Hi! My name is Karissa McCallum.

I’m a licensed acupuncturist, herbalist, doula, and essential oil educator.

 

I graduated from Pacific College of Health Sciences – Chicago. There I took eleven semesters of classes and completed fifteen clinic shifts over the course of approximately four years.

Outside of my career, I’m also known as wife to Patrick and mom to Ilyanna, Alydia, Lennox, and Oraylia. Let’s not forget Ziggy & Zoey (our dogs)!

I’m so glad you’re here! If there are three things I always remember being interested in, it’s medicine, birth, and babies/children.

From a young age, I thought I wanted to be a pediatrician but pivoted my sophomore year of college at Northwestern University and majored in Human Development and Psychological Services. Upon graduation, I still wasn’t 100% sure on my career path, so I assistant taught Kindergarten for a year. I gained a lot of respect for teachers but felt my heart pulling me elsewhere. I ran into someone who graduated a year ahead of me from NU. She told me she was studying East Asian Medicine, and this pre-med dropout was intrigued. My friend explained the medicine as treating the mind, body, and spirit, and she was learning to use certain foods and herbs to support the body’s healing. This was it! Instead of choosing between nursing, psychology/social work, nutrition, or something like personal training and/or group fitness, all routes I was considering, I felt like becoming an acupuncturist and herbalist combined so many of those interests. 

I enrolled at Pacific College of Health Sciences without ever having received an acupuncture treatment. That being said, I was suffering from amenorrhea at the time, which is a lack of menstruation, after going off the birth control pill. Through acupuncture treatments, taking herbs, and making dietary changes, my cycle returned and continued to be regulated. While in school, I met my husband. Before I knew it, I was opening a practice in downtown Chicago and planning a wedding simultaneously. We had our first baby nine months after our wedding. During that pregnancy, and the ones that followed, I received acupuncture treatments and took herbs, going on to have healthy, quick, unmedicated home births. (Feel free to ask me about them; I love sharing those stories!) I encapsulated my placentas and had overall positive postpartum experiences. I would say that my care and births with Gentle Birth Care, and the doulas that supported me, helped fuel my passion for working with, and supporting, women through their pregnancy, birth and postpartum. (During my last birth, my daughters were my doulas.) My experiences really changed the way I view birth, which is very different from how most of society views it. I want women to trust their bodies and their babies, to find providers who support their birth plans, to see the beauty in this stage of life. Yes, that includes the birth process. These are some of the reasons I became a certified doula but not the only one.

I want women to feel educated, empowered, and supported in however, wherever, they want to give birth. That being said, I certainly have my favorite places and providers. 

Ilyanna’s birth photographer asked me if I’d be interested in some sort of trade, and I loved the idea! This photographer, who is both a patient and good friend, became pregnant a little over a year later and asked me to be her “acupuncture doula.” She wasn’t expecting me to take any official training; she just wanted the relaxation she experiences from acupuncture and my support as a friend. However, my personality, and love of learning, led me to DONA birth doula training. Her birth was the first I attended, and I have been working with families since then. I want women to feel educated, empowered, and supported in however, wherever, they want to give birth. That being said, I certainly have my favorite places and providers. 

Speaking of providers, I now work at Family Tree Holistic Health in Arlington Heights, where I treat a lot of conditions. While I am clearly passionate about women’s health, including fertility, pregnancy, and postpartum, I also like addressing emotional well-being, insomnia, headaches/migraines, pediatrics, and more. If you ever wonder if acupuncture can help with something, just ask! I call my treatments Essential Acupuncture because I incorporate my love and knowledge of therapeutic grade essential oils.

I personally started using oils when I was exploring teething remedies for my oldest. She was six months-old. Since then, I use essential oils on myself, with my patients, and with my family. Essential oils are a natural addition to my practice as many of the oils are concentrated forms of Chinese herbs e.g. cinnamon bark, ginger, peppermint, etc. My love, and recommendation to use essential oils outside of the office, is what led me to create my own essential oil products. From “Calming Your Mind” to “Relieving Your Headaches,” I am certain that you will find something to benefit you. If not, I will make you a custom product to address your needs. I am continuously expanding and adding to my line of rollerballs and room sprays. 

When not in the office or attending a birth, you’ll likely find me homeschooling, cooking, snuggling with my family watching a (Hallmark) movie or getting some self-care in: working out, yoga, a long soak in the tub, reading, journaling, etc.

Licensing / Accreditations

I am passionate about the overall wellness of my patients and enjoy taking continuing education classes.

 

CREDENTIALING

  • Licensed Acupuncturist & Herbalist in Illinois

  • DONA Certified Doula

SPECIAL LECTURES ATTENDED AT PACIFIC HEALTH SCIENCE’S MEDICAL SYMPOSIUM - SAN DIEGO

  • Chi Nei Tsag (internal massage of the organs)

  • Acupuncture for Weight Loss

  • Facial Diagnosis

  • Abdominal Diagnosis and Treatment

  • Food as Therapy

  • Immunology for Children

ADDITIONAL EDUCATION

  • 1 year with Marie-France Collin, known for her use of accessory techniques (cupping, moxa and gua sha) and channel pathway treatments

  • Shadowed Dr. Lixin Sha, who received her training in China.  Dr. Sha offers years of experience in treating women’s health, pain, and more.

  • Prior to graduating, I spent a month in China attending lectures on the treatment of sports injuries, eye disorders, nourishing life principles and herbal processing.  Additionally, I observed inpatient rotations in the neurology, urology, gastroenterology, respiratory, rheumatology, and obstetrics and gynecology departments.

