In 2001, Rachel Lopez experienced a life-changing moment. For more than a year, she dealt with severe pain caused by shoulder surgeries, and though she worked through hours of physical therapy, it never dulled. She turned to acupuncture in the hopes that it would help ease her pain, if only a little. "The following day I woke up very energetic," says Rachel on her website. "I had found the relief that I had been looking for." She was so inspired by her treatment that she earned her acupuncturist certification and opened her own clinic, Bergen County Acupuncture, in 2005. There, to this day, she wields thin, sterile needles to ease bodily pain, reduce mental stresses, and soothe headaches by popping overly constrictive balloon hats.