Lotus Center for Integrative Medicine

10/16/2025

Last month, Consumer Reports issued a report about boba. Sorry to say the results weren’t great. They tested boba from Gong Cha and Kung Fu Tea (both are huge chains) as well as packaged boba products including the Trader Joe’s boba kit and they found lead in EVERY sample. Although levels weren’t considered to be above their level of concern in one serving, we know that some people have a rather unhealthy several-times-a-week boba addiction and lead can accumulate. This heavy metal is typically found in the brain, liver, kidneys, bones, nervous system and reproductive systems so we should definitely not make boba a daily habit. Boba is made from tapioca which is derived from cassava root. It would be nice if the local boba shops who make their own housemade boba can test their tapioca flour (hint hint). And it’s not just boba! Remember tapioca is in a lot of products so be sure to check your ingredients for tapioca starch, syrup and flour in your processed foods and drinks.

BTW pictured is housemade boba with soft serve from in Milpitas. Delicious but lead level unknown!

09/30/2025

Celebrate the mid-autumn moon festival with us on Monday, October 6 at 6:30 pm. We’ll taste slivers of a variety of locally made mooncakes, sip some hot beverages and gaze at the full moon. Reservations are limited so please DM to RSVP.

09/24/2025

Back in the stone ages when people used to blog, we posted about Tylenol and autism. At this time it’s worth repeating here that although so far there has only been shown a correlation between Tylenol (aka paracetamol or acetaminophen) use and autism, there are indeed mechanisms by which this could occur. Some of these include:

✅ Depletion of glutathione. This is an incredibly important antioxidant that protects brain cells from oxidative damage and inflammation that could contribute to neurodevelopmental issues.
✅ Disruption of the endocannabinoid system which regulates mood, social behavior and brain development. Low endocannabinoid levels have been found in subgroups of kids with autism.
✅Mitochondrial damage through its metabolite NAPQI. Mitochondrial dysfunction has been repeatedly linked to autism and other developmental conditions.

Studies show kids exposed in utero have up to 20-30% higher odds of ASD or ADHD. There are very few to any situations where Tylenol is essential, and as we said back in 2016, “Our recommendations continue to be to avoid fever reducers as they impair your immune system. The best treatment of a fever is to support the body through hydration and rest. If your child’s symptoms are making you nervous, Chinese herbal medicine has been used for thousands of years to safely reduce fevers while inhibiting the microorganisms causing your body to respond with a fever.”

08/19/2025

It’s that time of year and we were nominated for Best of Pasadena (even though we are Pasadena adjacent) again! Please help vote for us as best acupuncturist. Thank you in advance!

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BestofPasadena2025?fbclid=PAQ0xDSwMQ9s9leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABpzF_9iI70TtLnwdcER-GHHHjTFCAUzUtvzuecEcOfatTpLWy6mGDF-V59xaP_aem_f_fHV4Xc402uKfZTANQa6Q

Take this survey powered by surveymonkey.com. Create your own surveys for free.

01/09/2025

We have literally lost count as to how many patients and loved ones we know have lost homes. We are so sorry to all of those affected. We’ve also had so many patients ask how to mitigate the toxic air pollution from structure fires dusting all of our surfaces in LA. Here are our current guidelines:

✅ Make sure you have an excellent HEPA air filtration system. The pictured IQ Air has gotten us through over 20 years of moxa smoke, Santa Anas and every single LA fire but there are lots of other great companies out there.
✅ Shower or at least change your clothes after being outdoors.
✅ We love our AQI meters to tell us what our indoor air quality is. As you see, our AQI even with a leaky door is 23. This is a good brand as is the one we listed in our highlights.
✅ Unearth those good quality COVID-era masks. Surgical masks have too many gaps so at least use an N95 when you’re going outdoors.
✅ Please don’t exercise in this weather. If the air quality inside of the home is poor, consider yoga or something gentle and avoid HIIT, running, cycling, etc.
✅ The Japanese like to gargle with green or black tea for pollution-induced itchy irritated throat.
✅ If you have a Tesla, drive in biohazard defense mode to activate the HEPA filter. BTW did you know this mode also eliminates gases, viruses and pollen?

Teas: White tea, phoenix mountain oolong tea (a good source is ), eucalyptus, mullein, chrysanthemum, loquat leaf (clean the fuzz and LA dust off first), mint, citrus peel/zest

Supplements: Antioxidants are your friend. Vitamin C, E, NAC are some examples

Foods: Juicy pears, almonds, persimmons, white sesame seeds, watercress, daikon and daikon sprouts, bamboo, cucumber, bok choy, white cloud fungus

Lastly, we heard from a firefighter that LA might be getting ready to shut down gasoline lines so in case this is imminent, fill up your gas tanks!

