Picture

In the years that Christina Lisac has been running her Apricot Forest Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine practice in Mill Valley, she’s regularly noticed that November brings with it a spike in one particular feature among her male clients: facial hair.

“I’ve definitely noticed that some men mark this month by growing outlandish mustaches to show their support or by raising funds through locally organized walks, runs, and other events,” Lisac said of the November-long Movember campaign to raise awareness of men’s health issues, such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and men’s suicide. 

Inspired by her clients, Lisac, whose practice at 244 Miller Avenue primarily focuses on sleep-related issues affecting men and women, is donating 15 percent of all proceeds in November to the Movember Foundation. She says she’s also encouraging her male clients to:

  • Self-Care: Schedule regular acupuncture treatments, and have a conversation with your acupuncturist about PSA test results (for prostate cancer) and other important screenings suited to your health history.
  • Touch: Every inch, wrinkle, crease, fold, bump, bulge, and bruise. Get checked out immediately if something ever feels or looks abnormal or has difficulty healing.
  • Exercise: Stay fit and active, maintain a healthy body weight, and eat well.

And, of course, she says, sleep. “The only time the body and mind heal is when you are sleeping,” she says Lisac. “So if you’re not sleeping, you’re not healing. Sleep is essential to living a productive, creative, happy life.”

Lisac treats a wide range of conditions, including depression, weight issues, back pain and intestinal issues, but she has no doubt her primary focus: “I’m a sleep specialist,” she says.

“The only time the body and mind heal is when you are sleeping,” says Lisac, a licensed practitioner of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine and the owner of Apricot Forest, a new Mill Valley-based acupuncture practice. “So if you’re not sleeping, you’re not healing. Sleep is essential to living a productive, creative, happy life.”

Lisac treats a wide range of conditions, including depression, weight issues, back pain and intestinal issues, but she has no doubt her primary focus: “I’m a sleep specialist,” she says.

After growing up on the Peninsula, Lisac earned a Bachelor of Science at UC Davis. She then went on to attend the Blue Otter School of Herbal Medicine in Yreka, Calif., and then Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine College in Berkeley. Those years of dedicated study were preceded by an unexpected reading from a Chinese astrologist that indicated that Lisac “would find happiness working in medicine and become an acupuncturist.”

“At the time, I said, ‘Me, poking people with needles?’” and didn’t give it another thought,” she says. “But I continued to be drawn to it. I have a real passion for the field: when I’m not working, I enjoy reading case studies and searching out articles on advances in Oriental Medicine. I absolutely love the science and power of Oriental Medicine, and I’m dedicated to helping people through acupuncture.”

The 411: Apricot Forest is located at 244 Miller Avenue. Call 510.927.8480 for an appointment. MORE INFO.

Want to know what’s happening around town? Click here to subscribe to the Enjoy Mill Valley Blog by Email!