Aimee Miller completed the four year Master's program at Five Branches University, fulfilling over 3, 500 hours of clinical and classroom training in Chinese Medicine. She holds a Master’s Degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine, with specialized certification in Five Element Acupuncture, a constitutional approach that addresses deep levels of emotional and spiritual healing, as well as physical. She is a California Board Licensed Acupuncturist and Herbalist with a private practice in Santa Cruz, CA.
As a practitioner of truly holistic medicine, Aimee focuses on addressing both the root cause and the resulting symptoms from a wide range of pathologies. She has a special clinical focus on women's health issues ranging from PMS to menopause, as well as emotional challenges such as anxiety and depression. Her healing approach is a synthesis of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Five Element acupuncture, nutritional recommendations, herbal prescriptions, and personalized, heart-centered counsel and guidance. She takes the time in her sessions to teach self-healing practices and meditation techniques, often prescribed to clients as "homework", in order to empower them in their own healing process.
Aimee has been studying herbs and plant medicine for over fifteen years. Prior to embarking upon the Chinese Medicine program at Five Branches University, Aimee formally studied Western herbal medicine at the American School of Herbalism. She is well versed in both Eastern and Western herbal traditions, and prescribes herbs to her clients for a number of health conditions. In addition to herbal medicine, Aimee also focuses heavily on the foundational role nutrition plays in health. She helps her clients with the often times confusing world of nutrition, by providing pragmatic guidance and recipes for how to use food as medicine.
In addition to being a licensed acupuncturist and herbalist, Aimee is also a Certified Massage Practitioner. She completed the massage certification program at Cypress Health Institute in Santa Cruz, where she studied Swedish-style, deep tissue, and Polarity techniques. As an acupuncturist, she will often work on acupressure points and meridians in her massages, and she often combines therapeutic massage with acupuncture in her treatments. Aimee uses cupping and gua sha, both techniques drawn from Chinese Medicine, to help resolve and clear stagnation from the body. Aimee's bodywork sessions almost always incorporate the medicine of high quality essential oils, chosen specifically for their therapeutic value and the client's specific health concerns.
Prior to receiving her Master's Degree in Chinese Medicine, Aimee pursued her undergraduate education at Sonoma State University, where she received her B.A. in Creative Writing, and contributed her poetry to the university’s literary journal. Aimee uses poetry and personal narrative writing as a way to deepen and explore her understanding of nature, the healing process, and the spiritual journey. By facilitating writing groups, she teaches people how to use writing as a tool for personal growth and healing. In addition to writing, Aimee spends much of her free time in quiet contemplation and meditation on the land on which she lives and works. She loves hiking with her husband and son, as well as gardening, cooking, and creating herbal medicines.
Testimonials I have been seeing Aimee for the past year and half during which she has been an invaluable guide into a better place of health and self-awareness than I've probably ever had before. Her sessions are amazing as she is part acupuncturist, part herbalist, part masseuse, part nutritionalist, part therapist and total ally. She works so holistically and gives wonderful "homework assignments" that often involve the simplest things like chi-gong exercises or meditations. I am so grateful to have her in my life as a guide and reference point for my health and well-being. Having a body and being human is hard! And it's so wonderful to have someone (especially if that someone is Aimee!) support you along the way. I highly recommend her! -Amanda West
My experience working with Aimee has been nothing short of amazing. She offers such a nurturing practice, fine-tuning each visit to meet my physical and emotional needs. As I've long struggled with anxiety and hormonal imbalances, I am grateful to Aimee for helping me to understand and treat my symptoms. Aimee's intuitive abilities as a healer are truly impressive, setting her apart from any practitioner that I have worked with. I look forward to each session; being able to enjoy the beauty and serenity of her clinic's physical environment, but also knowing that I will leave feeling balanced and nourished. I feel fortunate to have Aimee's guidance along my healing journey. ~N.N.
