Pittsburgh Acupuncture, Massage and Herbal Medicine

The Birch Center, located in Pittsburgh's historic South Side, offers patients the best in complementary and alternative health care. Run by Pennsylvania licensed acupuncturists Melissa Sokulski and David Sokulski, the Birch Center offers quality acupuncture, therapeutic massage including tui na, acu-massage - a combination of acupuncture, massage, and herbal medicine.

The Birch Center also offers health consultations, classes and lectures, all in a beautiful setting.

Time-tested for thousands of years, acupuncture is known around the world for its safety and effectiveness. Not only can treatment help balance the body's energy, allowing one to heal from pain and illness, but acupuncture can also be used to help prevent disease and optimize health and vitality.

Here is a partial list of conditions that acupuncture has been proven to treat, as established by the World Health Organization.


Listen to a free podcast of Melissa and David Sokulski of The Birch Center for Health on NY Talk Radio: Hooked on Raw with Rhio.

Read about us in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Visit our Online Book Store at Amazon for our book recommendations.

Read more about our unique offering, Acu-Massage

You can now read our newsletter archives on our articles page.

Visit the memorial page for our beloved daughter, Molly Sara Sokulski.

What's New At The Birch Center

• Melissa and David on the Radio!

  Listen to a free podcast of Melissa and David Sokulski of The Birch Center for Health on NY Talk Radio: Hooked on Raw with Rhio.
  

• Book Recommendations

  We've set up an Online Book Store at Amazon for you to see our book recommendations.

• Notable Blog Entries:

  • Kombucha
    Tonight we bottled our first batch of kombucha!

    We've made it before, but had since lost our SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast) which ferments the black tea and sugar into the ancient Chinese elixir known as kombucha. read more

  • Yin and Yang, The Basis of Chinese Medicine
    by David and Melissa Sokulski, L.Acs.

    The concept of yin and yang is fundamental to Chinese Medicine.

    The Chinese character for yin can be translated as the shady side of the hill, and so corresponds to dark, night, rest, coolness. Yang is the sunny side of the hill: light, day, activity, warmth.

    What makes the idea of yin and yang so unique to Eastern thought, is ... read more

  • Neuropathy and Acupuncture
    by David and Melissa Sokulski, L.Ac.

    Neuropathy, or Peripheral Neuropathy, is defined as having numbness, tingling or lack of sensation in nerves especially of the hands and feet (the periphery.) It is a fairly common symptom, occurring in people with spinal injuries, diabetes, and genetic conditions such as Charcot-Marie-Tooth Syndrome. Acupuncture can be an effective way to treat these symptoms, bringing energy, life and feeling back into the extremities. Read More...

  • Breastfeeding Protects Women's Hearts...Acupuncture Helps Women Breastfeed
    by Melissa Sokulski, L.Ac.

    Breastfeeding has long been known to be good for mother and baby. La Leche League International lists many benefits, including that breast-milk is easy for the baby to digest, and has natural antibodies protecting the baby against bacteria and viruses. Now a new study by the University of Pittsburgh has shown that breastfeeding protects women from heart disease, heart attacks and strokes as well. Read More...

• Did you receive our e-book on Burdock yet?

• Visit our new Wild Edibles page
• Watch Melissa discuss Burdock on our first Wild Edible Walk of the season: Earth Day Celebration at Frick Park, April 19, 2009:
  

• Here's a video Melissa did on identifying mugwort, and making mugwort vinegar:

• Our May, 2009 newsletter has gone out. To be added to our email list, please sign up now.
• Our articles page also contains links to our archived newsletters (though I'm still catching up...we do have through June, 2008.
• Please visit our revised recommended book list!
• Take $5 off your first order at iherb.com with referral code MEL526.
• We've arranged to get our clients and readers free Shipping for Vitamix Blenders! You can call us to place the order: (412) 381-0116 - your Vitamix will be shipped directly from the company and will have all the warranties and extras. Or you can order directly from the Vitamix website, but don't forget to use code 06-003463 (right click and copy so it's handy when filling out the form) when ordering so you get the savings.
• Read our office policies

Thanks and check back soon!