Services at Kokoro Clinic

At Kokoro Clinic, treatments are personalized to support the whole personβ€”not just the symptom. Drawing from Chinese Medicine and integrative healing modalities, care is tailored to your body, nervous system, constitution, and lived experience. Rather than the standard short 15-minute visit common with many healthcare providers, I offer a whole-person approach and take the time to deeply explore your health history, lifestyle, symptoms, and goals for treatment. Your first appointment is two hours long, so we can get to know each other and create a treatment plan that feels supportive, intentional, and individualized.

Chinese Medicine offers a range of natural healing modalities to support health and wellbeing, and I am a strong advocate for helping patients feel empowered in their own healing process. Often, we are made to believe that a pharmaceutical is the only answer, but I want you to know that you are the team captain. I am here to support you as a guide, coach, cheerleader, and accountability partner along the way. At Kokoro Clinic, treatments are customized to your unique constitution through an evaluation of your tongue, pulse, symptoms, and overall patterns of imbalance. Rather than treating symptoms in isolation, Chinese Medicine considers the interconnected nature of the body, mind, and lifestyle, which means that two people with similar symptoms may receive entirely different treatments based on their individual needs.

Acupuncture is cumulative, so healing is often a gradual process rather than a β€œone and done” experience, though some patients do notice dramatic improvement after a single treatment. More often, we look for steady progress over time β€” whether in the frequency, duration, or intensity of symptoms. Finding the right treatment frequency is an important part of the healing process, and many patients begin noticing meaningful improvement within 6–8 treatments. Please allow yourself extra time before and after your appointment to settle in, recover, and fully enjoy your treatment experience without feeling rushed.

Areas of focus include (but are not limited to) pain management, digestive support, headaches and migraines, back and neck pain, anxiety, stress relief, women’s health, fertility, insomnia, skin conditions, and emotional well-being. Below you will find a list of the healing modalities I offer, along with a brief description of each service and how it may support your overall well-being.

At the bottom of the page, you can also explore additional practitioners who offer complementary healing services at Kokoro Clinic.

Below is a brief guide to some of the modalities I use to support healing, regulation, and overall wellbeing.

Acupuncture

Close-up of a person's face receiving acupuncture, focusing on the eyebrow, upper eyelid, and a thin acupuncture needle inserted into the skin.

I insert hair-fine needles in specific points to move stagnation, increase blood and lymph flow and generally bring magic to an area. Insertion of the needle can be painless or feel like a slight pricking. The sensation we are seeking after inserting the needle is called β€œDe Qi” pronounced β€œDa Qi” which feels heavy, spreading, dull, or like a wave or relaxation. It should never feel electric or sharp. Most sensation lasts only a few seconds to a minute at most. Patients often report taking the β€œbest nap ever” during the treatment.

Cupping

Close-up of empty glass jars on a white shelf with a green leafy plant in the background.

Cupping uses gentle suction to move stagnation, increase blood and lymph flow, release muscle tension, and support the body’s natural healing process. The cups create a pulling sensation that many patients find deeply relieving and relaxing, almost like a reverse deep tissue massage. Marks may appear after treatment as circulation rises to the surface and usually fade within a few days. Cupping can be especially supportive for chronic tension, stress, pain, athletic recovery, headaches, fatigue, and areas where the body feels stuck or congested. Patients often report feeling lighter, calmer, more mobile, and deeply relaxed afterward.

Gua Sha

A person using a black digital thermometer to check an unborn baby's heartbeat on a pregnant woman's abdomen, with a baby in the background.

Gua sha is traditionally a treatment used by acupuncturists and only recently popularized for facial beauty treatments. The direct translation is to scrape for redness. Gua sha is simply scraping the body with a piece of jade, a porcelain soup spoon, or smooth piece of horn to release toxins, break up adhesions, move stagnation, stimulate blood and lymph flow to bring healing. Gua sha is commonly used to release toxins when coming down with a cold or flu, as well as being effective in treating injuries, to release scar tissue, mobilize fascia, and increase range of motion.

Herbal Medicine

Assorted dried herbs, roots, and plant pieces arranged on a flat surface.

Chinese herbal medicine uses customized herbal formulas tailored to your unique constitution, symptoms, lifestyle, and overall pattern of imbalance. Herbs may come in the form of teas, powders, capsules, tinctures, or topical applications, depending on your individual needs. Herbal medicine can be supportive for digestion, sleep, stress, hormonal balance, immune support, skin conditions, emotional well-being, and chronic health concerns. Patients often find herbal medicine to be deeply nourishing, grounding, and supportive for long-term healing and whole-body balance. These tests are integrated into their manufacturing process,” from their website.

