Dr. Isabella’s January Muse Interview
Cover Feature Interview by Carley DeMarco published in The Retreat Newspaper January 2025 issue No. 20
Sometime last year, I woke up from a dream in which a stranger told me to work with Dr. Isabella of the Innata Institute. At the time, I was struggling with a range of health issues that no conventional doctor seemed to have an answer for—my hormones were plummeting to perimenopausal levels, I was diagnosed with osteopenia, and I was dealing with major body aches, inflammation, hives, and breakouts for the first time in my life. Fatigue consumed my days, insomnia stole my nights, and on top of it all, I was juggling a full-time job, running a yoga studio, teaching ten classes a week, and managing social media for clients.
Desperate for answers, I sent Dr. Isabella a message on Instagram, unsure of what to expect, especially since she was on the other side of the country. But during our first call, when I told her doctors had said I wouldn’t be able to get pregnant, she called bullshit. For the first time, someone made me feel like healing wasn’t just possible—it was my birthright. Unlike so many professionals who had dismissed me, Dr. Isabella’s belief in my body’s ability to heal, combined with the science to back it up, felt like a godsend.
Over the following months, I embraced her recommendations: medical Qi Gong, specific recipes for regeneration, and nightly remote Qi Gong sessions where I would sip tea in bed as she worked her magic from afar. I didn’t fully understand what was happening, but I knew it was working. Everything truly clicked when I attended Dr. Isabella’s Desert Healing Retreat this past October—I was blown away by the depth of her work, most of which you’ll read about in the following pages. After the retreat, I felt like a completely new version of myself—someone who could make it through the day without crashing by 10 a.m. and who no longer needed Advil to withstand the first two days of her period. This interview is my way of shouting from the rooftops about the mystery and magic that is Dr. Isabella and her work in regenerative health. Her story is a powerful one, and I’m thrilled to share it with you today. Let this interview serve as a reminder that healing is possible, regeneration is your birthright, and dreams are meant to be followed. — Carley
[Carley] You’ve inspired our theme of Regeneration this month for many reasons, but before we dive into each of those, I’d love for you to share your definition of regeneration and as it pertains to your work more specifically: regenerative health.
[Dr. Isabella] Regeneration to me is very practical, it is the repair and renewal of living cells. All of life is regenerative, it doesn’t require any specific technology or lifestyle to be that way! Regenerative health is about removing obstructions and decay from the body to restore access to internal resources, circulation and vitality.
As a child you were diagnosed with leukemia and went through three years of chemotherapy. From an early age, you experienced the downsides of modern care, and eventually, when you were 18, you experienced the detrimental late effects of chemotherapy: your bones were deteriorating and your body was shutting down. You searched for ways to heal free from aggression, chemicals, side-effects, and suffering—and not only did you find these avenues and heal, but you also began to thrive.
In many ways, the phrase, “the student becomes the teacher” feels like an embodiment of your journey as you turned that experience into your expertise. In your clinical practice, you treat a large scope of patients and work closely with cancer patients and those undergoing chemotherapy. What would you say to someone currently struggling with an illness or undergoing treatment, who may feel overwhelmed or hopeless, about the possibility of healing and reclaiming their body and life after such an intense struggle? What have been your most felt lessons as the student? As the teacher?
I would want them to know that as long as you are alive, nothing is beyond repair. If a body cell is still living, it contains the potential to heal and regenerate itself, regardless of past damage. When you’ve gone through an illness that strips you of your health, autonomy and identity, healing is no longer about getting back to your old life, the one that got you sick. It’s about creating a new one, regenerating life once again. It’s frightening to feel like we can’t turn back to the way we once were, and then a huge freedom opens up. It means you can change. We have this opportunity with every obstacle we face, even the nagging small symptoms, but it becomes clearer the more serious it gets.
