Dr. Nell Smircina graduated from James Madison University with a bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences. She became interested in acupuncture and Chinese Medicine while working in the physical therapy field. With many of her patients seeing results with acupuncture, she saw an opportunity to expand her scope of practice and help patients in a more comprehensive way.
Dr. Nell began her master’s education at Tri-State College of Acupuncture and finished at Emperor’s College in Santa Monica, a top program in the country. After completing this four-year medical program, she went on to complete her Doctorate of Acupuncture and Traditional Oriental Medicine (DAOM), a designation only the top 1% of acupuncturists hold.
Her doctoral research focused on the power of acupuncture as a modality for post-surgical patients to optimize their recovery. During this process, she applied the healing principles of acupuncture specifically for post-surgical patients, thereby decreasing anesthesia side effects, wound healing time, scar tissue and post-operative inflammation and pain. She has been successfully utilizing her research to help patients optimize their recovery in many areas ever since.
Dr. Nell identified a major health disparity and is currently addressing this in her practice: men often are not given the tools to engage in health optimization. Through her years of experience, Dr. Nell naturally had a predominately male patient base, and she became interested in a critical period of time in a man’s life: Andropause. Seeing the need for men to be in a comfortable environment where they can reach peak health led to the creation of PIQUE Health for Men.
Dr. Nell constantly adds to her education. She has done extensive functional medicine training with Apex Energetics, a leading resource in functional medicine education, and frequently seeks additional training to enhance her skills and knowledge base, especially in her areas of specialty: post-surgical healing and men’s health.
Dr. Nell teaches courses for future acupuncturists and is frequently a guest lecturer at various Masters and Doctoral programs. She serves as a consultant for companies in the Integrative Medicine arena and is constantly working to expand awareness of the benefits of Integrative Medicine through her advocacy work. Dr. Nell participates annually in the congressional fly-in for the American Society of Acupuncturists and currently serves as the President of CSOMA, California’s oldest state acupuncture association.
Dr. Nell Smircina holds the following licenses, degrees and certificates:
Licensed Acupuncturist (L.Ac)
Diplomate of Oriental Medicine, NCCAOM
Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences (B.S.), James Madison University
Masters in Traditional Oriental Medicine (MTOM), Emperor’s College
Doctor of Acupuncture and Traditional Oriental Medicine (DAOM), Emperor’s College
Mastering Blood Chemistry, Apex Energetics
Mastering Brain Chemistry, Apex Energetics
Mastering the Thyroid, Apex Energetics
Fundamentals, Advanced and Mastering Certificates in Electro-Acupuncture Medicine
Neuro-Meridian Acupuncture
Microneedling and Nanoneedling, SD Cosmetic Acupuncture