Moxa

Close-up of hands, one receiving acupuncture and the other performing it, with white beads bracelet visible on one wrist.

Moxabustion or moxa for short, is the burning of a herb called Ai Ye in Chinese, mugwort in English, and artemisia vulgaris in Latin.  A major part of Chinese Medicine, the word for acupuncture in Chinese, ι’ˆηΈ, zhΔ“njiΗ”, actually means needle and moxa. This is because moxa is an equally important part of acupuncture. The needles are dispersing, whereas moxa nourishes or tonifies. There are two forms of moxa, direct and indirect. In direct moxa, a small, cone-shaped amount of moxa is placed on top of an acupuncture point and burned. Indirect moxa is where moxa is burned above or near an area for several minutes until the area warms. Here at Kokoro Clinic we practice the Japanese style of moxa which is also called rice grain moxa, because we use the amount the size of a rice grain. 

Dry Needling

A person with dark hair receiving an acupuncture treatment on their face, with a practitioner using thin needles.

So many names for the same thing! Dry needling, Motor point needling is a type of acupuncture that is also part of Chinese medicine. It has been called dry needling by PT’s, and trigger point needling uses the name based on trigger point therapy that more people are familiar with. We use an acupuncture needle to release a tight muscle for immediate relief. Needle insertion into the muscle's motor point will cause it to "jump," which resets the muscle to normal function. Sensations vary from traditional acupuncture but the sensation is not painful but rather β€œintense” but the immediate relief is marked. Similar to being sore after a big workout, when muscles have expended all their energy, patients have reported some soreness that goes away after a day after treatment, that can be soothed by a hot epsom salt bath or topical balms.

Health Coaching

A woman with curly black hair smiling while talking to a person with a dark headscarf, holding a clipboard, in a bright room with large arched windows.

My philosophy is to help my patients feel empowered about their health. Together we address fitness, nutrition, stress management, and health-related issues, focusing on making long-lasting lifestyle changes, not just providing a quick fix by using goal setting, mindfulness, and habit building. By addressing the root cause of illness and providing natural and holistic options to build and maintain health, I strive to support patients live to their fullest potential! 

Thank you for prioritizing yourself by seeking care in this office.  And for allowing me to be a pinnacle part of your health care team for your higher wholeness.

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Other Practitioners & Modalities at Kokoro Clinic

  • MARIE KYOKO MOROHOSHI

    STAR NATION REIKI

    Marie is a Japanese Reiki 靈氣 Master and teacher with deep roots in Japanese healing traditions, sound healing, and community-based care. Based in the Bay Area, she brings decades of experience supporting LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, immigrant, and oncology communities through Reiki, limpias, meditation, and ceremonial healing practices. Her work is grounded in compassion, cultural tradition, and a lifelong commitment to making holistic healing accessible to underserved communities. Visit her website to learn more and book a session here

  • CYNTHIA

    REIKI PRACTITIONER

    Cynthia offer Japanese Reiki 靈氣 with optional limpia spiritual cleansing. Reiki is a powerful form of spiritual and energetic healing that originated in Japan and promotes healing and transformation. Limpia spiritual cleansing can offer additional support to release and transmute heaviness or stuck energy. Book a consultation or a Reiki session with Cynthia. Email her here

  • DR. GLORIA D.C.

    CHIROPRACTIC

    Dr. Gloria, D.C. offers Network Spinal Analysis (NSA) chiropractic care. NSA care is all about upgrading and optimizing the spinal-neural integrity of your nervous system. Through gentle contacts along specific segments of the spine, the energy that flows through the spinal cord & nervous system becomes more resourced, resourceful, and aware of your deeper grace. Book a chiropractic appointment with Dr. Gloria via email here

  • CARLA

    SOUND HEALING

    Sound Healing has been practiced for thousands of years to realign the body's vibrations while promoting relaxation, balance, and overall well-being. Sound healing works by activating the Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS). The main purpose of the PNS is to regulate bodily functions and conserve energy to be used later. The frequencies experienced in a Sound Healing activate the PNS, which slows down your heart, deepens your breath, and slows down brainwaves to a restorative state. That then prompts the body to enter into its individual natural healing process. Visit Carla’s website to learn more and book a Sound Healing session here

  • KYRA

    BODYWORK & PAIN MANAGEMENT

    Kyra offers massage and is a pain coach and yoga instructor. Kyra combines Myofascial and Craniosacral Therapies, sports massage, movement, and pain neuroscience education to address the whole human, not just the muscles. She will use her expertise as well as your insights about your body and past treatments you have received to craft the best session for you. Book a massage with Kyra here.