Uptown Acupuncture

Treat Work & Auto Injuries with Acupuncture

Acupuncture speeds the healing process so you can get back to a normal life as fast as possible.

With a valid prescription from your doctor, there is no cost to you in auto or work injury claims.

We provide a wide range of therapies for our clients including electro-acupuncture, Myo-facial release massage, Infrared therapy, strength training, and neuro-muscular re-education.

Frequently asked Questions

What is acupuncture?

Acupuncture is a well-developed whole healthcare system based on energetic laws. Dating back over 3000 years as a primary healthcare system in China, acupuncture is widespread in Asia, Europe, and now, in the U.S.

Does Acupuncture hurt?

Acupuncture bears no resemblance to the feeling of an injection needle since the needles used for acupuncture are as fine as a hair. In most cases, insertion by a skilled practitioner is preformed without discomfort.

How effective is Acupuncture?

Acupuncture can be highly effective not only as a preventative medicine, but also as a drug free treatment of symptoms and conditions.

What is the function of Acupuncture?

While the effect of Acupuncture may be symptom or pain relief, it is far more than this. Those who receive acupuncture often not only heal physically, but also experience peace, clarity, and harmony. Moreover, acupuncture often achieves results that are long lasting.

Why is Western Medicine turning to Acupuncture?

It is only recently that studies have demonstrated that acupuncture can be particularly effective in treating trauma, chronic pain, addictions, AIDS, sports injuries, and other conditions.

What else does an Acupuncturist do?

An Acupuncture Practitioner may also recommend an herbal prescription, specialized diet, and exercise or lifestyle changes to assist you in optimizing your health.

Everybody knows you should eat your greens!

Throughout the year, broccoli is one of the easiest foods to locate, as most supermarkets across the United States offer a hearty supply of the nutrient-rich vegetable.

While broccoli has gotten a bad reputation as being one of the most dreaded vegetables on the dinner plate for a child, there are actually many different delicious ways to prepare the vegetable with the alluring green stalk and bushy top.

When it comes to basic nutrients, broccoli is a mother lode.

Ounce for ounce, boiled broccoli has more vitamin C than an orange and as much calcium as a glass of milk, according to the USDA’s nutrient database. One medium spear has three times more fiber than a slice of wheat bran bread. Broccoli is also one of the richest sources of vitamin A in the produce section.

But the real surprise is this vegetable’s potent cancer-fighting components.

At the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, food chemist Dr. Paul Talalay has gone so far as to name his lab after “Brassica,” the genus that includes broccoli and cauliflower. Talalay and his team at the Brassica Chemoprotection Laboratory have discovered that broccoli is rich in substances called isothiocyanates — chemicals shown to stimulate the body’s production of its own cancer-fighting substances, called “phase two enzymes.” According to Talalay, these enzymes, in turn, neutralize potential cancer-causing substances before they have a chance to damage the DNA of healthy cells.
If you don’t like broccoli, take heart: In 1997, Talalay and his researchers at Hopkins discovered to their surprise that broccoli sprouts, the week-old seedlings of the mature plant, are exceptionally rich in a form of isothiocyanate called sulforaphane — 10 to 100 times as rich as broccoli itself, in fact. More and more markets now carry the tender shoots, which are delicious on sandwiches and salads. Trader joes has them under the name broccolini.
My partner and I now buy the big bag of Broccoli flourettes and make a large batch, by steaming them usually, and keep in the fridge and eat them everyday. We put them in salads, mixed with brown rice and salmon for a lunch bowl, or cold out of the bag as a snack. My Japanese roommate from years back would flash boil for 1 minute and then mix the drained flourettes with equal parts soy sauce and sesame oil whipped together. They tasted even better the next few days!

Broccoli with Toasted Garlic

Copyright, 2005, Ellie Krieger, All rights reserved
Show: Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger Episode: Home Cooking

Ingredients

•    1 pound broccoli, washed and cut into florets
•    1 tablespoon olive oil
•    3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
•    Salt and pepper

Directions

Put broccoli, with water still clinging to it from being washed, into a large microwave safe bowl or dish with a lid. Cover the bowl with the lid and microwave for 5 minutes.
In the meantime, heat the oil in a large skillet over a medium heat and add the garlic. Cook the garlic in the oil, stirring frequently, until it is golden brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer the toasted garlic to a small dish.
Remove the bowl of broccoli from microwave and carefully uncover it, drain it and pat it dry. Put the broccoli into the skillet with the olive oil and saute over a medium heat for 3 minutes. Sprinkle with toasted garlic, and season with salt and pepper.

