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ACUPUNCTURE

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Acupuncture at CORE

At Santa Cruz CORE, we have a passion for what we do. We make an effort to spend significant time and energy with each patient to ensure their needs are met. For us, it’s more than just acupuncture; the acupuncturists work with multiple healing modalities during an acupuncture session to get you feeling better. Working to create positive change in the body, we use a combination of needling, moxa, gua sha, cupping, ear seeds, massage, and Tai Chi and Qi Gung. Each individual is treated as such, an individual with an unique body and we use our various tools to create the most healing we can in each session. We also provide acupuncture at our Watsonville location. 

Santa Cruz CORE Specializes in the following treatments

chronic pain
hormone balancing
quitting smoking
orthopedic limitations
back pain
migraines and chronic headaches
stress management

fertility
anxiety
insomnia
skin conditions
chronic disease
arthritis
auto immune disorders

Gua Sha
Tai Chi
Dry needling
Traditional Chinese Acupuncture
Moxa
Herbal Remedies.

Do you live in the Santa Cruz or Watsonville area?

Your first visit to core for acupuncture will cost 79 dollars

Call 831-425-9500 or info@santacruz.com

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A woman is getting acupuncture needles in her face. This could he for stress or pain.

Ancient Practice & Modern Science

Qi energy circulates throughout the body along specific pathways called meridians. As long as this energy flows freely, health is maintained. When the flow of energy is blocked due to stress, lifestyle or other causes, the system is disrupted and pain and illness occur. Acupuncture works to restore normal functions by stimulating certain points on the meridians with fine needles. The specific combination of points is chosen after your TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) practitioner applies in-depth systematic TCM diagnostic techniques, used to address the root cause of your symptoms and identify potential patterns that may cause disease or illness.

The primary focus of TCM is on correcting the underlying cause of an illness or disease and thus producing lasting relief. Symptoms can often be relieved in a matter of hours or days, but correcting the illness itself is a much longer process. It is important, therefore to take an adequate number of treatments to ensure the best results.

An acupuncture needle entering someone's skin

Acupuncture is an ancient healing modality originating in China. It involves the insertion of very fine, sterile metal needles into the body at acupuncture points. These acupuncture points are powerful accessors to the rivers of energy or meridians that run through our bodies. The meridians regulate energy flow and thus determine our state of sickness or health. An unbalanced body is in a state of sickness, which has various manifestations. A balanced body is in a state of health. Acupuncture works to restore balance in our body’s energy flow so that our mind, body, and spirit can achieve its birthright of health and wellness.

This woman's skin is looking clearer due to facial rejuvenation through acupuncture

Facial Rejuvenation Acupuncture

Facial Rejuvenation Acupuncture is a non-invasive method that works with your body to enhance your complexion and reduce wrinkles and fine lines! Very fine acupuncture needles are placed on and around the face to draw circulation to the area and create minor ‘trauma’ (the same principle as laser face treatment) so that the body produces more collagen to the areas of reduced collagen/wrinkles. The body is also treated holistically, so points are chosen for acupuncture that treats the individual and their own imbalances which may lead to premature aging.

The Nu Skin Galvanic Spa treatment clarifies your complexion and fights signs of aging using advanced technology. This patented technology works in two stages to leave your skin in optimal condition a Pre-Treatment Stage and Treatment Stage. The Galvanic Current adjusts to your individual skin needs and works together with the Galvanic Spa Facial Gels to drive the ingredients deep within the skin, and to remove any impurities and pore clogging debris.

Cupping and Gua Sha are highly effective for treating musculoskeletal disorders where blood and energy have become stagnant, causing pain.
TCM herbs

Cupping & Gua Sha

Cupping and Gua Sha are methodologies under the heading of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) – of which Acupuncture, Moxibustion, Herbal Therapy, Nutrition, Tuina / Massage and Medical Qigong are also part. Cupping and Gua Sha are highly effective for treating musculoskeletal disorders where blood and energy have become stagnant, causing pain. It is also very effective for overall health / immunity, asthma, and digestive complaints. Cupping involves a suctioning cup that is either stationary or moved over the skin, drawing out impurities and improving blood flow to the area.

