Discovering the UCLA East-West Medicine Center

I got sick about 4 months ago. I didn’t know what it was. I had itching sensations all over my body, but there was no rash or any other visible sign. The itching was so bad that I could not sleep at night. I was staying up all night itching myself and only pass out early in the morning for a couple of hours. I went to my doctor, did some blood tests and found out that the bilirubin level in my blood was increasing at an alarming rate. I did an MRI that showed my biliary duct was narrowing. My doctor tried to dilate it with ERCP; while he could open it slightly, he said there wasn’t enough room for more dilation. He also said that it looked like PSC. Out of desperation, I started searching online to see what people with similar symptoms and complications said about their experience. It was then that I came across a video of someone with PSC who was treated at the UCLA Center for East-West Medicine. He was very happy with his experience and said that he could get his normal life back. I contacted the center and scheduled an appointment without knowing anything about integrative medicine and acupuncture. I have to admit, being a scientist and working with numbers and data my whole life, I was a little skeptical. However, after the first session, I couldn’t wait for my next appointment. The doctors were extremely nice, listened to me carefully, and treated me with the utmost compassion. When I got home after my first acupuncture session, I felt much better; I was more relaxed. That night was the first night I slept around 7 hours in almost two months. Over time, I got my energy and appetite back, and my symptoms started to improve. While I continued monitoring my symptoms with my GI doctor (who was also extremely nice, knowledgeable, and compassionate), I kept my weekly appointments with the UCLA Center for East-West Medicine at Torrance(Link opens in new window) until all my test results were all back to normal. Because of what Dr. Taw(Link opens in new window) and Dr. Maciasz(Link opens in new window) did for me, I now sleep better at night and have more energy during the day. I can’t thank them enough. They changed my perception of integrative medicine. I have been recommending it to my friends and family. Although it’s partly based on traditional eastern medicine, I have no doubt that this holistic approach to treating patients is going to be the future of medical sciences.