Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Monica Foitzik.
Dr. Foitzik, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My name is Dr. Monica Foitzik. I am a licensed acupuncturist in the state of California. I grew up in Vista, California, prior to attending San Diego State University where I was awarded my bachelor’s in journalism. Having graduated amidst a struggling economic climate, my first job as an editor, writer, and ad salesperson at a small publishing company quickly disappeared as many jobs did. While “figuring things out,” I began gogo dancing and bartending at different high-end nightclubs in San Diego. Finally departing from my fast-paced life of school and multiple jobs allowed me to finally breathe and attend to my needs. I had been suffering from unrelenting back pain that no chiropractor or massage therapist could seem to figure out. I was finally referred to an acupuncturist named Malinda Gibbons at Acusport in Ocean Beach. I did not really know what to expect but I was desperate to find relief as the pain was hindering me from performing as a dancer and even causing me to fall and lose steadiness. After one session, I had over ninety percent relief! I was almost angry that I had suffered for so long. Over the next several months, I continued to see Malinda and see more and more results in my overall health. My pain continued to subside, my digestion improved, my irritability reduced, my thinking became clearer and my energy became more balanced. We began getting to know one another and Malinda shared with me that she worked for a small hospital publication as a writer in addition to being an acupuncturist. I found myself immediately fixated on this new information–so this person was a journalist and also became an acupuncturist!?! Months and months of looking at schools and programs to advance my writing career and suddenly my awareness broadened–I could be an acupuncturist! I quickly researched and found one of the top schools in the nation was located in Mission Valley and found myself attending my first-semester fall of that year, 2010. That moment was not by coincidence. To this day, I do not know if Malinda knows how much of an impact she had on my life. I continued to attend the master’s program to become a licensed acupuncturist for five years (it is a four-year curriculum but I took many extra classes to sharpen my skill and specialize). In 2015, I became licensed and quickly opened up shop in a shared space. Looking back, I am extremely thankful for all the years I spent bartending, meeting, and networking with so many great people in San Diego. It automatically created a laundry list of people I was able to convert as my patients. Now, six and a half years into my career as acupuncturist, I have a busy practice located at The Switch Suites alongside many other like-minded female business owners in the health and beauty field. I specialize in Japanese meridian therapy, a style of acupuncture that utilizes even thinner needles and shallow insertion techniques for an extremely effective but comfortable method of treating health issues. I am a Chinese herbalist, specialize in Kampo medicine, treating a range of diseases from pain to digestive orders to menstrual issues to anxiety and more. In addition, I regularly incorporate reiki, massage, moxibustion, gua sha, and more. More recently I added facial rejuvenation acupuncture and services to my menu as a way of treating the body from the inside out. I occasionally teach acupuncture students as a clinic supervisor at Pacific College of Health Sciences, teach workshops, coach mindset and business for health industry businesses, and am about to release my own line of skin rejuvenation tools, topicals, and supplements.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
There has been a lot of struggles. The program to become an acupuncturist is incredibly grueling. Typically, acupuncture students will be taking six to eight or more classes at a time covering biomedicine, anatomy, Chinese medicine theory, acupuncture points and channels, needle technique, clinical application and much more. At one point, I found myself in the hospital with dangerously low blood levels from pushing myself too hard. Ultimately, I slowed down to take a fifth year to restore my health and found that Kampo herbs saved me from reeling anxiety and panic disorder, raising my belief in the practices I was learning. Opening my business created another challenge. For the first few years, it was a challenge having the confidence to charge a comparable fee to the energy I was exerting. As I worked diligently on my mindset and studying business, things began to fall into place. Most notably, getting a life and business coach that aligned with me completely changed everything and even doubled my income.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I am so very proud of the evolvement of my practice. I was so fortunate to work with amazing mentors who coached me in a very specific style of acupuncture called Japanese meridian therapy. This style speaks to very ancient, traditional forms of Chinese medicine that were spread by word of mouth and apprenticeship. It features very thin, hair-like needles that are even thinner than the ones in more common forms of acupuncture. This style is favored by more sensitive types but not without amazing efficacy because of the heavy use of palpation to discern better acupuncture point locations. Additionally, I incorporate Japanese forms of moxibustion (an herb applied with heat to the skin to benefit your internal system and even help with pain), massage, reiki, gua sha, Kampo herbal medicine and other lifestyle, diet and mindset coaching. I am very thorough with my treatments and intentional with the relationship I build with patients in order to help guide them through difficult health challenges. It is a multi-faceted approach while keeping in mind the need to refer out if necessary to best benefit the patient. My current offerings include new patient treatments, a 90-minute session including thorough evaluation and treatment; “Acupuncture for the Mind Body + Spirit,” a 70-minute session blending several treatment modalities; “Mind Body Beauty Energetic Facial Rejuve,” a 90-minute cosmetic acupuncture and full-body internal treatment to treat the skin from the inside out; “VIP Acupuncture Reset for Mind-Body + Spirit,” a 100-minute session ideal for those who are busy and need to extra time and pampering to reset; and Holistic microneedling, a blended treatment to both resurface the skin and increase internal health with acupuncture. This year, I am launching courses for acupuncturists and acupuncture students to pass on the traditions of Japanese meridian therapy via workshops and webinars. My goal is to bring on more like-minded professionals to my practice and help them gain the mindset, skill and confidence to help others heal in mind, body and spirit. For the rest of the population, I plan on launching more online workshops to coach in the areas of “mind, body, beauty and business” as these areas of life are interrelated and affect each other.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
Although I like to say I am an open book, newer fans or patients of Dr. Monica might not know my previous career as a dancer, dancing in front of hundreds, sometimes thousands of people for different types of entertainment events. Other than this, I love to give back to my community and try to participate regularly in non-profit work by donating my acupuncture services to those in need.
Pricing:
- New patient evaluation + treatment / 90 min $250
- Acupuncture for Mind Body + Spirit 70 min / $175
- VIP Acu Reset for Mind Body + Spirit 100 min / $275
- Mind Body Beauty Energetic Facial Rejuve 90 min / $275
- Holistic Microneedling & Acupuncture / $375
Contact Info:
- Website: www.monicalac.com
- Office Line: 619-780-7801
- Instagram: @monica.foitzik
Image Credits
Arlene Ibarra
