When Ahna Bridenbaugh tells people her profession, sometimes they do not understand and ask if she is a massage therapist.
Bridenbaugh explains that she is an acupuncturist, practicing the ancient art of healing that requires years of education and training.
The name of her business, which she has been at for 20 years, is Acupuncture and Asian Medicine in Sedona. This month, after popular demand, she is opening a second office in Flagstaff.
After graduating from acupuncture school with honors, she set up her practice in Sedona.
“I put down roots. Now I am at the comfortable stage,” she said.
But her friends don’t want her to be all that comfortable. Bridenbaugh is an avid skier and spends much of the winter on the slopes at Arizona Snowbowl. “I have a lot of friends from Flagstaff and they are all begging me to open an office there,” she said.
It was a circuitous route to arrive at her present location in life. Bridenbaugh was born and raised in Billings, Montana, the daughter of a doctor. She wanted to follow in his footsteps. But, she says, it was a time when only boys went to medical school.
Her father suggested she become a gym teacher. She was not interested.
When she told her father she wanted to be a dancer, he did some research and found that the University of Utah was the only college that offered a degree in modern dance.
During her classes, she studied the body and all of its movement.
“My dance degree was my pre-med,” she said.
After graduation, she danced in nightclub shows and in a huge review in Japan, but, she says, it was difficult for her to make a full-time living.
Her favorite gig was dancing on the Sonny and Cher Show at CBS.
“It was a total blast. There were make-up artists and costumers. You meet Edie Gourmet walking down the hall. I met Tony Orlando and Dawn, and Carol Burnett. We used to meet in the cafeteria and have lunch.”
She was in her 20s at the time. She retired from professional dancing at age 32.
“You’re done. All the 18-year-olds get the jobs,” she said.
Bridenbaugh began thinking about what she wanted to do with the rest of her life.
She knew she wanted to make a good living and help people.
Her father was in the habit of inviting her to medical conferences with him to keep him company. It was a perfect arrangement, she recalls. He got company and she lounged by the pool ordering room service at fabulous resorts.
It was during one of those conferences that she decided her future was in medicine, not a medical degree, which costs a lot of money and time, but maybe as a chiropractor. Her dad introduced her to a chiropractor friend of his, but this, too, did not satisfy her searching.
But when she toured acupuncture school, something clicked.
“It felt like home. This was it,” she said.
Bridenbaugh had earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Utah and went on to earn her graduate degree from Emperor’s College in Santa Monica. She put in a 1,000-hour internship in acupuncture.
Bridenbaugh is Arizona licensed and board certified.
Recently, she surprised herself when her love for dancing resurfaced.
“I had a desire to dance again!”
She founded a spiritual dance group named Temple Sirens, which performs at churches and other spiritual organizations and events. QCBN
Here is how to reach Ahna Bridenbaugh, L.Ac:
Acupuncture and Asian Medicine in Sedona.
210 Sunset Dr. Suite B2
Sedona, AZ 86336
928-282-2520
Dr. Brent Moseng
114 W. Hunt
Flagstaff, AZ 86001
928-773-9781
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