Laureen Macintosh

I was lucky to have parents who encouraged me to play outside and keep active. In high school cycling, skiing and competitive swimming kept me busy. I studied Human Kinetics at the University of Guelph. After university, I got side-tracked into a fabulous career leading sea kayaking tours. I worked for a variety of companies taking people on multi-day kayaking tours in some of the paddling hotspots off the coast of Vancouver Island in BC. It was amazing being able to share the beauty of the coast and the fun of paddling with others.

A serious car accident that fractured a vertebra in my spine left me in pain and uncertain about my future as a kayaker. I discovered the healing powers of massage and its ability to keep me pain-free during long hours of paddling. Kayaking is a seasonal career so I pursued training in massage therapy as a potential winter job. I graduated from Calgary’s Foothills College of Massage Therapy in 2003. I loved helping people so much I ended up becoming a full-time therapist.

Massage therapy has many health benefits, but I eventually felt like I wanted to do more for my clients. And be able to help more people. I was introduced to acupuncture during my massage training and decided to learn more about it. Traditional Chinese Medicine is a complete medical system that was begun millennia ago and continues to evolve with modern information. The more I learn the more fascinating it becomes. I graduated from the Canadian Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine in 2014. There is so much to explore within the field of Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine and how it can help us cope with the modern environment (both physical and social) that I consider myself a “forever student”.

My goal is to assist my clients in meeting their health goals. Whether that is resisting the effects of on-the-job repetitive strain, recovering from a “weekend warrior” activity or anything in between. I believe in educating my clients so they can take an active role in their recovery and know how to stay injury free in the future.