Nutrition Facts

Per Serving
Calories:
73
Total Fat:
4 grams
Saturated Fat:
0.5 grams
Protein:
3 grams
Carbohydrates:
8 grams
Fiber:
3 grams

I had never had acupuncture before,

but my boyfriend set me up for my birthday. I have TMJ and a lot of pain in my face, neck, and shoulders. Sometimes I’d have trouble chewing from jaw pain. Other times I’d have quick shots of pain in my neck and shoulders. It’s been three weeks since my first treatment and I’m still pain free.

Kirk was professional, funny, and gentle.

He talked me through each step and made sure I was comfortable. The space was beaufitully decorated and easy to find. I’d highly reccommend Kirk to anyone.

I am a disabled vet dealing with chronic pain.

I have been treated with pain meds, physical therapy, yoga, rieke, prop 215, traction, PNT and others. Recently a neighbor suggested that I give Kirk a visit and try acupuncture..
Setting up an appointment was extremely easy; Kirk is very accomidating and I was seen within two days.
I have been seeing Kirk for a few months now and I intend to continue.

The service and pain relief I receive is unlike anything the VA has ever offered or provided.

Through acupuncture I have gained increased range of motion in my neck and shoulders, decreased pain throughout c-spine and l-spine and I also have some increased sensation in my legs.

A thin waist is a green mug away!

I took a little quick survey a couple days ago…I wanted to find out about peoples experience with green tea.  I found that almost everyone had tried it and knew it was good for you; most had had it hot only, like at an Asian Restaurant, and about half the people has some in their pantry. Well, I am defiantly exited about the new news on green tea. Here’s an easy way to turn a routine workout into a powerful waist-whittler: Drink green tea.

That’s right. Ditch the Gatorade and instead sip several mugs of the green stuff throughout the day. Research shows that the wonder duo of green tea and exercise may target belly fat better, so it shrinks more easily than with exercise alone, that is why you will find tons of green tea extracts in products like Xenadrine and Hydroxycut.

In a study, overweight adults who engaged in an exercise program for 12 weeks lost more belly fat if they also drank green tea daily. The green tea seemed to boost overall weight loss and triglyceride control in the study group, too. The magic amount of tea needed for the effect? Enough to get about 625 milligrams of catechins plus a little caffeine every day (roughly 7 cups daily). That may seem like a lot, but throughout the day it is easy. If you have difficulty sleeping at night, stop drinking the tea around 5 or 6pm.

Researchers think that catechins in green tea might blast tummy fat by acting on enzymes that influence the body’s calorie- and fat-burning mechanisms. And catechins and caffeine together may boost the body’s metabolism.

So great, green tea will help with weight loss, but what if I do not like the taste?

Well, just like red wine, there are lots of types of green tea. There is Sen-cha, a nice simple Japanese grren tea that is one of my favorites (available at Trader Joes), there is Mat-cha a slightly sweet Japanese green that is typically drank iced, (like the one at Ichiban) there is a Gan-mai Cha which is roasted brown rice green tea which has a richer flavor and aroma, there is jasmine green, lemongrass green, the choices are endless. You also have the choice of getting it in bags or bulk and steeping it in a pot, drinking it hot or cold.
I have begun to brew a batch of tea at night and place it in an old juice jar, let it cool and bring it to work, if I finish the jar, there are my 7 cups that day.

So let me take a moment and let you know about my bad experiences with green tea. First, some of use discovered in Acupuncture School where everybody drinks green tea, that some people of European decent will get gas from cheap Chinese green tea, never had a problem with Japanese type though. Secondly, green tea for the most part, should be brewed with water that is not boiling. Let the water cool for 2 minutes first to about 85 degrees Celsius, then brew. Brew time is very short for green tea, about 2-3 minutes, after that it may become bitter and too strong. A high quality green tea bag can be used up to 3 times; still producing health benefits and flavor, so have a small plate to rest your tea bag on in between uses.