We are here for you if you need herbs or treatment. Please share this post with loved ones.

12/06/2024

You probably have a friend or family member who needs a nudge in being proactive about health. Consider a gift certificate for the holidays!

11/11/2024

Finally! An in-person event at Lotus. Please join us for an intimate Gong Fu style tea tasting with and next Saturday, Nov 16 at 6:30 pm with tasty snacks. Spaces are limited so RSVP soon. is a renowned tea expert and source master and always delivers the goods. E-mail wyu@lotuscenter.email to reserve your spot.

10/24/2024

Happy National Acupuncture and Asian Medicine Day! Our medicine stems from Taoism, a philosophy that emphasizes simplicity and living in harmony with nature. The Taoist proverb above means, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

So regardless of where you are on your health journey, it’s never too late to initiate changes. It’s important that we are mindful of our actions and how they impact our mental and physical well-being, both short and long term. This is reflective of the tenets of modern day functional medicine which always explores root causes and reestablishing health through lifestyle intervention.

09/18/2024

We just found out we were nominated for best of Pasadena 2024 and votes are due tomorrow. Please help us out! We are on page 3 so you can skip the businesses and categories you aren’t familiar with. Thanks!

Take this survey powered by surveymonkey.com. Create your own surveys for free.

08/23/2024

OMFG we are finally all in one room! This is your Lotus acupuncture team and we have been in NE Los Angeles providing Chinese medicine to our awesome community since 1999. Our enthusiasm is so palpable in this picture, isn’t it?

07/30/2024

As much as some of us don’t want to admit it, sarcopenia (muscle loss) is a real thing and can accelerate even in our 3rd and 4th decades. We have to think far ahead for this one. We need a thick layer of muscle surrounding our bones to protect us if we fall when we are older. Recently we’ve had a number of female patients in their 50’s who are already being diagnosed with osteopenia which is a precursor to osteoporosis.

Resistance training (with heavy weights) is a great way to combat this and it’s never too early or late to start. A few of our practitioners recently visited in Pasadena to see what they have to offer. What’s unique about their resistance training program is it only requires a single 20 minute session per week, which seems too efficient to be true. Each person is assigned is a trainer who is pushing you to your maximum capacity with heavy weighted equipment, something that honestly is difficult to achieve. If you’re working out by yourself. With this type of resistance training, you can see positive changes in DXA scans If you’re at the gym or working out at home, go heavier on your weights. There are also interesting studies that discuss weighted vests and vibration therapy to improve bone mass. PMID: 29388604, 36793830

Nutrition is an entirely different topic and extremely complicated so that might be a whole other post.

06/20/2024

We’ve done multiple posts and stories on all things plastic and we’re grateful that there is more attention being placed on it. Technology has been developed in recent years to detect it at extremely small particle sizes. Because of this, microplastics and nanoplastics have been found in testicles, semen (PMID: 36948312, 38466387) and lung tissue (34492918). Nanoplastics in ovarian tissue may cause granulosa cell death and affect other aspects of ovarian function, potentially having detrimental effects on fertility (37087970). It is emerging as a contributing factor in cardiovascular inflammation, cardiotoxicity (36473237) and kidney disease (34862106).

You may hear on media outlets that we should wait for definitive links to adverse effects on health but do we really want to wait? Plastics are ubiquitous and it’s hard to completely counteract them but we can at least try a few things:

Get an excellent water filter for your kitchen sink. Check with the manufacturer to see if the filtration system can address microplastics and/or nanoplastics. Another option that works especially with hard water is to boil your water for 5 minutes to remove up to 90% of microplastics. We don’t know if this applies to nanoplastics.
Convert your leftover containers to glass or stainless steel. We love and but there are many many other companies out there. Be that person who brings your own glass or metal reusable container to restaurants. Leave a few containers in your trunk. Many biodegradable to-go boxes are lined with plastic and certain establishments still use styrofoam (made from styrene, which is one of many chemicals tested in the studies listed above). Don’t forget about reusable straws and utensils!
If you must use plastic, do not apply heat to them to encourage their breakdown into micro- and nanoplastics. Don’t microwave in plastic, wait until your food cools down to put it in your plastic container and don’t wash your plastic in the dishwasher.