Gila Varis L.Ac., RN
My life in the health field began at home. My father was a Western trained physician from Hungary. Dinner conversations with my father always revolved around the patients he saw that day. After graduating with a bachelor degree in Kinesiology from UCLA, I went to nursing school. I then worked at Cedar-Sinai Medical Center in the respiratory and medical ICU, emergency department, and then the Utilization Review department. This gave me a strong foundation and experience in Western medicine.
I then went back to school to study Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). After practicing what I learned at Yo San University, I started my path under the mentorship with Dr Matt Van Benschoten. My ability to look “outside the box” enabled me to embrace the futuristic and integrative approach that Dr Matt Van Benschoten used in diagnosing and treating his patients. He taught me to look at people with the integrative approach of Channel Theory in TCM along with the internal organ anatomy of Western medicine, pharmacology of Chinese Herbs, nutrition and supplements, as well as environmental toxins affecting the human body.
My other interests include Spirituality. I embrace the information of the Science of Spirituality that Alice A. Bailey wrote about, Rudolf Steiner taught, as well as incorporating the spirituality of Chinese Medicine. My active spiritual practice includes meditation as well as gardening. I am able to translate the technical language of Western Medicine, Chinese Medicine, as well as include concepts in Spiritual Medicine. My approach with people include taking a thorough history of the person which includes physical, emotional, and mental issues contributing to the symptoms that are plaguing the health and well-being of the individual.
Treatment modalities include dietary recommendations, custom made Chinese Herbal formulas, as well as life-style recommendations. The road to health is a process. Sometimes, there is an instant resolution of the symptom, and sometimes it takes some time to start feeling better. Identifying the variables that are affecting the person’s well-being is the key to resolving the issues impeding health. The process can resemble “peeling an onion”.
The rest is up to the person seeking well-being.
Bio
Gila holds a Master’s Degree in Acupuncture from Yo San University, graduating with the highest of honors. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing and Kinesiology. In Gila’s practice as a licensed acupuncturist and herbalist, she accepted an apprenticeship with Dr Matt Van Benschoten in 1999. This experience solidified her knowledge of holistic medicine and provided the platform to integrate Western and Eastern medicine to ensure comprehensive approaches to treating a broad spectrum of health issues, including the most serious and complex conditions facing her patients. The extensive clinical knowledge and experience that Gila has is used to diagnose. Treatment modalities include medicinal diets, custom made herbal formulas as well as identifying environmental causes of the symptoms experienced. She eagerly shares her wealth of home remedies and her holistic methods for addressing all levels of the human body.