Like many diseases, cancer and chronic illness do not develop overnight. They gradually happen over years, progressing from many internal warning signs that went ignored. When we see things from this view, our path back to health is clear, and we no longer have to wait for someone to come heal us. It took me a lifetime of bouncing around from the top doctors and specialists until I realized it was all a distraction that led nowhere, mostly in an effort to be heard and understood. My experience has taught me that the main way we prevent healing is when we turn away from ourselves. There’s so many wonderful intelligences in medicine and healing but the most important one is the one inside yourself, and that needs to come first even when it’s tempting to jump ship to the next trendy solution. You are the very thing that will build you back up, not the doctor or the treatment you pursue. If you’re lucky to find someone who guides you in the right direction, that’s a gift, but the truth is you have everything you need to heal within you. The body is always on your side, and is the very thing keeping you alive. A lot of the struggle begins to fall away when we make our relationship to ourselves the priority.
Clinically, I have learned that the answer is in the patient in front of me, not in the textbook, the research or the theory about their condition. When I hear the stories people have been through, I am always moved by how perfectly and appropriately their body has responded. Some people wonder how to heal despite all that they’ve been through, but when we consider your whole life as relevant, it becomes more about how to heal in light of what you’ve been through. The very story and experience that brings people into my clinic is also what illuminates the path to their own recovery in the most effective and meaningful way to them. It is very humbling because every patient teaches me something new in the process.
I would argue that the most pivotal turning point in your healing journey—and life— was when you met Tao Qi Gong Master, Grandmaster Hong at age 19. From there, a ten year apprenticeship began where you underwent an intense learning and cultivation process of Qi Gong. Not to name drop (or maybe to—only because I know you never would) Grandmaster Hong was renowned in Hollywood and had many close followers and devotees like Goldie Hawn, Elton John, Mel Gibson, and Cameron Diaz—and for good reason. He was an oncologist in Shanghai who became initiated into Master Kwan’s Qi Gong lineage and brought the healing art of Qi Gong to the west. Apprenticing under him, and then becoming a master yourself, is the highest honor (and power). In our sessions together, and on retreat, you shared about how real healing happens within Qi Gong. Maybe first and foremost, what exactly is Qi Gong? Can you share about that first kismet meeting with Grandmaster—your experience with receiving medical Qi Gong and the beginning of your apprenticeship?
Qi Gong is the root of all martial arts - tai chi, kung fu, etc. - whether it is applied to combat or healing. Qi Gong allowed me to heal when nothing else would. When I was almost forced to give up and give in to Western care, I got the opportunity to book a treatment with Grandmaster Hong. That first session was powerful beyond belief, it opened my body up to be able to release many deeply stored blockages. I must have cried for an hour, and he told me my sensitivity would one day allow me to help others. He also explained my constitution to me, and gave me my first proper understanding as to why I developed leukemia at six years old, and how to prevent ever getting cancer again. From his perspective, it made perfect sense, and I got my first sense that healing was indeed possible. I remember walking out of the treatment room feeling like I was in a new body. I saw him standing on the balcony smoking a cigarette, and before I had a chance to say a word, he told me I was now going to be his apprentice. Next thing I knew I was in a balancing act between business school and martial arts, flying to Hawaii and Shanghai, practicing qi gong before dawn every morning, brewing Chinese herbs, assisting with his patients, and my life as I knew it became devoted to a whole new purpose. It wasn’t until I read his book and witnessed the demand on his very presence that I realized what a huge honor this was, people would fly across the world just to get a treatment with him and beg to become his student. When he made me his apprentice, I was no longer a patient. It was no longer about me. He taught me how to heal myself so that I could do the same for others. Within a few weeks, I returned to my old doctor, who assumed I had finally taken his prescribed medications (which of course I never did) and told me I had a clean bill of health.
