Culture Apothecary with Alex Clark - The Acupuncture Episode | Crystal Anderson @CaliforniaMobileAcupuncture

Episode Date: March 25, 2025

From poking needles to building an acupuncture empire—Crystal Anderson’s story is WILD! Crystal went from helping stroke patients recover to launching California Mobile Acupuncture, bringing holistic healing straight to your doorstep. She’s a mom, a business boss, and a total legend in making wellness actually work for people. Would you let someone poke you for better health? 👀Thank you to our sponsors! 😊Taylor Dukes Wellness | Use code "ALEXCLARK" for 10% OFFAzure Standard | Use code "ALEXCLARK15" for 15% OFFDaily Shade | Use code "ALEX" for 20% OFFPaleovalley | Use code "ALEX" for 15% OFF your first orderPrimally Pure | Use code “ALEXCLARK” to get 15% OFFOur Guest:⭐️ Crystal Anderson☀️ California Mobile Acupuncture:Website Email | [e-mail] FacebookTikTok YouTubeTwitter/X ☀️Arizona Mobile Acupuncture:WebsiteEmail | [e-mail] Facebook💸 Get $50 OFF ACUPUNCTURE USING MY LINK: https://help.californiamobileacu.com/acupuncture-alexandra-clark/🎀Follow Alex🎀Instagram |⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@realalexclark⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram |⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@cultureapothecary⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook |⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@realalexclark⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X |⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@yoalexrapz⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube |⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@RealAlexClark⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify |⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Culture Apothecary with Alex Clark ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcast |⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Culture Apothecary with Alex Clark⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠New 'Culture Apothecary' Merch OUT NOW! Glass tumblers, weekly wellness planners, hats, crewnecks and more. Use code "Alex Clark" for 10% OFF at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tpusamerch.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the Cuteservatives Facebook group to connect with likeminded friends who love America and all things health and wellness!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the CUTEservative Facebook Group!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to ‘Culture Apothecary’ on⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. New episodes drop 6pm PST/ 9pm EST every Monday and Thursday.This show is made possible with generous donations from listeners who believe in our mission to heal a sick culture.You can support our show by leaving a tax deductible donation⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or by subscribing to⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @RealAlexClark⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ YouTube for FREE!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠#cultureapothecary #acupuncture #holistichealth #health #wellness #naturalbeauty #alexclark #chinesemedicine #ancientmedicine #traditionalchinesemedicine #TCM #acupuncturebenefits #painrelief

How did those parents think to go seek out an acupuncturist after their child drowned? He was at the bottom of the pool for 15 minutes. He was completely paralyzed on a ventilator. His parents fought to get him out of the hospital because the doctors were trying to convince them to euthanize him, telling them there was no hope at all. He went from in a vegetative state, essentially, to opening his eyes, tracking me around the hospital bed in his room, moving his legs. He's able to squeeze facial expressions. Nothing is off the table when it comes to acupuncture. We can treat everything from A to Z, and it actually encourages your body to heal itself.

It's effective in more ways than people know, and in one treatment, they're going to decide that. What if the key to unlocking your health, whether it's chronic pain, fertility struggles, or even Bell's palsy, was hidden in tiny strategic needles placed in your body and face? In today's episode, we are going to dive into the incredible transformative world of acupuncture. We'll explore how this ancient practice is changing lives, offering solutions where modern medicine falls short, and how something is simple as a needle could be exactly what your mysterious health issues need. Joining us is Crystal Anderson, a Christian acupuncturist and my acupuncturist,

and the visionary entrepreneur behind California mobile acupuncture and Arizona mobile acupuncture, as seen on Real Housewives. right to your house with her extensive training in Chinese medicine in a history of helping countless patients overcome their toughest health battles. Crystal's approach to wellness is truly revolutionary. Whether you're curious or skeptical, get ready to hear how acupuncture could be the game changer that you've been waiting for. Watch this episode on the real Alex Clark YouTube channel and subscribe or Culture Apothecary on Spotify. They do video as well. And don't forget, leave a five-star review. It's free and it really, really supports us. Please welcome the founder of

California and Arizona mobile acupuncture, Crystal Anderson, to culture apothecary. Can acupuncture really cure chronic pain or is it just a placebo? Absolutely. It can cure it. I've seen it for sure. Chronic pain is one of the main things that we treat when we go into people's homes and it's debilitating. And so it takes a series of treatments, absolutely. And I always tell people it depends on how severe and how chronic, how long you've had the pain as far as how many treatments you will need and we'll give people that information when we go into their home and do the initial exam. But if they stick to their care plan, 100%. We recommend other things in conjunction with acupuncture that's going to support their ability to not only get better, but stay better.

