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Nov 14

Veteran Affair covers acupuncture

We are happy to announce that we now accept Veteran Affair’s insurance through Tri-West. You can choose us as your preferred community provider. You must obtain referral from Veteran’s Affair system. Please go through Tri-West as it requires prior authorization. One of the great satisfaction of my job is helping people who really need it […]

Jun 24

Plants or Pills? Turmeric vs. Curcumin

Most people assume pills are more effective than plants. The underlying assumption is “Plants cannot be THAT therapeutic. It is not scientific. There must be active ingredients that are working. Let’s extract them, making them pure and precise and more concentrated and thus more effective.” Sometimes this assumption is true. Many pharmaceutical drugs are simply […]

Feb 15

Tax Reminder

For those of you who have received treatment from us, please keep your receipts. Your payment is a tax-deductible expense. Please check with your tax preparer for more detail. https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc502.html

Sep 24

What is the difference between herbal supplements and herbal medicine?

Herbal supplement is currently quite popular in America. Many herbal supplement even originated from Traditional Chinese Medicine, like ginseng and goji berries. However, taking herbal supplements is very different from taking Chinese Herbal Medicine, even though they may contain some of the same ingredients. Many people in the US have tried herbal supplements after reading […]

Sep 24

Is acupuncture painful?

Acupuncture is not painful. You may feel some pain when then needle penetrates the skin because that is where the nerve ending is. However, the insertion is usually so quickly that the needle is in before you can feel anything. If the acupuncturist does manipulation, there is usually a sense of soreness. However, most people […]

Sep 18

Is acupuncture the same thing as TCM?

No, it is only one part of Traditional Chinese Medicine. As it is practiced in China, herbal medicine account for about 60% of TCM while acupuncture and acupressure massage account for the rest 40%. Acupuncture is widely popular in the US. Therefore many people equate it with Traditional Chinese Medicine, but they are not necessarily […]

Sep 18

The herbs taste nasty. Can I add some flavorings to it?

Chinese herbal medicine surely did not survive thousands of years based on taste. The first time usually is the worst but most people can adapt to it after a while. You should not add flavorings to alter the taste because Traditional Chinese Medicine believes it is the taste that moves the Qi. Adding flavorings to […]

Sep 15

1.0 What is the “right” diet?

The proper diet should supply the body with adequate nutrients while not burdening the body with the task of digestion. So a simple formula would look like this: NUTRITION + DIGESTIBILITY = GOOD DIET A common mistake that most people make is focusing too much on nutrition while ignoring the ability to digest. The reason […]

Sep 2

I heard there are heavy metals in herbs. Will I get heavy metal poisoning?

The issue of heavy metals in herbs is a little bit out of context. Heavy metal pollution is wide-spread in the world. Most are in the form of air pollution, and most people get heavy metal poisoning from air. When soil is polluted, agricultural products from polluted regions may be contaminated with heavy metal. China […]

Sep 2

Can herbal medicine can damage my liver and kidney?

When I was interning at UCLA’s Center for East-West Medicine, someone brought this question to the Center’s director Dr. Hui. The person had read a news article that some herbs can damage people’s liver and kidney. Dr. Hui’s response was remarkable. He said, “there will be no news article reporting liver and kidney damage due […]