Hi, I’m Juan Carlos.
My path to Chinese medicine wasn't a straight line — it ran through ecology, education, and a long reckoning with my own health.
I began my professional life at the Center for Ecoliteracy in Berkeley, collaborating with the ecologist Fritjof Capra on innovative approaches to teaching, learning, and ecological consciousness. That work gave me a framework I've never left: that living systems — whether ecosystems or human bodies — have an inherent intelligence, and that health, like ecology, is about understanding patterns and restoring conditions for flourishing.
That framework led me to Chinese medicine, where I found a tradition that had been doing exactly that for thousands of years.
I completed my Master's degree at the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in San Francisco, followed by a clinical internship at the practice of Dr. Lifang Liang — O.M.D., Ph.D., L.Ac. — a leading authority in TCM gynecology in the United States and author of Acupuncture & IVF. That year, focused exclusively on gynecology and male and female infertility, shaped the clinical practitioner I became. I later earned a Diplomate of Canonical Chinese Medicine (DCCM) and spent five years as an associate professor of Chinese medicine and herbology at the Academy of Chinese Culture and Health Sciences in Oakland.
Over more than a decade in private practice, I worked with people navigating fertility challenges, hormonal imbalance, chronic pain, digestive disorders, insomnia, and the slower, harder-to-name conditions that don't fit neatly into a diagnosis. My tools were herbs, nutrition, acupuncture, lifestyle, and — always — careful listening.
I also know what it is to be a patient. My own experience with insomnia, PTSD, joint issues, and migraines taught me that healing is rarely linear, and that the most important thing a practitioner can offer is not a protocol but a genuine attempt to understand what's actually happening for this person, in this body, at this moment. Deep listening, versatility, and gentleness are not soft virtues — they are the clinical skills that make everything else work.
Today I practice remotely, offering consultations to people around the world, with in-person sessions in northern Italy coming soon. My focus has returned to where my most specialized training lives: fertility, reproductive health, and the hormonal and nutritional foundations that support it.
If you're looking for a practitioner who will take the time to understand the full picture — and who brings both rigorous clinical training and genuine curiosity to that work — I'd be glad to connect.
Pomona College
My educational foundation includes a Bachelor's degree in International Relations from Pomona College, shaping my holistic perspective and contributing to my diverse skill set.
American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine
I hold a 4-year Master's degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine from ACTCM, solidifying my expertise in this time-honored healing tradition.
Diplomate Of Canonical Chinese Medicine
I earned a Diplomate Of Canonical Chinese Medicine (DCCM) from The Institute of Classics in East Asian Medicine, a two-year immersive program that enabled me to comprehend intricate medical insights from the Han dynasty within a modern context. This certification underscores my commitment to bridging ancient wisdom and contemporary healthcare practices.
Center for Ecoliteracy
I had the privilege of working at the Center for Ecoliteracy alongside the esteemed Fritjof Capra, fostering my passion for ecological awareness and innovative education.
Academy of Chinese Culture and Health Sciences
For five enriching years, I served as an associate professor of Chinese Medicine at ACCHS, dedicating my expertise to the realm of herbs and herbal formulas, further enhancing my understanding of holistic healing.
Dr. Lifang Liang Acupuncture Clinic
I completed a year-long clinical internship at the San Francisco practice of Dr. Lifang Liang — O.M.D., Ph.D., L.Ac. — one of the foremost authorities in TCM gynecology in the United States and author of Acupuncture & IVF. This internship, focused exclusively on gynecology and male and female infertility, gave me the specialized clinical foundation that continues to inform my fertility practice today.
Robert Levine Acupuncture Clinic
For six transformative years, I apprenticed under the tutelage of Robert Levine, a master practitioner in Chinese Medicine and Pulses, honing my skills and deepening my understanding at his esteemed private practice in Berkeley.
Juan Carlos Acupuncture
For a decade, I passionately dedicated myself to Juan Carlos Acupuncture, nurturing my private practice and utilizing holistic therapies to guide countless individuals toward optimal health and well-being.
Juan Carlos currently offers health consulting and wellness coaching. He is not currently licensed to practice acupuncture.
My Approach
Good medicine begins with listening — not just to symptoms, but to the person expressing them.
After more than a decade in clinical practice and five years teaching Chinese medicine and herbology, what I've learned is that the body rarely speaks in isolated complaints. Sleep, digestion, mood, energy, cycle patterns, stress load — these are not separate problems. They are one conversation. My work is to understand what that conversation is about, and to support the conditions under which the body can find its way back to balance.
