Deirdre Courtney, MTCM, CAc (China), DiplAc, came to acupuncture and face reading through her passion for cooking good, healthy, macrobiotic food. In the 1980s, she was in demand as a chef, working in French, Italian, vegetarian and macrobiotic restaurants in her home town of Dublin, as well as in Denver, Colorado, and Los Angeles. She also became a teacher, showing other cooks how to use the healing power of healthy food to help people recovering from alcohol, drug abuse, and obesity.

Seeking to develop her healing talents further, she earned her master’s in traditional Chinese medicine from Yo San University and opened a private practice. Courtney has since lectured and conducted workshops worldwide, been published in journals, magazines, and newspapers, and made many appearances on TV and radio. She was the head of the acupuncture department at the College of Naturopathic Medicine CNM Ireland for 12 years and Chairperson of the Irish Register of Chinese Medical Herbalism for four.