https://www.thesacredhands.com/home daily 1.0 2025-04-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fb597af0110777a869ea6e9/1605817071399-D4QS40DUMTVVAU1VPNPY/image.jpg Home - Cupping Therapy & Gua Sha Photo by Tim Chow/iStock / Getty Images https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fb597af0110777a869ea6e9/1605816915718-F3N0MV37IRVYIGSZYE5F/image-asset.jpeg Home - Acupuncture Acupuncture is a manual therapy that involves the insertion of sterile, thin needles into specific locations of the body to achieve a therapeutic effect and relieve pain. It can be used for many conditions, including chronic pain management, sports injuries, neurological disorders, and much more. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fb597af0110777a869ea6e9/1605817382649-N1LMXRPXN91RDV0K84ZI/image-asset.jpeg Home - Chinese Herbal Medicine Photo by Freer Law/iStock / Getty Images https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fb597af0110777a869ea6e9/1605817201313-9WWN5ZY9R9FLHAGDWW2Z/image-asset.jpeg Home - Electrical Stimulation Therapy Photo by katrinaelena/iStock / Getty Images https://www.thesacredhands.com/about-2 daily 0.75 2025-12-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fb597af0110777a869ea6e9/9d48ed07-1f18-4670-ac35-07c7fdb87227/ProPhoto.jpg About - What Makes Fernando Different? Fernando enables patients to achieve and maintain optimal health by applying the best of Eastern and Western medical research, creating a personalized approach to your health based on your unique clinical presentations. This process addresses a range of physical, mental, and environmental influences on the body’s physiologic and energetic systems. Utilizing a unique blend of Western and integrative healing modalities he evaluates causative factors to restore connection and harmonious balance to body and mind. Fernando’s vision and training are aimed toward creating a greater awareness of structural balancing for improved natural health and longevity. His goals are to reduce health care costs to individuals, groups, and companies, through immediate pain reduction and time tested tools for positive health outcomes in the future. Experience: Over 20 years dedicated to the healing arts and sciences have provided me extensive training and clinical experience in various modalities including the certificated modalities below Licensing & Certifications: California State Board Licensed Acupuncturist (L.Ac) California State Board Licensed Herbalist (L.Ac) Certified in Sports Medicine Acupuncture® Master of Oriental Medicine Degree, Emperor’s College Massage Therapist Meditation Practitioner & Teacher Sports Medicine Practitioner of the Month in November 2021 Biographical A career in supporting others has always been a natural fit, but I formalized my direction toward alternative medicine during my final year at Loyola University Chicago as a pre-med student. I was drawn to the practice of healing, and not just the treatment of symptoms that many of today’s allopathic medical practices perform. Rather than pursue a direction that tended to have an over reliance on prescription drugs and several (although not all) unnecessary surgeries, I believed a deeper healing existed than with just pills and routine procedures. It was then that I decided to put a hold on attending medical school, and instead I moved to Los Angeles in search and for research into other forms of healing. Examining many systems, such as Shamanic healing and Ayurvedic Medicine, I gained a respect for certain aspects of each one. However, when I investigated and experienced Chinese Medicine firsthand, I was amazed at the depth of knowledge of the body, mind and spirit that was involved. I was confident that my future path of medicine would no doubt be related. As a way to study a traditional use of healing by hand, I began to train in massage at the Institute for Psycho Structural Balancing in Los Angeles in 2000. In the process, I discovered that I had quite an innate talent for massage, and created Sacred Hands in 2002 to share healing services with others. At this point I wanted to gain more healing knowledge so I went to Emperor’s College in Santa Monica, CA and gained a Master’s degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine in 2008. Most recently I have been certified in Sports Medicine Acupuncture through AcuSport Education in San Diego, CA in 2017. This training is specialized toward sports, orthopedic and work-related injuries. I also gained additional understanding and acupuncture techniques specific to athletic and repetitive ailments. Since 2000, meditation has been key in supporting balance both professionally and personally. In addition to traveling to India on more than 10 occasions for retreats, and attending many workshops, I have been sought for consultation and 1-on-1 