Gua Sha involves “scraping” the skin with a tool made of buffalo horn, jade, or porcelin. By doing so, blood flow is improved, tension released, and pain reduced. Both therapies will result in what the Chinese refer to as “Sha” – markings of color ranging from a light red to black which appear on the skin after Cupping or Gua Sha. These marks indicate that the toxic energy or blood has been resolved and new blood is able to circulate in the area. The marks may appear strange to the onlooker, but the person receiving the therapy feels immensely better and will heal faster. Marks generally go away completely in one to two weeks.

Chinese Herbal Therapy & Nutrition

Chinese Herbal Therapy and Nutrition involve prescribing traditional Chinese herbal combinations in the form of tea, tincture, pills, powders, washes, plasters, or patches in order to effect healing. Nutritional, dietary, and lifestyle counseling involves assessing a person’s constitution and addressing its rebalancing through advice with its roots in the traditional chinese thinking of tastes, temperatures, and temperaments of persons, seasons, and foods.

Medical Qigong is a part of Traditional Chinese Medicine that focuses mainly on energetics.

Medical Qigong

Medical Qigong is a part of Traditional Chinese Medicine that focuses mainly on energetics. Although its idea may be less palpable than acupuncture, cupping, or herbal therapy, its principles are the same, as are its effects. Medical Qigong is a hands on or hands off approach that involved the practitioner re-balancing the patient’s energy fields. It can be used alone or in combination with acupuncture or cupping. Areas that are stagnant are moved and regulated, areas that need bolstering are tonified, and areas that are excessive are drained. Medical Qigong is useful for any disorder that acupuncture is also useful for. However, it excels in the healing of emotional and mood disorders, which are often the precursors to any number of physical disorders according to the concept of mind-body.

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OUR ACUPUNCTURISTS

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Debra Mayah

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Lawrence Plageman

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Dr. Amberlee Rose

Real Client Testimonials

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: You mentioned that it helps with fine lines. I’m most interested in addressing the (fairly deep) “11” lines between my eyebrows. Can Facial Rejuvenation Acupuncture (FRA) do anything about these?

Answer Expand

I am 33 years old and am developing those lines quite nicely and FRA has helped tremendously to prevent those. My mother (age 61) has more definition in those exact lines as well and has been doing FRA and it has helped a lot to reduce the appearance of the wrinkles. So, yes it can reduce those lines -but it will take some time.

Q: Would I need to do the base of ten treatments to get to a maintenance level?

Answer Expand

Yes, a base of ten will get you to a maintenance level, however everyone’s body is slightly different so if after 10 weeks of doing the treatments weekly you may want to continue at that rate or you may want to spread it out. What is so great about FRA is that not only are you getting improvement in your skin but you are also getting a full body acupuncture treatment and what this does is help keep you young and healthy from the inside out.

Q: Would I have to continue the once a month treatments to maintain results?

Answer Expand

The treatment is not permanent and yes doing the treatment monthly or some say ‘as needed’ to maintain results is key, and though it sounds like an investment, it is one of the best investment I have made because not only does my skin look better, but some underlying issues are being resolved in the process which can prevent premature aging.

Acupuncture Recognized for Treating Disease

The World Health Organization has recognized Acupuncture as effective for many diseases. The diseases or disorders for which acupuncture therapy has been tested in controlled clinical trials reported in the recent literature can be classified into four categories as shown below.

1. Diseases, symptoms or conditions for which acupuncture has been proved through controlled trials to be an effective treatment:

Answer Expand

Adverse reactions to radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy
Allergic rhinitis (including hay fever)
Biliary colic
Depression (including depressive neurosis and depression following stroke)
Dysentery, acute bacillary
Dysmenorrhoea, primary
Epigastralgia, acute (in peptic ulcer, acute and chronic gastritis, and gastrospasm)
Facial pain (including craniomandibular disorders)
Headache
Hypertension, essential
Hypotension, primary
Induction of labour
Knee pain
Leukopenia
Low back pain
Malposition of fetus
Morning sickness
Nausea and vomiting
Neck pain
Pain in dentistry (including dental pain and temporomandibular dysfunction)
Periarthritis of shoulder
Postoperative pain
Renal colic
Rheumatoid arthritis
Sciatica
Sprain
Stroke
Tennis elbow