Have you always been interested in Chinese medicine and acupuncture or did you kind of get radicalized on all of this? So I, an undergrad, was pre-med, thought I was going to be a doctor and realized really quick that that was not my path. I ended up taking a year off and just researching holistic modalities that actually work. There is a lot of science behind acupuncture. And I found that out very quickly. And that is what radicalized me. Honestly, it was studying the science. What does the science say about acupuncture? My favorite studies have to do with functional MRIs and they show different parts of the brain lighting up. So they'll take the images of somebody in pain and they'll have their initial image. They'll do acupuncture on those patients and take more images. The parts that lit up

while they were in pain diminish. Other parts of the brain light up. These parts of the brain, particularly the pain processing centers, are the ACC, which is the anterior cingulate cortex. This has to do with the emotional side of pain. So, you know, we've all either had severe pain or know someone who's been in pain who is just in tears or, you know, 10 out of 10. But even a five out of 10 pain level, you're miserable. And so that emotional aspect is these studies suggest acupuncture decreases that. The other pain processing center has to do with sensory integration. So the experience of pain. And then in the brain stem, there's a part of the brain that lights up that releases endorphins. So a natural analgesic, essentially. And then also the spinal cord.

And the spinal cord is responsible for sending pain signals to and from the body and the brain, and that lights up and suggests that it pretty much stops the feeling of pain, depending on how severe it is, but that also when you're not in pain, your body can go into that parasympathetic state, rest and digest and heal ultimately. Our bodies are created so well that we actually can heal from a lot. What are some of the craziest things you've helped people heal from with acupuncture? Stroke is a big one, paralysis, right? So when people have brain injuries paralysis is what tends to come. I worked in a stroke rehab in a hospital up in the Bay Area for a number of years. And so seeing people paralyzed and then able to either use their

hands or walk was mind-blowing for me, even as an acupuncturist. That is where this medicine blew me away. Another patient that I've had most recently is a little boy who drowned. and so another anoxic brain injury, and he was completely paralyzed on a ventilator. His parents fought to get him out of the hospital because the doctors were trying to convince them to euthanize him. What? Yeah, telling them there was no hope at all and that he was gone. He was at the bottom of the pool for 15 minutes.

Oh, my gosh, and he lived? So they revived him. He was in the hospital for seven months. They fought to get him out. They finally brought him home with the vent and all the setup, and they found me right away. And I went in there. He went from, you know, in a vegetative state, essentially, to opening his eyes. He still is tracking me around the hospital bed in his room.

He's moving his legs independently. He's able to squeeze. He has facial expressions. Now when he sees me, his face softens, like he's actually happy to see me. And it's unbelievable. Holy smokes. How did those parents think to go seek out an acupuncturist after their child drowned? She's a very smart woman. She's like very highly educated and has, you know, just a brain. I mean, she really fought so hard in that hospital, which you have to do a lot of times when anybody is hospitalized is to be your own. advocate. She was doing binaural beats. She was, you name it, she did it. Cranial sacral work,

massage. We did cupping in those treatments. Mock Sebastian, infrared. We pulled out all the stops and we still are. I haven't seen him for a couple months because I recently had a baby. And so my acupuncturist has taken over for me. And they're still just every day seeing miracles out of this little boy. I love that you brought up infrared light therapy and red light therapy. I have not had a guest on this show yet say anything bad about red light therapy, only just singing its praises saying it's like the future of health. Absolutely. And if I could say the only thing bad is if you get a junkie light. So make sure you get a good one. We actually rent infrared saunas through our company in Southern California. These tents are mobile, so they're

really cool. But they also are really well made. The Amish make them. And the lights themselves are the best lights on the market. And so if you're going to buy a smaller device or go for a full sauna, really just do your research is what I would say and make sure you're getting a good one because there are bad ones out there. But it is phenomenal, really. I mean, the research on infrared is also mind-blowing. Like, it would be dumb not to use infrared. How does acupuncture actually work? Like, what is going on under the skin? I like to go back to the functional MRI studies because other parts of the brain light up to depending on what they're looking at. And so emotional responses, it activates, you know, things that are important for motivation, the reward system in the brain,

but also the hypothalamus. And the hypothalamus is part of the autonomic nervous system. The autonomic nervous system is all about involuntary things. So heart rate, digestion, stress response. And if you think about that, you can assume that acupuncture works for blood pressure, any kind of digestive issues, really. I mean, IBS, you talk about Crohn's, ulcerative colitis. The amount of things that you can treat with acupuncture is vast. But because it's the hypothalamus, it also impacts the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal access. And this is about reproduction. So fertility is a big one. Acupuncture can help cure infertility. Absolutely. So when I first started my journey in acupuncture in my career, once I graduated and got my license, I was hired to a company that worked for big name

infertility doctors. And one in particular, we had an office in their medical office. And so we saw a lot of patients through them. And they did their own statistics on us. And they found that the patients who had IVF and IUI and Clomid and any kind of infertility treatments that combined those treatments with acupuncture were 65% more likely to get pregnant, stay pregnant, and come to full term. That is unreal. Yeah. Whoa. Yeah. So they kept us very busy, as did a lot of doctors up there in the Bay Area. And it was fun. I was young. It was before I had children and knew a ton about IVF in that whole world. But we had a lot of patients that came in and got pregnant naturally, whether they were having recurrent miscarriages or were having a hard time getting pregnant anyway.

