Virginia Lee, DAOM, LAc, Dipl. O.M. (NCCAOM)

Acupuncturist

2525 Camino Del Rio S, Suite 315 San Diego CA, 92109 Show map

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About

Dr. Virginia Hyannis Lee, Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine,
CA Licensed Acupuncturist, Diplomate of Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM), CMLDT

Dr. Virginia Hyannis Lee is passionate about empowering patients to live their happiest and healthiest lives naturally. She gives compassionate care for all and loves seeing patients get better. She provides the best care through comprehensive & highly effective treatments using many modalities.

Dr. Lee is a Nationally Board Certified Acupuncturist & Herbalist and Certified Manual Lymphatic Drainage Therapist. Dr. Lee has taught Integrative Health Class and Acupressure Workshops at UC Berkeley. Additionally, she is a regular guest speaker at Berkeley's Integrative Medicine class.

An avid clinician, Dr. Lee studied Integrative Medicine and the latest evidence-based acupuncture research through UCLA’s Department of Medicine. She specializes in many areas including Pain Management, Acute and Chronic Illnesses Management, Scalp Acupuncture for Neurological Conditions, TaiwaneseAcupressure Massage, Orthopedic Electro-acupuncture, Auricular Medicine, Myofascial Decompression Therapy combined with neuromuscular re-education, Manual Lymphatic Drainage Massage, Oncology Acupuncture Adjunctive Support, Cosmetic Facial Acupuncture, Mental Health Wellness, Herbal Pharmacology, and Eastern Nutrition. A true believer of lifelong learning, she holds numerous certificates and continuously apply the latest knowledge into her clinical treatments to give the best care possible for her patients.

Book an appointment today to start your journey towards living your healthiest and best life!

Education and Training

University of California, Berkeley Bachelors of Science in Psychology 2015

Pacific College of Health and Science, San Diego Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine 2021

University of California, Los Angeles Bachelors of Science in Psychology 2013

Board Certification

Clean Needle Technique Certificate

Clinical Orthopedic Strategies: Back Pain Certificate

Pain Management Strategies Using Acupuncture Certificate

Scalp Acupuncture 1 Certificate

An Introduction to Yamamoto New Scalp Acupuncture Certificate

Treatment of Facial Expression Lines with Motor Points Certificate

Auricular Medicine Certificate

Hospice and Palliative Care (Anesthesiology)

A Master Tung’s Acupuncture Compendium Certificate

Korean Hand Therapy for Instant Pain Relief Certificate

Klose Training: Manual Lymphatic Drainage Certificate

Bay Area Sport Performance and Rehabilitation Seminars: Myofascial Decompression Level 1 and Level 2 Certificates

Provider Details

Female Mandarin Chinese, English, Spanish, Cantonese, Farsi

Virginia Lee, DAOM, LAc, Dipl. O.M. (NCCAOM)

