Acupuncture is safe for everyone regardless of age or health history. It’s safe for children, pregnant people and the elderly.

Anything that can be treated by a General Practitioner (GP) can probably be addressed with Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine. Some common conditions that Chinese Medicine treats include anxiety, depression, PTSD, neck and back pain, sciatica, musculoskeletal pain, irregular mensuration, PCOS, endometriosis, gas and bloating, constipation, diarrhea, Crohn’s disease, nausea, IBS, insomnia, acute injury such as sprains, fibromyalgia, ENT issues, TMJ, sinus infections, common cold, flu, headaches, migraines, scar tissue, pre and post op care, etc. Please note, this is not a comprehensive list.

Acupuncture does not negatively interfere with western medical treatment and it’s safe to get acupuncture on the same day as other doctor’s appointments. Be sure to tell your practitioner about any other forms of treatment that you’re receiving to ensure the best continuity of care.

Yes. Acupuncture can be very helpful in treating infertility.

No, you can’t treat cancer with acupuncture or Chinese Medicine. However, acupuncture can help to relieve the side-effects of other cancer treatments, as well as alleviate cancer related pain.

During the first visit we’ll start by going over your health history and talk in depth about any issues you’d like to address during the session. Initial examinations include tongue and pulse diagnosis to help me get a better understanding of what’s going on with you specifically. Then you’ll get ready for treatment by finding a comfortable position and adjusting your clothes to give access to the area(s) of the body being treated. In most cases you’ll remain fully clothed, but I also provide towels, sheets and blankets should you need to undress. I usually use about 10-30 needles per session, but that amount can vary from person to person and depending on the issue we’re addressing. Once needles are in, you’ll have at least 20 minutes to relax on the table. Some people meditate. Some people fall asleep. Sometimes people remain alert for the entirety of the session. There is no right or wrong way to experience acupuncture, but I always encourage people to let me know if there is anything preventing them from relaxing fully. I usually leave about 10 minutes for other adjunct techniques, such as cupping or gua sha at either the beginning or end of the session. We’ll have time to check in about your experience at the end and I may make suggestions for herbs and/or supplements if desired.

Everyone reacts differently to acupuncture, but in general, it should be a relaxing and comfortable experience. Acupuncture needles are not the same as the hypodermic needles used by doctors. They’re much thiner and, unlike hypodermic needles, they’re not hollow on the inside, which makes them much less painful as they pierce the skin. It’s common to feel a slight pinch at first and you may feel pressure as the needle is inserted to the correct depth. Sometimes muscles twitch when needled- this is a good sign! It means they are releasing. Most people only feel temporary, slight discomfort and some people don’t even feel the needles being inserted at all. Any discomfort should subside after about a minute once the needles have had a chance to settle in. After that, you should be able relax into the treatment and forget that the needles are even there!

Acupuncture is extremely safe when performed by a licensed acupuncturist (L.Ac). All certified acupuncturists have been trained in clean needle technique, anatomy & physiology and have had to pass a series of standardized national board examinations to ensure that they are competent and equipped to practice their trade. All acupuncture needles are single use, pre-sterilized and discarded safely in a biohazard container after use. Cups and other reusable equipment are sterilized with medical grade products between uses. There are disposable table covers that are changed between each patient. I take every precaution to minimize risk of infection or transmission of disease. Acupuncture has very few side effects, but you may experience some soreness afterwards. Sometimes needles can leave a small bruise or a bump, known as a hematoma. Bruising is more likely to happen to individuals taking blood thinners or to those who bruise easily in general.

Most people who are afraid of needles have only had experiences with hypodermic needles that are more painful than acupuncture needles. If you are worried, however, please let me know so I can ensure that you have a positive experience. Most people who come in feeling nervous report that the experience wasn’t nearly as scary or as painful as they’d imagined. That being said, it’s ok if acupuncture isn’t for you- there are other modalities we can work with, such as cupping, gua sha and herbal medicine, that do not involve any needles.

Results can vary from person to person, but I usually suggest new patients start by coming in once a week for 4-6 weeks. As a general rule of thumb, the longer standing the condition, the longer it will take to treat- usually about a month of treatment per year of illness.  Other factors that contribute to treatment outcomes include severity of the condition and lifestyle. Many people notice changes immediately, while other people may take longer to feel results. After the initial 4-6 visits, most people drop down to an every other week or a monthly “tune up” schedule. Some people only come in as needed when they are in pain. Acupuncture is meant to be incorporated into your regular routine and maintenance, so it’s best to be consistent with treatment to support your constitution and prevent future imbalances.

It varies from person to person and the issue being treated, but generally anywhere between 10-30 needles are used per session.

Please come in with proof of COVID vaccination. Anyone with COVID should stay home until they are no longer contagious. I offer virtual herbal consultations as an alternative option for patients who are unable to come in person. I ask that all patients wear a mask during the session to keep everyone safe and healthy. If you are sick with a cold or flu, it’s ok to come in for treatment if you’d like, but please let me know in advance so I can ensure your session is private. Avoid large meals immediately before treatment, but don’t come on an empty stomach either. If you are taking any medication, including supplements, come prepared to share what they are and their dosage. It’s a good idea to wear comfortable and loose fitting clothing that allows easy access to the arms, legs, stomach as well as any other area where you’re experiencing pain. I provide towels and sheets for patients should anyone need to undress.

