Dr. Sarah Thomas runs an integrative acupuncture practice in St. Simons Island, Georgia. This is her story. My Stemwave Interview.

She has a master’s in acupuncture and oriental medicine and a doctorate from Pacific College of Health and Sciences — one of the only programs in the country to integrate western diagnostic training into a Chinese medicine curriculum. She came to StemWave with a different patient base, a different clinical philosophy, and a healthy amount of skepticism. Six months later, she’d more than doubled her monthly revenue and started treating conditions she’d previously had to refer out.

Q: You’re not the typical StemWave provider. Walk us through your background.

A: “I came from a western medicine background. 30 years in dentistry before going back for my master’s and then my doctorate in acupuncture and oriental medicine. The program I attended in San Diego was unusual because it was heavily grounded in western diagnostics. Physical exams, imaging, case planning from a western medicine standpoint. So I’ve always operated in both worlds.

In Florida, doctors of acupuncture are classified as primary care physicians. We can do physical exams, injections — we have a broad practice act. That background shaped everything about how I approach a patient. And honestly, it’s part of why the StemWave science made sense to me immediately. I wasn’t looking at it as an alternative therapy. I was looking at it as a mechanism.”

Q: What does your patient population actually look like?

A: “St. Simons is a resort area between Savannah and Jacksonville. I see a lot of retirees, very active ones. Golfers, cyclists, people who are outside most of the year. Many are 50 to 90 years old, and a significant number have already been through the western medicine circuit. Cortisone injections, surgeries, replacements. Some are trying to avoid another surgery. Some are dealing with post-surgical complications.

They’ve tried everything. They come to me a little defeated, with low expectations. And then they’re usually surprised.

What I’ve also learned is that StemWave brings in patients who would never have come to an acupuncture practice. Needle phobia is real. Some people just aren’t open to it philosophically. But focused acoustic wave therapy doesn’t carry any of those barriers.“

Q: How did StemWave get on your radar?

A: “Social media. The marketing kept showing up in my feed and I kept seeing it, and I’m the type of person who investigates. I was doing research, asking questions, looking at outcomes data. And the more I looked, the more I thought: the predictability here is better than what I can consistently deliver with acupuncture alone.

With acupuncture, peak effect can be one to four days after a treatment. Patients may not notice anything until a few sessions in. That’s just the nature of the medicine, and it’s a hard sell in a society that expects results quickly. What drew me to the acoustic wave technology was that I could see changes within the treatment itself — and the rate of meaningful pain reduction was higher than what I was getting on my own.”

Q: Can you share any patient stories?

A: “My favorite is a woman in her 70s who came in with a cane, severe knee pain, and a recommendation from her orthopedist for knee replacement surgery. She’d also just been discharged from the hospital after a cardiac catheterization. She did not want surgery.

After the first treatment, she stood up and couldn’t believe it. She handed her cane to her husband and said, “Here. I don’t need this to walk out.” They’d just gotten married, and her husband was standing there watching his wife leave without a cane she’d arrived with.

We’re halfway through her care plan. The other knee started bothering her at one visit, so we addressed that too. Now he wants to do his knees.

That’s a referral pattern you can’t manufacture.”

Q: You mentioned using StemWave on yourself. What happened?

A: “I had two serious back injuries in 2022 and 2023. Was recommended for surgery. I have permanent numbness in my left leg, and for nearly four years I couldn’t run, couldn’t exercise, couldn’t manage my stress the way I used to. It affected everything.

The first morning after I treated my own low back, I got out of bed without pain for the first time in over two years. I could bend over and touch the floor. I actually walked around my office looking for things on the floor just to do it. I still show patients. I couldn’t do this. Now I can. That changes how you talk about the technology. You’re not reciting a brochure. You’re telling your own story.” 

Q: Acupuncturists aren’t typically marketing people. How has the support side worked for you?

A: “That was actually a deciding factor. Coming from dentistry and consulting, I’ve watched practices invest in equipment and get exactly one training visit from a sales rep. Then you’re on your own.

The Skool platform — the video modules, the recorded clinical calls, the business guidance — I listen to those on my drive to Jacksonville and back every week. Every single call I pick up something new. The presenters have different clinical philosophies, different patient populations. You can find what applies to your practice.

And the Facebook advertising support meant I didn’t have to figure that out from scratch. I’m the website designer, the office manager, the clinical provider. If I had to run paid ads on top of that, it wouldn’t happen. Having that handled for me wasn’t a bonus, it was a necessity.”

Q: What surprised you most?

A: “How quickly I could move elderly patients out of significant pain. I’ve had patients come in barely able to move their arm, a woman who couldn’t dress herself without her husband’s help. On visit four, she was doing what I can only describe as the chicken dance.

I think I expected results. I didn’t expect them that fast, or that consistent. And I didn’t expect the financial freedom to feel the way it does. I’ve been able to hire staff, renovate the office, and for the first time in two years, I might actually take a vacation.

My philosophy is rooted in faith, guided by science, and dedicated to healing. StemWave fits that. The science is real, the outcomes are real, and the healing has been real for my patients and, honestly, for me.”