2. Diseases, symptoms or conditions for which the therapeutic effect of acupuncture has been shown but for which further proof is needed:

Answer Expand

Abdominal pain (in acute gastroenteritis or due to gastrointestinal spasm)
Acne vulgaris
Alcohol dependence and detoxification
Bell’s palsy
Bronchial asthma
Cancer pain
Cardiac neurosis
Cholecystitis, chronic, with acute exacerbation
Cholelithiasis
Competition stress syndrome
Craniocerebral injury, closed
Earache
Epidemic haemorrhagic fever
Epistaxis, simple (without generalized or local disease)
Eye pain due to subconjunctival injection
Female infertility
Facial spasm
Female urethral syndrome
Fibromyalgia and fasciitis
Gastrokinetic disturbance
Gouty arthritis
Hepatitis B virus carrier status
Herpes zoster (human (alpha) herpesvirus 3)
Hyperlipaemia
Hypo-ovarianism
Insomnia
Labour pain
Lactation, deficiency
Male sexual dysfunction, non-organic
Ménière disease
Neuralgia, post-herpetic
Neurodermatitis
Obesity
Opium, cocaine and heroin dependence
Osteoarthritis
Pain due to endoscopic examination
Pain in thromboangiitis obliterans
Polycystic ovary syndrome (Stein-Leventhal syndrome ; PCOS)
Postextubation in children
Postoperative convalescence
Premenstrual syndrome
Prostatitis, chronic
Pruritus
Radicular and pseudoradicular pain syndrome
Raynaud syndrome, primary
Recurrent lower urinary-tract infection
Reflex sympathetic dystrophy
Retention of urine, traumatic
Schizophrenia
Sialism, drug-induced
Sjögren syndrome
Sore throat (including tonsillitis)
Spine pain, acute
Stiff neck
Temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMJ)
Tietze syndrome
Tobacco dependence
Tourette syndrome
Ulcerative colitis, chronic
Urolithiasis
Vascular dementia
Whooping cough (pertussis)

3. Diseases, symptoms or conditions for which there are only individual controlled trials reporting some therapeutic effects, but with acupuncture is worth trying because treatment by other therapies is difficult:

Answer Expand

Chloasma
Choroidopathy, central serous
Colour blindness
Deafness
Hypophrenia
Irritable colon / bowel syndrome (IBS)
Neuropathic bladder in spinal cord injury
Pulmonary heart disease, chronic
Small airway obstruction

4. Diseases, symptoms or conditions for which acupuncture may be tried provided the practitioner has special modern medical knowledge and adequate monitoring equipment:

Answer Expand

Breathlessness in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
(COPD)
Coma
Convulsions in infants
Coronary heart disease (angina pectoris)
Diarrhea in infants and young children
Encephalitis, viral, in children, late stage
Paralysis, progressive bulbar and pseudobulbar

Our Acupuncturists

Debra Mayah is an Acupuncturist and Wellness practitioner specializing in chronic immune, pain, and fatigue challenges. She utilizes an integrative combination of modalities to help align the spine, redirect and balance the flow of Qi through the body and nervous system. She received her dynamic training right here in Santa Cruz by some of the nation's leaders in Integrative Health and Herbal Medicine. She has also traveled and studied throughout India, Asia, and South America, gathering gems of experience and knowledge she considers a gift to share.

Consultations include medical history, constitutional evaluation, personalized nutrition, herbal, and supplement protocols, and other therapeutic recommendations.

Debra embraces a self-care made simple philosophy, and a passion for educating and empowering people on their paths to health and vitality.

Lawrence Plageman is a licensed acupuncturist with a master's degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine. His ever-deepening passion for the practice and philosophy of acupuncture is balanced by a steadfast attention to modern scientific study. Lawrence’s patients can expect his treatment protocols to reflect the most recent and sound research. In the process of examining and diagnosing illness, it is common for him to perform allopathic exams and order or request modern testing when appropriate; such as blood panels, imaging studies, etc. At the root of Traditional Chinese Medicine, good health is obtainable through a balance between our internal bodies and our external environment. Through this partnership, Lawrence aspires to lead his patients to better, stronger, and happier lives.

