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Advanced acupuncture and natural medicine techniques can provide fast and effective relief from pain due to injury or repetitive stress. Acupuncture excels at activating and directing the body’s own innate healing capabilities. Due to various internal and external factors, the body may not properly initiate healing or the healing effort could be misdirected or unregulated.

East Asian medicine is a complete medical practice that includes diagnosis and treatment. The diagnosis is key to determining the cause of the dysfunction in the body. With this knowledge, both the symptoms as well as the root cause can be treated for lasting relief.

Myofascial trigger points are hyper-irritable spots in the fascia surrounding skeletal muscle and are associated with palpable nodules in taut bands of muscle fibers. Pain frequently radiates from these points of local tenderness to broader areas, sometimes distant from the trigger point itself—also known as referred pain. Over time, reliable referred pain patterns have been identified, which associate pain in one location with trigger points elsewhere.

Dry needling—also known as Trigger Point Acupuncture or Motor Point Acupuncture—is an effective way to release trigger points and tight muscles and relieve their associated pain patterns. In acute and less severe conditions, the resolution of symptoms can be almost immediate. In more chronic or severe cases, a series of treatments may be needed to return the muscle to its healthy physiological state and eliminate the pain pattern. In most situations, this treatment will create some soreness in the targeted muscle that will feel like post-workout soreness. This lasts for approximately 24 hours, after which there is usually a significant decrease in symptomatic pain. It is a fast, safe, and effective treatment for many musculoskeletal conditions.

Natural medicine can speed recovery, resolve injury, and boost performance. Acupuncture and herbs are the secret weapons for major league sports teams, Olympic athletes, and weekend warriors that keep them all performing at the highest level. Acupuncture can help muscles recover from hard workouts by increasing circulation to nourish the tissues and clear out metabolic waste products. It can also speed the healing of injuries so you can get back out there sooner. Even if you aren’t experiencing any dysfunction, acupuncture and other techniques can boost your performance by increasing muscle tone, endurance, and oxygen utilization.

Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine are powerful tools to support natural conception as well as Assisted Reproductive Technologies, such as IVF and IUI. Continued treatment is valuable throughout pregnancy, to assist childbirth, and during post-natal recovery. Many studies have proven the efficacy of acupuncture in fertility as well as treating difficult yet common conditions during pregnancy, including nausea and back pain.

Cosmetic facial acupuncture is a natural way to achieve facial rejuvenation without the use of invasive surgeries or botox. Both the skin of the face and the overall constitution are addressed for a holistic approach to youthful, resilient skin that lasts. Treatment will stimulate microcirculation and collagen production in the skin while reducing fine lines and wrinkles and evening out skin tone.

If you were in an automobile accident as a driver, passenger, bicyclist, or pedestrian, you could be entitled to acupuncture treatment that is 100% covered by auto insurance, whether you were at fault or not. California insurance companies offer optional coverage known as medical payments insurance (sometimes called MedPay), which helps with medical expenses related to the injuries sustained in a car accident. We can bill the insurance directly and get you the treatment you need. Many auto-accident injuries are subtle or slow-developing. Early assessment and treatment can resolve issues that may otherwise develop into larger problems in the future. Don’t pass up this opportunity! Call your insurance to see if you’re covered and then Book an Appointment.

Acupuncture is the ancient practice of stimulating points on the body to elicit a healing response. There are many different styles of acupuncture and each has its own theories and techniques. In general, very small needles are inserted into the body at precise locations to stimulate an acupuncture point along a meridian or to manipulate a specific anatomical structure. This produces a local, distal, or systemic healing response in the body. The exact biological mechanisms of acupuncture are still unclear but fMRI studies have shown that acupuncture has direct effects on the nervous system. This interaction allows us to influence many of the body systems and functions, including digestion, hormones, pain signaling, etc.

Acupuncture is extremely safe when performed by a properly trained, licensed acupuncturist (L.Ac.). L.Ac.’s spend thousands of hours learning theory and practicing techniques before getting their license. Be sure to seek out an L.Ac. with the proper credentials when you are ready to try acupuncture. If another type of practitioner claims to be able to perform acupuncture, you will likely not receive the same level of care and it could be a dangerous situation.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.

Bodywork is a term that encompasses many different types of therapeutic manipulations of the body. Massage is the most well-known type of bodywork and it can range from smooth and relaxing to deep and targeted releasing of dysfunctional muscles. Another form of bodywork is muscle energy techniques—post-isometric relaxation, proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation, reciprocal inhibition—in which active and passive range of motion is combined with stretching and resistance. Tuina and shiatsu are traditional forms of bodywork that combine massage and acupressure into powerful physical and energetic manipulations. Cupping and Gua Sha can also be considered bodywork as they are very effective manual techniques.

Bodywork is an essential part of my practice and I incorporate it into all of my treatments, when appropriate. It complements and enhances the acupuncture treatment and has amazing results.

Cupping is an ancient therapeutic technique that has been used for thousands of years. Historical references of its use can be found in cultures across the globe and it continues to be practiced in many countries to this day. The basic principle is to create negative pressure within a hollow device (the “cup”) that is placed on the skin. The pressure created pulls the tissue into the cup and it feels like a deep-tissue massage. The cups are either left stationary over specific points or slowly moved over larger areas of the body. There are profound anti-inflammatory and immune-boosting effects along with muscle relaxation and detoxification.

Moxibustion is a form of heat therapy in which the dried herb called Mugwort—also known as “moxa”—is burned on or close to the body. Specific acupuncture points or body parts are targeted with the intention to warm the area, increase circulation, and relieve pain. It is also used for internal medicine conditions, such as fatigue and digestive issues, and is important for longevity and immunity treatments.

Gua sha is a traditional healing technique that is sometimes called coining, spooning, or scraping. Gua sha is defined as instrument-assisted unidirectional press-stroking of a lubricated area of the body surface to intentionally create transitory therapeutic petechiae called ‘sha’ representing extravasation of blood in the subcutaneous tissue.

Raising sha removes blood stagnation considered pathogenic in traditional East Asian medicine. Modern research shows the transitory therapeutic petechiae produce an anti-inflammatory and immune-protective effect that persists for days following a single Gua sha treatment. This anti-inflammatory action explains the immediate relief that patients feel from pain, stiffness, fever, chills, cough, wheezing, nausea and vomiting, etc.