At Copal Acupuncture & Herbal Medicine, we understand the importance of finding a healthcare provider you trust and we feel honored you have chosen us to support you on your healing journey. We want to give you ownership over your own health and show you your body’s natural ability to heal.
Care You Can Trust.
We are the experts in our medicine and techniques, but you are the expert on your body. If at any time we feel we are unable to help you, or if we know your health would be better addressed by a different practitioner, we will communicate this to you.
We believe in integrative and comprehensive healthcare, so we might be a piece of a larger healthcare team. Our priority is to help you feel better and we will bring in all the tools we have to do just that.
Meet Mary Wood.
MAcOM, EAMP, L.Ac.
Mary Wood is a Washington State licensed and Board Certified Herbalist and Acupuncturist by the National Commission for the Certification of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM). Mary is certified in the Clean Needle Technique and is also a certified acupuncture detoxification specialist through the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association (NADA) in a form of auricular acupuncture used to treat substance dependence, addictions, and trauma. She holds a Masters Degree in Acupuncture and East Asian Medicine from the prestigious Seattle Institute of East Asian Medicine (SIEAM), an apprentice style three year program.
After living with a back injury for more than 15 years, she has intimate knowledge of chronic pain and how it affects one’s life. Her experience with acupuncture in treating her own pain is ultimately what drew her to this medicine. Her lengthy path to rebuilding strength through this difficult injury and distrust in her body is a particular skill she hopes to share with others struggling with the same difficulties and feeling of disconnectedness.
Prior to discovering her career in East Asian Medicine she spent nearly four years working with victims of violent crime at the 9th Judicial District Attorney’s Office in Western Colorado. Her experience working with this population has led to an interest in providing acupuncture for acute trauma and prevention of PTSD symptoms with those exposed to violence and/or trauma, and this topic will be the focus of her Doctorate degree in the near future.
About the name Copal.
The word copal was derived from the Nahuatl copalli, which translates as “resin.” It generally refers to various types of resins typically harvested from trees in tropical climates. Traditionally, it was used by Mayans and Aztecs for ceremonial purposes and spiritual cleansing and continues to be used for this purpose in Mayan culture.
Though copal is not a typical substance used in Chinese herbal medicine, other resins are frequently used in Chinese medicine for their pain relieving and calming qualities. Some of these include amber (琥珀 hu po), myrrh (没药 mo yao), frankincense (乳香 ru xiang), and dragon’s blood (血竭 xue jie).
I grew up very strongly connected to Mexico and the Mayan Riviera, where I first encountered the scent of copal. My family spends time every year in this part of the world and though my Grandmother’s family immigrated to the US from Spain, we remain deeply tied to Mexican culture and the Spanish language. I wanted to bring part of that beauty into my business, which is based on healing with the power of plants, and spotlight how important it is to reconnect to those places and people where you feel rooted. The scent of copal does that for me every time.
*It is deeply important to respect Indigenous medicine and I do not claim copal as my medicine. If you choose to burn copal, palo santo, or sage, please be mindful of where you source them and how you use them.