sessions for those interested in adding meditation to their schedule, including heads of state. In my experience, meditation is the source of all healing because a healing occurs when you sit down and put your physical and mental activities on pause on a regular basis. I highly encourage everyone to add meditation into the flow of their life for overall health of body, mind, and spirit – as well as a massage at least once a month. I look forward to helping you achieve your health and wellness goals whether it’s through acupuncture, massage, meditation – or a combination thereof. Modalities Utilized in Traditional Chinese Medicine With the use of Acupuncture, soft tissue mobilization, meridian therapy, and clinical nutrition, herbal medicine, Fernando addresses patient conditions that include: Pain Syndromes Sponylosis / Spindylothesis Thoracic Outlet syndrome Shoulder Pain Neck Pain Nerve Entrapment pain Headaches and Migraines Lumbar Pain Sciatica Plantar Fasciitis Tennis Elbow Golfers Elbow Carpal Tunnel Knee Pain ACL & Meniscus Tears Labrum Tears Stress Management Insomnia https://www.thesacredhands.com/services daily 0.75 2025-03-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fb597af0110777a869ea6e9/1706502832611-K0UQXV7BOL68W6A85Y9K/image-asset.jpeg Services Services With 20 years of experience, Fernando Escobar, L.Ac is able to provide a fully comprehensive wellness program for you including Acupuncture, Movements, Myo-fascial Massage, Gua Sha, and Herbal Formulas to treat the underlying root imbalance to manage your pain. Acupuncture for Pain Management Sports Medicine Acupuncture is a style of acupuncture with Biomedical Evidence supporting pain management, reduction and improved circulation, using trigger, motor, and acupuncture points to reset and realign the structures that are experiencing stagnation. This is different from other styles of acupuncture that are based on focusing on internal medicine (ie digestion, stress, etc). The Initial session takes into account Postural Assessment, Orthopedic Tests, and Manual Muscle Testing to diagnose the source of the pain. Sports Medicine Acupuncture is designed to provide the most advanced assessment and treatment of sports, work, and orthopedic injuries. The Acupuncture treatment may also include myofascial release and a prescription of corrective exercises to do at home. Orthopedic tests and other assessment exams are used for diagnosis. Acupuncture is applied to musculoskeletal motor points [mostly different from traditional acupuncture points] to rebalance neuromuscular functioning and treat all musculoskeletal injuries. A Motor Point is a site where motor nerves enter the muscle. Acupuncture is the perfect conductor of electricity to the nervous system to communicate, rebalance, heal, and release traumas held in the musculoskeletal system after an injury. It communicates to the body to focus on that specific area of healing. A few examples of when to visit a Sports Medicine Acupuncturist is when you have suffered or suffering from: Tension headaches Migraines Neck pain Degenerative Joint Disease Degenerative Disc Disease such as: Spondylosis or Spondylitis Thoracic Outlet Syndrome Any Shoulder Injuries or Pain Any Elbow Injuries or Pain Wrist injuries De Quervain’s Syndrome Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Mid-back Pain (between the shoulder blades) Low Back Pain Sciatica Knee Injuries or Pain such as: Meniscus Tear / Torn Meniscus Ankle Injuries: Such as Ankle Pain or Sprained Ankle Foot Pains: Such as Plantar Fasciitis, Morton’s Neuroma, or Heel Spurs Nerve injuries Back to Top Acupuncture Acupuncture is also an effective treatment for circadian rhythm, sleep issues, stress, PTSD, digestive issues, addiction, and low energy (to name a few). Acupuncture has been used for thousands of years to heal the body and bring it back into balance. Acupuncture has broad spectrum systemic effects to facilitate optimal health using the body’s natural energy flow to restore balance. Electro-Acupuncture Electro-Acupuncture is the term used to refer to the application of a pulsating electrical current to acupuncture needles at acupuncture point sites on the body. The current varies on the treatment, however no current is actually transmitted through the body— there is only enough stimulation for the patient to feel a slight pulsating sensation. A standard treatment session usually lasts between 10 and 20 minutes and rarely exceeds half an hour. It is a convenient stimulation technique that can be used for a variety of treatments; stubborn neurological disorders, chronic pain, spasms, paralysis, sports or common injuries of the muscles or joints. Electro-acupuncture has been proven to promote blood circulation, relieve pain, warm the muscles, regenerate tendons, ligaments, bones, and nerves, as well as