Thrive Acupuncture and Wellness

Thrive Acupuncture and Wellness Thrive is a holistic acupuncture clinic in Santa Rosa serving the greater Sonoma County. Welcome to Thrive Acupuncture and Wellness!

We hope to inspire you to become proactive about your health and help you find the best course of action for your specific needs. You’re likely here right now because you’re ready to experience greater physical and mental well-being. Maybe you’re tired, stressed out, in pain, or frustrated that you don’t have the vitality to enable you to live the life you dream of. You know you could use more ene

rgy, joy, and balance in your daily life. If you’re like many of our patients, you’re seeking an alternative or compliment to conventional medicine. You want to get to the root cause of your health problems, not just put a temporary bandage on them. Your goal is total life wellness and transformation. Get your health and well-being back using the gentle, safe, and highly effective natural healthcare system of Chinese Medicine. Christina Ness LAc, Dipl OM, MSTCM is passionate about helping people live an emotionally and physically balanced life filled with joy and vitality. Christina has helped hundreds of patients with a variety of health issues ranging from chronic pain and sports injuries, allergies and sinusitis, to depression, anxiety, PMS, and insomnia. Christina believes that everyone possesses an inherent natural state of health and well-being; however sometimes this vitality needs help shining through. Christina is committed to helping people find their inner physical and mental well-being and educating people about how they can live the fullest, most vibrant life so they can continue to thrive for as long as they live.

Every year at the start of spring patients start saying they are irritable in in a low mood, but they think they should ...
05/05/2026

Every year at the start of spring patients start saying they are irritable in in a low mood, but they think they should be springing forward with joy. The transition to spring looks fun, but can be hard on the body and mind, especially if we didn't get enough winter rest & hibernation.

We help patients regulate these patterns every spring.

Spring is Liver season. And the Liver does not thrive on chaos.

It thrives on:
💚 Movement.
💚 Clean fuel.
💚 Emotional expression.

You don’t need a cleanse. You need flow.

Move your body daily — even 15 minutes counts.

Eat greens consistently — real food. Spinach, kale, broccoli, lettuces, asparagus. Notice where you’re suppressing frustration.

Irritability is not random. It’s stagnation asking for movement.

If you’ve been tighter, edgier, or more reactive this season, that’s information. Let’s work with the season instead of fighting it.

Schedule your appointment online or reach out with questions:
Thrive Acupuncture & Wellness
📍 2880 Cleveland Ave, Ste 5, Santa Rosa, CA
📩 thrive@thrive-acupuncture.com
☎️ (707) 527-0868
📆 thrive-acupuncture.janeapp.com

A Simple Bedtime Ritual for Better Sleep If bedtime feels like a negotiation instead of a transition, try this tonight....
05/04/2026

A Simple Bedtime Ritual for Better Sleep

If bedtime feels like a negotiation instead of a transition, try this tonight. About an hour before sleep, steep chamomile tea with a small handful of goji berries. Chamomile calms the nervous system. Goji nourishes the blood, which in Chinese Medicine anchors sleep.

If you run warm or restless, add mint for cooling.
The ritual matters as much as the ingredients.

We love Traditional Medicinals brand chamomile tea. They have regular, with mint (cooling), lavender (relaxing), ginger (digestion support and warming), passion flower (calming). And you can get those teas and goji berries at Oliver's or Whole Foods.

☕️ Warm cup.
☕️ Dim lights.
☕️ No screens.
☕️ Signal safety.

Because sleep isn’t just fatigue. It’s trust.

And if you’ve been doing “all the right things” and still waking between 1–3am or feeling wired at night, that’s not a discipline issue.

It’s a regulation issue. We can help restore the balance and change the pattern with acupuncture and custom herbal formulas.

Let’s make nighttime restorative again.

Schedule your appointment online or reach out with questions:
Thrive Acupuncture & Wellness
📍 2880 Cleveland Ave, Ste 5, Santa Rosa, CA
📩 thrive@thrive-acupuncture.com
☎️ (707) 527-0868
📆 thrive-acupuncture.janeapp.com

Moving Without Pain: Support for Your Knees If you hesitate before stairs… If you avoid squatting because you already kn...
05/02/2026

Moving Without Pain: Support for Your Knees

If you hesitate before stairs…
If you avoid squatting because you already know it’s going to hurt…
If getting up from the floor feels older than you are…

Your knees aren’t “just aging.” They’re inflamed. Compensating. Under-supported.

