Natural Therapy and Health Center of Livermore

We appreciate the opportunity to provide you with acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine. Natural Therapy and Health Center was founded in Livermore in 1993. We offer a complete line of T.C.M*. including acupuncture, acupressure, herbal therapy, massage and moxibustion. We work closely with your physician to provide you the best treatment and advice. This brochure provides general information about our office. It answers many commonly asked questions.

What is Acupuncture?

Acupuncture involves the stimulation of specific points on the surface of the body, to treat illness and promote health. Trained practitioners believe that an energy source called “Qi” (pronounced “chee”) circulates in the body through 12 main pathways called meridians. Each meridian is named for a particular organ and the type of “energy” that it contains. The meridians contain locations called “acupuncture points.”

The insertion of acupuncture needles into the skin stimulates sensory nerves and muscles. These stimuli activate at least three centers (the spinal cord, the midbrain and the pituitary) to release chemicals that block pain messages.1 Treatment involves inserting four or more needles at selected acupuncture points for 10 to 30 minutes. Needles can be manipulated manually or by using electricity and heat.

The incidence of adverse effects is very low.2 The acupuncturist uses single-use, sterile, disposable needles. This eliminates the risk of any contamination. Our acupuncturists never insert needles into the chest.

The use of complementary modalities such as acupuncture can prove to be of great benefit to patients who have not responded well to traditional medical care. Acupuncture can help with spine or extremity pain, headache, abdominal discomfort and post-surgical pain. It is known that acupuncture has an important role in Western medicine. (Lu, 2001)

Insurance and Payment

As a courtesy to our patients, we bill insurance first if possible.

We accept most types of medical insurance available in this area

• All indemnity plans*
• All industrial plans
• Many local PPO’s*

* Acupuncture may not be covered by some insurance plans. Ask your carrier.

The insurance plans and their rules change frequently. Not all plans cover acupuncture. We encourage you to call your insurance company to check your benefits and find out if your care will be covered.

Please bring all of your insurance cards with you if you want us to bill the insurance for you.

Most PPO and indemnity insurance companies require us to collect a co-payment at the time of your visit. We accept cash and checks. If you have Industrial insurance there is no co-payment.

Staff professional histories:

Richard Baibing Zhu, L.Ac. is a Licensed Professional Acupuncturist with 22 years of experience in Acupuncture and T.C.M.* He specializes in internal medicine, gynecology, pain control and the treatment of musculoskeletal diseases, spine injuries and sports injuries. He graduated from Shanghai University of T.C.M. in Shanghai, China. He has been a professor of acupuncture at the American College of T.C.M. in San Francisco since 1990. He is fluent in English and Mandarin.

* T.C.M.=Traditional Chinese Medicine

Junhui Lorna Xu, L.Ac. is a Licensed Professional Acupuncturist with 19 years of experience in Acupuncture and T.C.M. She graduated from Guangzhou University of T.C.M. in Guangzhou, China. She specializes in pain control and the treatment of musculoskeletal diseases, spine injuries and sports injuries. She had worked at Advanced Pain Management and Rehabilition Medical Group, Inc. in Castro Valley for Dr. Ravi Panjabi, MD and Northern California Neurosurgery Medical Group, Inc. in Pleasanton for Dr. Robert Lieberson, MD for pain management. She is fluent in English, Cantonese and Mandarin.

NATURAL THERAPY & HEALTH CENTER
783 RINCON AVE.
LIVERMORE, CA 94551
925-455-4938

1 Pearl, D., & Schillinger, E. (1999). Acupuncture: it’s use in medicine. The Western Journal of Medicine. 171, 176-187.

2 Goroll, A., & Mulley, A. (2000). Primary care medicine: office evaluation and management of the adult patient (4th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins.