Business Spotlight: Emily Grace Acupuncture
Written by Courtney Adams, Photos by Derick Marquez
Emily Grace Acupuncture
210 Canal St RM 307
Listening is not a passive act. Doing so with sincerity requires a commitment to using all of your senses. And this is a truth reflected in the journey of Emily Grace Acupuncture.
For Emily Siy, DACM, L.Ac., owner of Emily Grace Acupuncture, the path to becoming an acupuncturist is one rooted in being present, in listening to the lessons provided within the realities presented by daily observations. These observations, for Emily, proved that observing the day-to-day has a profound reach.
Born and raised in Flushing, Queens, for Emily, acupuncture was not a new concept. “Though I was born in New York City, my parents were born in the Philippines and my grandparents in China. So, I get to experience three cultures. But, I also have some disconnect with my ethnicity and culture in a lot of ways.” Emily shared. “There was a period of time where my grandparents lived with us, too. And in that time, I was really exposed to Chinese medicine. Though my grandparents weren’t medical practitioners, they used simple herbal remedies of things we already had at home for things like stomach bugs or colds. They’d also use acupressure for certain things, too. For some who may not have grown up in a similar culture, Chinese medicine may need to be introduced.” With a pause, Emily added, “But for me, I knew it was something that existed. It wasn’t a concept I had to learn about or be introduced to. My grandparents living with us, that was my greatest exposure.” And one can’t help but listen when Emily discusses her business.
The love she has for her work weaves a palpable sense of gratitude within every detail she shares. “Being exposed to Chinese medicine as I was made me interested in learning more about it,” Emily recalled. A graduate of Pacific College, Emily now serves as a Clinical Supervisor there--a true personification of how listening and following one’s aspirations can be beautifully cyclical. “My practice focuses a great deal on women’s health, which leads to a focus on menstrual problems or imbalances. And this can be wrapped into fertility problems or anything related to pregnancy. And, because acupuncture is so natural, it’s really useful for those periods of time. And then, wrapped into that journey is also the journey of perimenopause and menopause.”
Herein lies the importance of listening to one’s truth, of absorbing life’s nurturing lessons so you can flourish. For Emily, leaning-into this has meant being present for others in a way that’s filled a common void among her patients. “I see a lot of unmet needs for people when it comes to period health. They are sometimes not told enough information about their conditions. There’s just a gap in the information about our own periods and our hormones. What I often hear is that people are offered birth control pills as the solution. Yes, there are a lot of different kinds of birth control; but, it’s one solution. And, some people may not want to take that route.”
Therein lies quite a full-circle. Emily’s active listening to her own cultural surroundings set her on a course to become an acupuncturist. For some of Emily’s patients, their own abilities to listen to their bodies was negated. But, at Emily Grace Acupuncture, this ability is respected with patients at the crux of expertise. When asked about the provisions of her services, Emily thoughtfully explained, “I do herbal medicine. But, something different that I do is different kinds of herbal applications depending on the needs of my patients. For some period issues, I do herbal vaginal steaming or topical applications. For some muscular or pain-related issues, like back pain or stiff necks, I do cupping. And, cupping also works really well for respiratory things like shortness of breath, asthma, or bronchitis. A lot of my patients have suffered from long Covid; and, cupping often helps with the respiratory and circulatory issues that can result from this.”
Listening to Emily solidifies that her practice goes beyond acupuncture. When asked about some of the top reasons her patients seek her expertise, Emily reflectively shared, “When I think about the top three things that may cause patients to come to me, the first is a broad one: women’s health and period problems or fertility issues. In terms of fertility, there is more medical engagement in this space, as there are dedicated fertility doctors. And sometimes fertility doctors do tell their patients to get acupuncture. However, when it comes to period problems, a lot of people feel like their needs aren’t being listened to or addressed.” Based on Emily’s dedication to learning the needs of her patients, it’s clear this isn’t the reality at Emily Grace Acupuncture. “Lastly, the third most popular thing I see patients for are sorts of esoteric mental and spiritual help. Outside of therapy, I think people are wanting care that has some sort of integration to the actual talk therapy they are doing.” Clearly for Emily, listening is obviously at the heart of her approach. She uses her expertise on acupuncture to treat the ailments of the very thing in which her patients are experts: their own bodies.
When asked what her own favorite offerings were, Emily replied with a laugh, “Acupuncture! I wish I could get acupuncture more often because I love it. Herbal medicine has been really huge for me, though. Going through the pandemic led me to doing a lot more herbal medicine with people.” While herbal medicine was, of course, more accessible in the lockdown, it grew into something deeper for Emily. She shared, “I realized it is a very important thing to have. The healthcare landscape of our country is changing; so, it is even more important for us to have access to this. From a cultural standpoint, Chinese medicine is all about prevention. So, the idea of taking precautions like PPE was not an unusual concept, and because of this, they were measures I began taking early on.”
