• 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, Chief Practitioner 

In 1986, Andrew travelled to Taiwan to study Chinese for a year post high school. However, soon after arriving, 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, prompting him to stay in Asia to investigate 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.

Being both a documentarian and ‘disciple’ of famous Beijing practitioners, Andrew developed an incredible clarity and medical skill he is dedicated to proving to patients and sharing with colleagues. 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 studying Chinese medicine in the United States, JulieAnn interned at KuanJie Hospital in Beijing in 2003 and 2004. Realizing the medicine 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 time in Beijing, JulieAnn assisted the Association for Traditional Studies in their documentation of the last generation of traditionally trained Chinese medicine practitioners.  Being welcomed into the clinic and homes of famous Beijing doctors was life changing.  Filming thousands of hours of clinical experience and informal discussions—creating archives of case studies, lectures on the classic books and thought provoking discussions over tea was an experience few are fortunate to have.

In 2010, JulieAnn received a scholarship to attend the Chinese language medical doctorate program at the Zhejiang University of Chinese Medicine. Immersion in a Chinese  formal education system was eye opening, offering a new perspective on medicine as she read and discussed concepts in Chinese.  At the same time, she had the incredible experience of living in the tea hills of Hangzhou with husband Andrew and their three children.  They became the foreign ‘village doctors’ of the Dragon Well Tea Village, and learned how to grow and process tea, picking leaves from the three rows of tea bushes that were included in the rent of their rural farmhouse.

After the passing of their teachers, and the rising cost of being a foreigner in China, JulieAnn and Andrew returned to the United States.  Finding Asheville not dissimilar from the tea village, the Nugent-Heads terraced the hillside of their home and have begun to grow tea and herbs in WNC. They both teach internationally, 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 Fay, 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 Fay 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