powerfully move blood stagnation due to a blockage or poor circulation from trauma. Gua Sha Gua Sha is an important hands-on medical treatment that has been used throughout Asia for centuries. Gua means ‘to rub’ or ‘press stroke’. Sha is a term that describes the blood congestion in surface tissue in areas where the patient may experience stiffness and pain; Sha is also the term for the little red dots that are raised from applying Gua Sha. When Gua press-stroking is applied in repeated even strokes, Sha appears as small red dots called ‘petechiae’ and the pain immediately shifts. In minutes the small red dots fade into blended reddishness. The Sha disappears totally in two to three days after treatment. The color of Sha and rate of fading can indicate important information about a patient’s condition. Pain relief lasts even after the Sha is completely gone. The benefits of Gua Sha are numerous. It resolves spasms and pain, and promotes normal circulation to the muscles, tissues and organs, as seen in Gua Sha’s immediate effect on coughing and wheezing. Research has shown that Gua Sha causes a four-fold increase in microcirculation of surface tissue (Nielsen et al. 2007) and can reduce inflammation and stimulate the immune system (Braun et al. 2011; Chan et al. 2011). Gua Sha upregulates heme-oxygenase-1 [HO-1], that acts to reduce internal organ inflammation, for example, in cases of asthma, hepatitis and liver disease. The patient experiences immediate changes in stiffness and pain with increased mobility. Because Gua Sha mimics sweating, it can help to resolve fever. Gua Sha cools the patient who feels too warm, warms the patient who feels too cold, while relaxing tension and reducing anxiety. Acupuncturists and practitioners of traditional East Asian medicine consider Gua Sha for any illness or condition where there is pain or discomfort, for upper respiratory and digestive problems, and any condition where touch palpation indicates there is sha. Gua Sha is often done in combination with acupuncture for problems that acupuncture alone cannot address. Cupping Cupping is a technique that uses glass cups to suction the muscles, pulling out toxins from the space between the muscles and fascia, releasing built up lactic acid in the muscles, and sending the body a message to detox and heal. The old Chinese medical theory holds that pain results from stagnation. If pain is the essence of disease, then suffering is a result of obstructed or irregular flow in the body. Chinese cupping is therefore a method of breaking up the blockage to restore the body’s natural flow of energy. Cupping is combined with acupuncture in one treatment, but it can also be used alone. The suction provided by cupping can loosen muscles, encourage blood flow, activate the parasympathetic nervous system, relieve back and neck pain, soothe stiff muscles, and reduce anxiety. For most patients, this is a particularly relaxing and relieving sensation. Once suctioned, the cups are generally left in place for about ten or more minutes while the patient relaxes. In fact, respiratory conditions are one of the most common maladies that cupping is used to relieve. Moxibustion Moxibustion is the use of lighting poles of dried mugwort and holding near the body to warm areas of pain with the intention of stimulating the circulation of blood. For injuries it is used to rapidly promote healing by increasing blood circulation to the area, reducing swelling, and pain relief. For thousands of years moxibustion was the principal form of medical treatment. It is only in recent history that western science-based medicine and pharmaceuticals have become more of the standard practice and its effectiveness. Book a Moxibustion appointment Back to Top Custom Herbal Formulas The medicinal use of herbal formulations is well established and are effective in treating a wide variety of ailments. For pain management, ailments are healed quicker with the use of internal and external herbal prescriptions. Herbal medicine includes raw herbs, herbs in powdered form, powdered herbs in a capsule, an alcohol based tincture, patches, or a topical liniment. Meditation Meditation is a practice that involves training the mind to achieve a state of mental clarity, focus, and inner peace. It involves quieting the mind while cultivating awareness of the present moment. https://www.thesacredhands.com/testimonials daily 0.75 2025-03-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fb597af0110777a869ea6e9/1741044026409-BL0125AEBNPTJ43PKYVD/unsplash-image-VIr-KKzL2eg.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fb597af0110777a869ea6e9/1741044099237-YNJPSSH6VX5F8K27XV75/unsplash-image-kZvrNBMh6Po.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fb597af0110777a869ea6e9/1741044117579-EAS3KJZP04MJC0UBY3YG/unsplash-image--Mbfhs0u4YQ.jpg