Vision
M48 micro acupuncture combined with scalp acupuncture, Master Tung's points and electro-stimulation when appropriate.
Ancient wisdom for modern conditions.
Make Well - Be Well
Classical Chinese medicine in Oceanside and Rancho Bernardo. Tell us what is bothering you: search your concern, or start with one of the five areas below.
What we help with
Pain and orthopedics
Dry needling, Active Release Techniques and movement corrections, planned as one treatment in the same visit.
Stroke and neurology
Scalp acupuncture, the Xing Nao Kai Qiao system and electro-acupuncture when appropriate, with movement rehab in the office.
Fertility and women's health
Cycles, conception and the years around menopause, read by pattern and treated with acupuncture and herbs.
Internal medicine
Digestion, sleep, mood, energy, allergies and skin, read by pattern and treated with formulas and acupuncture.
How we work
We use some of the most clinically effective therapies available outside of surgical intervention, and combine them in one plan.
Michael Woodworth, M.S., L.Ac., has practiced classical Chinese medicine in North County and San Diego since 2005. Every patient is treated by him personally. About Michael
One plan, one visit, one practitioner
Needling, hands-on therapy, movement and herbs are planned as one treatment and given in the same session, by the same person, instead of being split between different therapists on different days.
The needle reaches where no hand can
Deep muscles, motor points and the places where a nerve is trapped, alongside the classical points chosen for the pattern underneath.
Trained across many methods, for many conditions
We are well trained in a wide range of modalities, from classical acupuncture and herbal medicine to orthopedic acupuncture and hands-on therapy, and in caring for a wide range of conditions.
When your condition changes, the medicine changes with you
Formulas and points follow the pattern you have now, not the one you arrived with.
We do not bill insurance, and our fees are published. Fees and treatment plans
How we read your concern
Every concern can be read two ways. We use both, and let the one that sees a case best lead: anatomy and physiology for pain, the eyes and the nervous system; differential pattern diagnosis for fertility, digestion, sleep, stress and other internal conditions.
The Western lensAnatomy, physiology, biomechanics
Where the problem sits in the body: the muscle, nerve, joint or blood supply involved, and how load moves through it. It decides where a needle goes and which tissue needs freeing.
The classical lensChannels, patterns, the five phases
What the whole person is doing: the channels involved, the pattern behind the symptom, the phase and the hour it keeps. It decides what to move, what to support and which formula fits.
Each phase feeds the next around the circle, and restrains the one across the star.
Wood 木 mù
Growth and direction. Wood is the push of a green shoot through cold soil, and in the body it is the smooth, unhindered flow of qi.
In Western terms, the conditions we read through Wood mostly involve muscles, tendons and fascia, the visual system, and the stress response.
- Organs
- Liver and Gallbladder
- Season
- Spring
- Emotion
- Anger and frustration
- Flavor
- Sour
- Climate
- Wind
- Opens into
- Eyes
Fed by Water, it feeds Fire. It restrains Earth and is restrained by Metal.
Wood runs through two care areas: the Liver opens into the eyes and governs the sinews. Read here: vision and pain and orthopedics.
What we often see here
Fire 火 huǒ
Warmth and expression at full height. Fire is the Heart's light: connection, clarity, and a mind that can settle at night.
In Western terms, Fire touches the heart and circulation and the body clock that times sleep.
- Organs
- Heart and Small Intestine
- Season
- Summer
- Emotion
- Joy, and its excess as agitation
- Flavor
- Bitter
- Climate
- Heat
- Opens into
- Tongue
Fed by Wood, it feeds Earth. It restrains Metal and is restrained by Water.
What we often see here
How we work with it
Earth 土 tǔ
The center and the pivot. Earth receives, ripens and steadies, turning food into the qi and blood that carry every other phase.
In Western terms, Earth covers digestion and metabolism, and how meals and blood sugar shape energy.
- Organs
- Spleen and Stomach
- Season
- Late summer and each change of season
- Emotion
- Worry and overthinking
- Flavor
- Sweet
- Climate
- Dampness
- Opens into
- Mouth
Fed by Fire, it feeds Metal. It restrains Water and is restrained by Wood.
Earth sits at the center of most internal cases: the Spleen and Stomach make the qi the body runs on. Read here: internal medicine.
What we often see here
How we work with it
Metal 金 jīn
Refinement and release. Metal gathers in what is precious and lets go of what is spent, from each breath to each season.
In Western terms, Metal covers the airways, the skin and the immune barrier.
- Organs
- Lung and Large Intestine
- Season
- Autumn
- Emotion
- Grief
- Flavor
- Pungent
- Climate
- Dryness
- Opens into
- Nose
Fed by Earth, it feeds Water. It restrains Wood and is restrained by Fire.
What we often see here
How we work with it
Water 水 shuǐ
Storage and depth. Water holds the reserves we are born with, the Kidney essence that sets the pace of growth, fertility and aging.
In Western terms, Water covers the bones and the central nervous system, and the hormonal side of reproduction.
- Organs
- Kidney and Bladder
- Season
- Winter
- Emotion
- Fear
- Flavor
- Salty
- Climate
- Cold
- Opens into
- Ears
Fed by Metal, it feeds Wood. It restrains Fire and is restrained by Earth.
The Kidney essence fills the brain, the sea of marrow, and starts and sustains reproductive capacity, so neurological recovery and fertility are often read here. Read here: stroke and neurology and fertility and women's health.
What we often see here
How we work with it
The organ clock
Qi moves through the twelve organ channels on a daily circuit, two hours at a time.
Each organ has a window when its qi is said to be strongest. It is one of the oldest ways classical medicine reads a symptom that keeps arriving at the same hour.