I met Aimee during one of her incredibly useful presentations about women´s health, and decided she was the right person to help me address my hormonal problems. I wanted a holistic practitioner who could do what my primary care doctor doesn´t, which is to really listen. With Aimee I found much more than that. I participated in her Fall Cleanse: it was a delicious way to receive acupuncture and massage, and get reinspired to cook all the super-nourishing foods I love. I reset my system and boosted immunity before the Fall season. Now with herbs and acupuncture, we are supporting my endocrine health. Aimee is a wise practitioner who truly takes the time to listen and treat her patients as whole people. As the mom of a young child like myself, she understands my needs and brings a lot of empathy to my situation. I absolutely recommend her to anyone who wants to heal using natural methods. -Magali Morales
Aimee is a powerful and intuitive healer. She is very attentive and listens really well to what is going on with me, offering a treatment plan that I can easily follow and understand. She is very willing to explain what she is doing and her knowledge helps me to open to the process more fully. She has helped me attend to both the emotional and physical realms of my body and spirit. I feel like I can put my trust in her as I let her guide my body to a more balanced state of being. The amazing location of her clinic and the intention she has put into her treatment space creates a very soothing environment to heal in. I feel so genuinely cared for by Aimee and always look forward to my next session with her. -Rosey Lakos
Aimee is a stellar practitioner. Her knowledge of healing is vast, but it's her depth of presence that keeps me going back for more. Whether I'm receiving acupuncture or massage I always feel that Aimee is totally with me, tuned into me, and tracking me in subtle and overt ways. She's a gem! ~Naomi Ehrich
Aimee has both intuition and great knowledge. This means I leave my sessions feeling cared for both spiritually and physically. She has been an influential gift on my healing journey. ~Jodi Koumouitzes – Douvia
Aimee Miller has really helped me regain balance in my health. She emphasizes the importance of self-care and helps me to understand my body's changing needs through the cycles of the seasons. She is an intuitive and nurturing healer and a skilled herbalist and I would highly recommend her as a practitioner to anyone who is interested in learning how to help their body heal itself. ~Laura Walker
Being new to acupuncture I had no idea what to expect. Aimee made me immediately comfortable and explained everything she was doing in perfect detail. Aimee is a true professional, treating the whole person instead of just the symptoms. Now after 6 weeks of working with her, I feel fantastic and have the tools to continue on my path to balance and wellness. ~Jessica Mc Elveny
I am sending out a huge beam of gratitude to my acupuncturist, Aimee Miller. For the healing you are helping me do. For the space you hold with compassion. Thank you for the work that you do! ~Manirose Bobisuthi
Aimee Miller is a kind, intuitive and extremely knowledgeable acupuncture practitioner. Her sessions go above and beyond what I have ever experienced with acupuncture. She has a wide range of tools in her bag, and includes modalities such as aromatherapy, massage, crystals, yoga stretches and herbal/supplement recommendations along with traditional acupuncture. I always feel heard and cared for and have been going for 3 years straight, including all during my latest pregnancy. I highly recommend her, you won't be dissapointed. ~Bridget Butler
Aimee is very tuned in, very knowledgeable and a great listener. Her sessions are always an excellent experience for me, with visible, palpable results. Her home office is a relaxing haven, you will feel cocooned and able to relax and let go the second you walk in. I wholeheartedly recommend her! ~E.F.
What people are saying about my seasonal cleanse programs... I did a fall cleanse with Aimee with the intention of boosting my immune system before the flu season. I have done some pretty extreme cleanses in my time, so I was expecting to feel deprived, bored or limited by the food choices. That was not the case at all. The cleanse I did with Aimee was one of the easiest cleanses that I have ever done and after two weeks I felt a significant increase in energy. This is not a generic, one-size-fits-all cleanse. Aimee will spend time talking to you about your health and eating habits and will design a cleanse specifically for you. I even got cupped for the first time as a part of my package, which provided incredible relief in my neck and shoulders. The recipes she offered were a bonus and I have worked several of them into regular rotation in my meal plan. I have been lucky enough to have been Aimee's patient for many years and have benefited from her extensive knowledge and nurturing care. ~Laura
This a really amazing healing program. I have done it it the past and had really great results with healing some of my stomach issues and other health ailments. Plus, it's a great way to reset into healthier eating habits....If I wasn't so busy with work and school I would do it this spring to address my low-energy level, and high-stress level...actually, maybe I need to find the time to do it... I highly recommend this program ~Sara
Aimee Miller has an authentic holistic approach. I have experienced both her Spring and Winter cleanse programs and they have been nothing short of life changing. They are the perfect way to be supported to make important lifestyle shifts, and with Aimee’s awesome acupuncture, massage, and nutritional support, it sure makes something so daunting actually fully enjoyable. I would whole heartedly recommend Aimee to anyone looking for an acupuncturist. ~Melissa