Healthcare Is A Team Effort
In today’s modern healthcare clinic, open communication and teamwork are essential for providing high-quality and effective treatment. Teamwork has been shown to improve patient outcomes and increase patient satisfaction. At Alleva Acupuncture, our practitioners have a collaborative mindset, and work with all of the partners in the therapeutic relationship—the patient, the family, the acupuncturists, and other medical professionals—to find the best treatment solutions for your condition. This means having a clear, common understanding of your condition and health goals, current treatment plans, and the roles and responsibilities of each team member. A trusting and supportive environment fosters open communication— this empowers innovation which ultimately benefits you to provide lasting recovery.
Within our clinic, our acupuncturists manage cases as a team, collaborating on assessment, diagnosis, and treatment planning to find the best solutions for you, our patient. As a patient at Alleva Acupuncture, you will benefit from the multiple perspectives and areas of expertise of our practitioners—all focused on restoring and maintaining your health as quickly as possible.
Kate Pope, MAcOM, LAc, LMT
Kate specializes in holistic healthcare for women. A board-certified acupuncturist, Chinese herbalist, and massage therapist with 10 years of experience as a complementary health care provider, Kate has additional training as a labor doula and Mayan Abdominal Therapy specialist. Kate is experienced in the challenges that women face throughout their lives — from menstruation to fertility, pregnancy, motherhood into menopause. Her experience in the birthing world has made Kate passionate about supporting women through infertility, labor prep, postpartum recovery, c-scar healing, incontinence, diastasis recti, and prolapse support.
Kate is an expert at relieving body pain — whether from lower back injuries, motor vehicle accidents or stress-induced neck tension. A dancer and fitness enthusiast herself, Kate is aware how important pain-free movement is to the quality of life and mental health. Combining acupuncture, herbs, medical massage, and cupping, Kate brings a multidimensional understanding of the body to reduce your pain and get you moving again.
Additionally, Kate is experienced in treating many common health concerns — including digestive complaints, migraines, long covid symptoms, diabetic complications, symptoms of autoimmune diseases, stroke recovery, and more. As a board-certified Chinese herbalist, Kate pairs the power of customized herbal remedies with acupuncture to enhance relief from many chronic conditions.
Kate is a Virgina board-licensed acupuncturist and massage therapist who holds a certificate from the National Certification Commission of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. She received her Masters degree of Oriental Medicine and Acupuncture from the Oregon School of Oriental Medicine in Portland, Oregon.
When not in the office Kate can be found exploring the art collections and gardens of the DMV area, hiking, reading a good science fiction novel (always looking for new book suggestions!), or enjoying a good laugh and good food with close friends.
Damon Iacovelli, MAcOM, LAc, LMT
Damon specializes in pain management and internal medicine. He is focused on treating many of the common health issues associated with modern life—stress, chronic systemic inflammation, and metabolic issues, such as high blood sugar, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. In addition, Damon has years of clinical experience successfully treating both chronic and acute pain from conditions such as migraine headaches, lumbar disc herniations, motor vehicle collision-caused whiplash, post-surgical recovery, and sports related injuries.
A board-certified acupuncturist, Chinese herbalist, and medical massage therapist, Damon has decades of experience as alternative healthcare provider. He has trained under many highly respected doctors from China with specialties in neurology, women’s health, oncology and orthopedics—including doctors of the Chinese Olympic Team. Under their direction, he assisted in groundbreaking research conducted by the National Institute of Health on the use of acupuncture to minimize chemotherapy-induced nausea in cancer patients.
Damon believes in a modern approach to traditional Chinese medicine. His method combines the best of contemporary diagnostic tests, such as MRI or lab work, with the less invasive and more holistic treatment options offered by acupuncture, herbal medicine, and medical massage. His work uses these holistic methods to harness the body’s innate power to heal itself without the need for pharmaceuticals or surgeries. His goal is to get you feeling better as soon as possible without all of the side effects and pain that come with drugs and surgery.
Outside the clinic, Damon can often be found in a park practicing Tai Chi, hiking in the mountains, or cooking delicious, health food to enjoy with family and friends.