It is ok to do the usual things you do afterwards. I recommend avoiding strenuous exercise or intellectual strain for about 30 minutes after your treatment. It’s also suggested that you keep your neck and back covered for about a day after cupping or gua sha. Showering after treatment is ok. Be sure to drink lots of water.

Appointments can be canceled or rescheduled by logging onto your Vagaro profile. Please let me know via text message if you need to cancel within less than 48 hours of your appointment time. I am slow to respond to email, so please allow me up to 3 business days to respond. I do not respond in a timely manner to messages sent over social media or Vagaro, so please direct all communication to me via text message or email. Failure to confirm any last minute changes to your appointment with me may result in being charged a cancellation fee. In general, I would prefer you text me with any issues of an urgent nature.

According to The Acupuncture Evidence Project, acupuncture has been found to be effective in the treatment of at least 117 conditions. It’s safe when administered by a licensed practitioner and it’s more cost-effective than surgery or other invasive procedures in many cases. The quality and quantity of research on acupuncture’s effectiveness is growing every year as awareness of Chinese Medicine (CM) as a viable alternative to allopathic medicine increases. There is still a lot to be learned about how and why CM works, but the more it’s studied in clinical trials, the more evidence of it’s efficacy is discovered.

Because CM is more preventative rather than corrective, CM can often detect imbalances in the body before they become bigger issues. For this reason, many medical tests are unable to quantify the subtleties that CM has learned to perceive based on centuries of empirical evidence. I also believe that there are fewer studies of CM due to bias which incentivizes research of pharmaceutical drugs over alternative therapies because there’s less money to be made from the latter. That being said, CM is one modality with ever increasing proven efficacy over many of its “alternative medicine” counterparts. More and more, people are coming to understand the legitimacy of this medicine, even if the whys and hows of its workings are still coming to light. CM is practiced in 90% of hospitals in China and many pharmaceutical companies are researching herbs that have been used by CM practitioners for centuries in an attempt to discover and patent new drugs. For now, understanding CM may have to wait for further advancements in the fields of modern medicine, science and medical research, but that doesn’t mean we have to wait to reap its many benefits.

I studied Classical Chinese Medicine at Daoist Traditions College of Chinese Medicine and graduated in 2015. While I’m grateful I was able to study under Master Jeffrey Yuen, I struggled to feel totally comfortable at Daoist Traditions for various reasons, one of which being the administration’s reluctance to listen to student feedback and treat students with respect. I was drawn to DT because it was close to my family and I wanted to study Classical Chinese Medicine, but I almost wish I’d gone to a cheaper school with a larger student body and waited until after I’d graduated to start taking CEUs in more esoteric subjects. I don’t think any school is perfect, but I do wish I’d taken the time to visit more schools and weigh my options better than I did before deciding to study at DT.

The decision to study CM is incredibly personal and I suggest you think it over carefully. For one, school is a huge undertaking. It’s usually 3-4 years long, depending on where you go, Many of the people who ask me this question are queer and/or trans, so I think it’s even more important to find a place where you will feel comfortable because it’s unlikely there will be many other queer/trans people in school with you. And because school is so demanding of your time, you probably won’t have much social interaction outside of your classmates.

School is also expensive. It’s not necessarily better to pay a lot of money for a fancy school that markets itself for offering a more specialized curriculum. The study of CM is a lifelong process and you can always take CEUs in the subjects you’re interested in after you’ve graduated. In fact, you’ll probably be required to take CEUs in order to maintain your license depending on where you practice. You should also consider that it takes a long time even after you’ve graduated to start making money. For one, you’ll need to pass all your board examinations, which cost around $1,000 total. There’s also a fee to obtain and renew your acupuncture license, which varies from state to state. Depending on your state’s requirements for renewing your license, you may have to take a certain amount of CEU credits that cost around $200 or more per class. On top of that, you’ll probably have to pay for your own malpractice insurance, which is an added expense per year. Regardless of whether or not you start your own practice or join a preexisting one, it will take time to build up your patient base, so it will probably take you a few years before you’re able to make the full income that you could potentially earn. The road to becoming a licensed acupuncturist with a thriving practice is long. It requires a lot of work and upfront cost with little to no payback for the first five to eight years.

It’s also important to consider where you want to practice when you graduate. You’ll probably need to move away from the place you went to school, unless it’s a bigger metropolitan area, because the acupuncture market there will be oversaturated. If you think you will ever want to practice in the state of California, you should go to school there because they have different licensing requirements.

I love CM and I don’t regret my decision or my path, but I do sometimes wish I’d been smarter about some of the choices I made.

I got into CM for a few reasons. For one, certain experiences I had with doctors and pharmaceutical drugs were making me more and more distrustful of the medical system, which led me to start researching alternatives. I don’t advocate for other people to do this, but I decided to take myself off of all of my meds and I immediately felt like I had more clarity. I also started researching herbs to help me with some physical issues I was struggling with, and I came across the herb Dong Gui. I was impressed with how much it helped me, and from there, I started researching CM more and more until I decided it was something that I wanted to pursue as a career rather than just a hobby.

Also around this time, I was working as a medical interpreter for Spanish speakers at a local low income clinic. That experience helped me to realize that my frustrations with the medical system were not unique to me and that a lot of people were struggling to find the care they deserved. I realized that I wanted to do something to provide my community with more accessible care and alternatives to Western Medicine. CM seemed like an amazing option.