Styles and Systems practiced

Dr. Bernal is a Certified Functional Medicine Clinician (CFMC)™. He has been learning with world-renowned Dr. Datis Kharrazian for years and enjoys bridging the best of conventional medicine with the subtle and powerful interventions of Chinese medicine, as well as diet and lifestyle changes.

The Kharrazian Institute coursework for CFMC™ and CFMHC™ certification is identical. The designation is based on the individuals permitted scope of practice. Certification at the Kharrazian institute does not grant any additional legal or scope of practice status.

One of Mateo’s first loves in acupuncture, the abdominal acupuncture system is gentle, powerful, and comfortable. It involves careful palpation of the abdomen at various levels to determine both root and branch of disease. Treatment involves selecting few points on the abdomen, very superficially, with little to no sensation felt by the patient. Can be used to treat many conditions, most commonly for pain, anxiety, and depression.

As taught by Miki Shima and David Walker. A wonderful and subtle technique using a moxa or incense stick to evaluate the subjective sensation of warmth at the jing points (furthest tips of fingers and toes) in order to arrive at the most significant energetic imbalance in the body. Treatments usually consist of one to two acupuncture points. Effects can be quite profound.

A true scholar, Wang Ju-Yi developed this system of palpating the channels in order to arrive at diagnosis rather than the more common radial pulse method. This involves careful palpation of the extremities distal to the knees and elbows, and treatment is very gentle usually involving just a few acupuncture points.

A complete system of treatment in its own right, Dr. Huang pioneered using the ear microsystem as a treatment site. Usually several points are evaluated using a point finder or visually, and treatment is often followed-up by leaving one or more acupressure pellets in the ear.

Another favorite of Mateo’s, utilizes the imagery of the Ba Gua applied to the abdomen or pulses.

A profound and simple breathing exercise that has changed the lives of thousands of asthma, COPD, sleep apnea, and fatigued patients. Can be demonstrated easily and quickly, but needs to be practiced daily by the patient. A gem.

Based on the idea that timing is everything, and that everything is intertwined. Chronopuncture assumes that often we are “out of synch” with nature and aims to calculate the precise moments that our bodies’ acupuncture points are open and harmonizing with the environment. Simply getting in synch with a few points can be immensely helpful in regulating many rhythms, including sleep, menstrual cycle, mood, and the immune system.