Chinese Medicine Past & Present Role in San Francisco, California

PAST: The Historical Roots of Chinese Medicine in San Francisco

Chinese medicine has a unique history of serving the local San Francisco community, dating back to 1899 with the opening of Tung Wah Dispensary in Chinatown, providing healthcare services to the underserved Chinese community who faced discrimination and limited access to public services. The dispensary was staffed by both Western trained physicians and Chinese herbalists. Fast forward to 1925 when Tung Wah Hospital ( Tung Wah Yi Yuan ) opened its doors at 835 Jackson Street, becoming the first and only institution of its kind in the country. Currently, due to the clinic’s success, it led to the opening of additional clinics, resulting in satellite sites at Excelsior Health Services and Daly City Health Services. In 2012, the original building at 835 Jackson Street was torn down to begin construction of a new acute care facility, The New Chinese Hospital. It also opened an integrative Chinese Medicine clinic, East-West Health Services to promote the health benefits of Chinese Medicine including Acupuncture, Chinese herbs, and Cupping therapy.

PRESENT: Integration to Modern Healthcare Practices

If The Chinese Hospital represented the integrative medicine model of the past, UCSF Osher Center for Integrative Health is its current day counterpart, taking East-West medicine to the next level. Integrative medicine involves bringing conventional and complementary approaches together in a coordinated way. At UCSF Osher Center for Integrative Health, Chinese Medicine is highlighted as one of the main evidence-based complementary therapies utilized in patient care. Treatments include Acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, and Cupping Therapy. The aim is to provide traditional medicine, choices, and solutions to meet the needs of modern times.

Benefits of treatment include Cancer support and symptom management, Women’s health concerns, Fertility, Stomach and digestive disorders, Headaches, Mood imbalances ( stress, anxiety, depression, and panic attacks ), Pain conditions ( low back pain, migraines, joint pains, osteoarthritis, and other chronic/acute pain ), Sleep disorders, Allergies, Skin Diseases, Auto-immune conditions and immune support.

Luminate Mill Valley

Here at my clinic, you get the best of both worlds as I strive to embrace the approaches of both conventional and complementary medicine to best serve the needs of my patients. I have a host of patients who are happy to come across the Golden Gate Bridge to receive healthcare. As the daily grind of urban living takes its toll on the body-mind-spirit axis, the need for a holistic system of health offered by Chinese Medicine cannot be overstated. Preventive healthcare highlighted by Acupuncture and Chinese herbs is just as important, if not more, than medical procedures and interventions offered by conventional medicine. The two are not mutually exclusive, you really can have the best of all worlds. My specialties include Pain management ( migraines, acute and chronic pain, sports injuries ), Hormonal imbalance ( menopausal symptoms ), Mood imbalance, Skin disease, and Sleeping disorder. Take your first step today towards optimal health by booking your initial consult.