Dr. Janine Mahon is a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine based out of New Mexico, whose passion lies in working toward mental, emotional, and physical harmony for herself and her patients. First exposed to the wonders and healing powers of nature as a child growing up amidst the redwood trees of Mendocino, CA, Dr. Mahon has always trusted the earth; she knew immediately when faced with dealing with her own health that she wanted to heal her body "from the root level". In this Q+A, Dr. Mahon walks us through her journey with Chinese medicine, how she helps her patients achieve balance, and so much more. Read on for the whole conversation!

Q: You’ve been practicing traditional Chinese medicine for many years now. We’d love to hear how you got started in that field and how you got to where you are now.

I grew up in Mendocino, CA where we milled select redwood trees and built our home on weekends in the same spot where the trees had grown. I have always felt at home and have a deep trust in nature. I was introduced to Chinese medicine when I was experiencing cervical dysplasia and wanted to understand why. I wanted to heal my body at the root level. It changed my life.

Q: What do you love the most about what you do?

I love that I get to expose people to a new way of thinking by introducing them to a medicine that is based on the rhythms of the natural world. Chinese medicine is a truly holistic medicine. It takes into consideration the climate you were born into, the emotions you feel, the dreams you have, the way you sleep, your digestion to the foods you crave, and more. It is a very personalized medicine that brings the mind and body back into balance.

Q: You offer lifestyle consultations to your clients over FaceTime and the phone. Can you tell us a bit about these consultations and how you help your clients connect to and achieve their lifestyle goals? How has this changed amidst the pandemic?

The consultations are really conversations about their life that illuminate a beautiful web. Everything is interconnected. I pull together the story and together we figure out ways of shifting the current situation so that healing can occur. We discuss everything from sleep to current stressors, sensations in the body, patterns of thinking, and more. I enjoy making it simple. It often only takes minor shifts in diet to provide the space for the body to rebalance and heal.

I found that the distance consultations during the pandemic offered a great deal of support to people that needed to feel that they weren’t alone. It is really beautiful to come together with another person, listen to them and together figure out a way forward. My personal practice is full but I always keep a list of people that would like to connect when space opens.

Q: What are some misconceptions about traditional Chinese medicine that you want to debunk?

When people come into my practice who haven’t experienced Chinese medicine before, I find they are surprised by how complex it is. In general, they know it can help with sore muscles and headaches, but haven’t been exposed to the fact that it can help with anything to do with the body and mind. This includes diabetes, kidney failure, organ prolapses, neurological disorders, and so on.

Q You have an amazing line of oils and elixirs for several needs — from stress relief, to hormone balancing, and beyond. Can you tell us a bit about these products and their development process, from original inspiration, to formulation, to launch?

Thank you! I love and respect plants, I always have. There’s not one plant out there that doesn’t want to thrive. Not one says I’ll just grow a little and then chill, they want to survive. When you combine an herb that is grown in its native habitat, with clean water and healthy air, harvested at its peak, it is powerful. Take that energy and formulate it using specific ways that have been handed down for generations, and you have a powerful medicine.

I was suffering from mastitis when I was nursing my daughter and needed relief. That was the beginning of Rejuvenating Breast Oil. It evolved over the years until I shared it with a patient in my clinic who had been in pain for eight years due to a breast implant that had calcified after she was hit by a car while cycling. Her surgeons offered another surgery but scar tissue was part of the problem. She used the oil and the next time I saw her one month later it was completely gone. Pain-free. This woman asked for twelve bottles to share with her close girlfriends. That was the beginning. I wasn’t planning on creating products. From there, the breast oil magically launched six months later exclusively at Violet Grey.

Everything that came after evolved out my clinic. Offering a new perspective on libido, menopause, and skin health is important to me. Menopause is such an honorable stage of life. We stop bleeding and giving in the same way. The wisdom is kept internally rising up through our bodies and is seen in the wisdom expressed by our grey hair. We can nurture the shift in ways that create balance and eliminate the hot flashes, sleepless night, dry skin, and the wild ride of emotions and turn it into an evolution we are proud of.

Q: You sell your line of products through your own site, but are in the process of expanding your range to various retailers across the globe — so exciting! We’d love to hear about this exciting time for the brand and what else is on the horizon.

This is truly an expansive time! I am so honored to be sharing the wisdom that has been gifted to me. The respect for the time spent over the years in Taiwan at the home of my teacher, where the medicine has been passed down through five generations, is a treasure I hold at my core. I feel like the medicine is coming through me and not from me. Therefore each time a partner appears that will help share these formulas, it is a gift.

This week Violet Grey exclusively launched a second formula, the Skin Glow. And we have partnered with some amazing retailers this year, such as Niche Beauty in Germany, Muse and Heroine, Nose in Paris. We also have a very exciting launch coming up in the UK.

As far as newness goes, there is a really special body product launching in late fall. Part of the description reads “It is a blending of the inner and outer worlds, designed to heal where the sun shines and then take you inward to recover and awaken a deeper feminine energy.”

Q: You’re passionate about ensuring a healthy and vibrant life at every stage. Apart from medicinal practices, what are some other ways you ensure you experience mental, emotional, and physical harmony on a day-to-day basis?

For me, the most important is to connect with nature and witness the natural cycles. We have irrigation ditches that run throughout the valley in Albuquerque, providing life to the fields, to me they are magical. A few minutes walking along one allows my mind to relax and fill with an awareness of the natural world. There have been days this past year when that is what I needed most and would step out two or even three times a day! I find it comforting to notice the daily shifts in the feel of the air, the change in the light, the cycle of the crops, or the flow of the water. I feel the Qi (roughly translates to life-force energy) all around and within me!

Rapid Fire Round

Q: Worth the splurge:

I prefer to use clean beauty products. This new mascara by Gucci Westman is worth it! It adds length and volume to my lashes, stays all day, and never irritates my eyes.

Q: Favorite drugstore or budget find:

I find a soak in the bath with some Epsom salts to detox both my mind and body. I add some to a small bowl with a few drops of my favorite oil and pour it into the bath.

Q: Latest beauty empty:

I love lipstick, it makes me feel sexy and immediately puts me in a good mood. I have quite a collection, but this is one I used until empty and immediately reordered!

Q: Recent discovery:

This is easily the smoothest eyeliner I have ever used, and its clean!

Q: Product you can’t leave home without:

I have used this lip balm every day for the past two years and it isn’t empty! I keep it in my car so I always have it, plus it doesn’t melt even in the hot New Mexican sun!

Q: Brand you wish more people knew about:

Ten Thousand Waves is a Japanese spa in the hills outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico. They make a transportive and refreshing Hinoki lotion.

For more of Dr. Mahon's favorite products, check out her shop below: