• 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.

In the west, most practitioners of Chinese medicine begin private practice directly after graduation without the benefit of residency under a skilled clinician. This fundamentally affects the reputation and application of Chinese medicine and is a disservice to practitioner and patient.

Our clinic aims to prove there is a difference when an experienced hand applies acupuncture and Chinese medicine theory with common sense and clarity. As a teaching clinic, it is our mission to treat patients, and teach our colleagues to achieve our same tangible results.  We aim to prove to the public how effective and tangible acupuncture and herbal medicines can be.

Andrew and JulieAnn Nugent-Head spent a combined 36 years in China studying directly under the last old doctors of Beijing.  Through this rare mentor – 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 western practitioners will see in their lifetime. This unparalleled experience does make a difference in how they treat, and the results they achieve. The Nugent-Heads chose to live right here in beautiful Western North Carolina for the quality of life it offers, and they offer world class medicine to the local population. With fluency in written and spoken Chinese, and a dedication to teach everyone at the Alternative Clinic a common sense and tangible approach to treatment, there is no better choice for your care than this dedicated team of professionals.

Andrew Nugent-Head Alternative Clinic

Andrew Nugent-Head, Chief Practitioner 

In 1986, Andrew travelled to Taiwan to study Chinese for a year post high school. Soon after arriving, however, a car accident led him to discover the incredible healing powers of Chinese medicine. Andrew’s broken bones were healed so quickly that he was hiking within weeks, forcing him to change college plans to stay in Asia to study the incredible medicine he had just experienced.

In 1989, Andrew moved to Beijing, and found it nearly impossible to find traditional practitioners that were willing to teach their knowledge for fear of reprisal.  The Nationalists and Communists had deeply fragmented traditional culture, and nearly extinguished lineage holders.  Andrew thus founded a not for profit organization to seek out and encourage traditional practitioners to document their wisdom for preservation, bringing those scholars to an eager western audience.

Over three decades working with and documenting the last old doctors, the Association for Traditional Studies now hosts one of the largest online libraries of Chinese medicine studies available in English. Being both documentarian and ‘closing door disciple’ of famous Beijing practitioner Dr Li Hongxiang, Andrew developed an incredible clarity and medical skill he is dedicated to sharing with the field. Today, Andrew and wife JulieAnn teach around the world and run a teaching clinic in Asheville, NC.

Chinese Medicine & Acupuncture | The Alternative Clinic

JulieAnn Nugent-Head, MD (China) Chief Practitioner

After earning a master’s degree in Chinese medicine in the United States, JulieAnn completed internships at KuanJie Hospital in Beijing in 2003 and 2004. Realizing the medicine that was practiced in China was worlds away from what she had learned in the west, JulieAnn decided to move to China full time in 2006.

During her eight and a half years in China, JulieAnn assisted the Association for Traditional Studies project to document and preserve the knowledge of the last generation of practitioners who were born and in practice prior to 1949.  Documenting famous octogenarian doctors Li Hongxiang and Chen Tongyun,  JulieAnn and husband Andrew filmed the doctors’ clinical practices and informal discussions—creating archives of case studies, lectures on the classic books and thought provoking discussions over tea.

In 2010, JulieAnn received a scholarship to attend the Chinese language medical doctorate program at the Zhejiang University of Chinese Medicine. During this time, JulieAnn and husband Andrew  lived in the tea hills of Hangzhou with their three children, becoming a local attraction as the ‘pet foreigners’ and ‘village doctors’ of the Dragon Well Tea Village.

After the passing of their teachers, JulieAnn and Andrew returned to the United States. The Nugent-Heads offer short term training and clinical residency programs at the Alternative Clinic in Asheville, North Carolina, and continuing education courses online through traditionalstudies.org.

Chinese Medicine & Acupuncture | The Alternative Clinic

David Trevino, Telemedicine

David was born and raised in Mexico City. After 20+ years of clinical practice in Asheville, David moved back to Mexico and offers telemedicine consultations to stay connected to our clinic and his patient base in Asheville. David offers medical advice, herbal prescriptions, medical referrals and his wonderful humor to help patients understand their symptoms and untangle complicated conditions.

Davids 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.

Isaac Kaufman, Resident Practitioner

Isaac began studying martial arts at a young age in Los Angeles, and spent three years in the famed Shaolin monasteries immersed in the Buddhist philosophical and martial traditions of Henan, China.

Upon returning to the United States, Isaac’s passion for Chinese culture led to formal education in Chinese medicine, earning a degree at YoSan Univerisity in California.  While in school, Isaac attended seminars and clinical observations in Asheville, impressing Andrew and JulieAnn with his dedication and excitement.

A Nationally Certified Practitioner and licensed in North Carolina, Isaac was accepted for the Alternative Clinic’s residency program in 2025.  Isaac’s treatments are full of kindness and humor, while benefitting from the deepening skill of tutelage under Andrew and JulieAnn.

Dr Chynna Shipp, Resident Practitioner

Chynna feels deeply connected to the Appalachian community and is committed to serving the region she has called home for 20 years. She enjoys connecting with the natural world in many ways, including climbing, backpacking, and learning about native plants. She can often be found outside with her husband and son in WNC’s majestic nature.

Chynna’s passion for Chinese medicine emerged from a desire to blend tradition and interpersonal connection with effective medical care.  Chynna is profoundly grateful to have been selected for the 2026 Residency Program and looks forward to deepening her skills through clinical mentorship with Andrew & JulieAnn Nugent-Head.

Chynna Shipp is a Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine (DACM), and nationally certified as a Diplomate of Oriental Medicine (Dipl. O.M.).  She received her degrees from Daoist Traditions College in Asheville, and is licensed in the state of North Carolina.

Dr Rachel Silverstone, Resident Practitioner

Rachel’s love for martial arts and Chinese culture led her to study Daoism and Chinese Medicine in the Wudang mountains of China in 2015.  Following, she completed a Doctorate in Traditional Chinese Medicine and spent four years at the Integrative Wellness Center at Huntsman Cancer Institute, and in private practice. She began studying with the Nugent-Heads to deepen her understanding of a hands on approach to Chinese Medicine, and is excited to be selected for the 2026 Clinical Residency Program.

Rachel brings compassion, enthusiasm, and an open heart to her work, and she is honored to be in service at the Alternative Clinic.

Please call us at 828-424-7415 if you have questions