And we saw a lot of natural pregnancy. When you are putting the needle in and it gets red around the needle, what is the body telling you about that acupuncture point? So much. So when I see the redness around the needle, I know that this is going to be a very effective treatment and right away. the patient's going to come back to me either the next day or that night and be like, I either feel so good and relaxed or the next day I slept through the night for the first time in who knows how long my bowel movements are much more normal. I feel happier. My anxiety is less. Whatever it may be, they'll come back and tell me because that redness signifies that the brain is being activated. You know, the skin is your largest organ, right? And so when we put the needles in,

it tells your brain there's been a breach in the skin. The brain understands that, sends through the blood kind of investigative soldier cells to figure out what's going on. It realizes there's no open major wound. We're not bleeding out and does further investigation to understand what's going on locally, but also systemically. So it's looking at how your organs are functioning. But also if we're treating knee pain, it's going to the knee and understanding, okay, maybe there's inflammation there, or maybe we have a tear in a tendon or meniscus. You know, the list goes on depending on what you're treating, reports back to the brain, and the brain releases biochemicals into the brain, into the spinal cord, into the muscles,

into the circulatory system, and that's what brings about healing and homeostasis ultimately balance. If you're anything like me, you need a quick protein boost in the mornings, especially if you've got a busy day ahead. Taylor Duke's Wellness Bone broth protein powder has become, my go-to. With so many flavors to choose from, it's an easy way to pack in 20 to 40 grams of protein, whether you do one to two scoops. That is what I love about this protein powder. It's also made from 100% grass-fed bone broth, so I know that I'm getting the cleanest, most nutrient-dense protein available. Unlike most powders that use fillers and artificial stuff, Taylor-Duke's wellness is dairy-free, gluten-free, and contain zero added sugars. My favorite is the strawberries and

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That's Alex Clark 15 for 15% off at Azurestandard.com. That's A-Z-U-R-E standard.com. Let Azure be your go-to for organic affordable food and products that you can trust. As a Christian acupuncturist, how do you respond to other Christians saying acupuncture or Chinese medicine is new age? It's woo-woo. It's voodoo. I literally tell them it's a lot less invasive than surgery. Right. I mean, when you're going to get surgery, you're getting needles put in you. You're getting things injected into you. You're inhaling whatever kind of medication they're using to put you to sleep or numb you. There's a lot more things going on in something surgical. And even in just mainstream medicine, when it comes to these medications, there's a lot of toxicity there. And with acupuncture, we're putting needles in and taking them out, there's no medication involved. It is eliciting a natural response from your brain that is

scientifically shown to bring about homeostasis. And so for me, I think that God would prefer us to do something less invasive, less toxic to our bodies with less side effects if that is going to be the better solution. I also am a very strong Christian and have prayed throughout my whole career on guidance from God. And I do believe he put it in my heart to open up this business. And he's opened doors along the way. You know, even on the herbology side of things, we're using God made herbs, right? Things that grow out of the ground. We're not putting them in labs and altering anything. And they bring about holistic effects. And to that end, it seems like almost God-given. I think that that we have a lot of tools at our disposal that he gave us,

whether that's through food or plants or whatever that are meant to help. Does acupuncture hurt? Is it as scary as it looks? It's definitely not scary. The needles are very fine. Oftentimes when I have patients who are scared, I'll put the needle in. And I have them do a little breathwork with me if I can tell that they're nervous. And by the time I hit the third one in, they're like, did you start?

Sometimes, especially men. They'll say, did you put them in already? And I'm like, oh, yeah, we've got four or five in now. We're doing five. Because men tend to be a little more nervous than women, believe it or not. But if there is a little pinch, which definitely can happen, it goes away. There's typically never any lasting discomfort. And once the needle's in, there is just this euphoric feeling that you are more relaxed than you've ever been. And it completely overrides any fear that you may have had. going into. Yeah, and I would agree. I mean, so Crystal has worked on me. She's been my acupuncturist, and then her company, she's got a branch in California servicing Southern California, and then now she's in Arizona. And so she's got one of her acupuncturists under her now in Arizona treating me. And I mean, it is like some points, which you brought up, you know, a little, having a little feeling or a little redness, I mean, that's showing that that's a problem area for me. It's such a tiny little pinch that I can't even, it's really nothing.

