Restoring Balance: A local equestrian uses alternative medicine to help others

story by JANICE LEWINE | equestrian photos courtesy of MsCUCALON PHOTOGRAPHY

Caralee Layne didn’t set out to become an acupuncturist, but her most transformative teachers appeared when her confidence faltered.

Ten years ago, Layne found herself sitting in a Meredith College classroom as a pre-nursing student, imagining a future in scrubs. She was preparing her applications for nursing school when her hair began falling out in handfuls. The diagnosis came quickly—alopecia, an autoimmune condition that targets hair follicles. The news hit hard.

She followed the prescribed medical route—dermatology appointments, steroid injections and clinical reassurances that this was standard protocol. “Everything got worse,” she recalls. “And I thought, there’s got to be something better than this.” That thought—a mix of desperation and intuition—would pivot her life’s pursuit.

Turning Point

When she first walked into an acupuncturist’s office, she did so with skepticism tinged by hope. The practitioner explained, “This is going to take a few months.” Not a quick fix, but a real possibility toward healing.

Three weeks in, Layne felt relief. “Emotionally, I just felt better.” By three months, baby hairs began to emerge. Acupuncture, it turned out, was helping her body.

Her parents thought she was “crazy” for abandoning the Western medical track she had been pursuing. But she felt sure the treatment she sought for herself could help others. “I’m very happy I went for it,” she says.

That decision led Layne to Miami, where she undertook a demanding three-and-a-half-year master’s program in Oriental medicine. She studied the meridian channels, diagnostic methods, herbal medicine and the curious elegance of an alternative healing system that has shown benefits for over 3,000 years. She learned that each acupuncture point, needle and energetic pathway had a lineage and purpose, and she embraced the investigative nature of Chinese medicine—tongue and pulse diagnosis, observation, and the intimate conversations that anchor every session.

After obtaining her North Carolina acupuncture license in 2020, her stepfather—Dr. Sameh Toma, a reproductive endocrinologist—invited her to practice in his office at the North Carolina Center for Reproductive Medicine in Cary. The opportunity proved fortuitous and led to the birth of Layne Acupuncture & Wellness.

Targeting Wellness

Acupuncture, Layne explains, is a traditional Chinese medicine technique that uses ultra-fine needles placed at specific points on the body to address a wide range of conditions, especially pain. In theory, it helps balance the body’s energy flow, or qi (pronounced “chee”), along pathways known as meridians.

From a modern perspective, acupuncture is believed to stimulate the nervous system, prompting the release of endorphins and other natural chemicals that support pain relief and overall well-being. Qi flows through meridian channels—and when one organ system falters, another follows.

“It starts a domino effect,” Layne says. “Imbalance creates symptoms.”

Tailoring treatment to the individual, she uses needles, cupping, herbs and— when needed—homeopathic injections, which are diluted energetic substances that act more powerfully and quickly than needles alone. While acupuncture and homeopathy are different, many practitioners like Layne combine them.

“If someone comes in with pain at a level of eight out of ten, I’ll most likely use homeopathy because it works faster,” she explains. “If it’s a three out of ten, we can usually resolve it with acupuncture rather than homeopathy. But I always give them the option.”

Other patients have included infants needing help with bowel movement regulation; dancers and athletes with overworked muscles and training fatigue; elderly adults with pain and arthritis; equestrians with chronic strain injuries; and women across the fertility spectrum. She treats anxiety, insomnia, digestive issues, hormonal imbalances, emotional imbalance and chronic pain.

Many of her patients, especially those using herbal formulas for stress, report significant results. She says they tell her, “‘For some reason I’m able to deal with my triggers differently. I don’t feel that constant doom anymore.’”

Acupuncture also has cosmetic benefits. For facial treatments, Layne applies small facial needles and combines homeopathic injections at specific acupuncture points. The technique works subtly, creating a naturally lifted look, and is a gentle approach to aesthetic care.

Fertility Restored

In her work at the North Carolina Center for Reproductive Medicine (NCCRM), Layne offers hope to fertility patients, providing acupuncture alongside conventional medical treatments—helping before and after IVF procedures, egg retrievals and embryo transfers.

She has supported countless women through vulnerable stages, helping regulate cycles, balance hormones and improve uterine blood flow while also assisting in the treatment of male infertility. The work isn’t easy. “It can be quite emotional when babies are involved,” she admits. Yet she sees herself as preparing the soil for growth: “I think of the uterus like a crop field. Crops can’t grow if the field is too cold, too hot, too wet or too dry. Acupuncture prepares the soil.”

Harnessing Healing

Long before acupuncture and homeopathy became part of her life, there were horses. Riding since the age of four, Layne—now 32— has competed at horse shows across the East Coast. Her mother and stepfather own Apex Equestrian Center, where her stepfather—a former horse breeder— now imports European showjumpers for U.S. buyers. Horses weren’t just a pastime; they were woven into the fabric of her identity, threading childhood memories to adult ambitions.

Each winter, she travels to Ocala, Florida, for an elite international show that draws wealthy equestrians, elite trainers and Olympic hopefuls. There, horses receive acupuncture, but the riders themselves rarely do. Layne noticed the irony.

She began asking questions: “Do you experience pain, fatigue or chronic injuries? Would you be interested in acupuncture?” The answer was a resounding yes. “I have pain here, pain there,” many told her. It sparked the idea of a mobile clinic that could bridge her two worlds: equestrian and holistic care.

Her vision now exists in the form of a 20-foot trailer, remodeled into a calming mini-spa with a bathroom, massage table and seating area. The trailer will travel with her to Florida, allowing her to treat equestrians in moments of crisis and recovery—like the rider who fractured her ankle and cut her recovery time in half with Layne’s homeopathic injections, and her own trainer, who was unable to move before a $50,000 Grand Prix class until Layne’s therapeutic round of acupuncture restored mobility in his back.

Living with Purpose

Most days follow a rhythm. A few patients in the morning. A midday ride on her mare, Eve. Then afternoon patients. She has lived on a farm across from the Apex Equestrian Center for two years, close to the passion that grounds her.

She aims to broaden her impact—her mobile clinic traveling from show to show, from team events to postpartum visits. From January to March, Layne will be available for mobile treatments in Ocala, where equestrians from all corners of the world come to compete, and will continue treating patients in the Triangle in the spring.

Gratitude guides her journey—the illness that redirected her path, the family practice that nurtures her growth, and the horses that feed her riding passion. She has found a path that harmonizes the body, mind and spirit—for herself and, most importantly, her patients.

“My goal is to help people feel their best and to show them that acupuncture isn’t mysterious or complicated, but it’s a minimally invasive and effective way to support the body’s natural healing process.”

Learn more at layneacupuncture.com.