For most people, acupuncture doesn’t hurt. The needles are extremely thin, almost hairlike. They’re much thinner than the needles used for injections or blood draws, and most people feel very little when they’re inserted.

You may occasionally feel a tiny pinch, warmth, heaviness, tingling, or a dull ache. Once the needles are in, most people find the treatment deeply relaxing. It’s not uncommon for patients to fall asleep on the table and have a deep “acupuncture nap.”

If you’re nervous about needles, please let me know. I work gently and am always happy to start slowly. (I’m not a “no pain no gain” acupuncturist!)

In my practice, I most often use acupuncture to help with stress and anxiety, sleep problems, headaches and migraines, neck and back pain, digestive issues, and symptoms related to perimenopause and menopause.

Often, there isn’t just one thing going on. Maybe you’re not sleeping well, your neck is tight, your digestion is off, your hormones are changing, and you’re feeling more anxious or depleted than usual. We can work on all these things together.

Chinese medicine allows us to look at how these symptoms may be connected and create a treatment that supports the whole person, not just one symptom.

Your first appointment begins with a conversation about what’s bringing you in and what’s happening in your health and your life.

We’ll talk about your symptoms, sleep, stress, energy, digestion, hormones, medications, lifestyle, and anything else that may be relevant. I’ll also look at your tongue and feel your pulse, two traditional Chinese medicine diagnostic tools that help me understand your individual pattern.

Then you’ll get comfortable on the treatment table and receive acupuncture. Depending on what you need, I may incorporate other Chinese medicine techniques as well.

My goal is to address what brought you in while also giving your whole system a chance to settle.

Your first acupuncture appointment is 90 minutes so we have plenty of time to talk about your health history, current concerns, and what you’d like help with. Follow-up appointments are approximately one hour.

Once the needles are placed, you’ll generally rest quietly for about 30 minutes. For many of my patients, this becomes a rare opportunity to stop doing, put the phone away, and simply rest.

Acupuncture is very safe when performed by a licensed acupuncturist using sterile, single-use needles.

Occasionally, you may experience a small bruise, mild soreness, tiredness, or lightheadedness after treatment. Please let me know about any medical conditions, medications, or concerns before we begin. Your safety and comfort are always important to me.

Try to eat something within a few hours before your appointment so you’re neither very hungry nor overly full. Wear comfortable clothing if possible, and give yourself enough time to arrive without rushing.

After acupuncture, you can go right back to your day. Drink some water, notice how you feel, and give yourself a little space if your body is asking for rest. Many people feel especially relaxed after treatment, so if you can help it, don’t schedule your most stressful meeting of the week immediately afterward.

It depends on what we’re treating, how long it has been going on, and how your body responds. Some people notice a meaningful change after one or two treatments, while long-standing or more complex concerns generally take more time.

I think of acupuncture as cumulative: each treatment builds on the one before it. We’ll pay attention to how you’re responding and adjust the plan as we go.

For most new or active concerns, I recommend starting with acupuncture once a week. For acute pain or more intense symptoms, I may recommend coming more frequently for a short period of time.

As you start feeling better, we can space your treatments farther apart. There’s no one schedule that’s right for everyone. We can decide together based on your circumstances and what you need.

Sometimes the change is immediate. You may get off the table and notice that your pain has decreased, your shoulders have dropped, or you feel calmer and more grounded. Other changes happen more gradually — you sleep better that night, have fewer headaches that week, or realize that something that had been bothering you simply isn’t bothering you as much.

Long-standing chronic problems generally take longer to shift than something that started recently. I’ll always be straightforward with you about what I think is realistic and whether the treatments are helping.

Yes. Acupuncture has been used for thousands of years and has also been extensively studied in modern medicine, particularly for pain.

Chinese medicine has its own way of understanding how acupuncture works, using concepts such as qi, blood, meridians, excess, deficiency, and balance. Modern research looks at acupuncture through a different lens. I don’t see these perspectives as mutually exclusive.

Ultimately, what matters most to me is what’s happening for you. Are you sleeping better? Is your pain decreasing? Are your headaches less frequent? Is your digestion improving? Do you feel calmer, stronger, or more resilient?

Those are the changes we pay attention to together.

Yes. Stress and anxiety are two of the most common things I treat in my Oakland acupuncture practice.