Like it's nothing to be scared about at all. It hurts nowhere near as bad as like getting a shot or something. Oh, yeah. It's like not even close. It's way more painful, I think, you know, getting your hair bleached or getting a wax or something. Oh, your nails done even. Oh, yes. When your nails are getting done and then, you know, burning and stuff, that is more painful.

Way worse. Can acupuncture help with weight loss or is that a myth? We actually did an event recently and we put ear seeds in the people at the event. and they have little bling on them, glam ear seeds. So it was more fun. But I actually sit down with them before putting it on and I say, what is it that you want to work on? Whether it's hormone balance, weight loss or stress, high blood pressure, right? All of these things we can treat with the ear because it is the body in one.

We can treat everything we can treat in the body in the ear. And we put these little gold-plated seeds with adhesive on acupressure points in the ear. And there's a lot of them in the ear when it comes to weight loss specifically. Because acupuncture impacts the brain as it does, it regulates these systems that have to do with digestion, that have to do with self-will. That brain kind of motivation feedback system, the amygdala, which is a big one when it comes to like emotional eating and things like that. Different parts of the brain light up and are regulated. So it almost sounds like to me, ideally in an acupuncture appointment, when your acupuncturist is asking, okay, so what's going on with you this week? Not only can you share physical pain points and things going on like that, but also emotional stress, like I have a lot of anxiety.

I have a really big project. Do it work this week? Or I'm trying to, you know, study and cram and retain information for a big test coming up, right? So it's like other things, even emotional things that you're dealing with, you should also be sharing with your acupuncturist. Absolutely. 100%. We treat mental illness. all the time with acupuncture. And it's very effective. We used to walk around with needles in our head in school studying for exams because it's a game changer. Oh, that's so neat. Uh-huh. It's super fun. And blood flow, you know, it brings more oxygen, more nutrients to the cell. So not only just your extremities, but your organs and your brain as well. Nothing is off the table when it comes to acupuncture. We can treat everything from A to Z aside from emergency medicine, but we can still have an

impact on emergency medicine if we're like waiting for the ambulance or something to come. Really? Oh yeah. So wait a minute. I mean, you've got four kids. One of your kids gets severely injured and you're in the need of an ambulance. You're sticking some needles in them? Oh, absolutely. Or at least massaging to certain points, ear points, feet points, depending on what the condition is, 100%. Wow. Yeah. And I needle my kids all the time. They love it. That's how gentle it is. I was wondering, should kids be getting acupuncture? I just needled my four month old yesterday because he was had a little bit of gas and was kind of screaming. And I put two needles in, stopped right away. Both my parents looked at me like, whoa, that was cool. Where'd you put the needles?

Stomach 36 is a little bit below the knee on the outside. That's one of the biggest points on the body. It's all about digestion, all about absorption, about moving the gut, regulation in general. It's one that we pretty much use on everyone because everyone can use it. Tell us about the point in acupuncture that is known as Nature's Zan. next. Well, there's a few of them, actually. But there's one right between the eyes that's called Yintong. That one is like having a glass of wine. I have patients that actually come to me and ask it. Oh, yeah. They're like, make sure you put this one in. You know, if I like start to walk away after treating the body. Have you done that one on me? I think I did the first time. But then you were

face down the second time. And then, you know, with Annette, but you can ask her. That one. Yeah, that one's like the world is a better place. He must have done it on me because let me tell you, I've been like ragey because of starting my period. And today I woke up after my treatment last night. And I'm like, oh my gosh, the birds are singing, you know, like I feel like, oh, I'm so happy and just feel light and breezy. And I bet it was the acupuncture last night.

Oh, no. That is what we hear all the time. It's a very common place to have these subtle changes. And it is subtle. Unless you're in chronic pain, I had a patient a while back who was on his name. knees hunched over the couch for two full days because he was in so much pain. His roommate was bringing him like things to pee in and like food and water. Oh my gosh. We get emergency situations because we're mobile, right? We come to you. And so these people, their only other alternative is to call an

ambulance and have them push muscle relaxers and steroids and all the things, right? And so he was a yoga teacher and was not trying to do that. Found us. I came there a little bit of massage, put the needles in. we have this machine called an e-stem, electric stimulation is what it stands for. It's kind of like a tens unit, but better, because it has either hooks or magnets that stick to the needles themselves, and it adds an electrical stimulation to the points, and it enhances acupuncture. So I turn on the e-stem real gently. I do a little bit of moxa bushin. So moxa is an herb that's packed into kind of like a cigar, and you light one into it, you hold it over certain points or certain areas that are inflamed or in spasm, which is what he was in. I use it for fertility too. I put it over the ovaries.

