about Mishe's work and training

“Healing may not be so much about getting better, as about letting go of everything that isn't you - all of the expectations, all of the beliefs - and becoming who you are.”

Rachel Naomi Remer, MD

I'm Martina Skenderova, but most people call me Mishe. I’m a licensed acupuncturist, holistic Eastern medicine practitioner, and grief and death doula with nearly 18 years of experience in healthcare. I am also a breast cancer survivor, with the insight of both a patient and a clinician.

At Zelena Medicine, I work with patients across a range of experiences and life stages, often in collaboration with conventional medical care. My treatments are responsive, relational, grounded in clinical insight and guided by a person’s unfolding process. My intention is to help those I work with move toward healing and meaningful improvement, so they can return more fully to the people, places, and experiences that matter most.

I've spent years working with patients in diverse clinical settings: from the hospital intensive care unit to the oncology infusion room, and I find deep purpose in supporting biomedical care with complementary, holistic approaches. Time and again, I’ve witnessed the ways people face adversity, and how they heal and grow. I've come to understand that healing is more than a cure. It is the continuous work of love, acceptance, creativity, and belonging, rooted in our worthiness beyond health status, appearance, or productivity.

My work is also informed by animist values that honor our connection to the Earth, our ancestors, and our emotional lives. I value collaboration across disciplines, evidence-informed practice, and heart-centered whole-person care.

My goal is that every person I work with feels supported, seen, and empowered to walk their path with greater ease, clarity, joy, and strength.

my approach

Master of Science in East Asian Medicine

Certified Provider of Hospice and Palliative Care Acupuncture

Integrative Medicine for Acupuncturists

(Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center)

EXSTORE™ Orthopedic Acupuncture

(Anthony Lombardi, DC/ACE Seminars)

Level 1 Brainspotting practitioner

End of Life Doula

(Conscious Dying Institute)

Compassionate Inquiry

(Dr. Gabor Mate, MD)

professional training