CONTINUING EDUCATION

  • Acupuncture

  • Canonical Chinese Medicine Training: Shanhan Lun 

  • Canonical Chinese Medicine Training Jingui Yaolue

  • Balance Method with Dr. Tan

  • Build Your Confidence with Pediatric Essentials Robin Ray Green, L.Ac 

  • Everyday Holistic Pediatrics Elisa Song, MD

  • The Treatment of Gynecological Disorders with Herbs and Essential Oils Peter Holmes L.Ac, MH 

  • Eight Extraordinary Vessels and Their Clinical Application with Marie-France Collin 

  • Infertility: Blending Eastern and Western Medicine with Dr. Kate Phillippi L.Ac, DACM, FABORM

  • Integrative Approach for Common Fertility and Reproductive Disorders Laura Erlich, L.Ac

  • An Integrative Approach to Recurrent Pregnancy Loss and Repeated Implantation Failure Ursula Ritz, L.Ac

  • Maternity Acupuncture- Clinical Realities: Problem Solving Through Clinical Scenarios Debra Betts, L.Ac

  • Habitual Miscarriage: Diagnosis and Treatment with Case Studies Sharon Weizenbaum, L.Ac

DOULA

  • Successful Ways to Manage Your Doula Business 

  • Perinatal Mental Health and the Intersection of Domestic Violence 

  • Postpartum Mood Disorders: How to Build Your Client’s Resiliency 

  • Ethical Dilemma of Recreational Marijuana Use for Breastfeeding and Pregnant People 

  • Designing a Successful Brand 

  • Issues in the Breech Presentation 

  • Breastfeeding in Special Circumstances

  • I have been going to see Karissa McCallum for over 2 years for acupuncture and cupping treatments. I originally went for treatment of migraine headaches, but quickly learned that acupuncture can treat almost anything. Karissa is a true healer that is intuitive, caring, comforting and has provided much relief for me through her acupuncture and cupping treatments. Karissa’s ability to make you feel cared for and understood is remarkable, and she provides amazing care. The office is warm and inviting, having almost a spa like feel to it.

    Shelly G.

  • Karissa is such a gift! Our family is so grateful for Karissa McCallum, who has helped both my husband and I with her wonderful talent and skill of acupuncture. Our family wouldn't be the same without her!

    Grace N.

  • Karissa is an excellent practitioner who works to find a treatment to help. I have seen her for circulatory issues, stress relief, and rosacea. Her acupuncture treatments are gentle and effective. We are glad to have found a great clinic like Family Tree so we don’t have to travel to Chicago for treatments.

    Liz C.

  • My treatments with Karissa began with the purpose of regulating my cycle following a miscarriage that was difficult both medically and emotionally. Karissa met my concerns with a level of care and compassion that led me to feel immediately comfortable and confident in her approach and treatment. During the course of my treatments with her, not only has she restored and regulated my menstrual cycles, but she has alleviated digestive symptoms, minimized skin breakouts, and elevated my mood. Once my cycle was back to normal, our focus shifted to optimizing fertility, and within a very short time I was pregnant again. Now our sessions focus on managing the symptoms of early pregnancy, including nausea, palpitations, swellings, heartburn, and more. Karissa is an excellent listener, a thoughtful clinician, and an effective practitioner. I look forward to meeting with her each week as she continues to promote bodily harmony, balance, and well-being throughout my pregnancy and beyond.

    Ashley

  • After dealing with some intense ovulation pain that had no clear diagnosis and that pain medication did not help to ease I decided to give acupuncture a try. I was referred to Karissa by a friend and I went in with an open mind but honestly was not expecting much change. I was greatly and happily proven wrong! After only 2 sessions my pain lessened and after regularly seeing Karissa the pain has completely gone away. She is an amazing practitioner who listens and uses her expertise to not only heal physical pain but mental as well. I am very grateful to have found Karissa & Family Tree Holistic Health.

    Dominika K.

  • We’re so glad we had Karissa as our doula. I truly could not have had the unmedicated birth I so badly wanted without her. Through a very rough pregnancy she was a great source of support. She was such a huge help creating our birth plan. My husband was so grateful to have Karissa in the delivery room with us. She would provide pain relief tips, help communicate with nurses and doctors, answer questions we had when nurses weren’t present. So my husband didn’t have to and could just focus on me. She also captured amazing photos for us that we would have never had without her there. Overall cannot recommend having a doula enough. Especially for first time moms. And especially if you have the opportunity to work with Karissa!

    Jackie G.

  • Karissa is a wonderful doula and acupuncturist. We started working with her early in my pregnancy and she was always available to answer questions and would reach out to her large network for resources. She was very thorough in asking me what kind of environment I wanted when I was in labor and asked about things I liked/disliked so she could plan for how to best support us. We were planning a home birth and Karissa came over to the house when we were ready for her help and she was a calm, gentle support as labor unfolded. When things weren’t progressing, she gave me ideas of things to try to get labor started again. She gave me a gentle acupuncture treatment that worked well to get the contractions going again and used her essential oils to provide a relaxing environment as well as an oil on my abdomen to help get the contractions going. When we ended up transferring to the hospital, she stayed by my side as I was put on Pitocin and was a knowledgeable advocate with the OB and nurses as well as a continued support for me as I was scared and exhausted. She stayed with us for over 55 hours of labor until they took me in for a c-section. She stayed in contact in the days and weeks after our son was born and even brought a nourishing, home-cooked meal to us at home. I can’t recommend Karissa enough and am so thankful we had her by our side as we navigated a long, difficult labor and delivery.

    Katie P.