I don't get too close to the skin, but it warms up and increases blood flow. And it penetrates four inches deep. This herb, it's called mugwort, and it decreases inflammation. So I did mocks on him, pull the needles out. He crawls up on the couch and he looks at me like he's stunned because he's not in pain. And I'm like, just take it easy because I don't want you to. get up and kind of overdo it and re-spasm. But a handful of treatments and he was back to life. And it was really neat to see. Holy cow. I mean, you're just, it's like you're seeing miracles happen

every single day. That is what I say all the time. Even my team, because, you know, I've got patient coordinators that pick up the phone. And they are my biggest fan because they hear from these patients how much of an impact a single treatment or a series of treatments has made for them in in their lives. Is sunscreen bad for you? Well, it depends. What's in your sunscreen could be worse than wearing none at all. That's why I recommend Daily Shade sunscreen for families with kids.

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For a sunscreen that's safe for daily use, protect your skin without the ghostly white cast and is perfect for the whole family. Check out Daily Shade. Visit Dailyshade.com and use code Alex Clark for 15% off. your order. That's Alex Clark for 15% off at dailyshade.com. Get your daily shade sunscreen today at daily shade.com. I've started something new to challenge myself ice skating lessons. Unfortunately, they happen at like three in the afternoon, so I am usually rushing to finish filming and then I rush to ice skating lessons. I barely have time to eat, but I need something to fuel me. What I found is quick and gives me a great boost of energy and protein is a couple

paleo valley nutrient-rich superfood bars on ice skating days. These bars are a lifesaver. with over eight organic superfoods like blueberries, turmeric, and spinach. They're the perfect mix of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to keep you feeling energized. And thanks to 100% grass-fed bone broth protein, you get all the collagen that your joints and muscles need after a workout or a busy day. No gluten, no sugar crashes, just pure clean fuel. At just eight to nine net carbs per bar, they fit perfectly into any low-carb lifestyle and give you the energy that you need to go from the office straight to wherever you're going, even a pick-me-up snack in the carpool line. So if you're always on the go like me, grab a Paleo Valley nutrient-rich superfood bar.

Head to paleovali.com slash Alex, use code Alex for 15% off your first order, tons of flavors. That's paleo valley.com slash Alex with code Alex. Fuel your day with real food. What does acupuncture offer for people struggling with major types of insomnia? Insomnia is kind of one of the things that we accidentally treat all of the time. Most people come to us for pretty severe things because we are in that homebound world. We see in-home hospice, a lot of pain, paralysis. We see busy people, too, right, just the convenience of us coming into their home. But typically, they're reaching out and we're the last resort.

They've tried everything else and they're like, well, I might as well try acupuncture. Usually people are like, oh, I'm already sleeping better, even though that may not be what we're treating. And so when you have homeostasis, when you're bringing about balance in the body, sleep is one of the first things to come. And one of the most important things when it comes to healing in general, because if you have, have enough sleep, you're regenerating hormones, you're cleaning out your cells at night, you're cleaning your brain. There's so much that goes on in that deep sleep that is required for the body to have balance and to heal from any kind of injury or imbalance in general. Acupuncture is amazing for all kinds of insomnia. And I can usually tell if you're not a

great sleeper by looking at your tongue. Your tongue is a map of your organs. It tells us what's going on with your hormones, what's going on internally in general. And that's where people look at me like, who are you? Because I'll point out like, oh, are you having a hard time falling asleep? Yeah, how'd you know? Oh, are you having a hard time falling and staying asleep? Or is it just falling asleep? Oh, both. All the time, constantly. Because sleep is a problem for a lot of people. Oh, yeah. And the tongue is a big diagnostic tool for us as acupuncturists. Before the appointment, even starts sometimes you'll be asking the patient. Can you stick out your tongue? Absolutely. Yeah, it's a commonplace for us acupuncturists. We'll take their pulse, not like doctors or nurses.

We really feel for how the blood is coursing through the vessel. I had mentioned this to you during our treatment, but I can tell when patients are pregnant before the blood tests can tell them that they're pregnant. And the Chinese way of saying the image of this pulse is like pearls rolling in a basin. And that's exactly what it feels like. Whoa. It feels like tiny little balls underneath your fingers when you're taking the pulse. And it's amazing. It's unbelievable. I've had a teacher of mine be able to tell what gender you're pregnant with. Yeah. How can an acupunctures tell what gender the baby will be? So right and left male versus female, it's stronger on one side of the other. And I tested it throughout all four of my pregnancies. I've got three girls. The last one was a boy. The last one,

the pulse was dramatically different. What is the special Chinese herb that you think could help somebody transition off of a sleeping pill? So Hanmeon is a point behind the ear. It's also a formula that we utilize. We do a lot of herbal formulas. You can do single herbs too. It's not as effective. I think one of the most single herbs I tell people to utilize is ginger, slicing it and putting it in like hot water like tea and then just letting it steep for three minutes.

