Our Story
Meet Anthony
Equipped with a wide range of bodywork experience, Anthony has been involved in various forms of manual therapy from an early age. Beginning with martial arts classes as a child, he was then introduced to Eastern philosophies and began exploring Qigong and Traditional Chinese Medicine, followed by studies in Taiji. He studied massage therapy at The Costa Rica School of Massage Therapy.
Anthony is currently a second-year medical student at the Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine. He also has a degree in international politics and national security with four minors in psychology, global studies, French, and Asian studies from The Pennsylvania State University. Additionally, he received a post-baccalaureate education in medical health sciences at Temple University.
Combining his knowledge of Western anatomy and Eastern energy work, Anthony uses his experience with the physical and meditative qualities of massage, Qigong, and Taiji to mend the body, calm the mind, and build the spirit. When all three are harmonized, healing can begin. Anthony works not to heal you, but to facilitate the change necessary for you to heal yourself.
Why Medicine?
As a licensed massage therapist whose clients suffer chronic pain from prior injuries and illnesses, Anthony first became interested in the nervous system in the setting of its role in pain management. As his practice evolved, he began working with clients suffering PTSD, depression, and anxiety who respond to touch therapy. This expanded his interest of the nervous system to the setting of its role in stress and also introduced the endocrine system into his field of study. For these reasons, he is interested in the emerging field of neuroendocrinology.
Anthony wishes to conduct research to better understand pain pathways and how we can improve public health education to combat opioid misuse. He further aims to advance the science of the autonomic nervous system’s expansive role in homeostasis and how it is influenced by stress. He seeks to understand the neuroscientific basis of stress and how we can take this understanding to combat the pervasive impact stress has on health. Anthony believes healthcare should be complemented by non-medicinal therapies like massage, acupuncture, and movement arts such as Taiji and yoga. He therefore wishes to investigate what these modalities have to offer for patient care in a multidisciplinary collaboration.
As a future physician with a degree in international politics, a minor in psychology, a massage therapy private practice, and a Taiji school, Anthony will have a unique opportunity to contribute to health policy to advocate for programs to which he is committed, such as The No Pain Act bill, which would combat the opioid epidemic by funding alternative therapies for pain management. Having played a part in the healing process for many clients who have weaned off of gabapentin, Anthony believes it is worth having evidence-based investigation into the feasibility of such pain management therapies.
Through his work, Anthony sees the stigma surrounding mental health, which prevents patients from seeking and obtaining care. By combining the field of neuroendocrinology with massage therapy and Taiji, Anthony intends to implement comprehensive plans to address the inextricably linked psychosocial and physiological components of health.