We regularly treat:
🦵 Tendonitis and repetitive strain
🦵 Runner’s knee
🦵 Bursitis
🦵 Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis
🦵 Patellar instability
🦵 Post-surgical stiffness

Knee pain changes how you move and how you show up.
🦵 Stride shortens.
🦵 Confidence drops.
🦵 Workouts shift.
🦵 Energy drains faster.

☯️ Acupuncture improves circulation, reduces inflammatory load, and helps retrain movement patterns so your body stops guarding every step.

🌿 We also have truly effective natural herbal remedies--balms, liniments, creams, patches, soaks--that treat pain and promote soft tissue healing. And custom herbal formulas that support circulation, reduce inflammation, and calm the nervous system to support healing in between treatments.

If your knees are negotiating your daily life, it’s time to intervene. You should feel strong walking into a room and not calculating where the nearest chair is.

Schedule your appointment online or reach out with questions:
Thrive Acupuncture & Wellness
📍 2880 Cleveland Ave, Ste 5, Santa Rosa, CA
📩 thrive@thrive-acupuncture.com
☎️ (707) 527-0868
📆 thrive-acupuncture.janeapp.com

Springing Forward: Less Grip, More Flow ✨🌸 ✨One of my favorite questions (for myself and our patients) is: "How can I im...
04/29/2026

Springing Forward: Less Grip, More Flow ✨🌸 ✨

One of my favorite questions (for myself and our patients) is: "How can I improve something without being gripped?"

We’re often taught to push harder. Focus more. Power through.
And sometimes that works—for a moment.

But the body doesn’t respond well to being gripped.

Take the hips.

They’re designed for movement—rotation, extension, forward motion, pivoting.
When that movement is restricted, the body adapts.
And adaptation always comes at a cost.

That cost doesn’t stay in the hips.

It shows up as:
Jaw tension
Low back flare-ups
Tight shoulders
Achy knees

Because when the hips lose flow, the whole system compensates.

In Chinese Medicine, the hips are tied to the Liver and Gallbladder—systems responsible for smooth movement, not just physically, but emotionally and mentally too.

When flow is disrupted, you may feel:
Less flexible
More reactive
Stuck in your body—and in your thinking

This is the shift:
Less grip. More flow.

Acupuncture works by:
✨ Improving circulation to deep stabilizing muscles.
✨ Reducing inflammatory signaling.
✨ Interrupting guarding patterns.
✨ Regulating the nervous system so the body no longer feels the need to brace.

🌿 We also truly effective topical herbal lineaments, balms, patches and soaks to bring quick relief and custom herbal formulas that support healing and pattern change in between treatments.

When the underlying pattern shifts, it’s rarely isolated. Patients often notice less tension, reduced pain, better sleep, and more ease in both body and mind.

If your hips have been quietly limiting you it may be time to address the pattern directly.

You don’t have to stay braced.
Movement—real movement—is possible again.

Schedule your appointment online or reach out with questions:
Thrive Acupuncture & Wellness
📍 2880 Cleveland Ave, Ste 5, Santa Rosa, CA
📩 thrive@thrive-acupuncture.com
☎️ (707) 527-0868
📆 thrive-acupuncture.janeapp.com







Healing doesn’t happen to you. It happens with you. The relationship between practitioner and patient matters more than...
04/28/2026

Healing doesn’t happen to you. It happens with you.

The relationship between practitioner and patient matters more than people realize.
Trust regulates the nervous system.
Being heard changes physiology.
Clarity reduces fear.

All three of our acupuncturists came to this medicine because we've seen what happens when someone feels truly supported. Without judgement. With gentle guidance.

Our approach blends:
✨ Deep listening
✨ Pattern recognition
✨ Clear strategy
✨ Collaboration

Healing is relational.
We don’t rush. We don’t guess. We build a plan that fits your real life.
This isn’t about fixing you. It’s about working together to restore stability.

