Heather Bedient

Heather Bedient practices acupuncture, herbal medicine, massage and nutritional therapy at Protea Acupuncture. She is nationally certified and licensed as an acupuncturist in California. Her credentials are M.S., L.Ac, DIPL. O.M. and CMT. She earned a Master of Science in Traditional Chinese Medicine from the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and a Bachelor of Science in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology from UC Santa Cruz.

Her clinical training took place at ACTCM Community Clinic, the Stroke and Brain Injury Rehabilitation Center at California Pacific Medical Center, and Berkeley Primary Care. She also spent more than three years interning at Dr. Edith Ubuntu Chan's clinic, where the work centered on TCM-based sports medicine and pain protocols. Her Classical 5 Element Acupuncture training was a two-year certification with Khosrow Khalighi, and she is still pursuing advanced study in the area.

Her nutrition certification comes from the Nutritional Therapy Association, following a 10-month holistic nutrition course. She has also completed advanced functional lab testing coursework through the Institute for Restorative Health. Her hands-on training totals over 1000 hours across Shiatsu, Tuina, Swedish, Deep Tissue, Sports Massage, Pre/Postnatal and Reiki.

Much of her clinical work centers on midlife women's health, including perimenopause, menopause, digestive healing, sleep, fatigue and weight changes. She also treats neck, back and shoulder pain, herniated discs, knee injuries and repetitive strain with orthopedic and sports acupuncture, and offers pain management, pregnancy and pre/postnatal care, headache and allergy treatment, and general wellness. For stress, anxiety, burnout and grief, she provides emotional support using Classical 5 Element theory and Chinese herbal medicine. Micro-needling is also available at the clinic. She has more than 20 years of holistic bodywork experience.