Acupuncture
What is Acupuncture?
Acupuncture is an ancient healing medicine that has supported the body’s natural ability to heal for thousands of years. Today, Licensed Acupuncturists practice using sterile, single-use needles and follow strict Clean Needle Technique guidelines to ensure a safe, gentle, and hygienic experience.
At every moment, your body is working toward homeostasis — a state of balance, harmony, and ease.
Acupuncture helps guide the body back to its natural rhythm by supporting the nervous system, improving circulation, and encouraging the smooth flow of energy throughout the body. With thoughtful diagnosis and consistent care, acupuncture allows the body to remember how to heal itself.
In modern life, factors like chronic stress, emotional overwhelm, environmental exposure, diet, and lifestyle demands can pull us out of balance and make it harder for the body to self-regulate on its own. Regular acupuncture offers a grounding reset — supporting your system, calming the mind, and creating space for deeper healing to unfold.
At The Healing Nest in San Diego, acupuncture is more than a treatment — it’s a reminder to slow down, reconnect, and return home to yourself.How does it work?
Acupuncture supports pain relief by improving blood flow and circulation, allowing the body’s natural healing processes to occur more efficiently and sustainably. By increasing circulation to affected areas, acupuncture helps reduce pain, promote tissue repair, and support long-term recovery rather than temporary relief.
From a Chinese medicine perspective, acupuncture works to clear excess patterns such as inflammation, heat, dampness, and phlegm, while also nourishing deficiencies including low energy and blood. This balanced approach allows the body to restore function and resilience over time.
At The Healing Nest in San Diego, treatments are designed to be both effective and gentle. Our goal is to create meaningful, long-lasting results while ensuring your experience remains calm, supportive, and pain-free. Most patients leave their sessions feeling relaxed, grounded, and at ease.What to Expect?
Your healing journey begins with a comprehensive online intake form, thoughtfully designed to give your practitioner a clear understanding of your medical history, lifestyle, and overall health picture. This allows us to approach your care with intention and precision.
During your first visit, we will review your intake together and explore your primary concern in depth, along with any additional patterns affecting your well-being. A traditional assessment — including pulse reading and tongue observation — helps us understand your unique constitution and guides the creation of a personalized treatment plan.
During your follow-up session, you will receive acupuncture and settle into a deeply restorative rest. The needles are retained for approximately 25–30 minutes, depending on your individual needs and condition. Many patients find this time profoundly relaxing and grounding. After your treatment, we encourage gentle self-care to support the healing process: stay warm if the weather is cool, enjoy nourishing meals, drink plenty of water, and allow yourself time to rest and integrate the treatment.Additional Info…
For most patients, beginning with one to two treatments per week provides an ideal foundation for healing. In cases involving chronic or long-standing conditions, twice-weekly visits may be recommended initially to help the body respond more efficiently. Receiving treatments closer together often supports deeper, longer-lasting results and helps you reach your goals more quickly.
To help you get the most out of your session, please:
Avoid caffeine and other stimulants (including coffee, matcha, energy drinks, herbal teas, and stimulating supplements)
Eat a light meal and stay well hydrated
Wear loose, comfortable clothing that allows access to acupuncture points
Arrive with an open mind and a willingness to begin your healing journeyA Few of Our Favorite Points
LIVER-3
We use Liver-3 (Taichong 太沖) to help restore the smooth flow of Qi throughout the body. When our Qi (especially our Liver Qi) becomes stagnant, this tends to present or manifest as irritability, anxiety, frequent headaches, PMS or physical tension within the body.
Liver-3 is a powerful point for calming the central nervous system, and it supports detoxification and blood circulation. Stagnation can cause these various discomforts, therefore, this point is wonderful for alleviating pain and inflammation, and decreasing stress. 
PERICARDIUM-6
Pericardium-6 (Neiguan) is one of our favorite points to use in our practice. And if we skip it, our clients let us know —it's that good! It is commonly used to quiet the mind, soothe anxiety, relieve nausea (great for morning sickness), and open up the chest (when it is feeling tight or constricted).
Pericardium-6 is part of a beautiful point protocol known as "buddha's triangle" — another crowd favorite. This combination strongly brings peace into a cluttered mind, lift heavy emotions, and is used to treat PTSD. 
YIN TANG
Yin Tang (Third Eye point) located right between the brows, helps to enhance mental clarity, promote a state of calmness, and quiet the spirit. Since this point brings a great sense of inner peace — it strongly communicates with the nervous system to bring it into a parasympathetic state (rest and relax) and out of fight or flight.
Yintang creates a space for intuition, invites the body and mind to slow down and return to center. It improves sleep, relieves sinus pressure, and treats headaches. Awaken flow within your body’s energetic pathways and reestablish a deeper connection between mind and body. Acupuncture gently guides you back to this place of balance and alignment.