While Covid forced Emily’s hand at pivoting, it proved to be a fruitful evolution for her business. “During lockdown, I was doing a lot of virtual herbal consultations. Prior to this, herbs were not a large part of my business. But, it was something I was able to easily do from a distance with my patients. I was already set-up with a pharmacy in Chinatown that already had a great ordering and pick-up system in place. So, since this was a system that was already in place for me, I began using it more in that first year of the pandemic, and in the months in which I wasn’t seeing patients.”
And, as she’s shown so consistently, she used the lockdown as a time to listen to the events transpiring in the world around her. Emily’s sense of community contributes to an unmatched sense of approachability towards her patients. With candor, she added, “I practice Chinese medicine, so I stay informed of Chinese news. So, I knew that there was a health crisis happening there during the early stages of Covid.” And it’s here that I’m so powerfully reminded of how Emily’s active listening to her own childhood cultural surroundings shaped the practitioner she is today.
When asked how long she’s been open and in practice, she shared, “I’ve been in business for about eleven years. I have had to move my practice a few times but have remained in the vicinity of Canal street.” It comes as no surprise that for Emily, her acupuncture practice is truly an extension of herself. When asked about her favorite part of her work, she is quick to share how “I feel so connected to the practices that I do. My family is originally from China; so, in the process of learning about Chinese medicine, I feel like I’m connecting with my culture more. In some ways, being born here has made me feel disconnected with my culture. But…” For a beat, Emily paused. And with inspiring certainty, continued, “Learning this has allowed me to connect with that part of myself. Chinese medicine is so old. And, acupuncture is just one branch of it. Chinese Medicine is a complete and whole system of medicine that has been consistently practiced for over 4,000 years until now. So, there’s always something to learn about it. Because of that, I am always engaging with that part of myself. It’s very much a part of me. It’s such important knowledge to possess, too. It’s important work. Our lives are changing. Our healthcare system is changing.” And the empowering constant this knowledge has been for Emily has been to the benefit of the patients she sees.
When asked to share possible fun-facts about her business, her answer reflects how much she’s a practitioner for others. “The way I see the world is through the lens of community organizing. It’s important to think of ways to serve those who are in marginalized communities. Acupuncture definitely lends itself to this type of community service work, too. That’s what really drew me to Welcome to Chinatown. I found myself just gravitating towards the organization because my approach is rooted in community. I try to figure out ways to weave that into the work I do. I used to do a lot of women’s health and community-building workshops; and, I plan on continuing to host more of these in the future. I want my patients to feel socially-conscious and compelled to be kind. My approach is definitely very personal and very one-on-one, so I think those are the patients I try to attract as a result.” For Emily, it’s clear that the idea of community begins with empowering the individual. With conviction, Emily added, “Many people feel unheard and underserved by existing health systems. I try to acknowledge this in order to really provide the space for my patients to feel seen and heard where they may not be in other spaces.”
Though she cites the Covid lockdown as being her most challenging time, the resiliency and empathy that’s guided Emily through every pivot leaves me with those eyebrow-raising feelings of awe. For just as clear as Emily’s dynamism is, her humility is even clearer. When asked what she’d consider her greatest accomplishment, with a laugh, she shared, “Thinking of my greatest accomplishment is a hard thing to answer!” But, as any small business owner knows, keeping one’s doors open isn’t for the faint of heart. “Building this business has been huge, though. The fact that it still exists at this point with the way things cost is definitely huge!”
At the height of the lockdown, a time when preventative care was virtually impossible to attain, Emily listened and leaned-into her own cultural power as she had done so many times before and made attainable provisions for her patients as a result. So much of Emily’s story is so resonant of New York City realities. The hustle and noise of it all is always in juxtaposition to a special calm that exists when you listen, when you observe. As I write this, on the avenue just one block away, I hear the occasional horn of semi-trucks. Yet, when I look out of my window, I see a lush little cluster of American Lindens across the street. And, I can’t help but be reminded of Emily’s story--particularly as it relates to the importance of cultural expression. The blossoming American Lindens on my block, and all of their glorious provisions of shade, calm, and quiet, wouldn’t grow without nourishment. And, it’s the precise cultural nourishment that’s allowed for Emily Grace Acupuncture to blossom. Indeed, Emily, and all of the patients she serves, are proof this is just as life-giving and affirming as water and sunshine.
