Can it help with HIV-related fatigue or neuropathy?

It may help as a complement to your medical care. Acupuncture has been studied for HIV-associated peripheral neuropathy and fatigue, and many people find it eases symptoms and supports overall wellbeing. I work alongside your physician and treatment, not as a replacement for either.

Acupuncture & Daoist Alchemy for Gay Men | Gateway Acupuncture & Alchemy San Diego

A healer who shares your ground.

I am a gay, Latino, immigrant acupuncturist and Daoist alchemist, and I built this practice in the heart of Hillcrest so that people who have ever felt like the exception could be cared for as the rule. I know the particular weight of hiding, of minority stress, of shame that was handed to you and dressed up as something else. I also know it can be set down. In my own alchemical journey I have had to work through exactly that. If you want the longer version of how I came to this, I wrote it down in On being a gay healer.

What I offer is not a softer, gentler version of the medicine. It is the full depth of classical Chinese medicine and Daoist alchemy, brought to the challenges a lot of gay men face and rarely find met in one place.

What I see often.

This is not a list of everything I treat, only the places this work tends to go deep for the men who find me here.

Identity and coming-out stressThe ongoing work of becoming yourself, at any age, and the weight that builds when the core of you has been buried away.

Minority stress, shame, and anxiety or depressionThe chronic, low background load of stigma and self-protection that the body eventually starts to carry as symptoms.

Sexual and religious trauma, guilt, and self-worthThe patterns left behind by being taught that who you are was wrong. There is no hierarchy to this pain.

Substance and recovery supportAdjunctive care alongside your recovery and medical support, for the escape sought after when authenticity is not an option.

HIV-adjacent treatment supportSupportive treatment, alongside your physician, for the digestive, neurological, and systemic symptoms that medical care does not fully reach.

Body image and relationship stressThe pressures particular to gay life, met without judgment and worked at the root rather than the surface.

For the substance and compulsion thread specifically, I keep a fuller page on acupuncture and alchemy in addiction and recovery, held alongside your treatment and care.

No hierarchy to trauma.

My Alchemy teacher Leta Herman puts it simply: there is no hierarchy to trauma. What hurts you is what we work with, and you do not have to justify why it qualifies. Classical acupuncture and Daoist alchemy do not shy from a challenge. They were built for the deep, stubborn patterns, the ones that talk and time alone have not moved.

When the work needs to go all the way to the root, I am trained to take it there. The Thirteen Ghost Points and the deeper alchemy treatments are for intense, long-held trauma, and I completed a three-year apprenticeship in this lineage and received every one of these treatments myself before offering them to anyone. These unique offerings come from the heart of my practice.

How the work is held.

One patient at a time, in a private room, with my full attention for the length of your visit. The space is built to feel safe: unhurried, confidential, and free of the small calculations you may be used to making about how much of yourself to show. I fitted the windows with a prism film, so when the sun comes through it scatters into a full spectrum and the whole room fills with color. It is a small but powerful reminder that you are welcome here exactly as you are.

Sunlight through the rainbow window film fills the Gateway Acupuncture treatment room with color, beside the yin-yang painting and a lit candle

When the sun comes through, the rainbows fill the treatment room with color.

Everyone is welcome at Gateway. This page simply speaks plainly to the men I share a road with, because that shared ground is how the work is able to run deep.

Common questions.

Do I need to be out to come here?

No. You are welcome exactly where you are, whether you are fully out, partway, questioning, or simply tired of feeling alone. Nothing about your life has to be resolved or explained before we begin. This is a private, judgment-free space, and what you share stays between us.

Is this therapy, or a replacement for it?

No. I am not a psychotherapist, and this does not replace mental health care. Classical acupuncture and Daoist alchemy work at the level of the body and the spirit, and they beautifully complement good therapy. If you are working with a therapist, I am glad to collaborate with your care.

Can acupuncture help with substance recovery?

It can be a supportive part of recovery, not a substitute for it. Acupuncture, is widely recognized for beneficial effects in the addiction settings, and is used adjunctively in many recovery programs to ease cravings, sleep, and stress. I offer it alongside your medical care and recovery support.

Can it help with HIV-related treatment symptoms?

It may help as a complement to your medical care. Acupuncture has been studied for HIV-associated peripheral neuropathy, fatigue, digestive discomfort and many people find it eases symptoms and supports overall wellbeing. I work alongside your physician and treatment.

Do you only work with gay men?

No. I treat people of every background and orientation. This page speaks plainly to a community I belong to and serve closely, because being a gay, Latino, immigrant healer is part of why this particular work is mine to do well. Everyone is welcome at Gateway.

Begin with a conversation.

If any of this is yours, the first step is a complimentary consultation, where we talk through what you are carrying and whether this is the right work for you. We are simply opening a door so there is no need to have it all figured out first.