Afua Bromley, L.Ac.

 

Afua Bromley, MSOM, L.Ac., Dipl.Ac-NCCAOM

My journey to becoming an acupuncturist was marked by a single turning point – a friend harassing me to try acupuncture for a stubborn upper respiratory infection that left me without hearing in my left ear for a month.  Though I did not expect the treatment to help at all, within 5 minutes my hearing returned and the rest of the symptoms of my upper respiratory infection were gone within 24 hours.  Curious, I did some additional reading on acupuncture, then decided to enroll in acupuncture school instead of a pre-medical post-baccalaureate school while I waited a year to begin (allopathic) medical school.    Two months into my first year at the  National Institute of Oriental Medicine (now the Florida College of Integrative Medicine) and I was hooked!  The cases I saw during my observational clinic hours along with my classes opened a more holistic and  (I felt) comprehensive approach to treating the root of health issues and actually resolving them in many cases.  For me, the opportunity to actually offer a variety of solutions for patients made all the difference.  I gave up my spot in medical school and completed my master’s degree in Oriental Medicine in 1998.  

TREATMENT PHILOSOPHY

As a former educator, I stress the importance of empowering each patient with tools to ensure that they can take better control of their own health.  My objective is to help facilitate your healing.  The more you can do to help yourself, the better your long-term outcomes are.  Acupuncture, herbs, and tuina (traditional Chinese massage) are wonderful tools that can help your body heal in amazing ways, but good nutrition and healthy living are tools that will help you attain good health for a lifetime.

EDUCATION & TRAINING

Washington University in St. Louis, BA: double major – Elementary Education (K-8) & African/African American Studies; premed – 1993

Florida College of Integrative Medicine (Orlando, FL)  MS: Oriental Medicine, 1998 

Yu Huang Ding Hospital, Yantai, China – Summer 1998 clinical internship

Pacific College of Health Sciences – Medicinal Cannabis Educator Certification, 2020

Professional Activities

  • NCCAOM Board Chair, Board of Commissioners 2017- present
  • NCCAOM Secretary, Board of Commissioners, 2016-2017
  • NCCAOM Eligibility Committee, Apprenticeship Sub-Committee, 2012-present
  • NCCAOM PEDC(Professional Ethics and Disciplinary Committee), 2014-2017 (2016 helped re-write national code of ethics for NCCAOM)
  • NCCAOM Jobs Task Analysis (JTA) Blue Ribbon Panel, 2013
  • Missouri Acupuncture Advisory Committee, (1999-2006) (Missouri’s Acupuncture Board) (co-wrote the Rules and Regulations for State of MO following 1998 passage of Missouri Acupuncture Law)
  • Acupuncture Association of Missouri, 1998 – present; President 2005-2006
  • American Association of Oriental Medicine (AAAOM), 1998 – 2013

*Contributor to variety of trade and lifestyle publications, guest lecturer at local, national and international conferences

Professional Organizations

  •  Founder and executive director of Universal Holistic Healthcare, 501c3  that works to promote equal and affordable access to integrative medicine and health empowerment education in the St Louis region and is building a holistic clinic and training center in Ghana, West Africa.