We were lucky to catch up with Candace Lopez recently and have shared our conversation below.

Candace, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about how you went about setting up your own practice and if you have any advice for professionals who might be considering starting their own?

I first began my acupuncture and Chinese Medicine practice in a smooth way, thanks to the previous experience I had working with chronic pain and injury as a bodyworker- I was graciously offered office space by Beach Fitness in Seal Beach as they expanded into adjunct therapies and allied health. As a private practice acupuncturist with a background in medical anthropology and medical systems from CSULB, I wanted to develop a way to provide Traditional Chinese Medical care on a large scale, affordably, to the community in Long Beach CA. I also understood the need of accessing this type of care for ongoing pain management, allergies, mental health care, and other conditions like female health and general health for patients as they navigate their own chronic health needs.

As a disabled combat veteran myself, I knew the intersections of healthcare and healthcare delivery were flawed, even in large managed health facilities like the VA. A non-profit clinic fit the needs of patients and also of new acupuncture doctors with the student debt they took on to deliver care like this.

I was able to file the paperwork in 2024 for our 501c3 clinic, Urban Salt Community Acupuncture Clinic, to provide community acupuncture care and health education classes to the community in Long Beach CA.

Knowing what I know now, I would say the MOST important aspect of health care is meeting patients where they are, and providing realistic interventions they can repeat at home or on their own. Capabilities vary, and it’s easier to start with small wins to trend long-term health outcomes to a safer place in terms of mobility, pain management, and quality of life, especially for those with ongoing concerns. We are happy to provide a safe place for patients to relax and gain relief, because there really is no finish line in terms of how to manage the body.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am Dr Candace Lopez, DACM, LAc, and the Executive Director of Urban Salt Community Acupuncture Clinic, Inc, a 501c3 nonprofit acupuncture clinic and health education facility in Long Beach, CA. I have 2 degrees in anthropology from CSULB, and two degrees in TCM, the acronym for Traditional Chinese Medicine. I’m state licensed in California to practice acupuncture medicine, and a Nationally Accredited Diplomate of Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM). Our scope of practice includes: Acupuncture, gua sha, moxibustion, acupressure, cupping, breathing techniques, ordering labs and imaging, heat and cold use, and exercise prescription, magnet use, prescriptive nutrition and diet, herbs/plant/mineral/animal herbal formulae, supplements, and meditation techniques. I am also a Reiki Master in two lineages; Usui Reiki and Kundalini Reiki.

I began my professional life working with movement as a personal trainer over 22 years ago, moving into structural integration bodywork for chronic pain and injury, and then pursued a BA/MA in Anthropology, specializing in Medical Anthropology, specifically Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) treatment of fertility in Southern California. This inspired me to pursue clinical training in TCM in Southern California with internships at Cedars-Sinai and UCLA Pain Clinic, earning two additional degrees in TCM with a specialization in Integrative Medicine, culminating with opening my private practice (The Needle and Leaf) in Seal Beach, CA in 2017.

Our recently founded nonprofit project, Urban Salt Community Acupuncture Clinic, Inc, opened April 2024, providing sliding-scale TCM care, alternative health education, and treatment to typically underserved communities. The board Is composed of women with a wide variety of specialties, providing consistent, affordable care to our community.

Due to a series of unfortunate events, I became homeless, living in a vehicle by the age of 17, I have a deep understanding of the amount of stress unstable healthcare, housing, and safety can cause. After joining the US Army before 9/11, I experienced military training, deployment, and invading a country with the 3rd Infantry Division as an Army Intelligence professional. Since then, it’s been my goal to provide recovery to the body and mind from those with advanced challenges and stress, be it from war, trauma, and chronic stress conditions. I have lived experience of most stress-related conditions, and I understand deeply how to navigate a life built around previous nervous system challenges. I was lucky enough to meet several people who had the same vision, and thus the Urban Salt Community Acupuncture Clinic Board was founded. We now have our clinic in Long Beach, CA.

Urban Salt Community Acupuncture Clinic provides a safe space to receive care affordably, no matter your background or health concern. We are here to serve the community in a real way, providing care and alternative health education classes for our community in Long Beach, CA. Thanks to the support we’ve received, we are able to provide care over 5 days per week, and 3 classes per month- You can find us on Instagram @urbansaltacu, urbansalt.org, and Meetup for our events. We are happy to have you.

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

My personal history allows me to understand the hesitation patients have when making life changes, and I also understand how long it takes to have a body recover from serious challenges. I’ve allowed myself to take a year-by-year view, rather than days, weeks or even months. I also challenge patients to become more compassionate to themselves and more allowing of personal limitations they may have in conceptualizing physical recovery from injury or illness.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

Managing a team is one of the best things I’ve ever tried. Passion and inspiration are cyclical, and allowing the team to develop their own strong points related to their inclinations and interests works better than any tactic in any book. I’m working with and managing personalities-people- and they offer me as much grace as I offer them.

Our overall goal is the same, to provide care to as many people need it, and we all have the same mission. The team comes up with ideas that I would never even think about, so my job as a director is to be in service to the team’s forward movement and to wrangle us toward the ultimate goal of treating patients. However we get there is fine by me-it’s about providing care, getting the message across that we are here to serve, and allowing recent graduates of TCM/Chinese Medical School to offer their skills and benefit from our non-profit status as public servants, as well.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://urbansalt.org
• Instagram: @urbansaltacu

Image Credits

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