Acupuncture
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.
What Sets Santa Cruz Core Acupuncturists Apart?
Compassionate Care
The acupuncturists at Santa Cruz Core boast a stellar reputation in the community, earning widespread acclaim for their dedication to holistic healing and personalized care. Renowned for their expertise, they blend traditional acupuncture techniques with modern integrative medicine approaches to provide comprehensive wellness solutions. With years of experience and advanced training, they have successfully treated countless patients, addressing a myriad of health concerns with compassion and empathy.
Personalized Programs
At Santa Cruz Core, our acupuncturists stand out above other practitioners due to their unparalleled compassion and empathetic care. Beyond merely treating symptoms, they prioritize forging genuine connections with each patient, taking the time to truly listen and understand their individual needs and concerns. With a deep understanding of the mind-body connection, our acupuncturists approach every session with warmth and sensitivity, creating a safe and nurturing space for healing to unfold.
Advanced Treatment
At Santa Cruz Core, our acupuncturists deliver an unmatched level of advanced care to every patient, setting a new standard in holistic healing. With extensive training and expertise in acupuncture and integrative medicine, our practitioners offer cutting-edge techniques tailored to meet the unique needs of each individual. Our commitment to staying at the forefront of research and advancements ensures that every treatment is informed by the latest evidence-based practices.
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.
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.
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.
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 & Gua Sha
Cupping and Gua Sha are methodologies under the heading of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). 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. 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
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.
Real Client Testimonials
Frequently Asked Questions
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.
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.
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.
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
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)
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
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
Do you live in the Santa Cruz or Watsonville area?
Call 831-425-9500 email info@santacruzcore.com mention this page to redeem!
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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.
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.
Testimonials
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