Our Staff by Department

We offer affordable, compassionate, effective, preventive, holistic care, including: acupuncture, bodywork, plant-based nutrition and self-care education.

Acupuncture is a 2500 year old healing art that is empirically effective--meaning over thousands of years, it has proven itself to be a method of healing that works.
Meet our Acupuncturists
Learn more about the Northwest Center for Food As Medicine that provides education and support to transform your health.
Meet our Plant-based Nutritionists
Bodywork is extremely effective at managing stress (which underlies most chronic diseases), repairing injuries, and calming the body.
Meet our Bodyworkers

Meet Our Bodyworkers

Lottie Appel

Hi, I’m Lottie! I am a licensed massage therapist and bodyworker practicing in Philadelphia. I currently specialize in Swedish and Deep Tissue massage as well and dynamic stretching and cupping.

 
I’ve always enjoyed learning about the body, and I love sharing that knowledge with people through healing touch. I came to massage with a background in outdoor education, looking to expand my skill set. For many years, I worked with the School District of Philadelphia, making space for students and teachers to better understand themselves and one another outside the traditional classroom in the great outdoors. Through the emotional and physical healing and growth I witnessed, I realized I wanted to dedicate my life to facilitating this type of feeling and experience for as many people as I could. 
 
I completed training in a 600-hour program at The Academy of Massage Therapy and Bodyworks in Pottstown, PA. Now, through bodywork, I support and empower my clients to care for their minds and bodies on a regular basis. What a dream! 
 
Massage services are $120/hr and $160 for 1.5 hours; package of 3 for $300.

What do we mean by bodywork? Bodywork is a term to describe multiple modalities that are used to help the body function better on the many levels described below, re-establish balance and promote healing.

Bodywork is one great way to reduce the harmful effects of stress. Stress creates low level inflammation that breaks down the body’s ability to function well over time.

Studies in 2016 at the Touch Research Institute at the Miami School of Medicine have shown bodywork to regulate hormones, boost immunity, improve attentiveness and ease symptoms of depression by raising serotonin and dopamine levels. It also assists lymphatic movement and supports the cardiovascular system.

It also balances the body’s energy system, the major system that is also addressed through acupuncture.

Many of us would elect to have bodywork more often if it was affordable. We’ve endeavored to make that the case for you at CAMA !

We're currently looking for bodyworkers. Interested? call 215-266-5757

Meet Our Acupuncturist

Elise Rivers

Elise Rivers is the founder and owner of Community Acupuncture of Mt Airy. Elise specializes in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and is also a Certified Asian Bodywork Therapist (Shiatsu). She has been practicing Asian medicine for more than 19 years.

A top graduate of the New England School of Acupuncture with a Masters in both Japanese and TCM-style techniques, she is also a certified practitioner of the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association (NADA), requiring completion of a comprehensive training in auricular (ear) acupuncture, and a ten month curriculum in addiction behavior and treatments. As part of her training she worked at the Dimock Community Health Center in Jamaica Plain, MA and the Wellness Center in Boston, MA.

Elise enjoyed sharing her knowledge for 15 years ago as part of the staff of the Won Institute for Graduate Studies to teach point location, a foundation course for acupuncturists.

She feels very strongly that acupuncture is ancient medicine for modern times and should be made accessible to as many people as possible. This led her to found CAMA, Philadelphia’s first community clinic in 2005, based on the model started in Portland, Oregon. It is her sincere wish that many people will partake and benefit from this model of affordable, accessible care.

Elise is seeing patients on Monday evenings, Wednesdays and Thursdays.