Dr. Amberlee Rose is a Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Licensed Acupuncturist, and Chinese Medicine Herbalist, specializing in:

  • Orthopedic and sports medicine, injury recovery, and pain relief
  • Women's health, reproductive health and fertility
  • Stress relief, relaxation, sleep, and emotional balance

She offers acupuncture, cupping and gua sha, medical qi gong, moxibustion, facial acupuncture, nutrition consultations, and herbal medicine support. Her passion is helping people create deep physical, mental and emotional balance for greater ease and harmony in all aspects of life.

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We Take Insurance:

Call us today at 831-425-9500 to get your complimentary insurance verification.

Testimonials

Lavelle B.

Debra is awesome and the reception staff is so efficient and great to work with.

Veronica F.

I was extremely pleased with the level of care that I received from Debra. She took the time to explain well, in detail, and developed a specialized plan for me.

Andrea M.

The care that I get has been so great. Everyone is so nice and helpful!

Shannon G.

Debra is caring, knowledgeable, skilled and supportive. I am receiving favorable outcomes from her acupuncture treatments.

Claudia G.

Debra took care of me. I felt really comfortable with her.

Joanne W.

Debbie, acupuncturist, is caring and compassionate. I feel the effects of her treatments, in a holistic way!

Tarini R.

The acupuncturist was amazing and everyone was friendly and helpful.

Alicia S.

I've already recommended you three times today

Lydia H.

They really listen and work with you to better yourself without creating more injury.

Lucas S.

Talented acupuncturists!

Jonah S.

Very thorough, professional staff. All essential therapies under one roof.

Liz E.

I've been going to CORE since it opened about 10 years ago. I get weekly acupuncture treatments. I just love the people there,the staff and practitioners are friendly, professional, and they care about the quality of the care that's provided. The entire facility is a very relaxing environment. I fall asleep during these treatments every time, that's how relaxing acupuncture is for me.
 

Sue M.

Deborah really listened and was very reassuring.
 

Coralee C.

A very positive, timely service and very helpful...

Briana B.

It was my first time at this location. I was recommended to try acupuncture which, at first the thought of needles I didn't like, but I gave it a try. I was nervous but the staff was great, gave me an idea of what I was walking into, and it was not bad at all! I barely felt anything next thing you know, I fell asleep. When I first got there I was stiff and nervous and walking out i was relaxed. It was a great first time experience! Shout out to the staff for being patient with me and answering all my questions 

Kithy C.

The staff is very welcoming and professional. I felt comfortable and well taken care of.

Rosemary A.

Everyone is friendly and I love all the reminders!

Joanne W.

Debbie is caring and compassionate. I feel the effects of her treatments in a holistic way.

Liz E.

I really appreciate all that CORE has to offer. Friendly environment. All of the practitioners are so very knowledgeable and helpful. I take advantage of most of the wellness services at CORE!

Kerry E.

Everyone is friendly, clean, easy check-in with the QR code, the best Acupuncture, and great hours of operation.

Deb B.

Because of Debra. She's off the charts excellent. Expertise and compassion.

Emily C.

Debra is a great practitioner. She really cares about her clients!

Mary C.

Debra goes over and above what is expected in an acupuncture session and is super capable and a real treasure!

Aaron I.

Debra is the best!

Emily C.

Debra is great. Intuitive sensitive and really puts her all into treatment. 

Shannon G.

Debra was professional and supportive! Great results.

Cecelia G.

Debra cares so much about the whole person. She is the best!

Cala R.R.

Had some much needed acupuncture post surgery and was feeling tired, low energy, and felt refreshed with a boost after my treatment. I love all the acupuncturists at Santa Cruz Core.

Ryan B.

Debra was very informative and an excellent therapist.

Anastasia D.

Effective service with Larry, a knowledgeable practitioner.

Emily C.

Debra is great!

Deb B.

Debra is amazing and kind and skilled.

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(831) 425-9500   Click to Text CORE

831-316-9040

info@santacruzcore.com

317 Potrero Street, Suite C
Santa Cruz, CA 95060

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Saturdays - Sundays: 8:30am-5pm

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