ALIVE HOLISTIC HEALTH CLINIC - Key Persons
Kim practices acupuncture and is expertly trained to improve fertility using Chinese herbal formulas; however, he also treats a wide range of ailments. He is a Member of the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of Ontario....
Caila Crawford is a registered Acupuncturist in Ontario. She has rigorously trained academically and clinically to treat patients from all walks of life. Caila's career journey began at the University of Western Ontario where she received an Honours Specialization degree in Kinesiology. It was her love of sport and health that guided her into this program. However, she felt there was something missing in the way the body was viewed in Western medicine. While studying Caila felt led to take her yoga teacher training to explore more holistic views of well-being. Yoga became the gateway to a greater understanding of how the body is a multidimensional being which sparked a thirst for more knowledge. Caila then applied and was accepted to CCNM the naturopathic medical school in Toronto. Within her first year Caila realized acupuncture was the modality that resonated the most with her and continued her studies in Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Caila's treatments incorporate all aspects she has learned to provide a well rounded approach. She values Western and Eastern medicine equally as a complement to each other, the yin and yang of healthcare. She has treated and helped heal a wide variety of health concerns. This includes digestive complaints, stress and mental health, migraines, body pain, fertility and gynecological concerns.
Caila considers herself a Mental Health Advocate and cares very much about mental health. This is an aspect of health that she feels very comfortable talking about, and she aims to create a safe, and confidential space for patients to express themselves and their concerns.
David Liang graduated from the University of Toronto in 1996 with a Bachelor of Science specializing in Physiology. He then went on to study Traditional Chinese Medicine, acupuncture, and massage at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine (PCOM) in San Diego, California. There he earned a Masters of Science degree in Traditional Oriental Medicine in the year 2000.
At PCOM, he studied both the Chinese as well as Japanese styles of acupuncture. He was inspired by the precision, effectiveness, and gentleness of the more superficial needling of the Japanese-style and it is this style of needling that he continues to employ today.
During his early training, teachings about a body-mind connection peaked his curiosity. It was something he never heard mentioned during his undergrad at U of T. It was during his first massage class where he had a first hand experience of this connection. Through the relaxation of his muscles he felt a corresponding release and calming of his mental tension. Inspired by this experience, he enrolled in the Massage Therapy program at PCOM and went on to learn and study various forms of massage which included Swedish, Shiatsu, Thai Massage and Tui-Na.
It was through his Shiatsu teacher, Kazuo Kawamata, where he was first exposed to Zen meditation. After returning to Toronto, he continued his meditation practice and began to explore the philosophy and practices of Tibetan Buddhism. After a couple years he realized he needed more guidance and a teacher. It was at that time he coincidentally met his teacher Catherine Jetsun-Yeshe Rathbun at the Friends of The Heart Meditation Centre whom he trained with until her passing. She trained him in basic Mindfulness techniques as well as the philosophical view and practices within the Theravadin, Mahayana as well as Vajrayana traditions. He became an instructor at Friends of the Heart before the centre closed its doors. Today, he shares meditation and mindfulness instructions during his acupuncture sessions.
After his return to Toronto, he also continued to explore hrough personal study the theories and techniques of a variety of somatic or mind-body-based therapies from a more from a Western origin. This included Cranialsacral Therapy, Rolfing, Alexander Technique, Feldenkrais, Hanna Somatics, Hellerwork and Trager Mentastics.
The ideas of aligning the body's structure with gravity from Ida Rolf, the creater of Rolfing, resonated deeply within him and inspired him to work more on his own structural alighnment. This is when he began to practice Yoga, specifically Iyengar and Restorative Yoga.
More recently he has become interested in Trauma-Informed Therapy and the work of Peter Levine and the Polyvagal theory of Stephen Porges. He has found their discoveries are very much in line with traditional instructions on Meditation and Mindfulness and enjoys combining the information from both streams.
Tanya is a registered naturopathic doctor in two locations including Woodrbidge, Vaughan and now Toronto Ontario. Since the COVID-19 Pandemic her practice has successfully switched over to a Virtual platform. Over the last fifteen years, she has been fortunate to...
Eleanor has practiced as an RMT for 12 years. Working closely with clients with diverse somatic health concerns lead her to appreciate the interdependence of the physical, psychological and emotional states and how working through injuries can have a...
Mary Wong has been in practice for over 27 years. She is the founder and director of ALIVE Holistic Health Clinic, best selling author, certified High Performance and Wellness coach, creator and host of Fertility Talks, international speaker, and acupuncturist. As a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioner and former IVF patient who struggled with infertility, she has made it her life's mission to transform lives by bridging the gap between Eastern and Western medicine.
She sat on the Ontario government's appointed expert panel for Infertility and Adoption. The report of this panel laid the groundwork for IVF funding in Ontario.
Mary graduated from McMaster University with a biological science degree and then received her doctorate in Traditional Chinese Medicine at the Canadian College of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine in Victoria, BC in 1993. She is a member of the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of Ontario, Canadian Fertility and Andrology Society, Certified High Performance Coach. As a sought out speaker, she has lectured at various hospitals, institutions and companies including fertility centres across Canada and the US, the Canadian Fertility Show, CFAS, Canadian Breast Cancer Society, Google, and Unilever.
Mary is the author of Pathways to Pregnancy: Personal Stories and Practical Advice for Your Fertility Journey on Amazon's #1 Best Seller list. She was featured in Talks at Google, Glow Magazine, Mama Glow, Today's Toronto Mom, Canadian Family, CTV's Your Morning Show, Best Health Magazine Canada, She Does The City, Now Magazine, and Toronto Star. Mary has also been featured in a number of podcasts and radio shows such as The New Family, Fertility Friday, Mark Brennae CFAX 1070, and Businesses in Bloom.
As a Childbirth Educator (1986-present) and Board Certified Hypnotist and HypnoFertility® Practitioner, Shawn created & teaches the ChildbirthJoy Prenatal Hypnosis program. She is a published author in the doula series, Bearing Witness & Joyful Birth. She retired from being...
Tara is a registered acupuncturist (R. Ac) in the province of Ontario. She also holds a BA in Psychology from Concordia University in Montreal, with a specialization in Behavioural Neuroscience. Tara completed a 5 year degree at the Toronto...
Tina Torii RMT, graduated from Sutherland-Chan School and Teaching Clinic in 1998. She is a member of the Registered Massage Therapists Association of Ontario. Tina uses a combination of Swedish massage, Indirect techniques (Integrative Manual Therapy, cranial and lymphatic),...