Medical Acupuncture

About Medical Accupuncture

Medical acupuncture is practiced by licensed health professionals who combine traditional needling techniques with modern diagnosis and safety standards. Medical acupuncture is rooted in a medical system developed in China over 2000 years ago and entered U.S. medicine in the 1970s, gaining traction in hospitals, Veterans Affairs, military, and other clinics. Acupuncture works by stimulating the body’s natural ability to heal. It is most often used for chronic back and neck pain, osteoarthritis, headaches/migraines, and other pain syndromes. Acupuncture is often used to alleviate side effects related to cancer care, addiction treatment, and stress-related conditions. Acupuncture is recommended as part of a comprehensive, individualized treatment plan. 

Dr. Huynh has practiced acupuncture since the 1990s, inspired by her father, a medical doctor (MD)-acupuncturist. As a high school student working in her father’s medical practice, she witnessed chronic pain patients leaving behind the canes and walkers they had brought in, after experiencing meaningful relief from acupuncture. Later, as a military physician caring for service members who were often reluctant to use pain medications and frequently asked, “Doc, don’t you have anything else?”, she was persuaded to to pursue formal medical acupuncture training for physicians through a UCLA-sponsored program. 

Dr. Huynh has also received advanced training in Dr. Richard Tan’s Balance Method acupuncture as well as Kiiko Matsumoto’s scalp and facial rejuvenation acupuncture techniques. Dr. Huynh is certified in the practice and teaching of Battlefield Acupuncture (BFA), a specialized protocol originally developed for the U.S. military to provide rapid pain relief through the precise placement of needles at specific auricular points.  She has  incorporated acupuncture into her clinical practice throughout her active-duty US Air Force career and beyond.