Schedule your appointment online or reach out with questions:
Thrive Acupuncture & Wellness
📍 2880 Cleveland Ave, Ste 5, Santa Rosa, CA
📩 thrive@thrive-acupuncture.com
☎️ (707) 527-0868
📆 thrive-acupuncture.janeapp.com

New Faces at Thrive💫In case you didn’t catch it in our newsletter, we’re welcoming several new faces into the clinic.The...
04/26/2026

New Faces at Thrive💫

In case you didn’t catch it in our newsletter, we’re welcoming several new faces into the clinic.

The start of the year is carrying the energy of the Fire Horse—fast-moving, heart-led, and full of momentum—and we’re feeling it here at Thrive.

With that energy comes growth.

We’re especially excited to introduce Dylan Hawhee, LAc, who has been shadowing Christina to learn our systems. She will begin seeing patients May 5. It’s been a long time coming, and we’re so glad the timing has aligned.

Our front desk is evolving too, with Julie Schlander joining the team and more support on the way as our schedule expands.

We’re grateful to Darien, who has moved on to pursue photo and video work—we wish him the very best as he follows his own Fire Horse path.

Kevin Hawks (Christina's husband) has stepped in as interim office manager, helping keep everything flowing smoothly through this transition.

And still here with you:
Megan Rauch, LAc: seeing patients Monday, Thursday, and Friday.
Alisa Yu: reception on Mondays, and helping train us all.
Christina Ness-Hawks, LAc—I’m still here, right in the middle of all this Fire Horse energy—caring for patients, guiding the team, and helping Thrive grow in a way that feels aligned and supportive for everyone.

I’ll be sharing more about each of our new team members soon.

Thank you for growing with us. We’re committed to making sure you feel supported every step of the way.

The easiest way to get a glimpse of our additional appointmentavailability is to check out our online booking system:
📆 thrive-acupuncture.janeapp.com

“Is Acupuncture Evidence-Based?” It’s a fair question. And the short answer is: yes! Acupuncture and Chinese herbal med...
04/26/2026

“Is Acupuncture Evidence-Based?”

It’s a fair question. And the short answer is: yes!

Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine has thousands of years of clinical history but it’s also been studied extensively in modern research settings.

There is strong evidence supporting acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine for:
☯️ Chronic pain
☯️ Migraines and headaches
☯️ Osteoarthritis
☯️ Low back pain
☯️ Anxiety
☯️ Insomnia

And research continues to grow, especially around nervous system regulation and inflammation.

But here’s something equally important:
Clinical skill matters.
Research tells us what acupuncture can help with.
Training tells us how to apply it correctly.

A licensed, board-certified acupuncturist is trained to assess complex symptom patterns, integrate biomedical understanding, and create a structured treatment plan — not just insert needles and hope for the best.

If you’re curious but cautious, that’s wise. Let’s talk.
You deserve care that is both traditional and evidence-informed.

Schedule your appointment online or reach out with questions:
Thrive Acupuncture & Wellness
📍 2880 Cleveland Ave, Ste 5, Santa Rosa, CA
📩 thrive@thrive-acupuncture.com
☎️ (707) 527-0868
📆 thrive-acupuncture.janeapp.com

Spring has been unpredictable. Hot one day. Cold and windy the next. Raining in the morning. Sunny by dinner. Your bo...
04/25/2026

Spring has been unpredictable. Hot one day. Cold and windy the next.
Raining in the morning. Sunny by dinner.

Your body feels that instability too. Transition seasons stress your ability to regulate.

Your systems crave rhythm:
🧘‍♂️ Steady sleep
🧘‍♂️ Stable mood
🧘‍♂️ Consistent energy
🧘‍♂️ Predictable digestion
🧘‍♂️ Balanced hormones
🧘‍♂️ Smooth cycles

When one rhythm gets disrupted, others follow.
You might notice:
🌀 Cycle irregularities
🌀 Bloating or constipation
🌀 Mood swings
🌀 Allergy flares
🌀 Asthma acting up
🌀 Urinary shifts
🌀 Joint stiffness
🌀 Energy dips
🌀 Pain that resurfaces

This isn’t random.
It’s your regulatory systems adjusting under pressure.

