My name is Jacqueline. I am a dental hygienist, with a bachelor's degree in dental hygiene. I am also a certified Hatha and Aerial yoga teacher, meditation teacher, and Ayurvedic counselor. I am always looking for the next thing to learn. During some of my free time, I love reading studies and educating myself on the latest and greatest in the health world. I grew up in the Catskill Mountains in Woodstock, NY; the town inspired by the 365 Days of Peace concert in 1969. Growing up in an area where music, happiness, and holistic medicine are so relevant, naturally, I gravitated towards whole-health dentistry. My first job out of school was for a holistic dentist in Woodstock named Dr. Buzzy. He soon retired after I worked for him, but I was able to experience a totally different perspective of dentistry that I wasn’t taught in school. Dr. Buzzy was a legend in the area. He was known for being compassionate and taking a whole-body approach to dentistry. He mercury-tested patients, gave them homeopathic remedies, and performed acupuncture during treatment to calm their nerves. All of this was totally new to me, and I found it fascinating. Evaluating a whole person and taking all lifestyle factors into account when treating a patient, to me, is healthcare. Using what the world has given us, treating each other with empathy, and most importantly, listening, is what I find most important in healthcare.
My goal as a dental hygienist is to do all of those things. I am interested in taking scientific literature and putting it into words that the public can understand. I’ve begun to incorporate my background in holistic medicine and have learned to integrate it with factual science and dentistry. With social media and my writing, I’m able to take my approach and broaden it to others around the world.
I recently graduated from a graduate-level health and science writing program through Harvard Medical School to gain better skills in writing for the public.
I also love to travel. I traveled by motorcycle (on the back!) through the south of India. There I was able to study Ayurveda with Ayurvedic Doctors in its home state of Kerala. I also traveled through Thailand via motorcycle. One day I’d love to ride around the world.
Member: American Academy for Oral Systemic Health