Meet Fred Ragsdale of 1000 Folded Cranes Acupuncture Clinic in Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to local acupuncturist Fred Ragsdale.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My story starts as most do– lost in a cave in the Indian Himalayas. I spent fourteen years crisscrossing the world, first by my lonesome, then with a wife and finally two kids alongside, but it was in that cave at the beginning of my wanderings where I was introduced to the magic of Asian medicine in the guise of a little tea-wallah who moonlighted as a master botanist and herbalist. Watching this dude wax poetic on plants as medicine; on energy as healing; on touch as a delivery system for physiological change–I was smitten. When I came down off the mountain, I stumbled around the holy city of Varanasi for a few months devouring Indian medical and philosophy. I was going to be an Ayurvedic Doctor…, until I wasn’t. Succumbing once more to the siren call of the road, I found myself in Taipei, Taiwan. It was during those six years where my haphazard affinity for “stuff” Asiatic crystalized into both a beautiful life-partner and a passion for Chinese Medicine. Naturally, I then left the “Orient” to study Oriental Medicine in that bastion of holistic health, Santa Cruz, California. Four years of medical school, national and state board exams, and then back on the road for another five years with kids and wife in tow while setting up small clinics in countries along the way. Eventually, the sweet call of home rang true and two years ago, we returned to the old neighborhood, shingle hung and here I am, trying my darndest to be the best possible practioner and healer I can be.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
As any Holistic health doctor worth his/her salt would attest, this medicine is as much about going deeper into yourself as it is about helping others. The old saw, “Physician, heal thyself” is the beating heart of my practice. I am constantly “digging in” and working through my own issues, fears, judgements so that my patients receive a truly authentic offering with my treatments. Staying on-top of this; staying on top of my own health and happiness while serving others and not getting lost in this service is always the empowering struggle. From a less ethereal, more prosaic perspective, my greatest obstacle is the same as it is for any small business owner–how to get ’em through the door. I’ve always felt confident that once I treat them “on my table”, I can keep patients in-house; but in a market like Los Angeles, where we have so many amazing healers practicing a variety of medical modalities, getting your name out there is always an uphill battle. For a long time, practicing in far-flung spots like Phuket, Thailand, my marketing strategy was centered around pitching the medicine itself, as I was the often the only “game in town”, However, here in LA, everyone and their Aunt Lucy know about the efficacy of Chinese Medicine/acupuncture, so now I’m not so much pitching the medicine, but rather this Chinese Medicine Doc, Fred Ragsdale. How to do so authentically and with poise and professionalism is a daily and often Sisyphean task.

1000 Folded Cranes Acupuncture Clinic – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
1000 Folded Cranes Acupuncture is a small clinic that is known for its extremely empathetic and compassionate care. I am a strong believer in the power of the practitioner holding space and allowing myself to be a vessel through which the healing energy works its magic. Aside from my bed-side manner, I am most proud of my ability to diagnose quickly and effectively; to cut through the “fluff” of symptoms and get to that marrow of healing truth. Although I take pride in the intuitive side of our medicine, I also believe in Chinese Medicine as a science and therefore think of myself not as a “whoo-hoo” healer, but a doctor steeped in scientific thought, both Eastern and Western, and an integrative approach to the body and soul. In terms of my specialty, the medicine and the way we practice it in the West lends itself to pain cessation–this is what insurance pays for, what research has investigated, and why most people seek us out. It is a great honor for people in pain, especially chronic pain, to trust in me, as often we are their “I’ve tried everything else, you’re my last resort” and I take that responsibility very seriously. As the father of two young kids, previously a second-grade teacher, and a lifelong youth sports coach, I love working with children and have a busy pediatric practice as well; treating everything from asthma to ADHD; from eczema to sports injuries. It always amazes people when I tell them how many kids I treat, as though the “needling” would be a turn-off, or the efficacy of our medicine is lost with children. The kids dig the acupuncture, which I call “tapping” (h/o to the amazing Robin Green) and I throw in herbal medicine, Japanese acupressure (Shoni Shin), and most importantly teach and empower the parents with therapeutic massage, at-home-herbal options, and food tips. While practicing in Shanghai, I expanded my practice toward a more gynecological/fertility specialization which I find myself gravitating towards a lot more than I would have anticipated.

What are you most proud of?
My better-half always laughs that she is probably the only wife who gets excited when she hears that her husband “got another woman pregnant”. It’s such an amazing thrill when you get to be part of that reality. Don’t get me wrong, I love it when a torn rotator cuff heals or a patient is able to sleep through the night for the first time in a month, but there is something sublime when you see/feel the ecstasy in a mama-to-be after struggling with fertility. Getting that celebratory text message from my very first fertility patient recast my approach to the medicine. Up to that point, early in my career, I had thought strictly in terms of orthopedics and pain. I gave a short-shift to the more emotional and hormonal balancing aspects of Chinese Medicine. Somehow this amazing woman found me and trusted me with her most intimate fears and I like to think that I was able to honor that trust and offer my small part in helping her and her husband have a beautiful baby boy. And in my many fertility cases since then, I have never wavered in my understanding and belief in how special and powerful our medicine can be.

Pricing:

• First treatment $100; Subsequent treatments: $75
• Most health insurance plans accepted

Contact Info:

• Address: 5455 Wilshire Blvd, 102; Los Angeles, Ca 90036 (just east of LACMA)
• Website: www.1000foldedcranes.com
• Phone: 323 350 4946
• Email: drfred@1000foldedcranes.com
• Facebook: @foldedcranesacupuncture
• Twitter: @foldedcranesTCM
• Yelp: 1000 folded cranes acuuncture clinic