Mike: Acupuncturist, Herbalist, and Founder of Emily Skin Soothers
Willard Sheppy Dipl. OM, LAc, BS
Willard Sheppy is a licensed acupuncturist (LAc) and Founder of Valley Health Clinic specializing in using Traditional Chinese Medicine to treat acute injuries and chronic conditions, and to improve sports performance and rehabilitation.
Table of Contents
A practitioner-led story of healing, herbalism, and building a business from the ground up.
Background and Path to Acupuncture
Mike is a licensed acupuncturist based on the North Shore of Boston, Massachusetts, with over 25 years of clinical experience. Before he ever picked up a needle, he spent years as a community college professor — a career he eventually left to pursue Chinese medicine full-time. His path into acupuncture was not planned; it was driven by personal injury and a frustrating series of encounters with conventional medicine.
As a physically active person who trained in martial arts, Mike repeatedly found himself injured and leaving the doctor’s office with nothing more than a painkiller and a muscle relaxant. When a serious hand injury brought him to an acupuncturist in Boston’s Chinatown — a practitioner who turned out to be a renowned expert in injury treatment — everything changed. Mike was afraid of needles at the time, but the results were undeniable. He healed quickly and became completely intrigued by what he had experienced.
Rather than simply move on, Mike started hanging around the practitioner’s office, teaching his assistant English and running errands just to stay close to the work. The practitioner was selective about who he allowed to observe and assist, but Mike’s persistence and character eventually earned him access. He went on to enroll at the New England School of Acupuncture in Watertown, Massachusetts — the oldest acupuncture school in the United States, now part of Massachusetts College of Pharmacy in Worcester.
During his training, Mike continued to assist his mentor, deepening his practical education alongside his formal studies. After graduating, he co-taught courses with his mentor at the school, including a specialty course in injury treatment using Chinese herbs and Tui Na techniques — CEU classes offered to practicing acupuncturists across the region.
Building a Practice and Balancing Two Businesses
Mike built his acupuncture practice gradually while still working as a professor, seeing patients on evenings and weekends. He reached roughly half-time practice before a colleague’s departure from a hospital position created an opening he applied for and won. That hospital role gave him an established patient base and benefits, which allowed him to finally leave teaching and commit to acupuncture full-time.
Today, Mike practices alongside his wife, who transitioned from a career as a lawyer to become an acupuncturist specializing in fertility. Together, they run a busy North Shore clinic. Mike has deliberately reduced his patient contact hours in recent years as Emily Skin Soothers has grown into a substantial business of its own — a choice he credits as a sustainable model for long-term practice.
He is an outspoken advocate for acupuncturists understanding business fundamentals, noting that clinical skill alone is not enough to sustain a practice. He spent years reading top business books on tape during his commute, learning strategy, marketing, and operations on his own — and has encouraged other practitioners to do the same.
The Origin of Emily Skin Soothers
Emily Skin Soothers was born from a father’s determination to help his daughter. When his daughter Emily was born 20 years ago with eczema, Mike and his wife were reluctant to use steroid treatments on an infant. He asked for time to try a natural approach and set to work adapting traditional Chinese herbal formulas — simplifying and pairing them down — then testing them on himself and his wife before using them on Emily. The result was a simple herbal balm that worked remarkably well.
What started as a private solution for one child quickly revealed its broader potential. Mike began using the balm with patients in his clinic who had eczema and other skin conditions, including people with serious, long-term eczema who had found no relief elsewhere. The results were striking. He launched the product locally and learned the business entirely on the fly, with no formal plan and no background in product development or retail.
Emily Skin Soothers has now been in business for 16 years. The product line is carried in Whole Foods stores across the Boston region, in independent health food stores, and by acupuncturists around the country through a dedicated wholesale program.
How Emily Skin Soothers Got Into Whole Foods
The story of how Emily Skin Soothers landed in Whole Foods is equal parts persistence, press coverage, and timing. Mike had submitted the product to a local Whole Foods buyer early on, even though the labeling was not yet retail-ready. The buyer was generous with her feedback, walking him through what needed to change and what was missing. Mike kept refining the product and packaging based on her guidance.
Around the same time, a local newspaper ran a story about the product — a father who created a natural remedy for his daughter using Chinese herbs, with photos of baby Emily. In the article, Mike had mentioned almost in passing that Whole Foods was reviewing the product. The Boston Globe picked up the story and ran its own feature, and again the Whole Foods angle was referenced.
Readers did not parse the wording carefully. They went directly to Whole Foods stores throughout the region asking for Emily Skin Soothers. The Whole Foods buyer called Mike, surprised by the sudden demand, and told him to begin auto-shipping to all stores. The business was not ready — they had to dramatically scale production overnight, calling in family members for labeling parties and batch production. But as Mike reflects on it: that was a great problem to have.
Formulation Philosophy and Product Line
Each Emily Skin Soothers product contains a small number of carefully chosen ingredients — typically six to ten — based on traditional Chinese herbal formulas that have been simplified for sensitive skin. The minimalist approach is intentional: the product was originally designed for an infant, and the customer base that gravitated toward it tends to be people with reactive or sensitive skin. That original constraint became a design principle.
