Meet Joshua Park of Empowered You Acupuncture

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joshua Park.

Hi Joshua, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’m a Doctor of East Asian Medicine and licensed acupuncturist based in Orange County, and my specialty is helping people with chronic digestive issues, like IBS, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, chronic gastritis, and other gut-related conditions that can really take over someone’s life.

My path into this field started very personally. In my early adulthood, I was diagnosed with a chronic digestive illness and was told it was something I’d simply have to “manage” for the rest of my life. I felt dismissed, scared, and honestly a bit hopeless. I did what most people do and followed the conventional recommendations, but I kept wondering if this was really the best I could expect for my body and my future.

That curiosity (and frustration) is what led me to explore East Asian Medicine. I began working with an acupuncturist and herbalist, and within just a couple of months of consistent herbal medicine and acupuncture, my symptoms resolved. I stopped having the daily digestive issues I’d been told were essentially permanent. That experience was life-changing. Not only did it restore my health, but it also gave me a clear sense of purpose: I knew I wanted to help other people who were being told that they “just have to live with it.”

I went on to pursue my doctoral degree in East Asian Medicine at the National University of Natural Medicine in Portland, Oregon, where I trained extensively in both acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. After graduating, I worked as a hospital-based acupuncturist at Memorial Healthcare System in South Florida. That experience deepened my respect for integrative medicine—seeing firsthand how acupuncture and herbal medicine can complement conventional care, especially for complex and chronic conditions.

Eventually, I felt called back to Southern California and to creating a space that was entirely dedicated to gut health and whole-person healing. That’s when I joined Empowered You Acupuncture in Brea, California. My practice there is focused on helping people with chronic digestive disorders get to the root of what’s going on, instead of just chasing symptoms. I work with patients locally in Orange County in person, and I also support people all over the world through virtual gut health programs.

More recently, my work has also expanded into research and writing. Together with Empowered You Acupuncture’s founder, Dr. Erica Yang, DACCHM, L.Ac, I have co-authored a peer reviewed case study on the treatment of IBS-D with herbal medicine. Contributing to the literature in this way has been a meaningful extension of my clinical work, helping to bridge traditional East Asian Medicine with evidence-based, modern healthcare.

At its core, my work is about empowering people who have organized their lives around pain, bloating, fatigue, and other troublesome symptoms break free of the cycle of chronic illness, so they can plan trips, eat with friends, show up for their work and relationships, and trust their bodies in ways that once felt out of reach. When someone who was told “this is just how it is now” starts living a very different reality, that’s the transformation my practice exists to support.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
One of the biggest challenges has been practicing a medicine that sits at the edges of the conventional system while still collaborating with that system. I’ve worked in hospitals and I deeply respect Western medicine, but there’s still a lot of misunderstanding about what East Asian Medicine can do, especially for conditions like IBS, IBD, and other autoimmune-related gut issues. Decades of modern scientific research shows how herbal medicine and acupuncture can reshape the gut microbiome, reduce inflammation, enhance immunity, and regulate the nervous system, but neither the general public nor the average clinician is aware of this enormous and exponentially growing body of evidence. Educating patients, and sometimes even other providers, about what’s possible beyond simple pain management has been an ongoing part of the work.

Another challenge was transitioning from being a hospital-based acupuncturist to building a practice that’s very specific and very niche. It’s one thing to offer “general acupuncture,” and it’s another to say, “I help people with complex digestive and autoimmune patterns using acupuncture, herbs, and nervous system work.” That level of focus is powerful for patients, but it also means trusting that the right people will find you and that you don’t have to be everything to everyone.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Empowered You Acupuncture is a clinic in Brea, California, and a virtual gut-healing health coaching practice serving people around the world who are dealing with chronic digestive and autoimmune-related conditions. While many acupuncture clinics are more general, our work is almost entirely focused on the gut. So things like IBS, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, chronic gastritis, SIBO, and related brain–gut axis issues like anxiety, fatigue, and dysautonomia.

In the clinic, we use a combination of acupuncture, East Asian herbal medicine, and targeted nervous system practices like breathwork to help people change the underlying patterns driving their symptoms. For local patients in Orange County, that often looks like a structured series of in-person acupuncture sessions paired with customized herbal formulas and lifestyle guidance. For people who don’t live nearby, we offer virtual gut health programs that focus on classical herbal medicine, breathwork, and nervous system regulation to support deep, sustainable change even without in-person needles.

What sets Empowered You apart is the level of specificity and the depth of the work. We’re not trying to treat everything for everyone. Our practice is designed for people whose lives have been organized around their digestion for years: people who have seen multiple specialists, tried different medications and diets, and are still stuck in cycles of pain, bloating, urgency, fatigue, and flare-ups. I bring together classical East Asian Medicine, modern research on the microbiome and the nervous system, and the lived reality of what it’s like to have your day dictated by your gut.

I’m particularly proud that Empowered You is grounded in both tradition and evidence. I’m part of a long lineage of East Asian Medicine, and at the same time, my colleague and co-founder of Empowered You, Dr. Erica Yang, and I are contributing to the modern research conversation. We recently co-authored a peer-reviewed article on the treatment of IBS-D with herbal medicine, published in the Integrative Medicine Journal Convergent Points. That blend of clinical experience, classical training, and research is a core part of the Empowered You Acupuncture brand.

What I most want readers to know is that if you’ve been told to “just manage” your digestive condition or accept that this is your new normal, there are other options. Our work at Empowered You Acupuncture is about helping people break the cycle of chronic illness, rebuild trust with their bodies, and reclaim the capacity to live lives that aren’t organized around symptoms. Whether that happens in my Brea clinic or through virtual coaching, the goal is the same: transformative change in how your gut and your life feels.

Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
The primary way to work with me is through my clinical practice. For those in Orange County, California, I offer in-person appointments at Empowered You Acupuncture in Brea. This allows for direct acupuncture treatment alongside herbal medicine and nervous system support. For individuals anywhere else in the world, we offer virtual gut health programs. These programs are designed to provide comprehensive support through classical East Asian herbal medicine, breathwork, and targeted nervous system regulation, all delivered remotely. The best first step for anyone interested in becoming a patient, whether in-person or virtual, is to visit our website, www.empoweredyouacupuncture.com,

The best way to support Empowered You Acupuncture is by sharing our mission with anyone you know who might be struggling with chronic digestive issues. Many people are told there’s no solution for their IBS, Crohn’s, colitis, or other gut problems, and they simply don’t know that East Asian Medicine offers profound possibilities for healing. Spreading the word about our work, sharing our articles or social media content, or simply referring someone to our website can make a huge difference in helping someone find the care they need. You can also follow us on social media (e.g., Instagram: @empoweredyouacupuncture) to stay updated on our latest insights and offerings.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://empoweredyouacupuncture.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trustyourgutagain
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/empoweredyouacupuncture