The way I see it, Qi Gong activated my potential to heal. My training allowed me to regenerate from a life of weakness to one where I would come to know true health. I learned that life is in the body and we need to address it directly as it is the same force that lives us and allows the body to perform any function. Healing is not a theoretical concept that happens through pills, supplements or treatments. There is no nutrition without Qi, no vitality without Qi, no breath without Qi and certainly no life without Qi.
You worked very closely with Master during your ten years of apprenticeship until he passed this summer. I think in order for us to understand the depth of the honor and power of this process, we need to rewind. Take us back to Grandmaster Hong’s life before he was a grandmaster: what did his life look like, how did his apprenticeship unfold, and what did his journey of bringing the healing art of Qi Gong to the west look like?
Master Hong was originally a western-trained oncologist in China. When he began training with his Master, Master Kwan, he would travel hours to his cave and then return to the hospital and integrate Qi Gong into his patient care, finding that the results superseded what was possible with chemotherapy and radiation alone. Out of all of his other fellow apprentices, he was chosen to introduce Qi Gong into the world of western medicine as he had the highest education and ability to do so. Eventually he was sent on a mission to America, to bring natural healing to the West. Holding knowledge from one of the oldest lineages of natural healing in China, he was sent to share this with the medical community so that it could be used in modern care. As one of the eleven known grandmasters on the planet at his time, Master had access to wisdom and practices that few others on the planet did, and his contributions were highly unique. He also demonstrated how relevant and adaptable this medicine is, evolving it to the times, and generously teaching and sharing as much as he could with us. Through his pioneering cancer research with the NIH, his life-saving discoveries with Qi Gong and herbal medicine, Master tirelessly fulfilled his mission to help others and integrate natural healing into the modern world until the very day he left us.
I think there is this misconception (I’m guilty of having it) that we have to work really hard to achieve healing. You like to say it’s simple. It’s not always easy, but it is simple. As a Taoist physician, your work is rooted in cultivating health by supporting the natural laws of the body, without invasion and without compromise. What are the natural laws of the body?
The first thing to understand is the premise of all the laws of the body, which is that the body is never wrong. Every symptom is a resulting effect of the body’s attempt to preserve your life. The next thing is to know that there are cycles and rhythms that govern every cell in the body, you can’t outsmart them. They are expressed in all of nature, including every internal tissue and organ, and the universe at large. As my Master used to always say, “the body is a mini universe”. When we understand that the body has its own perfect order, we can begin to get specific about how we prevent or allow that. When the mind is calm, the body is sufficiently nourished in blood, Qi and fluids, and it is unobstructed from stagnation and waste, health can result. This also means emotional and spiritual health, as they are products of the body’s consciousness.
I experienced, first hand, the rapid, natural healing abilities of the body during your Desert Healing Retreat in October, in part because of the detox. Detox is a word that gets thrown around a lot. Can you explain your method for detoxification? And what is your response to the people who say “our body naturally detoxes, we don’t need to detox”?
I don’t see a conflict between the body’s natural detox abilities and our need to detox, if anything it demonstrates how inherent to our survival detoxification really is! The main treatment for all diseases is detoxification, we need to balance the accumulation in the body and mind. We have many channels of elimination as we are not biologically designed to hold on to our waste. Have you ever had the drain clogged in your dishwasher? It is an inherently self cleaning appliance, and yet totally ineffective at that design if the pipes are clogged. Our body does naturally detox, but often the rate that it is taking in exceeds that which it is eliminating. If you’re dealing with any symptoms, the pipes are clogged. We can help the body troubleshoot the problem by taking a ride on the natural detoxification functions of the body with focused care. That’s all a detox is: rebalancing and returning to the way things are designed.
What—maybe trendy—detoxification methods do you find dangerous or stupid and why?
Any effort to release and give the body a break is a sincere effort in the right direction! What I wouldn’t advise is any program that is a huge departure from where you’re starting from, that feels aggressive and that is preceded by months of lifestyle change. An example would be jumping into a water fast or heavy metal cleanse. When we force the body into a ‘detox’ and don’t have the hydration or energy to expel the toxins that are freed as a result, then they will be released interiorly and become systemic, which can be very dangerous to the organs. This is the basis for the common “healing crisis”, and it is completely avoidable with the proper approach.
