Primary Care & Family Medicine Acupuncture in Oakland
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Chinese medicine was designed from the beginning as a complete medical system β one capable of addressing the full range of health concerns that arise across a human lifespan, from childhood through old age. Not a specialty practice for a single condition, not a complementary addition to conventional care, but a primary medicine that understands the body as a whole and treats accordingly.
Prajna Choudhury, L.Ac. practicesΒ Chinese medicine at Energy Matters in OaklandΒ in exactly this spirit β as a primary care practitioner for many of her patients and as a full-scope provider for families across Oakland and the East Bay. She treats children and adults, acute and chronic conditions, physical and emotional presentations. She is in-network with Cigna and the VA, making her care accessible to a broader range of patients than most acupuncture practices in the area.
Energy Matters is an explicitly LGBTQ+ and BIPOC affirming practice. Prajna has deep roots in Oakland's activist, artistic, and healing communities and brings culturally attuned, trauma-informed care to patients for whom finding a practitioner who genuinely understands their experience is itself part of the healing. She serves patients across Oakland, Berkeley, Alameda, Richmond, Emeryville, Piedmont, San Leandro, Concord, Walnut Creek, and the wider East Bay.
Primary Care in Chinese Medicine
What distinguishes a primary care approach in Chinese medicine is not just the breadth of conditions treated but the depth of the ongoing relationship between practitioner and patient. Prajna comes to know her patients over time β their constitutional patterns, their tendencies under stress, the early signs that something is moving out of balance before it becomes a full presentation. This kind of longitudinal knowledge is what allows her to intervene early, to catch patterns before they consolidate into symptoms, and to provide the kind of personalized guidance that makes healthcare genuinely preventive rather than merely reactive.
For families who bring multiple members to see Prajna, this relational depth extends across the household β understanding the health patterns that run through a family, the stressors affecting each member differently, and the ways in which supporting one person's health often contributes to the resilience of everyone around them.
Conditions Treated
Pain Management
Acupuncture has the strongest research evidence base of any Chinese medicine application, with robust clinical trial data supporting its effectiveness for a wide range of acute and chronic pain conditions. For patients seeking non-pharmaceutical pain management β whether to avoid opioids, reduce reliance on NSAIDs, or find a more sustainable long-term approach β acupuncture offers genuine clinical effectiveness without the side effects or dependency risks of pharmaceutical pain management.
Prajna works with: back pain (acute and chronic), neck pain, headaches and migraines, joint pain and arthritis, sciatica and nerve pain, fibromyalgia, sports injuries and musculoskeletal conditions, post-surgical recovery, and chronic pain conditions of all kinds.
Digestive Health
The digestive system is, in Chinese medicine, one of the most foundational aspects of overall health β the source of the Qi and Blood that nourish every other system in the body. When digestion is disrupted, the effects ripple outward: energy levels, immune function, mental clarity, skin health, and hormonal balance are all affected by the quality of digestive function. Prajna approaches digestive conditions with the same whole-system orientation she brings to every presentation, addressing the root pattern rather than managing individual symptoms.
Chinese herbal medicineΒ is particularly effective for digestive conditions β many formulas have thousands of years of documented clinical use for the precise presentations Prajna works with. She treats: IBS and irritable bowel syndrome, SIBO, acid reflux and GERD, bloating and gas, constipation and diarrhea, inflammatory bowel conditions, nausea, food sensitivities, and appetite and metabolism disturbances.
Immune Health & Respiratory Conditions
Chinese medicine has a long tradition of strengthening immune function and treating respiratory conditions β from the frequent colds and flus that challenge patients with depleted immune systems to chronic respiratory conditions that conventional medicine manages but rarely resolves. Prajna works with both acute presentations and the constitutional patterns that make patients susceptible to recurrent illness.
She treats: frequent colds and infections, allergies and hay fever, sinusitis, asthma, post-viral fatigue (including long COVID), chronic fatigue syndrome, and immune system support during cancer treatment.
Pediatric Care
Children respond exceptionally well to acupuncture and Chinese medicine β often more quickly than adults, because their systems have not yet accumulated years of compensatory patterns. Prajna uses age-appropriate treatment techniques for younger patients, including gentle needling methods and non-needle approaches for children who are apprehensive about needles.
She works with children and adolescents for: digestive issues, sleep disturbances, anxiety and emotional regulation, frequent illness and immune support, allergies, headaches, growing pains, and the range of health concerns that arise through childhood and adolescence. For families where Prajna sees multiple members, she brings a systemic understanding of health patterns that runs through the household.
Cardiovascular & Metabolic Health
Chinese medicine approaches cardiovascular and metabolic conditions through the same whole-system lens that governs all its clinical work β understanding that high blood pressure, poor circulation, metabolic disruption, and fatigue are not isolated organ failures but expressions of systemic imbalance that require systemic treatment. Acupuncture and herbal medicine support cardiovascular regulation, improve circulation, support healthy metabolism, and address the stress and nervous system dysregulation that are significant contributing factors to cardiovascular disease.
