We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dr. Arielle Caruso a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Dr. Arielle, so happy to have you on the platform and I think our readers are in for a treat because you’ve got such an interesting story and so much insight and wisdom. So, let’s start with a topic that is relevant to everyone, regardless of industry etc. What do you do for self-care and how has it impacted you?
I like to think of self care as the glue that holds me together. I had an extremely tumultuous childhood and then suffered from chronic illness into adulthood. Ive had many digestive infections and have endometriosis. For those who don’t know, endometriosis (endo) is a disease where endometrial like cells grow and develop outside of the uterus. This development causes something called adhesions, which means your organs basically stick together. Its extremely painful and 1 out of every 10 women have it. From my experience in the clinic, I can say that many more than that do, but it is wildly under diagnosed leaving so many women in chronic pain, with little to no answers. All of that said, I have had to be very strategic in managing my endo through self-care. I start with nutrition, because feeding my body all the nutrients it needs is imperative. I meal prep healthy meat that I get from a local farm, I make soups and stews that I freeze for easy access, and I eat a low inflammatory diet filled with healthy fruits and veggies. The next thing I do that I find super helpful is that I get acupuncture weekly to retrain my nervous system to be in rest and digest. After years of being in fight or flight from trauma and working too hard, my nervous system needs the most help of all. I take daily morning walks to move my body and get into a flow state, I sauna weekly in my infrared sauna to sweat out toxins, I get chiropractic weekly to keep my neurological system open, I get massage in times of stress and I do yoga whenever I can. I take supplements to support my detoxification pathways, metabolic energy, and nutritional deficiencies. I have a therapist to talk out the hard stuff with and I do pottery as a form of meditation. I also consider play time with friends part of my self care because this fills my spirit with joy. All of these things have been that glue that has made it possible for me to support hundred of people a year with their healthcare needs as well as create a thriving clinic where other practitioners can help even more people. Without self-care and routine, I definitely would have hit burn out long ago. Especially when you add an autoimmune condition like endo on top of it.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
My business baby is Arise Acupuncture. I have put countless hours into building a clinic that is a safe space for people from all walks of life to heal. We specialize in digestive healing, mental health disorders, chronic pain conditions, reproductive medicine and cosmetic acupuncture. We work to get to the roots of illness while treating the nervous system through acupuncture to help people feel safe in their bodies and thrive like they never have before. So many doctors chase symptoms. We use eastern medicine to see the patient as a whole being and treat from that place.
I’m also super passionate about offering cosmetic acupuncture as a natural and holistic way to address the unwanted signs of aging. We use facial needling to wake up muscles that are sleepy, relax muscles that are working too hard, tell the body exactly where we want it to produce more collagen (in a wrinkle) all while treating the underlying imbalances of the body. Many people report feeling less stressed, having better digestion and improved sleep. It feels like a really wonderful offering as an alternative to the more toxic readily available options out there today.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I think one of the most impactful skills I learned along my journey as a business owner was from my coach James Neilson-Watts. He said to stop making decisions based on my emotions or what I think I should do, and instead create objective measures so I can make my decisions off of facts. The has completely changed my stress level around making decisions and now when I implement something, its based on evidence.
Another thing that I learned along my journey is that you cant compare your success to others. People get out what they put in. If or when you’re ready to go all in on something, you will reap the benefits. I spent too long looking at others, wishing I had their success. Instead of looking at this from a place of lack and not feeling good enough, I shifted into looking at how to gain that success myself and it really all started with how I viewed myself. Start focusing on what you’re doing right and you’ll be a magnet for what you want to see happen.
Another thing that has been extremely impactful in my journey is learning how to communicate with others. Reading Non-Violent Communication was a game changing read and once I started implementing it, its amazing how much it helps build connection with others. When you’re connecting, healing can happen.
Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
I would 100% have to say that having a coach (and in my case 3) has been an integral part of creating success. Having a mentor is the easiest shortcut to learning how to do something. In most cases, there is no reason to reinvent the wheel, and chances are, someone else has already had and overcome the exact issue you’re struggling with. Reach out for support. Get the help that you need. Do not stay isolated, and consider investing in yourself, because that investment always pays off ten fold.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.arise-acupuncture.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arise.acupuncture
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ariseacupuncture
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/arise-acupuncture/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/arise-acupuncture-san-diego
Image Credits
Sarah lands