On the other hand, there can also be programs that release toxic burdens perhaps a little too gently. Having trained in Ayurveda first, I noticed that while panchakarma is deeply restorative and so enjoyable, it often lacks the specificity to address modern pathologies effectively. Another example would be programs including animal products like bone broths, or stimulants like matcha lattes or cacao, which actually inhibit detoxification and cannot be considered part of a cleanse by any means.
Most importantly, any protocol that is purely physical is going to produce very limited results if any. Detoxification is a parasympathetic process, meaning it does not occur if the body is in a state of stress or tension, whether that is from day to day work or unresolved histories. Physical results increase dramatically when we address ourselves as a whole through meditation, practice and cultivation exercises.
Part of your detoxification process during the retreat included consuming lots of living water: lots of fruit. Can you explain what living water is and the biological explanation for why it is the heal-all in your eyes?
A key characteristic of illness and aging is dehydration. Living cells in your body respond to living hydration, which is structured in a way that is biologically compatible with the intracellular fluids in your body, and thus possible to absorb. From a Chinese medicine perspective, it is only the thick (structured) fluids absorbed through the stomach that are sent around to hydrate the body cells and allow for the conductivity of life energy or Qi.
Beyond consuming healing foods, we also had daily lymphatic, osteopathy, and acupuncture sessions. I want to talk about acupuncture because it’s a huge part of your practice—and also because, I’ve never had an acupuncture session before like the ones I’ve had with you. In our first session you said that you don’t have a good financial model for acupuncture because you only need to do a few sessions with a person. Together, we uncovered a major childhood trauma that turned into a physical blockage in my body and by the end of the weekend, I wasn’t triggered by it at all. Can you share the way you view and practice acupuncture? What are some of your most treasured co-healing stories?
I practice Classical acupuncture, the complete Taoist system including and emphasizing use of the complement channels. The way I practice is rooted in my Qi Gong training. I work closely with each person in light of their unique constitution and history. I consider each session a treasure, and it is especially powerful when people overcome the grips of seemingly immovable lifelong issues, like post traumatic stress, or repair from severe damage. My first ever patient ten years ago was actually dealing with bone degeneration from chemo, and it was my pain to purpose moment. It was really beautiful to watch her regain integrity in her body again in such a natural way. Working with any cancer patient is an honor, because the partnership we form is so involved. More recently, a patient came in with a heart condition that has been impossible to affect for years even with medication. In one session she opened up to me about an old emotional wound from her first pregnancy almost fifty years ago, and upon treating the related channel in her body, it seemed that the pressure in her cardiovascular system released. Her heartbeat has been normal since that very treatment. Miracles don’t always happen, and when they do I don’t take credit for any of it. To me this medicine is an art that creates an environment in the body where miracles can happen, if they’re meant to.
To my point again how your acupuncture sessions are different from anything I’ve ever experienced, you also administer healing Qi Gong energy work at the same time. How do you weave in medical Qi Gong into your sessions?
Qi gong is actually the core of each acupuncture treatment, it’s how I diagnose and treat. The needles are what are weaved in, and they help me to refine treatment, but the needles themselves don’t produce healing - qi does. I never practice acupuncture without external qi emission, on its own I have never experienced it to be nearly as effective. External Qi healing is what I learned from my Master that allows me to help your body reconnect to its natural healing capacities. Through understanding the specific trajectories, indications and relationships between the channels of the body, acupuncture then allows me to guide the effect of the treatment in an even more direct way.