When we restore rhythm through nervous system regulation, improved circulation, digestive support, reduced inflammation, and hormonal balance, symptoms quiet down.

And when your body is regulated? You stop thinking about it. It just works.

If this season has thrown you off, it’s time for a reset.

Schedule your appointment online or reach out with questions:
Thrive Acupuncture & Wellness
📍 2880 Cleveland Ave, Ste 5, Santa Rosa, CA
📩 thrive@thrive-acupuncture.com
☎️ (707) 527-0868
📆 thrive-acupuncture.janeapp.com

Let’s stabilize your baseline.

The year of the fire horse promises fast-moving change and heart-led action and that energy is alive at Thrive. You'll b...
04/22/2026

The year of the fire horse promises fast-moving change and heart-led action and that energy is alive at Thrive. You'll be seeing several new faces in the clinic, and it feels like people are following their hearts as they gallop out and gallop in!

Take a look inside our newsletter for more about the new faces and an exploration of one of my favorite questions—"How can I improve something without being gripped?

🎉 New Faces and Springing Forward With Less Grip and More Flow - https://mailchi.mp/thrive-acupuncture/new-faces-and-springing-forward-with-less-grip-and-more-flow

Spring is Liver season and the Liver governs vision. Not just eyesight. Direction. When this system flows well, you feel...
04/19/2026

Spring is Liver season and the Liver governs vision.
Not just eyesight.
Direction.

When this system flows well, you feel clear. Decisive. Motivated.

When it stagnates? You feel:
😣 Uncertain
😣 Unmotivated
😣 Foggy about next steps
😣 Irritable without knowing why
😣 Pulled in five directions at once

This season amplifies expansion. But expansion without direction feels like pressure.

Ask yourself:
💭 What am I tolerating that I’ve outgrown?
💭 Where am I hesitating?
💭 What would feeling strong actually look like?

You don’t need to overhaul your life. You need one aligned step.
Clarity creates momentum. Momentum restores flow.

If part of your next chapter includes stronger health, steadier energy, or sharper focus, we’d love to support that.
Direction is physiological as much as it is philosophical.

Schedule your appointment online or reach out with questions:
Thrive Acupuncture & Wellness
📍 2880 Cleveland Ave, Ste 5, Santa Rosa, CA
📩 thrive@thrive-acupuncture.com
☎️ (707) 527-0868
📆 thrive-acupuncture.janeapp.com






Your body is not failing you. It’s adaptive. Symptoms show up when adaptation gets overloaded. When we aren't annoyed b...
04/18/2026

Your body is not failing you.
It’s adaptive.
Symptoms show up when adaptation gets overloaded.
When we aren't annoyed by them, they can be love letters to help you pay attention 💌

Pain isn’t betrayal.
Fatigue isn’t laziness.
Irritability isn’t weakness.
They’re signals.

☯️ Acupuncture helps restore regulation by improving circulation, calming the stress response, stabilizing hormones, and reducing inflammatory patterns.

🌿 Custom herbal formulas support you by increasing circulation, decreasing inflammation, regulating the digestive system, and calming the central nervous system.

Healing isn’t instant. But with consistency, physiology shifts.
✨ Sleep deepens.
✨ Pain decreases.
✨ Energy steadies.
✨ Mood stabilizes.

We don’t chase symptoms.
We identify patterns and build a structured plan around them.

If you’re ready to feel balanced instead of reactive, schedule your appointment online or reach out with questions:
Thrive Acupuncture & Wellness
📍 2880 Cleveland Ave, Ste 5, Santa Rosa, CA
📩 thrive@thrive-acupuncture.com
☎️ (707) 527-0868
📆 thrive-acupuncture.janeapp.com (Link in Bio)






Address

2880 Cleveland Avenue, Suite 5
Santa Rosa, CA
95403

Opening Hours

Monday 11am - 7pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 11am - 7pm
Friday 9am - 1am

Telephone

+17075270868

Website

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