because ginger is great for all things. Pain, actually, it's anti-inflammatory. It's great for nausea. It's great for, you name it. Ginger's great as a singular herb. But when it comes to formulas for something like insomnia, we would customize it. So we would take a general formula like On Me Onion, and we would pop out some of the herbs based on your symptoms. Everything we do is customized. On the first appointment that I had with you, you come in, you're like, oh, and another thing that I do if you ever wanted to is like you'll go through and help people learn how to cook, healthier food and stuff. Yeah, yeah. So we called our food prep demo.

We customize nutrition based on tongue and pulse, but we also do some other like lab tests and hair analysis, different things for patients. And we understand what their body's deficient in, which is really neat. We also can understand what toxicities they're harboring. So we can recommend some natural, gentle detox methods that they can do at home that are very easy and expensive, infrared being one of of them. But then I come in for the patients who choose to, and the patients who choose to are a lot more successful than just the patients who do the tests. But I actually go grocery shopping for people. I bring them nutrient-dense food. I show them how to prepare it and cook it so that it's more bio-available. I bring in very few products that are usually just one organic ingredient

to make it delicious. It's very kid-friendly because obviously I have four kids, so I'm a pro at that. And it's prepping. It allows moms, busy moms and dads to have healthy food on hand for a day or two, depending on the size of your family. And then, you know, you just worry about the protein. But I bring different proteins, different things. Like, I love sardines. Same. Oh, good. Did we talk about this? Because I'll give you the brand that I recommend. We might have, but I was, I always tell people, I'm obsessed with the brand fish wife for tin fish. And it's beautiful. I haven't heard of that one. Yeah, yeah. I'll try it. Yeah, I don't know. This has come up so many times recently, but yeah, I'm a big tin fish fan. Okay. Because there's so much protein and fishwife only does

olive oil, wild caught, like really delicious and then most beautiful packaging you've ever seen. Oh, well, I'm going to have to try. I usually do King Oscar in the cardboard box because it's skinless and boneless. It tastes like tuna. My four-year-old asks for it for breakfast. Wow. Kid you not. That's like her favorite thing on the planet besides liver. She's an interesting one. What should people struggling with severe chronic migraines know about acupuncture? effective it is absolutely and it's effective depending on what's causing the migraine there can be several issues right so sometimes it's based on your cycle hormonal sometimes it's based on blood flow to your brain sometimes it's based on the electrical light water balance that's going on in your body

so there's a handful of diagnostics that we would look at but acupuncture is great for all of that and it's important to do it at different parts of your cycle depending on if that's the case but also depending on how long you've dealt with migraines and how severe they are, commit to a series of treatments because one treatment isn't going to knock it out for life. And there's a strategy that you can be a part of when it comes to talking to your acupuncturist about that. That's very effective for long-term relief. Are all acupuncturists out there coming to your house, making you meals and doing all that that you do? Or is that a special crystal thing? That's a special crystal thing.

All of my acupuncturists are going to people's houses, though, and I've handpicked every single one of them. They're phenomenal. I think they're the best on the planet. I've personally interviewed and flown them to me or flown them out or flown in to interview all of them wherever they are because it's so important. There's acupuncturists out there that are not amazing, just like a mechanic or a doctor or any kind of service-based industry. But that's why it's so important to find a good one. often, ideally, should somebody get acupuncture to actually start seeing results? It really depends on what they're seeking treatment for.

If you roll your ankle and you come to me that day, we'll knock it out in one treatment. But if you've been dealing with something for a long time, you're going to have relief in one treatment. But to have to get to the bottom of it, to really get to the root cause of what's going on, is going to take several treatments. And so typically what we do is we'll go into the patient's home on the first treatment. we'll do the initial exam, really sit down with them, get a good idea of their health history, and then after the treatment, we'll go over a good care plan. That's fully customized to you, allow you to understand what we're capable of, knowing what we've found through the examination process, and what's going to best fit for what you're seeking treatment for.

