In the realm of Integrative and Alternative medicine, Dr. Felice Dunas stands as a prominent figure, renowned for her expertise in acupuncture and Eastern medicine, and her ability to transform lives with it’s concepts and practices. With a career spanning many decades, she has touched the lives of countless people across the globe through her lectures, writings, coaching and medical practice. In this blog post, we will delve into Dr. Dunas’s background and explore the driving forces behind her passion for the unique profession she helped to establish in the United States.
Early Influences
Bridging Western and Eastern Medicine Dr. Dunas’s journey towards Eastern medicine began with a profound personal experience during her formative years. At the tender age of ten, she was confronted with the sudden loss of her father to illness. This tragedy sparked a series of questions within her young mind, causing her to examine the conventional approach to healthcare and its limits. She sought to understand how her dad, a seemingly healthy man, could succumb to disease without prior warning signs.
Further shaping her perspective, when still in childhood, Dr. Dunas spent Saturday mornings on “rounds” at the hospital alongside her stepfather, an esteemed physician specializing in internal medicine. Witnessing the suffering of his patients and their desperate pleas for relief, she became acutely aware of the limitations of Western medicine. The experience left an indelible mark on her, fueling her determination to explore alternative approaches that could help her stepfather heal a greater number of people.
Challenging Assumptions
As a teenager, Dr. Dunas accompanied her mother to many medical appointments, searching for answers to her persistent and debilitating symptoms. One encounter with a gastroenterologist at a renowned hospital left her perplexed and dissatisfied. The doctor attributed her mother’s condition to psychological factors. She was told “it’s all in her head”. But when she asked how a disease could be in her mom’s head while also being in her body, the doctor had no scientific response. In reality, her mom had an illness for which no name had yet been coined. Because gastroenterology was not familiar enough with the condition to give it a name, her mom was labeled as having psychological self destructive tendencies which made her think she was sick. This encounter planted seeds of doubt within Dr. Dunas, prompting her to question why doctors blamed patients if they had health problems medicine didn’t understand yet. She was only a teenager and she knew her mom was sick. Why wouldn’t the doctor acknowledge what was obvious even if he didn’t know what the disease was?
Dr. Dunas embarked on a quest for a medical system that offered a different lens through which to view illness. This quest led her to the ancient practice of acupuncture and Eastern medicine. Intrigued by its holistic approach and its potential to address diseases with no conventional diagnoses, she decided to dedicate her life to bringing this transformative healing modality to the Western world.
Professional Focus on Love and Sexuality
In addition to her expertise in addressing physical health problems, Dr. Dunas has also made significant contributions to our understanding of love relationships and sexuality, using ancient teachings from Eastern medicine’s rich history. Thousands of years ago it was the first system of medicine to include sex as a field of research. Combining those teachings with contemporary scientific research, she addresses the significance of human sexual expression in the creation of health and intimacy. She teaches how this primal force can be channeled to heal the body and mind and to strengthen intimate relationships.
Bringing Eastern Medicine to the West
Dr. Dunas’s dedication to her profession has had national impact. Alongside other pioneers, she played a pivotal role in establishing and promoting the field of acupuncture and Eastern medicine in the United States. In the 1970s, this profession was unknown outside Asian communities. Dr. Dunas and her colleagues worked tirelessly to change this landscape, creating curriculum, colleges and eventually, licensing, thereby leading to the widespread acceptance and growth of licensed acupuncturists across the country.
Dr. Felice Dunas’s extraordinary career in acupuncture and Eastern medicine has been driven by a deep-rooted passion to see more people healed than is possible utilizing Western medicine alone. Shaped by her early experiences and motivated by the limitations she witnessed in the medicine practiced in America, she embarked on a lifelong journey to explore alternative approaches to healthcare. Through her lectures, writings, and pioneering efforts, Dr. Dunas has touched the lives of many, bridging the gap between Eastern and Western medical philosophies and offering a fresh perspective on the mind-body connection. Her unwavering commitment to bringing Eastern medicine to the West continues to transform lives and empower individuals on their paths of physical, mental, and relationship healing.
Follow along in Dr. Dunas’s journey and reach out with any questions or to schedule a consultation!