- 3 am to 5 amLung 肺
- 5 am to 7 amLarge Intestine 大腸
- 7 am to 9 amStomach 胃
- 9 am to 11 amSpleen 脾
- 11 am to 1 pmHeart 心
- 1 pm to 3 pmSmall Intestine 小腸
- 3 pm to 5 pmBladder 膀胱
- 5 pm to 7 pmKidney 腎
- 7 pm to 9 pmPericardium 心包
- 9 pm to 11 pmSan Jiao 三焦
- 11 pm to 1 amGallbladder 膽
- 1 am to 3 amLiver 肝
From the journal
Seasonal notes, kitchen medicine and the classics, in plain language. All posts
- Metabolism and Energy in Chinese MedicineWhy some people run warm and steady while others crash after lunch: the Western picture of blood sugar, sleep and stress, and the classical picture of the Spleen, dampness and Kidney yang.
- Tinnitus in Chinese MedicineChinese medicine sorts tinnitus into two broad groups. In excess patterns, heat or phlegm rises to the ears, and the sound tends to be loud and sudden.
- What Pneumonia Looks Like in Chinese MedicineHow classical Chinese medicine stages pneumonia, from exterior cold to interior heat and lingering phlegm, and where that thinking sits beside antibiotics and urgent medical care.
Two clinics in San Diego County
One on the coast, one inland. Same practitioner and the same care at both. By appointment only. Online booking is required, and there are no walk-ins.
Oceanside
2111 S. El Camino Real, Suite 301
Oceanside, CA 92054
North County, a few minutes from the 5 and the 78.
By appointment only. Online booking is required, and there are no walk-ins. Appointments begin in the afternoon and run into the evening, with alternating weekend hours; exact availability for each location is in the online scheduler.
Rancho Bernardo
16486 Bernardo Center Drive, Suite 218
San Diego, CA 92128
Inland San Diego, just off the 15 at Bernardo Center Drive.
By appointment only. Online booking is required, and there are no walk-ins. Appointments begin in the afternoon and run into the evening, with alternating weekend hours; exact availability for each location is in the online scheduler.
Book in Rancho Bernardo Directions Clinic details: Rancho Bernardo Fees
In patients' words
Reviews from Google and Yelp, shared with permission and shortened where marked (…). Read all patient reviews
I had a great consultation and acupuncture therapy with Michael! I felt very educated and clear on the healing and structure of my body’s issues, and the chronic pain I have in my lower body. He provided me a plan moving forward, and what was going to be needed to get me aligned and feeling better. He provided great video therapy exercises on his website along with your treatment as homework, so when he is with you in your following visits, he can see your progress. He has your best interest at heart, and is very kind and generous. I highly recommend him!
MichelleYelp · Oceanside: read all Yelp reviews (opens in a new tab) I started going to Makari Wellness for acupuncture to treat a shoulder injury. Mike’s approach was different from anything I had tried before. Instead of relying on repeated visits, he gave me a ton of at-home tips that have made a real …
AllisonGoogle · Rancho Bernardo: read all Google reviews (opens in a new tab) An ongoing shoulder issue brought me to Makari. The first visit was very informative. I have a better understanding of the injury and looking forward to exercises, rehab, and acupuncture. Michael was extremely sympathetic and encouraging.
TeriYelp · Rancho Bernardo: read all Yelp reviews (opens in a new tab) The decrease in my sciatic nerve pain since I began treatments with Makari (Michael) has been nothing short of amazing. He has treated me with acupuncture AND with A.R.T. (Active Release Therapy). The combination of the treatments and the …
PaulGoogle · Oceanside: read all Google reviews (opens in a new tab) … He gave me exercises to do at home and as I improved, he told me not to come back in if I was happy with the results. His motivation is patient wellness, not profit. I’m genuinely thankful that I found him. …
BrendanYelp · Oceanside: read all Yelp reviews (opens in a new tab) My family is very active and has been seeing Michael for years! He’s helped us recovery from all sorts of sports and training injuries like runners knee, back pain, and neck/shoulder impingements. He’s extremely knowledgeable and proficient in multiple healing disciplines like ART and acupuncture. Can’t recommend this place enough!!
MichaelGoogle · Oceanside: read all Google reviews (opens in a new tab) I went to Makari Wellness for ongoing neck issues. After several treatments by Michael I received incredible release. He is extremely knowledgeable, spends a great amount of time with his patients, and has an incredible website that has …
LisaGoogle · Rancho Bernardo: read all Google reviews (opens in a new tab) Michael is an expert in holistic treatment, relieving pain, and giving you the tools to self-treat even outside the office. Despite my living out of town, Michael will always fit me in when I drop through SD and immediately can assess what …
TessGoogle · Oceanside: read all Google reviews (opens in a new tab) I've been a patient of Mike's for over 10 years. Couple of times a year something goes awry in my body and he's always the first to get me healthy again. Lots of Education, diligent exercises and coaching to help me get back on track. His knowledge base is extensive. Spend 10 minutes with him and you'll know why you made the right choice!
Michael D.Google · Rancho Bernardo: read all Google reviews (opens in a new tab) Michael is so knowledgeable. He gets to the source of the problem to fix the symptoms. I have sent my best friends to him, my mom, and my husband. I just can’t say enough good about him. … He’s got a heart of gold.
Jamie F.Google · Oceanside: read all Google reviews (opens in a new tab) I was very skeptical of someone sticking needles in me. My physical therapist recommended Michael. I have(had) severe neck and back pain. … I have moved to Prescott,AZ. Sure miss him.
Stan G.Yelp · Oceanside: read all Yelp reviews (opens in a new tab) Was a little cautious at first having a fear of needles and not sure if this would really help me … I’m on my way back to running again … The needles don’t hurt and it’s all worth it, just do your stretches.
Brandon H.Google · Rancho Bernardo: read all Google reviews (opens in a new tab)