Tell me about cosmetic acupuncture and can it be a substitute for Botox? I actually get excited about this. It's funny because I didn't go into this. with any cosmetic acupuncture experience, I've since then taken many courses from very famous acupuncturists who do cosmetic acupuncture well. All of my acupuncturists do cosmetic acupuncture. It's now one of my requirements because helping someone avoid toxicity is what we're about. And that's what Botox is. It's a toxin, right? And so many people came to us initially with side effects of Botox, which is what threw us into cosmetic acupuncture. We had one patient's whole upper lip go completely paralyzed after having Botox, and she had great results with the acupuncture

and then continued to see us for the cosmetic acupuncture in lieu of Botox. Filers, threads, you name it, you don't need it. Cosmetic acupuncture is super effective, and I'll tell you why, when we put the needles in, it actually releases the muscle. So it unwinds the fascia, relaxes the muscles that are so tense from frequent facial expressions that we make that make those wrinkles. And that brings about balance to the face. It also encourages blood flow. We call chi,

kind of this energy sort of source that comes from the body. But in Western medicine, you can look at it as the nervous system. More blood flow, more nutrients to the nerves and that myelin sheath that's covering those nerves. But oxygen, right, in general. And so we call it our acuface lift because it genuinely just lifts jowls. It can lift, you know, cheekbone areas.

It's great for so many things. You name it acne, melasma. Acupuncture can help acne? Yeah, absolutely, for sure. I had a patient a while back and she was younger. And younger patients respond very quickly. Older patients respond great too. But younger patients, like if they have one thing off,

She actually had Botox above her eyebrow and it drooped her whole eyebrow. And so one was lower than the other. And we were doing acupuncture and efforts to raise that eyebrow. And it came up, we were kind of measuring it along the way. It came up at least a centimeter. Like it was a drastic change after. I think she did about 20 treatments at that point. So a pretty big series of treatments.

But she was determined to avoid Botox. One of the most surprising things people learn about me is I am not a coffee drinker. Personally, it's just not for me, but I love the smell and I love coffee ice cream or desserts like Tiramisu. Whether you like to drink coffee or just eat it, what if I told you you could wake up your skin with it?

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Do you think that acupuncture could completely replace Western medicine or it's best as a compliment to Western medicine? I think Western medicine has its place. And a lot of lot of different things, right? We talked about emergency medicine, which is necessary. I think that if people start looking at their health very seriously as quickly as possible as far as their age goes, when they're eating well, they're maintaining good sleep habits, avoiding alcohol, you know, not staying up too late, managing stress, doing breathing techniques and exercising regularly. And when they have an imbalance, getting into an acupuncture right away, I do think people can avoid Western medicine almost entirely if that is their lifestyle. I hate to say replace

because a lot of people aren't going to do that. You know, we just have people that were raised in this toxic environment that somehow we've created as a country and really as a world. And it's hard for them to know anything else. I think with the recent movements and the Maha movements and everything that's going on, it's opening a lot of people's eyes very quickly, which is encouraging. Oh, so encouraging. Yes. And people are like, oh, wow, I didn't even realize like this stuff actually works and there is a more natural alternative. I don't only have to take a pill. It's incredible. And the freedom in knowing that that you don't have to be under like mind altering drugs all the time that have their own side effects, like you can actually just heal.

the way God intended, it's incredible. Last night at my acupuncture treatment, for the first time ever, I tried cupping. What is cupping and what does that do for the body? Coughing is fun, super fun. It leaves little hicky marks on your back. I know you posted on your stories and they were on there. We call it like you've been attacked by an octopus kind of thing. But it's very effective. It's something that is similar to acupuncture in the sense that it brings the brain to a certain parts of the body that need help, that awareness comes about. But cupping itself helps bring blood flow, oxygen, nutrients, and it detoxes the cells very quickly. And it encourages cellular regeneration. In addition, when you put the cups on, that blood flow usually contains endorphins because there's

a little bit of damage that goes there. So fire cupping is the ancient way of doing cupping. And so you take these little round glass jars and they'll put a flame in it, pull it out and put it on the skin. And that creates a vacuum and it sucks the skin up into the cup. And then that is what alert your brain. Like, hey, something's going on back there. Send lots of blood flow. Understand what's being done. But then also understand, oh gosh, there's a lot of toxic stuff coming out here. Usually when we do cupping, the darker, the marks, the more blood stagnation is there. She said mine weren't that dark. So what does that mean about me? Not too bad. So it's It just means you've got good blood flow in your upper back area.

My husband, he's going to like smug that I'm saying this, but he had a scuba diving accident when we were much younger and he got the bends. It's a sickness. A lot of people actually die from it. His was pretty mild. But we went to, and this was before it was an acupunctureist, we went to this Chinese cupping master and he did cups all down his back and they were black. Especially on the right side where he had his.

BCD, which is the buoyancy control device that allows you to go up because that was kind of higher in what he was utilizing when he was ascending. I've never seen anybody's marks as dark as his. The difference between fire and suction. Suction is kind of what we've come up with in more modern day cupping technology, if you will. It's a lot easier. It's a lot lighter for us mobile acupuncturists to carry around. The fire cupping, I will say, is probably a lot stronger. However, I am a bigger fan of the suction cupping. We do facial cupping too in our cosmetic treatments. We do guasha, that kind of thing.

