The UCLA Center for East-West Medicine offers not just alternative treatments, but an alternative approach to treatment. Rather than progressing from a symptom – or disease-based model – Center physicians begin with a patient-based approach that takes into account the whole pattern of dysfunction, dysregulation and depletion. In an age of increasing specialization and narrowing focus on ever-smaller pieces of the health puzzle, the Center for East-West Medicine considers the individual as a whole. This “systems” approach has often yielded positive results in cases where the conventional, reductionistic model has not.
Many patients, especially those who present with functional illness, suffer from multiple problems. In these cases, the narrow focus of specialty care may not adequately address patients’ needs. The Center for East-West Medicine aims to integrate the elements of each patient’s care with an overarching optimization of the individual’s state of health.
Offering new options for refractory symptoms
Patients who do not respond well to or are unable to tolerate medications or surgery can often benefit from safe, low-impact treatments that avoid the side effects of potent medications and other therapies. The Center for East-West Medicine offers low-tech, high-touch, compassionate care that can benefit patients while helping to control health care costs. The Center often treats patients with conditions that can be refractory to conventional therapies, including:
- osteoarthritis
- headache
- sinusitis
- fibromyalgia
- dermatological disorders
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- chronic pain including back and neck pain
- sports- and work-related injuries
- women’s health problems
- cancer- and cancer-treatment-related symptoms
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The Center for East-West Medicine coordinates the following conventional Western medicine and complementary treatment options:
- trigger point injections
- acupuncture
- medication adjustments
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- dietary counseling and lifestyle modifications
- acupressure and therapeutic massage
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In addition, patients are educated and encouraged in the following self-care treatments:
- tai-chi
- qi-gong
- self-acupressure
- self-massage
Wellness program
As part of a continuing effort to help individuals achieve optimal health, the Center for East-West Medicine now offers an Integrative East-West Wellness Program. While patients often try complementary and alternative medicine very late in the course of their disease or as a treatment of last resort, earlier treatment could lead to even better outcomes. The new wellness program includes:
Traditional Chinese Medicine Nutritional Consultation – The foods we eat can be our best medicine if designed to a person’s needs, according to Traditional Chinese Medicine concepts.
Tai Chi Classes – The Chinese martial arts therapy of Tai Chi helps enhance overall physical and mental health and relieves stress-related symptoms.
Performing arts medicine program
The Center for East-West Medicine offers a special program in performing arts medicine for musicians, dancers and actors. Performing artists are subject to stress and overuse conditions, and lifestyle factors can also have a powerful effect on their well being. The Center for East-West Medicine brings the best of both Eastern and Western medicine to help performing artists improve and maintain their health by understanding the stresses and protective factors that affect their health. Participants are encouraged to practice self-care techniques to help them achieve optimum health.
Center physicians
Physicians at the Center for East-West Medicine have extensive knowledge and experience in Traditional Chinese Medicine, in addition to training in Western medicine.
Ka-Kit Hui, MD, FACP
Director, UCLA Center for East-West Medicine
Marc Brodsky, MD, MBA, MPH
Diplomate, American Board of Family Medicine
Edward Kwok-Ho Hui, MD
Diplomate, American Board of Internal Medicine
Timothy Pan, MD, CMT
Diplomate, American Board of Internal Medicine
Lawrence Taw, MD
Diplomate, American Board of Internal Medicine
Malcolm Taw, MD
Diplomate, American Board of Internal Medicine
Bill Tu, MD
Diplomate, American Board of Internal Medicine
Patient referral
To refer a patient or to contact one of the Center physicians, please call (310) 998-9118. For more information, please visit our website at http://www.cewm.med.ucla.edu.
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