One of the core ingredient pairings used across multiple products is peony and frankincense — a synergistic combination that promotes circulation, reduces inflammation, and supports the generation of new skin tissue. Mike describes this pairing as particularly effective for bringing blood to damaged or irritated skin to accelerate healing.
Beyond the original skin balm, the product line has expanded to include room sprays built around a clary sage base, each formulated with a different scent to serve a different purpose in a clinical or personal wellness setting — frankincense for meditation and open awareness, lavender for calm, bergamot for brightness and uplift. Mike uses these in his practice to set the tone for patient sessions. The line also includes candles, a body wash, and a pet shampoo.
The wholesale program for practitioners allows acupuncturists to purchase at wholesale and retail to patients — a model Mike advocates for both the financial benefit it provides practitioners and the quality of care it enables. When practitioners understand the herbs, they can match products to patients more precisely, improving outcomes and building patient trust.
Advice for Acupuncture Students and New Practitioners
Mike offers several pieces of hard-won advice for practitioners building their careers:
- Do not fixate on grades. No patient will ever ask about your marks. Get the degree, get the license, and focus on becoming a skilled clinician through real-world experience.
- Learn business while you are still in school. Most acupuncturists end up as entrepreneurs whether they plan to or not. Understanding the basics of business — marketing, finances, client development — is not optional.
- Pick a specialty. General practice is fine, but being known for something specific makes you easier to find and easier to recommend. If something interests you deeply, pursue it.
- Build gradually and create demand. Do not wait for patients to find you. In the early years, go out and talk to people — health fairs, community events, letters to other practitioners, trades. Make yourself known.
- Take calculated risks. People around you will always encourage you to stay safe. Plan it carefully, run the numbers, and then make the leap if it makes sense. Safety is not always the path to growth.
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By Will Sheppy, L.Ac
Will Sheppy, L.Ac., is the founder of Valley Health Clinic and Valley Health Marketplace in Albany, Oregon. He specializes in sports acupuncture, pain management, and Chinese topical medicine. Valley Health Marketplace carries only products he has personally tested in his clinic.
FAQ's
What is Emily Skin Soothers and who is it for?
Emily Skin Soothers is a line of Chinese herbal skin care products originally developed by acupuncturist Mike for his daughter, who had eczema as an infant. The formulas are based on traditional Chinese herbal medicine and have been simplified to suit sensitive skin. The products are used for eczema, dry and cracked skin, skin irritation, and general skin nourishment. They are well-suited for people who have not found relief with conventional products and who prefer minimal, plant-based ingredients.
How did Mike first develop the product?
When his daughter Emily was born with eczema, Mike wanted to avoid steroid treatments for an infant. Drawing on his training in Chinese medicine, he adapted traditional herbal formulas, simplifying them and testing them on himself and his wife before using them on Emily. The balm worked well for her eczema. He later introduced it to clinic patients with similar conditions and saw consistently strong results, which led him to launch it as a commercial product.
What herbs or ingredients are in the products?
Each product contains a small number of ingredients — usually six to ten — keeping the formulas simple and gentle. A key pairing used in multiple products is peony and frankincense, which Mike describes as working synergistically to promote circulation, reduce inflammation, and support the growth of new skin tissue. The specific formulations vary by product and intended use.
Where are Emily Skin Soothers products sold?
The products are available online through the Emily Skin Soothers website, and in independent health food stores. They are also available to licensed acupuncturists at wholesale pricing through a dedicated wholesale program at emilyskinsoothers.
Practitioners who carry the products are able to recommend specific formulas based on their patients’ needs.
Can acupuncturists purchase at wholesale to resell in their clinic?
Yes. Emily Skin Soothers has a wholesale program designed specifically for licensed acupuncturists and practitioners. Practitioners purchase at wholesale pricing and can resell at retail to their patients. Mike actively encourages this model, both as a way to support practitioners financially and to ensure patients receive guidance on which product is best suited to their condition.
What other products does the line include beyond the skin balms?
In addition to the herbal skin balms, Emily Skin Soothers has expanded into room sprays, candles, body wash, and hand sanitizer. The room sprays use a clary sage base and are each scented differently to serve different therapeutic purposes — frankincense for meditative focus, lavender for calm and relaxation, and bergamot for energy and uplift. Mike uses these in his own acupuncture practice to help set the environment for patient sessions.
What advice does Mike have for acupuncturists who want to launch a product?
Mike’s primary advice is to create demand before waiting for it to arrive. He built awareness through press outreach, community connections, and sharing results openly with colleagues. He also emphasizes the importance of learning business fundamentals — even informally, through books or business associations — because most acupuncturists end up running their own businesses whether they plan to or not. Start with a clear vision, run the numbers, and build gradually rather than making an unprepared leap.
How does Mike balance running a product business with clinical practice?
Mike has intentionally reduced his patient contact hours as Emily Skin Soothers has grown. He sees the product business as a second income stream that does not require patient time, which reduces the physical and emotional demands that accumulate over decades of hands-on clinical work. He views this dual model — practice plus product — as a more sustainable long-term approach than relying entirely on patient volume.
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