Our Philosophy
Every patient who comes to Westside Acupuncture & Herbs receives a complete, individualized evaluation—not just of their symptoms, but of the underlying patterns that give rise to them. We call this working at the constitutional level. Rather than solely managing how you feel, we aim to address why you feel that way. Using acupuncture, manual therapy, cold laser, cupping, Chinese herbs, and nutritional guidance, we seek to support you
Your constitution is your body's built-in ability to self-regulate, recover, and adapt to the stresses of daily life. When that capacity is strong, the body can do what it's designed to do. When it's blocked—physically, energetically, or both—wellbeing suffers in ways that can be hard to trace to a single cause. Our goal is to identify and remove those blocks, restoring the foundation your health depends on.
The result is that symptoms often improve as a natural consequence of treating their source, rather than being suppressed or managed indefinitely. Patients frequently tell us they feel better in ways they didn't expect—more energy, better sleep, a clearer sense of themselves—alongside relief from the specific issue that brought them in.
Meet Jim
Jim Dowling, RN, LAc, was one of the first acupuncturists to be certified in the state of Washington. He founded Westside Acupuncture & Herbs in 1993 and has spent the past 33 years building one of West Seattle's most trusted integrative practices.
Jim's training is unusually broad. He apprenticed with three of the foremost Chinese herbalists in the United States, and has trained extensively in osteopathic manual therapeutic techniques, which he integrates directly into his acupuncture treatments. As a licensed registered nurse, he also brings a grounding in Western medicine that allows him to work alongside—and communicate clearly with—his patients' other healthcare providers. Few practitioners in the Pacific Northwest bring this depth of herbal, manual, and biomedical training to a single practice.
Jim has been an Associate Professor at Bastyr University for 30 years, where he teaches the principles of acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine and gives students hands-on observation opportunities through his own practice.
Outside the clinic, Jim is an avid fly fisherman and outdoorsman. He takes every chance he gets to spend time at his cabin in the Methow Valley with his daughter Hailey, wife Pamela, and his three Labrador retrievers.
Meet Hailey
Hailey Dowling is the Business Manager at Westside Acupuncture & Herbs, where she helps keep the clinic running smoothly and welcomes patients at the front desk. Since joining the clinic in this role in March 2020, she has become a familiar, friendly face for many of Westside’s patients.
In many ways, Hailey grew up at Westside. She was just three years old when her dad opened the clinic, and many long-time patients still remember her doing homework, playing with office supplies, and spending afternoons at the clinic after school. Today, she loves getting to work alongside her dad and enjoys the warm, community-centered atmosphere that has grown around the practice throughout her life.
Hailey is known for being approachable, outgoing, and easy to talk to. She genuinely enjoys chatting and laughing with patients.
Outside of the clinic, she continues to work as a developmental editor specializing in fiction. She graduated from the University of Washington in 2014 with a BA in English Literature, an education that strengthened her communication skills, critical thinking, and love of language.
Photography, art, writing, and spending time in nature are among her favorite pastimes. Downhill skiing and fly fishing are passions she’s shared with her dad since she was old enough to participate, and she spends as much time as she can at the family vacation home in the Methow Valley.