The tools I draw on most are classical Chinese herbal formulas, nutritional medicine, targeted supplementation, lifestyle adjustment, and mindfulness — combined in whatever proportion makes sense for the individual in front of me. I don't work from fixed protocols. I work from careful observation, and I adjust as things change.
I also bring a particular lens from my earlier work in ecological systems thinking — the understanding that healing, like ecology, is not about fixing broken parts but about restoring the conditions for a living system to thrive. That perspective shapes how I approach every case.
ZafronMoon is an invitation to reconnect — with the intelligence of the body, and with the rhythms that support it.
Photo by Mahdi Soheili
What people say
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"JC is the most innate healer I have encountered. I've been through a lot of business-related stress in the last 6 years and have been so angry and resentful that I was beginning to despair of feeling anything but. JC helped me reconnect with the me I used to know and I am eternally grateful."
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"Juan Carlos is a gifted healer. He understands the human body from both a traditional Chinese medical perspective and an integrative, functional, and more western medicine perspective. He is a keen observer, a good listener, and is always very considerate and willing to explain how and why a specific treatment might work. He also has a deep understanding of nutrition and how to best support healing through diet and lifestyle modifications."
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"I visited Juan Carlos for fertility related treatment and received a highly personalised, detailed consultation in which I was closely listened to and my needs analysed. This was followed by a wonderfully relaxing treatment... A wonderfully welcoming consultation - many thanks Juan Carlos"
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"In addition to being incredibly gifted with herbs, Juan Carlos has a very solid grasp of nutrition and how to utilize it to speed healing in the body. He is one of my favorites ... because he listens to the body and asks very good questions in order to find a cause when the body is out of balance. I am grateful to his thoughtful ear and would highly recommend his services."
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"Juan Carlos has a remarkably holistic approach to healing which begins with simple human understanding."
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"Juan Carlos has managed to find a perfect balance between Eastern and Western medicine. The mesh between his traditional roots with his up-to-date medical knowledge allows him to breakdown and re-connect your symptoms to your illness thus attacking the root cause of your illness. Certainly not a bandage approach here as Juan Carlos enables you to lead a healthy & balanced lifestyle."
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"Super smart and super knowledgeable. Also is very compassionate and professional. I highly recommend him!"
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"I met Juan Carlos 2 years ago. He helped me recover completely from a very painful and debilitating case of tendonitus. He also shared nutrition guidelines. Juan Carlos formulated herbs for my particular needs--to give me energy, calm my anxieties, help me sleep peacefully, and give me relief from constipation. He taught me a simple form of meditation to improve my ability to focus. I could not have continued teaching if I had not been under his expert care! I am ever thankful for his guidance!"
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"Juan was very articulate and created a unique view of my body that other practitioners have failed to do so. I left the session feeling better, refreshed and with a list of tools and life adaptations to heal. Will definitely continue seeing him."
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"I consistently get results from Juan Carlos that I've never gotten before from other Eastern or Western practitioners. He has helped me with sleep, overall energy, allergies, anxiety, digestive issues and stress. Thank you Juan Carlos!"
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"Very adept listener. Super caring. Extremely devoted to his profession. I'd recommend Juan Carlos to anybody."
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"I had very good experience under the care of Juan Carlos. He listened carefully to my medical history and figured out a diet routine combined with different herbs to help me deal with the symptoms that are bothering me the most right now. I'm very glad he was recommended to me, since I have needed help from someone like him for quite a while. Definitely a sensitive healer!"
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"This was my first visit with Juan Carlos and he is one of a kind! Very knowledgeable, intuitive, considerate and kind. I am excited to begin working with him further down this path of healing. I am inspired by his whole person approach - mind, body and spirit."
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"Juan Carlos is genuine, caring, thorough, thoughtful, tenacious and very knowledgeable. Resolving the cause of what ails you and positive results are his priority; he is very good at what he does! I highly recommend him."
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"My recent experience with Juan Carlos has been nothing but pleasant. For the first time in my life, someone is actually interested in treating the root of my problems rather than just suppressing the symptoms. Moreover, Juan Carlos has a deep understanding of herbal medicine. He approach to healing is both comforting and effective. I highly recommend a visit with Juan Carlos, even if you are healthy!"