But it is just as effective and a lot less scary. So wait, will Annette, the Arizona acupuncturist that works for you that I see, would she know how to do guasha on me? Absolutely. Oh, I'm adding that on my plate then. Yep. I know I told her. She does so, you guys do so many things.

So many things. We have so many tools in our toolkit as acupuncturists. It's really a one-stop-shop. It's a very holistic way of treating the patient. What is your elevator pitch for people who are skeptical about acupuncture? So when I tell people about acupuncture, I let them know that there's a lot of science, right? I've mentioned that. There's so much science behind it.

It's very non-invasive. And it actually encourages your body to heal itself. So there's no toxicities. There's no outside things that we're putting in there unless we're doing herbs or something like that. But it's effective in more ways than people know. And in one treatment, they're going to decide that as well. How long is a typical appointment? 45 minutes is how long we usually hang with a patient.

Our appointments are about an hour, hour, and 15 because we come in, we set up a comfortable massage table, organic linens. We kind of get it nice and cozy for you. And then we chat, too. From end to end, an hour and 15, the needles are in for about 25 to 30 minutes. And then if we do cupping, we'll do a little bit of massage. Sometimes we'll do guasha. It just kind of depends on what the patient needs for the complaint that they're seeking treatment for. And how much does it cost typically for acupuncture?

It varies, for sure. And it varies depending on where you are. If you're in San Francisco or in L.A. and you go into a clinic, you're easily paying 200, sometimes 250. And sometimes you can find it for less. And then we're mobile, so we come to you. We charge $2.95 for the first treatment, but we also have packages. So if your acupuncturist is like, hey, I think you need at least 10 treatments to knock this out fully.

We've got different size treatment series that you can purchase. And that brings the price down pretty significantly. And you can use code Alex, and that'll get them a discount, right? Yeah, $50 off your first treatment. We also offer with your code 150 off of any package. And where can people book you? You're only in the state of California and Arizona right now. Right now.

But like here's the thing. Crystal is so incredible. Like if you are listening to the show and you're an amazing acupuncturist in whatever state, you should contact Crystal. And like she said, I mean, because I would imagine wouldn't you love to ideally be in like majority of states? Yeah. We're already looking at Texas is probably our next one to move to. And that's what I love so much.

about what I'm doing and why I feel like God is opening the doors because I'm allowed to treat so many more people than I would if it were just me going into people's homes. And I love that shout out because it's hard to find good acupuncturist. It's taking me a long time in Arizona, but San Diego specifically took me like almost a year to find an acupuncturist. Yeah, she's picky, you guys. So she really needs the best of the best because I know everyone's going to be sad now hearing this. I want to work with Crystal. So I was just in Orange County. And, you know, I just contacted Crystal and I was like, hey, like, I'm here. Could you come to me at my Airbnb? And so you showed up and were able to treat me and my friend Emily Little Ray of Health, which is on a vlog on the

YouTube channel. And so that's so neat. Like if you know that you're going to be vacationing in Scottsdale or in Southern California, call up Crystal, you know, book her through California mobile acupuncture or Arizona mobile acupuncture, have them come to you even on your trip, in your hotel room, whatever. And you can get a quick treatment. It's so great if you're on this part of the country and then hopefully you'll be in a bunch more states. Where is the best place for them to book you? Is it a website or through the Instagrams? Either one. California mobile ACU.com. Arizona mobile ACU.com are our websites. But Instagram, we are California mobile acupuncture or Arizona mobile acupuncture. Those are our handles. We are very on top of our

DMs there. All the information you need is there as well. Crystal, if you could provide one remedy to heal a sick culture, physically, mentally, or spiritually, what would it be? Acupuncture, hands down. Is that not the answer? I mean, that is so effective for almost everything and mind, body, and spirit, right? I mean, I think that's my other kind of thing to the God question is that if we're creating a healthy body, wouldn't it be assumed that then your spirituality is also made easier, that your connection to our one true? God is a lot more strong. Crystal, thank you for coming on culture apothecary.

Oh, I'm happy to do it. I love Crystal. She loves talking acupuncture and all things health. She also ended up telling me, hey, by the way, I listen to that Mosa Chip episode where you guys got into ultrasounds and stuff. She's like, I agree with everything that Mia was saying. So that was a very controversial episode. And if you had a hot take on that, so did Crystal. And she agreed with it. So I just thought that that was really juicy. leave a five-star review, tell others why they should listen to culture apothecary, whether to learn something new or to challenge yourself in what you believe. We're on a mission to heal a sick

culture twice a week, Mondays and Thursdays 6 p.m. Pacific, 9 p.m. Eastern. I'm Alex Clark, and this is culture apothecary.