• Meet Our Practitioners

    Chinese Medicine & Acupuncture | The Alternative Clinic

Experienced Practitioners

In China, old doctors are revered because it is only through a lifetime of practice that one gains wisdom and experience.

Today in the west, many practitioners of Chinese medicine begin to treat patients right out of school, without the benefit of residency under skilled and experienced clinicians. Our clinic aims to change that trend.

Andrew and JulieAnn Nugent-Head have spent a combined 36 years in China studying directly under the last old doctors of Beijing.  Through this teacher – disciple training,  doctoral studies in the Chinese University system and residency in the hospitals of Beijing and Hangzhou, JulieAnn and Andrew have seen more patients, treatments and Chinese herbal prescriptions than most practitioners in the west will see in their lifetime. This unparalleled experience combined with fluency in written and spoken Chinese gives Andrew and JulieAnn the confidence to treat difficult disease and the tools to seek advice from the classic Chinese books directly.

Andrew Nugent-Head Alternative Clinic

Andrew Nugent-Head

Andrew Nugent-Head arrived in Taiwan in 1986 to study Chinese Medicine, martial arts and internal cultivation. He formally began studying Chinese medicine in 1989, founding the Association for Traditional Studies (ATS) to preserve China’s traditional knowledge. Andrew is a renowned Chinese medical practitioner, educator and martial artist, currently completing his medical doctorate in Zhejiang China.  Andrew teaches internationally and treats patients in Asheville, NC.

Chinese Medicine & Acupuncture | The Alternative Clinic

JulieAnn Nugent-Head MD (China)

JulieAnn completed her masters degree in Oriental medicine in the United States, but quickly realized that without meaningful internship under skilled doctors she did not have the experience to confidently treat serious conditions.  After summer internships at Beijing’s Kuanjie Hospital in 2003 & 2004, JulieAnn moved to China full time to learn Chinese and study under two of Beijing’s most famous traditional practitioners Dr Li Hongxiang (1924-2018) and Dr Chen Tongyun (1922 -).

Escaping the pollution of Beijing after five years studying with these great teachers, JulieAnn and husband Andrew relocated to the rural tea mountains of Hangzhou, living amongst the simple farmers of the Dragon Well tea village. While in Hangzhou JulieAnn completed her doctorate level medical degree in the Chinese program at the Zhejiang University of Chinese Medicine.

JulieAnn’s doctoral thesis focused on tasting and experiencing herbs directly, and feels that direct experience with plants is the only way to understand the knowledge available in books. Her emphasis on the classical perspective of Chinese herb use has resulted in multiple articles in the Journal of Chinese medicine, an extensive online herbal curriculum to reframe modern perspectives, as well as international and domestic teaching engagements. JulieAnn treats patients at The Alternative Clinic and is thrilled to call the mountains of Asheville, NC home.

Chinese Medicine & Acupuncture | The Alternative Clinic

David Trevino LAc

David is a native Spanish speaker, born and raised in Mexico City. With 16 years of clinical practice and 9 years teaching students, David’s extensive experience also includes working with Houston’s Brain Injury Rehab Center, Harvard’s Mind Body Medical Institute’s Cardiac Rehab program, and Anderson’s Cancer Center’s Integrative Medicine program.

After implementing the tangible treatment strategies learned from Andrew Nugent-Head over the last six years, David experienced a number of his patients showing dramatic improvements. He is delighted to be working at the Alternative Clinic providing authentic and tangible Chinese medicine alongside Andrew and JulieAnn

 Gabby Hardin LMBT NC 15533

A DONA International Certified Birth Doula and licensed massage therapist, Gabrielle Hardin is committed to raising awareness of the importance of women’s health and care. 
She and her husband worked for NGOs in Thailand supporting women’s education, teaching empowerment techniques and battling human trafficking. Upon returning to the United States, she began her life long journey into medicine by becoming first a licensed massage therapist and then a Certified Birth Doula. She begins her journey to become a Certified Professional Midwife in 2019 to be able to offer complete care to mothers. 

Her greatest passion is bringing support and care to women by meeting women, whether it is keeping them healthy and vibrant through therapeutic bodywork, helping expectant mothers through birth work and pregnancy massage, or volunteering at birth clinics around the world, care is at the heart of Gabby’s practice. She is available here at the Alternative Clinic for massage or for doula services at www.sacredborn.com

Chinese Medicine & Acupuncture | The Alternative Clinic

Liz Cross LMBT 10694

Liz’s focus on therapeutic bodywork began more than 15 years ago with a year long residential program. Practicing bodywork-therapy ever since, Liz’s experience working with semi- pro and professional athletes in Colorado, and guiding other therapists as a bodywork teacher created a high level of skill and confidence in her treatments. Since moving to Asheville in 2011, Liz has practiced holistic medicine at a mental health center while earning her Masters degree in Chinese Medicine. Liz is thrilled to be given the opportunity to do massage at The Alternative Clinic and study under Andrew and JulieAnn.

Maria Delahoz LMBT #17890

Maria was born and raised in Colombia, South America. After moving to New York City, Maria explored holistic approaches to healing, and found her passion in therapeutic massage. Desiring to offer others the healing services that made a difference in her own life, Maria studied neuromuscular massage therapy. The knowledge she has gained from those studies, combined with years of experience working in rehabilitation therapy,  Maria is confident in her skills and techniques. Maria is always eager to learn the diverse approaches to holistic medicine and is excited to be a part of The Alternative Clinic.

Please call us at 828-424-7415 if you have questions, or schedule an appointment online.