Marnie Thamel

Marnie brings over twenty years of experience in holistic nutrition, herbal medicine, and natural healing to her work as both educator and practitioner. Her path into medicine began with a deep interest in how food, plants, and daily habits shape health and vitality. In 2003, she completed her training as a Certified Clinical Nutritionist and Certified Clinical Herbalist through Natural Healing Institute in Encinitas, where she developed a strong foundation in therapeutic nutrition and botanical medicine.

Marnie later expanded her studies into East Asian medicine, earning both her Master’s and Doctorate in Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine from Daoist Traditions College of Chinese Medical Arts in Asheville in 2025. She is a licensed acupuncturist in North Carolina and South Carolina, and is nationally certified through National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish from University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Marnie teaches from a place of lived experience and curiosity, drawing on decades of study in nutrition and herbal medicine, as well as her more recent doctoral training in Chinese medicine. She values helping students understand the relationship between food, physiology, and the body’s innate capacity to heal. Her teaching invites students to see nutrition as a meaningful part of how we care for the whole person. She brings warmth, depth, and a sincere respect for the many ways healing can be supported through nourishment.