And stress doesn’t always look like obvious anxiety. It can show up as insomnia, irritability, digestive problems, jaw tension, headaches, tight shoulders, fatigue, or that familiar feeling of being exhausted but unable to slow down.

Acupuncture helps the body settle. Many of my patients feel a noticeable shift during the treatment itself — their breathing deepens, their muscles relax, and they leave feeling calmer and more grounded.

Because I’m also a coach, I naturally pay attention to the connection between what’s happening in your body and what’s happening in your life.

Yes. I use acupuncture to treat difficulty falling asleep, waking during the night, restless sleep, and sleep that simply doesn’t leave you feeling restored.

Chinese medicine doesn’t treat all insomnia the same way. We look at what may be interfering with your sleep — stress and anxiety, hormonal changes, pain, digestion, or other patterns in your body — and treat accordingly.

Sleep disruption is also extremely common during perimenopause and menopause, particularly when it occurs alongside night sweats, hot flashes, anxiety, or changes in mood.

Yes. I work with many women navigating perimenopause and menopause, using acupuncture to help with hot flashes, night sweats, disrupted sleep, anxiety, mood changes, headaches, fatigue, and digestive changes.

This transition can affect almost every part of how you feel, and symptoms often overlap. That’s one reason I find the whole-person approach of Chinese medicine so useful during this stage of life.

I work with women who use hormone replacement therapy as well as those who don’t. It doesn’t have to be either/or. Acupuncture can be one part of a broader approach to helping you feel more balanced and at home in your changing body.

Yes. I use acupuncture to treat migraines, tension headaches, and headaches related to neck, shoulder, and jaw tension.

I’m interested not only in where your head hurts, but in the larger pattern. When do your headaches happen? What triggers them? Are they connected to your menstrual cycle or hormonal changes? Stress? Sleep? Jaw or neck tension? Digestion?

Understanding those connections helps me treat the person having the headache, not just the headache itself.

Yes. Acupuncture is one of the treatments I use most often for back pain, neck and shoulder pain, joint pain, muscle tension, and other chronic or recurring pain.

I may use acupuncture points around the painful area as well as points elsewhere in the body. I’m also interested in what may be contributing to the pain or making it harder for your body to recover.

Stress and pain are often connected, too. Chronic stress creates tension in the body, and chronic pain is stressful in its own right. My goal isn’t simply to chase the place that hurts. It’s to reduce pain while helping your whole system move toward greater ease, mobility, and resilience.

When looking for a good acupuncturist in Oakland, start by making sure they’re licensed in California and have experience treating the concerns you’re seeking help with. Beyond credentials, though, I think the relationship matters most. You want a practitioner who listens carefully, asks good questions, and makes you feel comfortable, listened to, and cared for.

My approach is warm, gentle, and highly individualized. I’m also a trained life coach, so I specialize in looking at the whole picture — not only where something hurts or what symptom you want to change, but what may be happening with your sleep, stress, nervous system, relationships, work, and life. My treatments aren’t just needles, I combine deep listening and coaching so the experience feels deeply healing.

Ultimately, finding the right acupuncturist is a little like finding the right therapist or doctor: experience matters, but so does how you feel with the person. You should feel listened to, respected, and confident that your practitioner understands what you’re hoping to change.

I am an out-of-network provider for most major insurance companies. If your plan includes out-of-network acupuncture benefits, I can provide you with a superbill to submit to your insurance company for reimbursement.

Because every plan is different, I recommend checking with your insurance company directly to find out whether you have out-of-network acupuncture coverage.

Your initial session is 90 minutes and includes a full health intake. This session is $185. Follow up acupuncture treatments are $128. I keep my fees and current pricing information updated on my Services and Fees page, where you can find additional details.

No. You do not need a referral from a doctor or other healthcare provider to come for acupuncture at my Oakland clinic. You can contact me directly to schedule an appointment.

My acupuncture clinic is at 541 Athol Avenue in Oakland’s Cleveland Heights neighborhood, near Lake Merritt. We’re on a quiet, tree-lined street with plenty of free street parking — no meters and no time limits.

My patients tell me this is one of the unexpected benefits of the location: parking is easy and stress-free.

The office is just off I-580 and easily accessible from Berkeley, Orinda, Alameda, San Leandro, and other parts of the East Bay.