25 Years of Healing: My Journey into Acupuncture

This year marks 25 years since I began my acupuncture practice—and I’ve been reflecting on how it all began.

My first introduction to acupuncture came while I was a pre-med student at Michigan State University. Like most of my classmates, I was focused on a future in conventional medicine. But then something happened that changed everything: I watched a close friend recover from debilitating, painful IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) after trying nearly everything else with little relief. What finally helped? Acupuncture.

I was fascinated. Here was a system of medicine that I had barely heard of—yet it produced real, lasting results when other treatments hadn’t. I needed to understand how it worked. That curiosity became a calling.

I enrolled in acupuncture school and spent four years in intensive study, learning not only about the meridians and points, but about the philosophy, patterns of imbalance, herbal medicine, and how to treat the whole person—not just their symptoms.

When I started in private practice, I didn’t know exactly what to expect—but I quickly saw how many people were struggling with chronic conditions, unresolved pain, stress-related disorders, autoimmune conditions and hormonal imbalances. And just like with my friend, acupuncture helped when nothing else did.

Now, 25 years later, I’ve had the privilege of working with thousands of patients, helping them navigate pain, inflammation, fatigue, anxiety, allergies, digestive disorders, and much more. I’ve watched people reclaim their quality of life and feel like themselves again.

And the field is changing. Today, acupuncture is more accepted than ever. More physicians are referring, more patients are curious, and the research continues to validate what this medicine has known for centuries. We’re at an exciting moment in time—where ancient wisdom and modern science are starting to speak the same language.

Through it all, one thing has never changed: the sense of purpose I feel every time a patient walks through our door. This work is deeply personal, incredibly rewarding, and still just as humbling as it was in the beginning.

To everyone who’s been part of this journey—thank you for your trust, your stories, and the opportunity to be part of your healing.

Here’s to the next chapter.

Stephen Durell, LAc

Acupuncture of West Michigan