Trudie Lammers

Why did you choose to become an acupuncturist? What or who inspired you?

As a teenager, I practiced a lot of Eastern martial arts like judo and karate. My teacher also tried to instill the associated norms and values. This got me interested in Eastern culture. For example, he emphasized respect for oneself, others, and materials. You were not allowed to go home if you had crammed your judo suit into your bag instead of neatly folding it. I hadn't heard much about acupuncture, although I knew it existed. Later, after my medical studies, a friend asked if I wanted to study acupuncture with her. My old interest in Eastern culture was reignited, and that's how I started studying acupuncture.

Trudie Lammers

NVA member from August 1998 to 2018

Interview: July 2014

What is your most beautiful experience with a patient?

The first time I used Chinese herbs was with a woman who had been seriously ill two years earlier. She had been in the hospital with psittacosis, a dangerous form of pneumonia. She came to me because she was experiencing severe hot flashes and fatigue. I gave her Chinese herbs. The next day she told me that after one dose, she felt like everything in her body was being drawn in and coming together as one. And that the hot flashes were gone. Actually, I was shocked at that moment: I had never expected those herbs to be so powerful! Another patient had had abscesses around the anus for years. She had already undergone surgery twice and was on the list for a third operation. With acupuncture and Chinese herbs, the formation of new abscesses immediately stopped and after a month she was permanently abscess-free! Unbelievable!

What still amazes you in your profession?

Sometimes you can actually see the truth of the holistic vision of Eastern medicine. You see that body and mind are one because the aura changes as someone's physical condition changes. Sometimes you don't even recognize someone after a few weeks. For example, after they are free from neck and shoulder complaints, it seems as if they have also become psychologically liberated.
But I am also amazed by the rigidity of opponents who, without any knowledge, think they know that it does nothing and is a scam. And this while techniques and knowledge from TCM are being adopted everywhere and presented as 'revolutionary new therapy from America'. Think of dry needling, trigger points, and electrical stimulation above the inner ankle in elderly people with incontinence. It's astonishing how the absence of the Made in China label suddenly makes a technique acceptable and interesting!

Is there something in your practice that embodies the essence of Traditional Chinese Medicine for you?

For me, my moxa pot represents TCM; moxa as a basic material consisting of entirely natural ingredients. The nature in which everything has its purpose: roots, bulbs, poisonous plants, weeds, animals, and so on. Moxa as a substance that has originated from the earth and releases its energy when used, dissipating into smoke, towards the sky. It is Yin and Yang.

Trudie Lammers