Today we’d like to introduce you to Magie Song.
Hi Magie, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’m an L.A. native. My parents immigrated from Korea on student visas at the end of a devastating war to be wed by family arrangement in dreamy America. We lived as American as we could, so growing up I was not exposed to the traditional medicine. Besides, not being Chinese, we only went to Chinatown to eat. The Korean practitioners didn’t arrive until the dawn of K-town a few decades later. I became curious about acupuncture in the 80’s and by the time I was diagnosed with an endocrine disease 25 years ago, I was no stranger to it and the herbal medicine having gotten treatments for various less severe problems. With that, I had the sense to refuse the recommendation by a very aggressive endocrinologist to destroy my thyroid. It wasn’t cancer. My thyroid wasn’t killing me, why kill it? I fired them and hired another who agreed that it was premature to take such drastic measure, prescribed the standard pharmaceutical and gave me a schedule of blood draws to monitor my levels. That bought me time. I went to the affordable intern clinic at SAMRA University of Oriental Medicine and in less than a year, my blood work showed significantly improved levels and we began the process of reducing the drug dosage. I enrolled into the program at SAMRA for the shockingly rigorous program of study. After 4 more years of regular acupuncture, traditional herbal formulas and the symptom relieving pharmaceutical, I was in full remission. At 20 years now, I’d say that I’m cured.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Building an acupuncture practice is hard, really hard. Most of us are not entrepreneurs. We are healthcare providers but cannot belong to medical groups. We rely solely on referrals to build our patient bases. We are on our own to market ourselves. Social media, and the business platforms on Google and Yelp have been great. I get a steady flow of people who find me and read the reviews. I studied in Beijing, China for a short while but long enough to appreciate how traditional medicine is included in their modern medical establishment. There are acupuncture clinics in every hospital serving thousands of patients daily. Only licensed western medicine doctors can become acupuncturists in China and S. Korea where there are advanced integrations of east-west modalities for various medical specialties, including OB/GYN, internal organ diseases, immune/autoimmune diseases, pain, dermatology, cancers, etc.
I’m afraid that needles scare enough people away from acupuncture for it to not get wildly popular in this country. I’d say 50% of my patients have tattoos. It’s funny how surprised they are when it’s not as painful as getting inked. On my web platforms, I post a photo showing how something like dozens of acupuncture needles can fit into one hypodermic needle. I prefer gentle needling for myself, so I needle gently. Some acupuncturists believe in strong stimulation of the points. I do not believe that is necessary and I have proof.
I was afraid that Covid would put me on hiatus or even close down the clinic. As it turned out, I had a surge of patients. Adhering to the CDC standards of providing a safe, clean environment gave them the confidence to come in to alleviate their pandemic stress and continue with addressing their health issues. Before Covid, my room was set up to treat 4 patients, each booked every 15 minutes. Since Covid, I book patients every 30 minutes. I’ve decided to stick to that.
What troubles me is that we are now hammered by ads to purchase remedies and cures from flashy web stores for all of our ills. We are glamoured by unlicensed “healers” who claim to practice something called energetic healing. I’ve even heard of energy clearing sessions for hundreds of dollars with special machines that detect bad energy. What a racket. Traditional Asian medicine is based on Qi theory which is a complex subject that I can’t adequately cover in this interview and I am not a teacher or in any way a Master. I am merely a modern practitioner with enough knowledge, experience and skill to provide effective service. Let’s just say that we believe that the mind-body connection is real, so we treat both at the same time.
My other pet peeve are the companies that sell the traditional herbal formulas to the public. This can actually be harmful. Who can safely decide they have liver yang rising with kidney yin deficiency empty fire? And that’s one of the simpler syndromes. The herbs are powerful and if not prescribed properly will either not work or even exacerbate the problem. Then we hear that it doesn’t work. A large part of the 4 year program is the grueling study of the pharmacopoeia. We are trained to prescribe the proper medicine and pay close attention to the effects in case modifications are necessary.
I get a good amount of patients who come to me after trying everything else. Chronicity of any issue can be a challenge but not impossible to treat. It just takes longer to get their problem resolved or become very manageable. In any case, compliance is key.
This is a remarkable preventative medicine. In the 60’s and 70’s we became more aware than ever of preventative healthcare by smarter lifestyle choices. Prevention magazine was created out of interest in exploring alternative healthcare and improving nutrition by growing and consuming organic foods. There are so many options now that are in my opinion, faddish and ineffective. Is the foot bath therapy that supposedly detoxed the body’s organs according to the color the water turned still popular or even offered now as it was 15 years ago?
I’ve noticed through the years, that cleanse regimens come and go, speaking of Dr. Oz-ee-oh.
I like being an acupuncturist and a traditional Chinese/Korean herbalist because, it’s not a fad.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
After becoming licensed, I set up practice in chiropractic offices, wellness centers and other acupuncturists’ clinics. I was charging the “market rate” and billing for insurance compensation. I don’t exactly remember how, but when I got wind of the Community Acupuncture (CA) model, I was blown away. I had to make a career changing decision. No more cost prohibitive fees. No more endless paperwork for delayed payments from insurance companies and on benefits that always ran out. No more wellness boutiques with heavy retail vibes that made me cringe. It’s not a spa service. It’s an elegant and empirically sound medicine. Yes to a more socially responsible way of providing affordable acupuncture to the average working person so that they can get enough treatments. I loved the simplicity and directness of CA to keep overhead low by DIY effort. By treating patients in a group setting, it can be a sustainable business. I opened Echo Park (Community) Acupuncture with just a song 14 years ago. I was terrified. Today, I am the only business from 2011 still standing on my block.
My practice is very broad in that anyone with any problem can walk in and that keeps me on my toes. The work is completely engaging, gratifying, and I enjoy establishing rapport with my patients. I have a showbiz background, so I am a natural entertainer. We have fun. I think it’s important to entertain my patients until they get better. I have patients who have been coming in for years and even since I opened. I appreciate that they return for anything that comes up because they trust that it will be taken care of. Sometimes when they come back after so many years, I’m finally told how effective the last treatment was. This includes fertility, so I finally get to see the baby pictures.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I have surprised some patients by recommending they get what I consider the best western medicine can offer which is imaging and lab work. I explain that it’s primarily to find or rule out diseases, syndromes, viruses, infections, fractures, tears, and anything else we need to know. I convince them that it isn’t contrary to what I am doing but actually very helpful.
Licensed acupuncturists continue to engage in studies throughout their careers. Earning degrees and passing licensure exams is not the end of their studies. Trust your acupuncturists. They’re full of knowledge and skills!
Pricing:
- Fees are a fraction of the typical rate!
- First visit $80. Regular visits thereafter $70.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sites.google.com/qiclub.org/echo-park-acupuncture
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/echo_park_acupuncture/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100043545327261
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/echo-park-acupuncture-los-angeles?osq=Echo+Park+Acupuncture
