf.
Hi Skylar, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
With sincere gratitude, thank you for the opportunity to reflect here –
I can trace my nascent path to early teenage years, where I became fully absorbed in the classics of philosophy and medicine. I would spend summers in a magical, tropical setting, living on a pasture with animals (goats mainly), gazing at the stars every night. My father was a master teacher of calligraphy, as was my mother, and their artful appreciation of nature was deeply impactful and resonant.
A series of encounters with illness and the passing away of loved ones brought the reality of mortality, impermanence, and the power of medicine to the immediate forefront. I knew healthcare and the medical arts was what I wished to study and apprenticeship to.
Traditional East Asian medicine, with its rich history, is imbued with the images, relationships, and patterns of the natural world. This resonance with nature was eminently attractive, and I felt guided seamlessly into the deep study of this poetic and incredibly effective medical system. After ten years of study, I opened Santi Acupuncture, Inc. near downtown Santa Cruz in 2021, where I practice as a doctor of acupuncture and integrative medicine.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Certainly, it has not always been a smooth road! Being a sole healthcare provider involves immense efforts to manage business growth and overhead while remaining an effective clinician. The first year was challenging as it was essentially a start-up, and thankfully, by year two the clinic was profitable and self-sustaining.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Santi Acupuncture, Inc. provides integrative healthcare to all ages, within a primary-care format. A focus of the practice centers on providing acupuncture services for the Medi-Cal / Central California Alliance For Health community.
The clinic utilizes herbal, traditional, and integrative medicine to treat a wide range of health conditions. The range of common conditions I see include insomnia, anxiety, and depression; cardiovascular and inflammatory disorders; digestive, metabolic, and gynecological challenges; chronic/acute pain, allergies, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Foundational Western and Eastern theory, diagnostics, and science are integrated at every possible juncture to provide the most accurate, clinically relevant application of these systems for the benefit of the Santa Cruz county community.
Medicinal tea is also available for purchase.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
An avid reader–very curious, inquisitive, and always considering new perspectives and enjoying the creative process.
Pricing:
- Most insurance covers acupuncture. Please reach out to me and I can help verify insurance benefits.
- Out of pocket sessions begin at $140 per visit.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.santimedicine.com
