Lisa Zeppegno, LAc

Lisa Zeppegno saved my life.
I went to see Lisa for the first time in December 2012. I had just moved back to the Bay Area into a damp, toxic fixer-​upper. After living there three weeks I felt so cold and drained that I feared I was on the verge of getting *really* sick. So I called Lisa, whom I had known for a number of years through meditation courses we both attended.
The appointment began with a 20 – 30 minute consultation in a clean, quiet room, with Lisa listening to my symptoms, answering questions, then taking my pulses and looking at my tongue. Lisa was really present and giving me her complete attention. When she felt how low my chi level was (I think she said something like, «Wow, you have no chi. Let’s get you on the table!»), she got me on her treatment table with a heating pad, memory foam pillow and a down comforter. She placed the needles with a confident, light, and practiced hand. No pain. And she always warned me if she was about to treat a sensitive point. Almost immediately I felt a warm, nourishing feeling flow into my kidney area — as if it had been cold and empty my whole life. I lay there and cried with relief. I couldn’t believe how tangible and how fast the treatment was helping. After 30 – 40 minutes on the table Lisa removed the needles and began body testing me (using the «hold up your arm while I push down on it» method) for a whole arsenal of Chinese herbs. My body seemed to respond best to two of the formulas, which she prescribed and charged her cost of ~$ 9 each. Within 24 hours of staring the herbs I felt that same warm, nourishing feeling begin feeding that emptiness in my kidney area. I have seen Lisa weekly ever since.
After she treated my initial deficiencies we became active partners in working with my constitution to transform my experience of my body and energy. I feel strong and healthy and have had some amazing periods of super-​energy and enthusiasm for life I never thought I could feel.
I should note that I’ve been studying and teaching meditation and energy cultivation for ten years, and as I said, Lisa and I studied the same system. So this may have helped make my experiences particularly tangible. Although I have enthusiastically sent friends to Lisa and always heard good reports.
Here’s my quick list of pros and cons:
Pros: very clean and quiet office; affordable and offers packages; very affordable herbs — she charges cost; three private rooms rather than group spaces; very responsive via email, phone, and text; almost always on time and never more than a 10 minute wait; heating pads and lamps to stay cozy during treatments.
Cons: only in the Oakland office 3 days/​week; need to book about a week in advance.
So, clearly I’m a BIG Lisa fan. Hope this review helps you find your way to a great acupuncturist!

I’ve gone to see Lisa for two very specific issues, once when I was six months pregnant and having terrible allergies and again with a pulled muscle in my back. Both times were, aside from being pleasant, easy and very straightforward experiences, absolutely successful. Lisa listened carefully to my symptoms and conscientiously and considerately treated my pain and discomfort with acupuncture, herbal remedies, cupping and a sensitive approach to my specific needs. She’s intuitive, kind, thoughtful, careful, skilled and creates a comfortable experience tailored to each visit. I have full confidence in her practice and am grateful to have such a trusted practitioner in my life. I would recommend her to anyone.

Lisa is awesome! She listened to me and used her intuitive way to gave me treatment for a month that basically cured my condition. I will go back to her in the future!

After giving birth to my second child, I found myself having sever pelvic pain. For months I received pelvic floor physical therapy from my doctor but it seemed like every time I went back for a follow up, I was at square one. I was desperate to recover and needed an alternative other than Western Medicine. This is when I heard about Lisa and all her amazing work. After ONE session, Lisa was able to help me with my pain!
About a year later, another issue occurred. I started seeing random flashes of lights, feeling numbness on random parts of my body, had severe headaches and had some symptoms of vertigo. All this eventually led to my body almost shut down on me. One day I found myself out of breadth and extremely faint. It was so extreme that I had to call an ambulance. For months, doctors could not find the cause and I felt helpless once again. They said it was «anxiety» and tried prescribing medicines that were no use to me at all. After missing 2 weeks of work and feeling like a horrible mother (since I needed assistance watching my kids), my coworkers re-​recommended Lisa to me once again. I didn’t think of her sooner since I grew up with the traditional western doctors, but I went back to her and WOW is all I can say. I should have gone sooner. After a few weeks of working with her, my horrible symptoms went away. An added bonus: I also found that I had more energy and was sleeping like a baby.
I finally have my life back and feel 100% healed. I used to be skeptical but that is no longer the case… I’m hooked!
THANK YOU LISA for giving me my life back! I am a true believer in what you do, and I am forever grateful.

Worked with Lisa for my first acupuncture experience to work on my leg muscles which were so tight that no amount of rolling could relax them. Went in nervous, went out relaxed and impressed, and ready to recommend her to anyone.
She truly listened to what I needed and adjusted her treatments accordingly. She used motor point therapy on me — focused more towards sports injuries/​tightness — and I really felt a difference.
Highly recommended!

I’ve know Lisa for years and she is a wonderful, patient, and reliable practitioner, from acupuncture to herb support. She’s gentle with the needles, listens carefully, and is responsive to whatever I might ‘need’. Highly recommended!

