Meet Zhiling Trowbridge | Family Medicine Physician, Fellowship trained in Integrative Medicine and Acupuncture

We had the good fortune of connecting with Zhiling Trowbridge and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Zhiling, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I’m originally from Alma, MI and am a 2nd generation Chinese-Cambodian. My family owned a local Chinese restaurant for over 30 years in Central Michigan. They came to this country as refugees from Cambodia in the late 1970’s. They basically only had what they could carry in hand and had to come to a new country and depend on the support of their local church community and government services to start their lives again.

My parents had a hard work ethic and worked Mon-Saturday with not much time off.

I think this taught me a lot about being driven and knowing the importance of working hard and knowing how to survive as material wealth is transient.

I chose a healing field as I also valued the importance of giving back to a community. I became fascinated by acupuncture and integrative medicine early in my college years.

I studied pre-med at Swarthmore College and then did a couple years of volunteer work with AmeriCorps supporting underserved communities.

I eventually went on to medical school at Wayne State University and chose to go into family medicine where I felt I could help a wide range of patients along with maintaining knowledge in multiple fields of medicine.

Acupuncture and integrative medicine drew me in the most because of its holistic approach and emphasis on the mind-body-spirit connection. I like the beauty of of some of the integrative approaches because as much as science is important in making sound decisions in medicine, the metaphor and power of some holistic healing practices have psycho-emotional connections that can really be a helpful piece in helping patients find healing in their lives.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I am the current owner of my own integrative medicine and acupuncture practice along with being the medical director of Integrative Wellness Grand Rapids.

I had been in employed healthcare for most of my 10 year career in family medicine and after some major life changes including the covid pandemic of 2020 I decided it was time to venture forth into creating a holistic healing center.

It was in 2022 that I met Dr. Dave Johnson, Kelly Peterson ND, and Nicole Cain ND who had started up the practice, Integrative Wellness Grand Rapids and were looking for a new medical director. Since joining them it has really helped grow both my practice and knowledge. Both Kelly and Nicole have been long time practitioners of holistic health, naturopathic medicine and brought so much knowledge and clinical experience to the table. Dr. Johnson as a cardiologist also has had a wonderful following of patients seeking integrative care and nutritional advice for cardiovascular health.

I think what is exciting about this collaboration is that we are a truly integrative practice. I have a long history of clinical experience as a primary care doctor and utilizing integrative medicine in outpatient settings. Kelly and Nicole both have strong educational backgrounds in herbal medicine, naturopathic approaches, and root cause treatments. We share our knowledge and support each other with different clinical cases and have monthly educational reviews to continue to develop our learning and knowledge base.

I’m able to provide medical insight and review of labs on patients that we share and support patients on their healing journeys but also make sure they have insight on their health from a conventional medical standpoint so some of the newer practices of integrative healing will not feel so foreign.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Frederick Meijer Garden

Downtown Market

Multiple nature trails all around Grand Rapids

Art Prize

Festival of the Arts

Bicycling along Frederick Meijer Trails

Sovengaard is my favorite restaurant in town – I hope they re-open soon

I also love all things Ramen so I frequent Ginza on special occasions

Yoga classes at Kula GR

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would give credit to all my mentors in life who helped me shape who I am today and the profession I chose. I think it was my college professor Dr. Alan Berkowitz, professor of Asian Studies who actually advised me to go to acupuncture school my senior year as a pre-med student, though I ended up going to medical school I did find myself back in class taking acupuncture courses and earned a certification in medical acupuncture as a physician. Dr. Paula Gardiner, Boston Medical Center, convinced me to not give up on my dreams in acupuncture, during my family medicine residency, and actually helped me get into my first acupuncture program at Harvard Medical School. It turns out I love acupuncture!

I also found so much support from David Euler, L. Ac. and Jeff Geller MD during my integrative medicine fellowship in Lawrence, MA. They both opened my eyes up to the world of food as medicine, homeopathy, acupuncture, hypnosis, and holistic healing in general. Elizabeth Rocco, MD, from my fellowship, also taught me a lot about trauma and healing, utilizing techniques of interview and compassionate listening to support those who struggle with physical or psychological manifestations secondary to trauma.

So many other people to name, that have made a difference and continue to support me in life including my husband (who has been a somewhat willing guinea pig in many of my food as medicine and acupuncture explorations), parents, and young girls who are 5 and 3.

I think my women’s book club gives me sanity and joy. I’ve been part of the same book club for the last 10 years and talking with these other beautiful and intelligent women on a monthly basis keeps my mind sharp, heart warm, and helps me maintain an open mind on different perspectives and ways of seeing the world through literature.

Website: www.integrativewellnessgr.com

Instagram: @zhilingtrowbridgemd

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zhilingtrowbridgemd

Image Credits
Abigail Jinlee – photographer