So although it is still a little cool out there, here is a recipe to enjoy this spring and summer and get your green tea fix!

Green Tea and Mango Splash

Feel the island breezes as you sip this cooling concoction.

Ingredients

1 cup strongly brewed green tea, (2 tea bags to 1 cup water)
2 cups mango nectar
Ice cubes
Mint sprigs, for garnish
Mango slivers, for garnish
Directions1. Combine tea and mango nectar in a pitcher. Serve over ice, garnished with mint sprigs and mango slivers.

Nutrition Information

Per serving
Calories: 97
Carbohydrates: 25g
Fat: 0g
Saturated Fat: 0g
Monounsaturated Fat: 0g
Protein: 0g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Dietary Fiber: 1g
Potassium: 102mg
Sodium: 4mg
Nutrition Bonus: What you get: Antioxidants, vitamins A and C. (Chew the mint and you’ll get an extra bit of fiber and folate.)

Uptown Acupuncture San Diego

Acupuncturist are a very special breed of healer working with a very special style of medicine. We treat each patient as an individual with a unique history and story. We read the patient in terms of patterns of disharmony ad treat accordingly. Not everyone coming in for an ulcer, for instance, will receive the same point prescription. Here is my favorite analogy for this difference, since I am a foodie. Let’s use the example of an ulcer, Western Medicine Practioners will either give you a blocker for the acid, or something to neutralize its PH., both a temporary fix requiring continual drug taking as long as there is a problem. If you liken an ulcer to the burning of soup at the bottom of a pot, the soup could be burning because…a) there is not enough water in with the veggies so it burns, or b) the flame is up to much so it burns, or c) the pot is to thin and the normal level of heat transfers through to quick so it burns. All of these problems burn the soup but the solution to the problems is unique to the case; you add water to the stock, turn down the heat or get an iron plate to place between the flame and pot. An Acupuncturist works with your individual circumstances to bring you into balance and harmony. We spent time with our clients, tend to be funny and personable, explain what we find in language you can understand, and genuinely care for the people we serve. After 3000 years of experience, it is ancient medicine for the modern world.

Uptown Acupuncture San Diego

Although acupuncture has been an integral part of Traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years, the idea of using acupuncture to help people overcome certain addictions is relatively new. In fact, the idea of acupuncture as a form of addiction treatment happened almost by chance in the early 1970s, when a patient who happened to be suffering withdrawal symptoms from an opium addiction reported his symptoms disappeared after receiving electro-acupuncture prior to surgery. Dr. Michael Smith ant Lincoln Hospital in New York and the Height-Ashbury Free Clinic in San Francisco began to fine tune the use of Acupuncture for the treatment of addictions and facilitating the breaking of this difficult cycle. From smoking cessation, drug and alcohol, addiction to sex and overeating, acupuncture and Chinese medicine can support the work of the client and sometimes make all the difference.

Uptown Acupuncture San Diego

Western Medicine has a lot of great qualities, that is why I am a hybrid type practitioner who uses both modern and classic techniques in my practice. One aspect of Western Medicine that is not a strength, is what we call “supporting the righteous” Treatments are designed to block, reduce, counteract, and suppress. Chinese Medicine is big on shoring up what is weak to maintain balance and harmony. We have herbs that supplement and gently nourish the body and paints that stimulate the immune system to “keep your forcefeild strong” as I say. I have studied the works of Misha Cohen at the Quan Yin Center in San Francisco who was been keeping the immune systems of HIV+ people strong since 1983 and a pioneer in modern AIDS research. Her book on HIV wellness is a gem for all who want to learn how to optimize their immune system naturally.

Uptown Acupuncture San Diego

For some, this is the main reason for treatment, for others, it is a welcomed side effect. Acupuncture is very unique is its ability to calm the mind and anchor and settle the spirit. It is a common occurrence in the modern age for a client to comment as the needles are removed “Wow, I can’t remember when I felt so clear and relaxed”. Last time was probably their last treatment. Not only does that feeling stay with you, but just like in meditation, you can remember that feeling and pull yourself into that state in stressful situations in the future.
No pill, moment in the bedroom, or cocktail can equal that claim. I have one client who comes in for his weekly treatment to keep from killing his employees, and to stay on the top of his game. When he misses a week, they can tell.