Healing Begins When You Open the Door
Our Practice
When you step into Heartwood Wellness you will feel the difference.
Careful attention is given to offer a comfortable, calm and supportive environment – from the ambiance, artwork and musical notes, to the warmth and expertise of your healthcare practitioner. We recognize that healing not only includes our relationship with human nature, but also to mother nature so our practice encourages lifestyle and education that reconnects.
At Heartwood Wellness we strive to offer the best of Integrative Medicine. Therapies include Acupuncture, Massage, Chi Nei Tsang (Abdominal Massage), Clinical Aromatherapy, Diet Therapy and Therapeutic Yogic Coaching. These therapies guide the body into balance without negative side effects and can be used alongside standard allopathic medical therapies.
The mind, body and spirit has an innate instinct to heal but sometimes needs a push to make it over the mountain. We understand this balance. Our practice encourages this communication to deepen and facilitates restorative health by using the least harm first.
Commonly treated conditions at Heartwood Wellness include:
- Sports injuries and pain management
- Muscle irregularities, including soreness, tightness and aching
- Stress/anxiety/emotional issues
- Menstrual, fertility and pregnancy conditions
- Insomnia
- Immunity conditions
- Allergies and asthma
- Digestive problems
- Chronic fatigue
- Fibromyalgia
- Skin conditions
- and more!
As your Vancouver healthcare practitioners, we are here to empower, inspire and motivate you. We educate you in the areas you need to strengthen and support. We give you tools to cultivate awareness, to practice prevention and to make lifestyle changes. You will always be included and informed about your healing process. Your willing and active participation is part of this partnership and is the key to a life long commitment to health.
Meet our Healthcare Practitioner
Monika Konieczka, R.Ac
Monika has always had a passion for wellness. As the daughter of a nurse, she developed a keen desire to educate herself on the complexities of the human body. Her formal inquiry into health began at the University of British Columbia in Nutritional Sciences where she worked as a Wellness Educator at the Wellness Centre. During this time she took a leadership role as Vice President of the Alternative Integrative Medicine Society (AIMS), and, in partnership with local wellness practitioners, lead regular workshops and organized annual wellness symposiums with over 400 attendees.
As a Nutritional Consultant, Monika combined factual knowledge with client-centered care. Fascinated by the Eastern concept of, “Let food be thy medicine,” she integrated the deeper connections between health and diet in her practice and devoted her studies to Oriental Medicine.
Monika has a sincere desire to relieve her clients’ suffering with integrity, compassion and a lifelong love of learning. Monika’s main areas of focus are sports medicine, digestive health, emotional health, gynecology and women’s health. Her practice includes the use of acupuncture, cupping, moxibustion, nutritional support and therapeutic yogic coaching.
Monika is a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) with 800 hours of international training in India, Thailand, Mexico and Canada. She considers wellness practitioners to be living models of health and harmony. To nurture this commitment she has a daily yoga and meditation practice and regularly attends 10 day silent meditation retreats.
Monika is passionate about combining her knowledge of Western science with Eastern wisdom and yogic disciplines to address disease and imbalances at the most appropriate level of cause. She believes Integrative Medicine (allopathic medicine uniting with traditional medical systems) offers a new and dynamic approach to well-being by merging modern and ancient traditions.
As an attentive and diligent acupuncturist, Monika is dedicated to using her knowledge of Oriental Medicine, Acupuncture and Yoga to guide individuals toward balanced, inspired self-care, and, ultimately, to actualize their true ‘Ming’ (‘Destiny’ in Chinese).
What To Expect On Your First Visit:
The first visit is approximately 1.5 hours and starts with your health history and a list of your short and long-term health goals. Your present condition is assessed, a diagnosis is given and a treatment plan is developed to most effectively resolve your concerns. The session is completed with an acupuncture treatment and any other appropriate Integrative Medicine therapies.
- One of the first things an acupuncturist will do is look at your tongue and take your wrist pulses. This gives acupuncturist insight into the health of your tissue, viscera and organs. It is used as an insightful diagnosis tool in Oriental Medicine.
- You will be asked to lie down on the massage table either facing up or down under the covers. The acupuncturist will palpate areas of pain and ask specific questions about the quality and location of the pain (if it applies). Needles will be used in the necessary areas. If any other therapy is needed it will be applied now and then you will be allowed to relax to peaceful music and the warmth of a heat lamp. Most often the acupuncturist will check-in with you to ensure you are comfortable and to see if anything needs adjusting.
- When the treatment is over, the acupuncturist will remove the needles and let you get up from the table slowly. Immediately after a treatment it is common to feel a combination of lightheaded, dreamy, sleepy or energized. It is recommended that you drink a little water before you leave and take your time. After your appointment, it is okay to go about your normal routine, but avoid anything that is overly strenuous. If you have had cupping, make sure your cupping marks are not exposed to the elements, such as wind, and do not shower for a few hours afterwards.
