S3 Episode 9 - From Surgeon to Acupuncturist: A Doctor's Inspiring Pivot Story with Dr. Sina Smith

Dr. Sina Smith had dreamed of being a surgeon since she was 5 years old. She went through years of intense medical training to achieve that goal. However, close to finishing her surgical residency, she suffered a sudden injury that changed the course of her career.

After over a decade of medical school and training, Dr. Smith woke up one morning unable to move her right arm.  Despite treatment, tests, and time, she did not regain full function. This meant she could not continue her surgical training. 

Devastated, Dr. Smith had to ask herself - now what? 

Around this time, Dr. Smith tried acupuncture to treat her injury. She was amazed to find that it helped with her arm's function and her pain. She also found the emotional release profoundly powerful.  This mind-body connection fascinated Dr. Smith and led her to pivot into studying acupuncture and functional medicine.

Now Dr. Smith helps patients as a licensed acupuncturist and functional medicine doctor. She focuses on complex, chronic health issues that conventional medicine doesn't always resolve - things like:

• Migraines
• IBS
• Menstrual problems
• Sleep issues

Her passion is uncovering the root cause and puzzles of each patient’s health picture.

An area Dr. Smith feels strongly about is nutrition. She shares practical tips for using food to control inflammation and pain. Her advice? Skip processed foods, shop the perimeter of the grocery store, and eat more omega-3s!

Even now, Dr. Smith continues learning new healing modalities like culinary medicine and homeopathy. She believes there are always new directions to explore in helping people achieve full health.

Dr. Smith's story shows that major pivots can lead to meaningful work. Her injury may have ended one dream, but it sparked the passion that guides her today. Through an openness to explore beyond the traditional path, she found her true calling.

Dr. Sina Leslie Smith is an international speaker, medical doctor, author, and educator who discovered acupuncture after pain and paralysis of her arm left her unable to be a general surgeon. Amazed by the power of traditional East Asian medicine, she became a licensed acupuncturist and over the years has mastered integrative medicine, culinary medicine, homeopathy, and functional medicine. In addition to her MD, Dr. Smith has earned three Masters degrees—Physiology and Biophysics, Medical Education, and Acupuncture—and has completed a Fellowship in Surgical Education.

She has delivered over 100 invited talks, workshops, and courses for conventional and alternative medical schools, businesses, not-for-profit organizations, and governmental agencies, including the US Department of Defense and Walter Reed Medical Center. Dr. Smith was the founding Director of Integrative and Culinary Medicine at SIU School of Medicine, has been on faculty at several other medical and acupuncture schools, and has served on the boards of multiple state and national organizations.

She is the author of the book, “Demystifying Acupuncture: Modern Answers About Ancient Medicine.” Dr. Smith is the founder and medical director of Chicago Healing Center, offers courses and workshops online and around Chicagoland, is passionate about empowering people to understand how their bodies work, and emphatically believes that food is our best medicine.

You can connect with Dr. Sina Smith here:
Website: https://sinasmithmd.com/
Learning Platform: https://chicagohealingcenter.podia.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sinasmithmd/