Leah Martino, LAc

Bio

I grew up in New Jersey where I attended Trenton State University, and later graduated from Boston University with a Bachelor of Liberal Studies. I moved to California in 1979 to study therapeutic massage and holistic health, and in 1981 studied acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine at the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, San Francisco. Later, I attended the San Francisco College of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine where I received my Oriental Medical Doctor degree.

I moved to Sonoma County in 1984 and set up a private practice in Cotati for 15 years. In 1994 I joined Kaiser Permanente, Santa Rosa where I now work full-time providing acupuncture in the Chronic Pain Department. I am fortunate to work with an exceptional team of providers and support staff and enjoy working in the medical setting.

My Medical Specialty

More details about my specialty:

My journey into acupuncture and Oriental Medicine began after college when I went to live in Western New York State to heal the wounds of a recent divorce and figure out what I was going to do with the rest of my life. While there I checked out two books about acupuncture from the library. Reading those books was like coming home. I savored every word and imagined how wonderful it would be to be able to do something so great. Then I promptly got depressed, thinking that even if I could learn how to do acupuncture, it was not a legal profession at that time.

Eventually I found my way to Santa Cruz, CA to study massage and holistic health. There I started studying herbs with Michael Tierra, who was also an acupuncturist. One day Michael told me that in some rural areas of China, where there were few doctors, laymen, called barefoot doctors, practiced acupuncture. If the case was too complex, the patient then had to travel to the city to see the doctor of Oriental medicine. Almost as if thinking out loud, Michael stated he was thinking of teaching a barefoot doctor class and what did I think about that?

There it was, my opportunity to study acupuncture and Oriental medicine, staring me in the face. I signed up for several courses and on the very first day, administered my first acupuncture treatment on an orange. Then I practiced on myself and learned a very basic treatment for classmates and friends. I apprenticed in Michael's clinic two days a week for a year doing dietary counseling, herb instruction, office work and anything that enabled me to observe Michael at work.

The road from apprenticing to licensure at that time was long and unregulated, and I still didn't know how I would be able to utilize my teachings in a legal profession. Then, in 1981, California enacted a law to allow schools to prepare students for the acupuncture licensing examination. I immediately applied to the American College of Traditional Chinese medicine in San Francisco, where I completed my training and became licensed to practice, legally.

As I looked back at that day when acupuncture seemed like only a dream, I realized that something bigger than myself guided me in the right direction. This experience helped me to trust my inner voice of excitement and to act on my passions. I now have over 20 years experience and feel grateful that I was able to create such a gratifying profession.

My specialty interests and affiliations within my field:

In the field of acupuncture and Oriental medicine, we do not officially, specialize in the way that a medical doctor can specialize in rheumatology, oncology, etc. However, many acupuncturists direct their interests into using specific styles of treatment or in treating women's health problems, sports injuries, children, etc.

Because I began working in the Chronic Pain Department at Kaiser Permanente over 12 years ago, I have developed my skills in treating chronic pain conditions. There are numerous styles of acupuncture, but some are better at treating chronic pain. One system of acupuncture is the Tong style, where points on the hands are used to treat the neck, shoulders, low back and other musculoskeletal problem areas. For people who are shy about the acupuncture treatment, or for those on blood thinner medicine, I use Korean Hand Therapy to tape small (non-needle) pellets on specific points on the hands. Ear acupuncture is especially helpful for people who are feeling emotional due to a flare up, anger, or stress.

I recently taught my first class to other licensed acupuncturists on treating chronic pain with acupuncture. Treating chronic pain requires understanding of how pain can affect the neurotransmitters in the brain causing the pain gates to open. The goal of acupuncture is to relax the patient and stimulate the brain to release chemicals to close the pain gates and heal the injured tissue. Acupuncture needs to be combined with exercise and other stress reduction techniques, such as deep breathing, visualization and meditation to manage chronic pain.

Current projects or research:

I am currently taking a break from projects and spending more time on personal interests.

Great health resources that I refer to:

With the Web at our fingertips we now have numerous sources available. Acupuncture.com is, I think, the most commonly visited acupuncture website.

Regarding books on acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, Staying Healthy with the Seasons by Elson Haas, M.D. provides of the acupuncture meridians, diet and exercises that associate with the four seasons.

Between Heaven and Earth,Harriet Beinfield, L.Ac. and Efren korngold, L.Ac. provides a more in depth guide to Chinese Medicine.

Healing with Whole Foods, Paul Pitchford is a comprehensive guide to food therapy.

The Chinese Way to a Long and Healthy Life, the People's Medical Publishing house, Beijing, China describes qigong exercises and massage techniques to maintain a healthy body.

Photos from My Training Years or of Practicing Medicine in My Field:

Leah with a colleague at graduation

Interests

Currently reading:
Acupuncture Today, Newsweek

My favorite book or author:
The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini; The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk

Hobby Photos & Links:

Ready to hit the slopes!

Family & Friends

People in my life:

I moved to Sonoma County 23 years ago to live with my husband and to start my acupuncture practice.

I don't have any pets at present.

Travel

An adventure I've had:

One of the most exciting things I have ever done was right here in California. Last year I was invited to spend a weekend at a friend's beautiful house overlooking the ocean in Fort Bragg. The men were going abalone diving. Since I had recently purchased a wet suit, they invited me to go along. Dressing took a long time and had to be timed perfectly for low tide. We descended part way down the cliff on a perfectly vertical ladder and then hiked the rest of the way to the water. Even though the tide was low, the waves were strong and rocks and kelp were abundant. I tried standing but the water just knocked me over. So I got down on my belly and tried swimming - again the water kept pulling me back into the rocks and entangling me in seaweed. I had been in the ocean Back East and in Hawaii, but never felt anything as powerful as the Northern Pacific. My friends helped pull me along and it took about a half hour of struggling, kicking and pulling on the kelp to get out to the diving sight.

I was more interested in being in the ocean than doing the actual diving for the abalone, so my job was to man the float-tire which was used to collect the abalone. The water was freezing cold, as it was the end of October, and sometimes I felt like my heart could just stop, or my fingers could fall off. I felt some fear of the powerfulness of the current and had to tell myself to breathe, pay attention and keep my hands moving.

It is difficult to describe just how wonderful it was being so close with Mother Nature and being at her mercy. But floating out there among the cliffs and rocks was incredibly exhilarating and I felt on top of the world.

The trip back to shore was much easier, since I was flowing with the waves and was more used to being in the water. When we returned we rested on a rock and I had a sense of accomplishment and joy from doing something so physically demanding and gratifying.

Favorite place in the world:

Before I came to California, I spent a winter in the Caribbean in St Thomas. The water was crystal clear and the snorkeling and sailing were tremendous. However, the place where I feel most alive is on the Big Island of Hawaii. There is something about the jumbo-sized plants, the warmth of the ocean and the mythical power of the volcano under Pele's spell. I love piling the rocks on the side of the road, swimming in black-sand beaches, floating in the warm pond, smelling the plumeria and eating coconut ice cream. The breeze and the feel of summer clothes makes me feel light and beautiful in a way that I only experience there. I feel at home with myself in Hawaii. Aloha.

Travel Photos:

Leah abalone diving in Mendocino