Center for East-West Medicine

A Balanced Approach to Well-Being

Liz learned she had breast cancer just months after having her first child. She immediately started chemotherapy, which helped control the disease, but she could barely tolerate the side effects.

Enter the UCLA Center for East-West Medicine, where physicians assess Liz’s overall wellness, prescribe acupuncture and other remedies, and encourage her to persevere with a positive spirit. Their care complements her chemotherapy and helps relieve its side effects as she keeps fighting. “Today I still have cancer, but I also have a full and rewarding life,” she says. “My oncological team has kept me alive–but doctors at the center have kept me living.”

Drawing from the strengths of modern Western practice and traditional Chinese medicine, the Center for East-West Medicine views health care holistically. It balances treatment that targets specific symptoms with lifestyle changes and therapies that improve the well-being of the whole person — body, mind, and spirit. This approach improves health and quality of life for patients and helps make care affordable and accessible.

Founded in 1993, the center currently runs five Los Angeles-based clinics, which count more than 31,000 visits each year and provide treatments such as acupuncture, therapeutic massage, nutritional and herbal counseling, and stress management coaching. The center also has trained more than 1,000 students and clinicians through educational programs, fellowships, and international exchanges.

After celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2018, the center is planning new partnerships in Asia, Europe, and South America while continuing to serve patients and practitioners in Southern California with its innovative blend of East-West medicine. UCLA is taking the best of both worlds around the world — and your gift will help patients of every background benefit.