Something that was initially really hard to wrap my head around was how our remote sessions were working—because they were working. A lot of our community knows about my crazy hormone saga and how I’ve done a complete 180 since working with you, but no one really knows how I came to work with you and the type of work we do together. I still think it’s hilarious that when I told you after some time working together that I had a dream that told me to work with you, you responded ~so nonchalantly~ that a lot of your patients have dreams that tell them to work with you. So when I reached out to work with you, I had no idea what exactly we would be doing because I thought you were just an acupuncturist. During our first session, which was scheduled at 9pm right before I was to go to bed, you told me to make tea with three leaves and sit at the edge of my bed with my feet on the ground. I would take a sip of the tea and follow it through my body. Honestly I’m laughing thinking about this right now because you would ask me where I was feeling it and I was embarrassed to be like “well, i have this pain in my right ovary and in my big toe” and then as it kept moving you knew where I was feeling everything. Let me get to the point—what the hell is going on in a remote healing session with you? Why right before bed?! Please share with the class.
Because the qi in the channels of the body is what produces healing, we don’t need tools or physical proximity to affect them. This idea of non-local relationship between two particles is actually extensively shown in the field of quantum physics. Regardless, remote qi gong treatments that have been practiced for thousands of years. I like to schedule these sessions before bed so that the physical body can rest into maximum receptivity and integrate the physical changes without the mind getting in the way.
What do you say to people who think your work—as I’m describing it here, because you truly don’t describe it like this—is woo-woo?
I completely understand why they do, as I was a major academic and sceptic myself. While Chinese Medicine is one of the oldest medical systems in history and has a long track record of benefitting more people than Western medicine has, the very premise of the medicine is so different that it is not entirely possible to understand it through the lens of our current Western understanding of the body — at least not yet. I think that as a culture we haven’t been taught to trust the body, let alone to explore it beyond that which we can see and measure. And yet it is the most practical thing in the world to acknowledge the Qi or energy of the human body and involve it in the healing process, because at the end of the day, this consciousness is the only thing that you can be sure your life depends on.
Herbs are also a big part of your practice—and I owe one specific formula to curing my yearlong stint of chronic UTIs, which so many of my friends have. What role do herbs play in your practice and patient protocols?
As a primary care provider, I have an in-house pharmacy of raw Chinese herbs which allows us to put together custom formulations on the spot for acute situations like yours! My approach to herbalism is not just about going after symptoms, but also to support constitutional needs and underlying patterns in glands, organs and body systems. What I love about herbs is that they can address multiple factors: root causes, symptoms, psychological effects and disease prevention, always strengthening the body tissues and supporting treatment outcomes.
You led another retreat in November, where I heard you and your team helped facilitate huge results, like reduced tumor markers down from 19k to 2k in a stage four cancer case, and the disappearance of a melanoma in another patient—in ONE week. I can’t help but think back to that saying, the student becomes the teacher. Part of me wants to think that everything happens for a reason— that we deal with certain health issues and struggle through certain experiences so that we then become the expert and help others, and that of course, we learn something along the way. Another part of me thinks that illness—and especially the increase in disease in recent years—is a result of our modern lifestyle and outside factors like pesticides, chemicals in food, stress, etc. What is your view of illness? Can two things be true at once?
Absolutely. The classical Chinese texts explain that one’s life blueprint and destiny is part of the genetic constitution, and this is the foundation for all sickness and health. Then the triggers of environmental factors will reveal any areas of weakness here. There will always be triggers, how our body responds to them is what determines health or illness. So the Chinese masters would say it is all destined, and we also all have a choice. That is why lifestyle is the solution, it is our ability to make a different choice.
Speaking of the modern lifestyle, I think a huge roadblock for many people when it comes to eating fresh fruits and vegetables, sans chemicals, is affordability and sustainability. When I lived in a small town, it was extremely difficult to find fresh, organic produce. It was also incredibly expensive. What are practical tips for focusing on regenerative healing foods in an affordable and sustainable way?