Virginia Lee, DAOM, LAc, Dipl. O.M. (NCCAOM)'s Expert Contributions

My Answers

Can acupuncture heal sinusitis?
"There’s some evidence that acupuncture can help to manage allergic rhinitis, which causes a range of sinus-related symptoms. The existing research is promising." From: https://www.healthline.com/health/acupuncture-for-sinus#research "Acupuncture as a stand-alone or adjunctive treatment for Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) was associated with clinical symptom improvement and better quality of life, without any risk for serious adverse events." From: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9451955/ READ MORE
How many acupuncture sessions are needed for chronic pain?
Excellent question. It depends on your severity, list of medical diagnoses/conditions contributing to your chronic neck pain, lifestyle modifications, compliance to acupuncture treatment frequency, and other factors. It's best to assess you holistically in the office before determining prognosis. READ MORE
How many acupuncture treatments are needed for depression?
The answer really depends: what trauma has the patient experienced? Is it postpartum depression? Is the depression coming from career changes or other life changes? Medical research states, "Acupuncture showed clinically significant reductions in the severity of depression compared to usual care (Hedges (g) = 0.41, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.18 to 0.63), sham acupuncture (g = 0.55, 95% CI 0.31 to 0.79), and as an adjunct to anti-depressant medication (g = 0.84, 95% CI 0.61 to 1.07). A significant correlation between an increase in the number of acupuncture treatments delivered and reduction in the severity of depression (p = 0.015) was found." From: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6722678/ READ MORE
Can I get acupuncture for pain?
Definitely! "Acupuncture may help reduce pain and improve patients’ quality of life. There’s research that shows acupuncture may help decrease pain perception. A journal article in Anesthesiology Journal wrote, “Electroacupuncture blocks pain by activating a variety of bioactive chemicals through peripheral, spinal, and supraspinal mechanisms. These include opioids, which desensitize peripheral nociceptors and reduce pro-inflammatory cytokines peripherally and in the spinal cord, and serotonin and norepinephrine, which decrease spinal n-methyl-d-aspartate receptor subunit GluN1 phosphorylation. Additional studies suggest that electroacupuncture, when combined with low dosages of conventional analgesics, provides effective pain management that can forestall the side effects of often-debilitating pharmaceuticals” (Zhang et al., 2014). Here’s the link to the aforementioned article: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3947586/pdf/nihms544619.pdf READ MORE
What can be done for chronic tiredness?
"Body acupuncture for 4 weeks in addition to usual care may help improve fatigue in chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and idiopathic chronic fatigue (ICF) patients." Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4515016/ READ MORE
Can back hernia pain go away with treatments?
Acupuncture can help with pain management: Acupuncture may help reduce pain and improve patients’ quality of life. There’s research that shows acupuncture may help decrease pain perception. A journal article in Anesthesiology Journal wrote, “Electroacupuncture blocks pain by activating a variety of bioactive chemicals through peripheral, spinal, and supraspinal mechanisms. These include opioids, which desensitize peripheral nociceptors and reduce pro-inflammatory cytokines peripherally and in the spinal cord, and serotonin and norepinephrine, which decrease spinal n-methyl-d-aspartate receptor subunit GluN1 phosphorylation. Additional studies suggest that electroacupuncture, when combined with low dosages of conventional analgesics, provides effective pain management that can forestall the side effects of often-debilitating pharmaceuticals” (Zhang et al., 2014). Here’s the link to the aforementioned article: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3947586/pdf/nihms544619.pdf READ MORE
What type of acupuncture is best for sciatica?
Here's medical research's answer: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7802920/table/t0001/?report=objectonly I recommend finding a good & experienced acupuncturist that offers comprehensive acupuncture services that'll help you recover the fastest. READ MORE
What helps with diarrhea?
Acupuncture may be helpful in relieving diarrhea. What the research says: "In this systematic review and meta-analysis, the effectiveness and safety of 31 acupuncture concerned studies for patients with IBS-D or FD (Diarrhea-Predominant Irritable Bowel Syndrome or Functional Diarrhea) were evaluated. We found that acupuncture can significantly reduce the number of stools per week in IBS-D or FD patients, improve patients' overall symptoms, improve the total effective rate, decrease the recurrence rate, and reduce the pain level of patients. Based on the results, we believe that acupuncture can improve the quality of life of patients with IBS-D or FD." From: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7705439/ READ MORE
Balancing QI
You strengthen/tonify your Qi and bring the body to balance (homeostasis and regulate the immune system amongst other systems in the body). READ MORE
What treatments can be done to fix lower back pain?
Depends on what is contributing specifically to your lower back pain. In general, acupuncture, possibly electrical stimulation, cupping, moxibustion, and acupressure massage may be helpful. Thorough assessment is required to understand the root cause and what is needed specifically to treat the lower back pain. READ MORE
How many acupuncture sessions are needed for insomnia?
