Acupuncture San Diego:
Recommended Acupuncture and Herbal Practitioners
in San Diego, California

Douglas Burr, MS, LAc
P: 619-688-0061 Fx: 619-688-0026

Douglas Burr has been working in the health care industry for more than 20 years. As a respiratory therapist, primarily in pediatrics and neonatal intensive care, Doug has seen ample evidence of the need for a more holistic approach to health care. "Technical advances in western medicine have come along way the long way," he says, "but I was frustrated with our inability to actually restore children and adults to health. Over and over I saw cases that could have been prevented with a simpler approach. By the time they got into the ICU, these kids were on a difficult path to recovery."

His interest in avoiding invasive and costly procedures led him to pursue graduate work in Oriental Medicine at San Diego's Pacific College of Oriental Medicine, where he graduated with honors. Now he employs a combination of eastern and western medicine in his approach to health care and pediatrics. He is one of a handful of practitioners nationally to pursue training in pediatrics, with several years assisting one of the most well-known pediatric acupuncturists in the country.

While having a mixed practice of both children and adults, Doug admits to being passionate about children's health issues, partly because he is a father himself. "So many childhood conditions are well treated in Oriental medicine," he says. "ADD/ADHD, behavioral problems, asthmas, allergies - they respond so well." He prefers a more conservative approach to health care - begin simply with changes to diet, nutrition, and acupuncture. "Drugs and drug therapy can be an incredibly important part of treatment, but should be used cautiously, and added only if other means have not been effective."

Sports medicine has been a natural addition to his practice since he is an avid sports enthusiast - mountain biking, snow boarding, surfing and horseback riding are all part of the picture. "Play and physical exercise are important, and I have been injured so many times! I like to help those weekend warriors recover as quickly as possible, and then work with them to use regular bodywork and nutrition to prevent further injury."

Doug sees patients in his private practice while continuing his work in respiratory therapy at Balboa Hospital, and continues to refine his skills in pain management and Japanese acupuncture by studying with such teachers as Dr. Richard Tan and Ikeda Sensei from Japan. He helps teach medical students and residents from UCSD about Oriental medicine, and hopes one day to be able to work in fully integrative medical facility. "Our medical system has to change. Too many people are living with chronic conditions and too much medication." He believes that the time is fast approaching when integrative medicine will become standard in our teaching hospitals and clinics.