Deirdre Courtney came to Acupuncture and Face Reading via a strange and wonderful journey. It began when she discovered a passion for cooking good, healthy, macrobiotic food, the kind of food that feeds the soul as well as the body. She introduced macrobiotic foods to her family – her nut roast and wild rice stuffing soon became a staple of family Christmas dinners alongside the traditional seasonal fare. She soon was in demand as a chef, working in French, Italian, vegetarian and macrobiotic restaurants in her home town of Dublin, in Denver, Colorado, and in Los Angeles, where she lived for several years in the 1980s. She also became a teacher, showing other cooks how to use the healing power of healthy food to help people recovering from alcohol and drug abuse, and people suffering from obesity.
While living in LA, Deirdre was hired by rock star Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys to be his personal chef. Brian was at the time making the long journey back from drug addiction and depression, and as part of his healing process, he needed to be on a wholesome, healthy diet. Deirdre developed a daily menu that fulfilled Brian’s requirements for rebuilding his health and wellbeing. In return, Brian would often play Deirdre his works in progress, including a new song he was writing called Love and Mercy, which went on to become a worldwide hit.
Wanting to develop her healing talents further, she attended the prestigious Yo San University in Los Angeles, earning a Masters Degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chinese Herbal Medicine, Acupuncture, Chinese Nutrition and Tuina. She practised in Colorado Springs and Denver from 1991 until she returned to Ireland and opened her practise in 1993.
As an acupuncturist and doctor of Chinese Medicine, Deirdre has treated many satisfied clients over the past 28 years. She lectures at both graduate and postgraduate level both in Ireland and internationally, conducts workshops for fellow practitioners, and is in demand for speaking engagements. She has lectured at the TCM Kongress in Rothenburg, Germany, in Sweden and in London.
Her work is published in TCM journals, magazines and newspapers, and she has made many appearances on TV and radio.
One of her passion for rejuvenation led her to master the art of Cosmetic Acupuncture, and she has been training practitioners in this field since 1995. She began working with world-renowned Chinese face reader Lillian Bridges in 2000; Deirdre and Lillian regularly give lectures together in Europe and the USA and is the educational Director for Lillian’s Master Face Reading Certification Program.
Deirdre was the Head of the Acupuncture Department and principal Acupuncture lecturer at the College of Naturopathic Medicine CNM Ireland for 12 years. And was the Chariperson of the Irish Register of Chinese Medical Herbalism from 2011-2015.
She runs a busy practice from her clinic in Blackrock in south Dublin.
Current Positions
Educational Director of the Lotus Institute Seattle USA lotusinstitute.com
Member of
Irish Register of Chinese Medical Herbalism ircmh.com
Acupuncture Council of Ireland tcmci.ie
European Traditional Chinese Medicine Association and Irish Repesentive etcma.org
National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM) in the United States nccaom.org
New Book!
Deirdre’s new book Nourishing Life The Yang Sheng Way Nutrition and Lifestyle advice from Chinese Medicine.
Published by Singing Dragon is now available in all good bookshops and online.