The answer depends on what is the root cause of your insomnia, which is often a symptom originating from elsewhere. "Common causes of long-term insomnia include: Stress. Concerns about work, school, health, money or family can keep your mind active at night, making it hard to sleep. Stressful life events, such as the death or illness of a loved one, divorce, or a job loss, also may lead to insomnia. Travel or work schedule. Your body's "internal clock," known as circadian rhythms, guides things such as your sleep-wake cycle, metabolism and body temperature. Disrupting these rhythms can lead to insomnia. Causes include feeling jet lag from traveling across multiple time zones, working a late or early shift, or changing shifts often. Poor sleep habits. Poor sleep habits include going to bed and waking up at different times each day, taking naps, being too active before bedtime and having a sleep area that is not comfortable. Other poor sleep habits include working, eating or watching TV while in bed. Using computers or smartphones, playing video games, or watching TV just before bed can disrupt your sleep cycle. Eating too much late in the evening. Having a light snack before bedtime is OK. But eating too much may cause you to feel uncomfortable while lying down. Many people also have heartburn. This is when stomach acid backs up into the tube that carries food from your mouth to your stomach. This tube is called the esophagus. Heartburn may keep you awake. Mental health disorders. Anxiety disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, may disrupt your sleep. Waking up too early can be a sign of depression. Insomnia often occurs with other mental health conditions. Medicines. Many prescription drugs can interfere with sleep, such as certain antidepressants and medicines for asthma or blood pressure. Many medicines available without a prescription, such as some pain medicines, allergy and cold medicines, and weight-loss products, contain caffeine and other stimulants that can disrupt sleep. Medical conditions. Examples of conditions linked with insomnia include ongoing pain, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, asthma, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), overactive thyroid, Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. Sleep-related disorders. Sleep apnea causes you to stop breathing at times during the night, disrupting your sleep. Restless legs syndrome causes a strong uncomfortable urge to move your legs when trying to fall asleep. This may keep you from falling asleep or getting back to sleep. Caffeine, nicotine and alcohol. Coffee, tea, cola and other drinks that have caffeine are stimulants. Drinking them in the late afternoon or evening can keep you from falling asleep at night. Nicotine in tobacco products is another stimulant that can disrupt sleep. Alcohol may help you fall asleep, but it prevents deeper stages of sleep and often results in waking up in the middle of the night." Quote from: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/insomnia/symptoms-causes/syc-20355167 READ MORE
Can you fix chronic pain?
Acupuncture is famous for pain relief. It's so powerful in pain relief that UCLA Medical School taught and showed C-Section surgeries done in China where they only used acupuncture as anesthesia. Patients didn't feel anything and recovered quickly. READ MORE
Can acupuncture fix chronic headaches?
Acupuncture can absolutely help with chronic headaches. I've had great success and clinical experience with migraine populations. "Based on a recent systematic review of 22 clinical trials involving 4985 people, there is evidence that acupuncture reduces the frequency of headache in individuals with migraine, and that the effect may be similar to that observed with preventive medications. The frequency of headache is dropped by 50% or more in up to 59% of individuals receiving acupuncture and this effect can persist for more than 6 months." Quote from: https://americanmigrainefoundation.org/resource-library/understanding-migraineacupuncture-and-migraine-finding-a-combination-that-sticks/ READ MORE
Miscarriage or periods
Please call your OBGYN physician ASAP and go to Urgent Care so that they may thoroughly assess the situation and help you. READ MORE
Can I exercise after acupuncture treatment?
Yes, exercise in moderation that does not aggravate the neck pain. I recommend working with a physical therapist to get the right prescriptive exercises for your condition in conjunction with comprehensive acupuncture care so that you can heal and get well as soon as possible. READ MORE
What helps with bloating?
Herbal formulas tailored to your situation may be helpful. READ MORE
Can a kidney infection go away without medications?
I recommend talking to your urologist about your specific case and what are the best treatment options for you. READ MORE
How can I ease ankle arthritis pain?
I recommend trying acupuncture to help with pain management. Acupuncture is highly effective for relieving pain. "Acupuncture may help reduce pain and improve patients’ quality of life. There’s research that shows acupuncture may help decrease pain perception. A journal article in Anesthesiology Journal wrote, “Electroacupuncture blocks pain by activating a variety of bioactive chemicals through peripheral, spinal, and supraspinal mechanisms. These include opioids, which desensitize peripheral nociceptors and reduce pro-inflammatory cytokines peripherally and in the spinal cord, and serotonin and norepinephrine, which decrease spinal n-methyl-d-aspartate receptor subunit GluN1 phosphorylation. Additional studies suggest that electroacupuncture, when combined with low dosages of conventional analgesics, provides effective pain management that can forestall the side effects of often-debilitating pharmaceuticals” (Zhang et al., 2014). Here’s the link to the aforementioned article: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3947586/pdf/nihms544619.pdf READ MORE

Areas of expertise and specialization

pain managementmanual lymphatic drainage massagescalp acupuncture

Faculty Titles & Positions

Teacher University of California, Berkeley 2022 - 2023
Facilitator of Integrative Medicine Decal Course at Department of Public Health University of California, Berkeley 2012 - 2013
Founder and Facilitator of Chiropractic Decal Course at Department of Public Health University of California, Berkeley 2012 - 2013
- Personal Assistant to Professor Wilcox University of California, Los Angeles Extension - 2014
Nonprofit Charity Assistant The Little Spanish-English School 2016 - 2023

Teaching and speaking

Dr. Lee has taught Integrative Health Class and Acupressure Workshops at UC Berkeley. Additionally, she is a regular guest speaker at Berkeley's Integrative Medicine class.