Lisa is a truly evolved practitioner. Her treatments are otherworldly, and have helped regulate my sleep, appetite, cycle, and energy. She also keeps me honest about my own lifestyle choices without being judgmental.
I’ve done community acupuncture and that’s great, but when I want a powerful and tailored treatment on a magical healing device called a biomat, Lisa is the best. Highly recommend her.

Lisa is a gifted acupuncturist and an awesome healer. I have been to a couple of acupuncturists over the years for shoulder, neck and general occupational back/​neck pain, and none have been able to target my aches quiet as swiftly as Lisa.
Lisa draws from a wealth of knowledge using not only acupuncture but herbs, cupping technique, vitamins, as well as a thorough consultation to cull information about other factors of patient’s health and lifestyle in order to create a holistic recovery plan.
I have been very fortunate to be referred to Lisa for my total well-​being and would recommend her to anyone seeking her magic touch to get rid of pain and built up scar tissue from previous injuries related to work, life stresses, or sports. Thank you Lisa!!!
–Nad

I visit Northern California often and in the last 4 years, I have had «emergency» situations where I sought the help of Lisa. She is AMAZING, and both times I saw her the results were immediate and profound. I literally was carried into her office the first time when my back went out on me, and after her hour long, gentle treatment, I walked out of there on my own! The next day was my daughter’s wedding, and I danced the night away! I am no stranger to acupuncture, and she is truly the best I have had. When I move north, she is my doc for sure!

As a healer and father of two, daily stress and physical fatigue are no strangers. This is where Lisa comes in and creates a 1 hour alternate reality for me. An ideal reality where I would love to spend more time; dreaming, floating, not thinking. This is what you will feel like when your on the table…(after she has put in those needles, not a fan of needles but for this feeling I would do anything). Probably the best modality for stress.
For musculoskeletal pain, I saw Lisa for my plantar issues. After training 6 months for a competition, I developed a nasty pain in my foot that progressed and eventually turned into fasciitis-​like plantar pain. Nothing helped until I saw Lisa. She is trained in a technique called motor point therapy. Deeper needles targeting specific muscles and voila! Pain was gone. 3 Treatments and I was absolutely pain free, didn’t believe acupuncture could do it but I was totally wrong.
I have been to many acupuncturists and tried several techniques and modalities for my problems. Lisa is hands down the best acupuncturist and herbalist I know. She not only takes care of me and my wife, but also dozens of my patients and friends. I could not recommend her enough.

Lisa treats a lot of people I know, and came highly recommended, so I’m happy to say that I haven’t been disappointed now that she is treating me. She is caring and takes time to ask the right questions, and the results from acupuncture with her have been faster and longer lasting than with another well-​known acupuncturist (a real-​deal Chinese Medicine Doctor from China). She is also super down to earth and approachable. As a wellness practitioner myself, I would recommend her to any of my clients.

being an avid ice-​hockey player, motorcycle-​rider, and heavy lifter of things at the gym, i’m pretty much banged up/​injured 24 – 7. before, i would either deal with the pain or take ibuprofen even though i’m not big on popping pills. at the suggestion of a friend i sought out help through acupuncture. at the time i was really having problems with my knee and hip-​flexor, as well as a nagging rotator cuff (shoulder) injury. these things happen when you compete at the level of excellence that i do on the ice. i consulted with a few licensed acupuncturists before choosing Indie Acupuncture. Lisa Zeppengo was professional and friendly from the moment i met her, she explained how CHI works to heal and the importance of balance and some other stuff that sounded like you would only know it if you studied at the Harvard\Yale\Juilliard school of Acupuncture. bottom line, the woman knows her stuff! after one treatment my knee and hip felt remarkably better THE NEXT DAY. by the time i skated again (3 days later) my injuries hardly bothered me at all. i went back for more treatments on my hip and knees and she used acupuncture and a technique called «cupping» on my rotator-​cuff. i was really impressed with how she would explain everything she was doing when she placed needles and how she was genuinely concerned for my comfort while i was being treated. i’ll admit that i was reluctant to see an acupuncturist at first but her treatments have helped me tremendously and since i plan to do all the things i mentioned here before, i’m going to keep every appointment she gives me.

