Functional Medicine
& Chinese Medicine
Root-cause healing for restoring vitality
Hormonal & Cycle Health • Fertility & Preconception • Perimenopause & Menopause• Longevity • Healthspan
My Approach
If you are navigating health issues that haven't resolved despite seeing multiple doctors, or if your kitchen cabinet is full of supplements that you tried in hopes they would help, but they never did—you're not alone. Many of my clients come to me after years of feeling dismissed by doctors, or being told their labs are 'normal' despite ongoing symptoms, or cycling through one-size-fits-all recommendations that didn't address their unique situation. You deserve answers that go deeper, and interventions that make a real difference.
My practice integrates Chinese herbal medicine and functional medicine to identify what's truly driving your symptoms. Rather than relying on standard protocols, I work to solve the puzzle of your unique health situation and find the causes and patterns at the root. I take the time to listen deeply and get to know you, and I take the time to work through your case, researching as needed as we move through each phase of your healing process.
A treatment plan is only as useful as your ability to implement it. I coach you through the changes, checking in regularly to ensure you can incorporate them into your life, and tracking your progress as your symptoms improve.
When the foundation of your health is stabilized, we can focus on optimization. The goal is to live your best life now and into the future, increasing your healthspan — the years of health and enjoyment you have ahead.
Together, we work to restore your body's innate capacity for healing and thriving — so you can show up fully in your life with energy and joy.
About Valerie Mendels
I am a licensed Chinese Medicine practitioner with over 25 years of clinical experience, and I see clients virtually via telehealth across the US and EU. I am fluent in English, French, and Spanish. Over the years I have continually expanded my training, integrating functional medicine and hypnotherapy into my practice.
Prior to my virtual practice, I maintained private practices in Maryland, California, and Spain. As the first fertility-specialized acupuncturist in Barcelona in the early 2000s, I introduced fertility acupuncture to the city's reproductive medicine clinics and collaborated with them to support IVF cycle outcomes.
I provided acupuncture at leading fertility clinics throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, including UCSF Center for Reproductive Health, Lane Fertility, Marin Fertility, and Spring Fertility.
Over the course of my career I have helped thousands of women become pregnant — in some cases supporting IVF cycles, and in others helping them conceive naturally through Chinese medicine and functional medicine.
Beyond private practice, I spent a year as part of Apple's in-house healthcare team at their Silicon Valley headquarters, providing acupuncture and herbal medicine alongside physicians and physical therapists.
I have also volunteered providing acupuncture in Baltimore's prisons and in inner-city drug detox clinics.
After 25 years, having practiced in different settings and different parts of the world, I still find this work captivating — there is always more to learn, and every patient teaches me something new. I love the moment when a client starts to feel like themselves again and recovers their joy for life.