It is not about maximizing intake of special ingredients. It’s more about what we leave out. The point is to choose foods as close to their natural, hydrated form as possible. If that means produce that is conventional, frozen or limited in variety, you will still benefit a lot more than resorting to unnatural foods. Seek out farmers markets and small grocers whenever you can. Can’t find greens? Grow your own sprouts. Can’t afford superfoods? Stock up on a good local honey. Can’t find fresh fruit? Soak some prunes and raisins. When we are guided by simplicity, there is always a way to make things work.
If you could share your ideal morning routine for someone who is looking to feel more energized and joyful, what would it be?
Take your time, hydrate first thing adding some fresh citrus and honey to your water, get 20 minutes of sunshine on your upper back, breathe into your belly and give your thoughts a break. You’ll want to avoid stimulants like caffeine which will further deplete you over time.
Why sunshine on your upper back!?
It is the ‘tai yang’ region of the body, the largest, most exterior level of the body’s channels that govern the distribution of our yang qi in the body. When receiving the rays of the sun, this region builds our capacity for stronger yang qi, which benefits our adrenal health, circulation, immune defenses and overall vitality and youth.
What do you envision the future of natural healing to look like? How and when do you think we will arrive there?
A world where people heal themselves, where local farmers are the foundation of our healthcare system, and where nature and ancient wisdom guide our knowledge. It will require huge changes in lifestyle, industry and government. We’ll get there one person at a time, through education, practice and community. From what I see every day in my clinic, we’re on the way, the path is here for us, it’s just a matter of how many people choose it.
I saw an article recently talking about how the FDA approved the use of sound waves and water to break down tumors, a technique called histotrispy, in humans for liver treatment. During a workshop on retreat we worked with the healing power of sound, so I want your thoughts on this?
It’s inevitable that the future of medicine incorporates frequencies, and I think there is a huge advantage as these sound waves are measurable and provide more avenues into the scientific understanding of Qi.
What do you want your legacy to be?
Continuing the work of my Master is the greatest honor, and as long as I’m here I will pass on what he taught me to help others. My legacy will be the continuation of my own apprentices as they do the same. I would like to support physicians of all disciplines to become more empowered and equipped to use natural healing methods for complex chronic conditions, mental illness and degenerative disease.
Rapid Fire:
I know that all of your protocols and formulas are personalized…but if you had to choose, what is the best herb/food/recipe for:
Adrenal health goji berries in tea or steeped overnight
Hormone balance all berries
Gut health fresh ginger tea
Sleep problems jujubes, mulberry and longan tea
Lymphatic stagnation lemon juice, black grapes
Kidney health parsley, corn silk
Mental health lily bulb if the nervous system is depleted
Bone density seaweed
Sex drive asparagus, ginseng, but every case is different and needs to be personalized!
You just booked a very exciting trip back to visit your family in Italy. What are you packing for the airport/plane and why?
I’m very minimal when I travel, I don’t take any supplements or potions. I make sure I am hydrated and rested beforehand so that I can travel easily without feeling complicated or in need of any hacks. I hate feeling fussy and carrying a lot of things! At the airport I’ll keep an eye out for a good spring water or a juice bar, but I have always fasted on flights. I just make sure I have plenty of warm sweaters, socks and my laptop as flying is my most inspired writing time.
View of colonics? It is exceptionally helpful to introduct hydration back into the colon and eliminate accumulations. Closed systems only.
What do we need to know about the fascia system? It communicates the health of your entire body, and it responds to your hydration and thoughts.
Your favorite skincare product? Neroli hydrosol
Favorite food? Fruit
Go-to dinner: Soup
Favorite movement practice: Qi Gong or Martial Arts? They are the same thing! Qi gong is the foundation, all martial arts are applications of Qi gong. In my own practice, one leads to the other.
Health trend you hate and why: Keto and high protein diets, guaranteed way to degrade the body
Health trend you’re actually on board with and why: Grounding to the earth, free reset from modern interference, we all need to get outside in nature more.