«A friend of mine is into Voodoo Acupuncture. You don’t have to go to the office. You’ll just be walking down the street, and… ahhhhhh, that’s much better»
~Stephen Wright
I have a confession to make… I hate needles. Hate ‘em. I’m the biggest baby when it comes to injections. I can’t stand getting my blood drawn, I loathe the Novocaine needle at the dentist’s office, travel shots were an awful experience. So why the hell would I go to an acupuncturist if I hate needles so much? I’ve seen pictures of people with hundreds of tiny needles sticking out of their skin. That doesn’t look fun or relaxing to me.
But being a glutton for punishment, I tried acupuncture and in reality it is very relaxing. Lisa is a consumate professional. She really knows her stuff and has a deep understanding of human physiology and Traditional Chinese Medicine.
I rock climb so I’m always finding new and innovative ways to injure myself from pulled muscles to strains, sprains, tendon issues… you name it, I’ve done it or am about to do it. Lisa is always there to provide a treatment when I need it. She does a particular form of acupuncture on me called ‘Motor Point Therapy’ that helps release the tightness in muscles and alleviate the pain caused by muscle and tendon injury. When I recently developed Climber’s Elbow she helped me to get past the initial pain so I could seek physical therapy treatment.
In short, she’s awesome and really good at what she does. She’s the first person I call when I have an injury. Even before 9−1−1. I truly trust Lisa and highly recommend her if you have a sports injury or any other kind of muscle or back pain.
Here’s to your health!

I started seeing an acupuncturist for various health issues in 1988, and I’ve been working with Lisa for over 6 years now and highly recommend her. She is a great listener, she offers insight, and she brings a wide range of experience. Lisa has helped me with general issues like colds, specific issues like managing pain, stress, and fatigue, and has also provided great information and support around nutrition.
Lisa is professional, caring, supportive, and has a gentle demeanor and a sense of humor. Her office space is calm, comfortable, and comforting. I’ve recommended her to friends who have also had great success.

I have been working with Lisa for a couple years now. She has the ability to answer my questions with scientific accuracy and intuitional sensitivity. The treatments I receive are of the best experiences I have ever had with acupuncture. Lisa can address specific problems directly, quickly and effectively, and has always alleviated pain that I was experiencing when I came to her office.
More valuable to me, however, is the way that she has successfully worked with me in developing a greater balance to my overall health in the long term. It is evident from both her skills and her demeanor that she is both a dedicated, highly skilled professional and a deeply sensitive, attentive practitioner who does great work.
The bottom line is that you owe it to yourself to make an appointment. You will be happy you did.

I cannot say enough about how effective the acupuncture sessions I’ve had with Lisa are. I found her online and went in for a recurring cold I had for a couple of months that I had a hard time shaking with conventional methods (homeopathic, allopathic, changing diet, etc), and after one session it was gone.
I started to wonder if she could treat my other ailments (sports injuries, sinus issues, etc) so I went back for follow up sessions and now I am hooked. I developed a severe sciatic nerve issue that was really hurting my lower back and hamstrings and it had been brewing for months. Again, after ONE session, all the pain was gone after a day. Amazing. I had tried everything else short of surgery and this was the only thing that worked. I am EXTREMELY thankful for Lisa’s ability to heal this issue as I was close to giving up hope for finding a solution.
Lisa is really knowledgeable about everything I’ve thrown at her, whether it was a cold or some muscle strain/​injury from physical activity. Everytime I have questions I get great suggestions about what to do. Her confidence and belief in what she is doing has a very calming effect for me, as I’ve seen others who only guess what might be effective («well…let’s try this and see if it works. call me back in a week or so»).
So, to sum it all up, I highly recommend Lisa for almost any type of ailment that you’re having. I even recommended one of my coworkers to Lisa and now she’s hooked too.

What can I say, but amazing! Lisa has done wonders for my sciatic nerve and compressed disk, more than any acupuncturist I have seen in the past. Here’s what she does, she LISTENS. I mean, she has a 6^th sense about what a patient needs, reads between the lines and finds out what is happening inside. I don’t think this is something that comes from training or is a learned behavior, this is something inherent in who she is. She just knows people and what is truly needed. I really appreciate how she gives and how she sees the issues at hand.
I have begun a series of treatments to work through my back issues and hope to be able to incorporate yoga and other movement in my healing process. Lisa is very knowledgeable about muscular/​skeletal needs and has really worked with me to find a permanent healing solution.
If you are looking for someone to work with you who you can trust and who is willing to listen and understand your needs, Lisa is the person to go to.
Also, here’s a great thing… her office is amazing. Really beautiful, which is always an added bonus.
Good health, and good luck!

I found Lisa online on a day when I desperately needed relief from a major muscle spasm on the right side of my torso. I had was in a lot of pain and could hardly rotate my neck at all. Lisa treated me with acupuncture — she has a great touch with the needles — and I left her office feeling better, still very sore but with a little more mobility on that side of my body. Lisa advised me that my pain might actually increase over the weekend (I saw her on Friday) but the exact opposite happened — by late morning Saturday, the pain was gone and I could move around. I continued to improve over the weekend, taking herbs she’d recommended and epsom salt baths, too. I’d recommend Lisa for anyone who’s seeking relief that wants a sensitive caring healer using natural treatments. I know I will continue to seek her care as I need it.

I’ve been seeing Lisa for a couple of years. I see her when I have a cold, a sore back, or just feeling really fatigued. Lisa has amazing needling skills!
She is really gentle and really knowledgeable. I ALWAYS feel 100% after a session. I HIGHLY recommend her.