Prajna works with: hypertension, poor circulation, palpitations, fatigue and low energy, metabolic imbalances, and cardiovascular health maintenance. For patients managing these conditions alongside pharmaceutical treatment, acupuncture functions as a complementary intervention that supports overall system health.
Neurological Conditions
Acupuncture has a growing evidence base for neurological conditions β improving nerve function, reducing inflammation in the nervous system, and supporting the brain's own healing mechanisms. Prajna works with: headaches and migraines (as both acute treatment and prevention), neuropathy, post-stroke recovery support, tremors, and neurological aspects of chronic pain conditions.
Immune-Related & Chronic Conditions
For patients living with chronic and complex conditions β autoimmune disorders, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, and others that conventional medicine often manages with limited success β Chinese medicine offers a framework for understanding and treating the whole pattern of imbalance rather than suppressing individual symptoms.Β The nervous system regulation workΒ that is central to Prajna's practice is directly relevant to many autoimmune and chronic conditions, where the stress response and immune dysregulation are deeply intertwined.
LGBTQ+ & BIPOC Community Care
Energy Matters is not merely welcoming to LGBTQ+ and BIPOC patients β it is a practice built with those communities in mind. Prajna has deep roots in Oakland's queer, activist, and BIPOC communities, and has spent her career providing care that honors the full context of each patient's identity and experience.
For LGBTQ+ patients, this means care that is knowledgeable about the specific health concerns relevant to queer and trans bodies, affirming of all relationship structures and family constellations, and free from the heteronormative assumptions that make many conventional healthcare settings uncomfortable or unsafe. For BIPOC patients, it means care that recognizes the health impacts of systemic racism, that does not require patients to educate their provider about their experience, and that is offered with genuine cultural attunement rather than tokenism.
Prajna's background working with survivors of violence and her training as a Dharma Teacher in the Thich Nhat Hanh lineage both deepen the trauma-informed quality of her care β her capacity to hold space for the complexity of what patients carry without requiring them to leave any part of their experience at the door. HerΒ mental health and nervous system workΒ is particularly relevant for patients navigating the health impacts of systemic marginalization and collective trauma.
Insurance & Access
Prajna is in-network with Cigna and the VA β making her care accessible to patients who carry these insurance plans. For all other insurance, superbills are provided for reimbursement. Energy Matters' commitment to serving Oakland's diverse community is reflected in this insurance accessibility, which removes a significant barrier to care for many patients.
Veterans receiving care through the VA have access to acupuncture as a covered benefit. Prajna's VA in-network status means veterans in Oakland and the East Bay can receive her care as part of their VA-covered treatment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Chinese medicine really function as primary care?
Chinese medicine was developed as a complete medical system and is capable of addressing the full range of health concerns that arise across a lifespan. For many patients, acupuncture and Chinese medicine serve as their primary healthcare β addressing acute and chronic conditions, supporting prevention, and providing the kind of individualized, whole-person care that is difficult to find in conventional primary care settings. For patients who also use conventional medicine, Chinese medicine functions as a highly effective complement that addresses what pharmaceutical and procedural medicine often cannot.
Does Prajna treat children?
Yes. Prajna works with patients across the full lifespan, including infants, children, and adolescents. Treatment is adapted to each patient's age and comfort level, and non-needle techniques are available for children who are apprehensive. Children often respond very quickly to Chinese medicine treatment.
I have multiple health concerns β can they all be addressed?
Yes β this is one of the particular strengths of Chinese medicine as a primary care framework. Rather than treating each condition as a separate problem requiring a separate specialist, Chinese medicine understands the relationships between symptoms and addresses the underlying constitutional pattern that gives rise to multiple presentations simultaneously. Many patients find that as their overall constitutional health improves, multiple concerns resolve together.
Is Energy Matters genuinely LGBTQ+ and BIPOC affirming?
Yes. This is not a marketing statement β it is a reflection of who Prajna is, the communities she has served throughout her career, and the practice culture she has cultivated at Energy Matters. LGBTQ+ patients, transgender and non-binary patients, single parents by choice, and patients of all backgrounds and identities are genuinely welcome and will find care that honors their full experience.
How does acupuncture work alongside my conventional medical care?
Acupuncture and Chinese medicine work well alongside conventional medical treatment. Prajna is transparent about what Chinese medicine can and cannot address, and will recommend conventional evaluation when indicated. For patients managing chronic conditions with pharmaceutical treatment, acupuncture often addresses the aspects of their health that medication doesn't fully resolve and supports the overall resilience of their system. See also:Β how Chinese herbal medicine complements conventional care.
About Prajna Choudhury, L.Ac.
Prajna Choudhury is a Licensed Acupuncturist and National Diplomate of Oriental Medicine with specialist certifications in fertility, obstetrics, dermatology, and facial rejuvenation. She is an Ordained Dharma Teacher in the lineage of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, a former professor and clinical supervisor at two Bay Area TCM colleges, and has spent years working clinically with survivors of violence and trauma. She is in-network with Cigna and the VA. She sees patients Monday through Thursday at Energy Matters in Oakland.
Learn more about Prajna Choudhury, L.Ac.
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