Dr. Benita Safaryans, FABORM, DAOM, MATCM, L.Ac graduated with a doctorate in women’s health and fertility from Yo San University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and completed her doctoral research on the Efficacy of Electro-acupuncture, NSAIDs, and Contraceptives in Treatment of Primary Dysmenorrhea.
She is licensed with California Board of Acupuncture, after graduating with a Bachelor of Science in biology from University of California, San Diego; and a Master of Traditional Chinese Medicine from Yo San University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture, she founded Peak Life Acupuncture, INC in 2016. Following her education in Raphaology Medicine, Dr. Benita became a certified practitioner where she applies a vast knowledge of nutrition, herbs, body, and food interaction, and how to facilitate self-healing.
A lifetime of fascination with the body’s ability to heal when provided the correct food and environment, Dr. Benita sought out education in multiple healing modalities. She specializes in fertility and women’s health, and treats patients for pain management, weight management, stress and internal issues, and offers cosmetic acupuncture treatments for facial rejuvenation and hair restoration.
Hello Dr. Benita Safaryans FABORM, DAOM, MATCM, L.Ac!
Welcome to the Acupuncturist of the Month interview.
So, how long have you been practicing acupuncture for, and what are your specialties?
I have been licensed with California board of acupuncture since 2016. My specialties are women’s health and fertility, pain management, weight management, and cosmetic acupuncture.
What makes you feel inspired about acupuncture?
With acupuncture treatments, patients can improve the quality of their lives through their body’s natural resources and its ability to heal.
What inspired you to become an acupuncturist?
As a last year student of general biology, on my way to study for MCAT, I had some health issues with gynecology and in my visit with the gynecologist I was told that the only solution to my problem was to take birth control pills for the life of my reproductive age which I was not comfortable with due to their possible side effects.
I thought if the hormones are something that my body produces and now it does not produce enough of, why can’t I make my body get in balance and produce the hormones without having to administer medicine. In my journey to finding a solution, I was advised to try acupuncture, I scheduled with an acupuncturist and got treatments three times a week for one month followed by twice a week treatments for another month while taking herbs. With 2 months of treatments, my hormones were balanced, and my issue was fixed through balancing and awakening the healing ability of my body which I was grateful for. Therefore, I got interested in Eastern medicine.
Tell us more about how you went about getting board certified in fertility acu and what that means for your patients.
I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in general biology from University of California, San Diego, and a master’s degree in traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture from Yo San university in 2016, I took the California board exam in 2016 and became a licensed acupuncturist.
In quest of advancing my knowledge in eastern medicine, I pursued a doctorate degree in women’s health and fertility and graduated in 2023 from Yo San university. However, while completing and defending my dissertation on Efficacy of Electro-Acupuncture, NSAIDS, and Oral Contraceptives in Treatment of Primary Dysmenorrhea, I studied for Acupuncture Board of Reproductive Medicine and became a licensed fellow with ABORM in 2023.
Such studies further improved my understanding of various fertility issues and I became well versed in western medicine approaches of assisted reproductive techniques and better able to understand the challenges patients face while going through fertility treatments; therefore, better able to help them with fertility acupuncture treatments.
“The body cannot be in fight or flight mode and in healing/growth mode at the same time.“
-Dr. Benita Safaryans, FABORM, DAOM, MATCM, L.Ac
How will harmonizing the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Ovarian axis and Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal axis help our patients on their fertility journey? What route do you take to do this?
Chronic stress puts our bodies in a constant fight or flight mode, and when the body is in a fight or flight mode it does not have the time to heal. The body cannot be in fight or flight mode and in healing/growth mode at the same time.
Therefore, stress interrupts the HPO axis and hormone communications between the glands and organs which impacts fertility. Acupuncture sessions offer the opportunity for the body to switch from fight or flight mode to healing and growth mode by regulating the HPA axis and reducing the inflammatory effects of adrenaline hormones and activating the balance of HPO axis, while patients learn ways to distress and incorporate nutritionally dense food in their diet and take herbs to further sustain the action of the acupuncture treatments.
Share a recent success story you had with a patient. What acupuncture points, herbs, or other interventions (meditation, yoga, nutrition, etc) did you use to help them achieve results?
A fertility case with a history of 2 miscarriages followed by 2 rounds of failed IUI followed by recently diagnosed PCOS.
This patient was treated with acupuncture (some points were changed depending on the day of her cycle, but the fixed points used in each treatment were ST 40, ST 8; SP 9; SP 6; GB 41) and herbs were customized based on each phase of her cycle.
Nutrition: avoid processed foods, alcohol, coffee, dairy. Increase fresh greens, vegetable and fruits while taking the vitamins and supplements advised by her fertility doctors.
She was given a recipe for green smoothie to make and drink every day, and green light meditation to do for 5-20 minutes/day.
Patient was compliant with the treatment plan and got pregnant with her next IUI treatment and now carries a baby boy. She continues her acupuncture treatments throughout pregnancy.
You have a world of experience in the eastern medicine field, which work or educational experience do you feel impacted you and your practice the most to get you to the point you are today?
Becoming licensed with Acupuncture Board of Reproductive Medicine and being a fellow of ABORM made a difference on how I treat fertility cases.
How do you feel that women’s health can be maximized with acupuncture treatment both with fertility and overall?
Through acupuncture treatments, our patients learn about the importance of processing stress and finding ways to be mindful and destress, incorporating whole food nutrition and eliminating processed food from their diets, they learn about their menstrual cycles and how to track ovulations, they notice that their PMS symptoms subside with treatments and herbs, and they no longer experience symptoms such as discomfort, or pain with their periods.
Through lab tests, they notice improvements in their hormone levels such as AMH, FSH levels and improvement in their fertility profile. Overall, they find that space and time to take a break from all the responsibilities, frustrations, and stress of day-to-day living, instead they can relax and get in touch with their inner self.
Looking back, what advice would you have given to the younger version of yourself, who was just getting started in this profession?
All is good, make plans and keep going.
What keeps an acupuncture practice going?
Be professional, offer a safe and clean space to patients to heal, and improve your knowledge/skills/techniques.
What are specific roadblocks to watch out for as a new acupuncturist?
Determine what a busy practice or full schedule means to you and how often you would like to schedule patients. And regardless of how open the schedule is, treat patients as if you are running a busy practice with a full schedule.
We have all occasionally had a patient come into our practice who is upset, frustrated, and a little angry. Maybe it’s from work, being stuck in traffic, or life in general – we have all been there! What advice would you give to fellow acupuncture students and/or colleagues on how to deal with situations like these?
Don’t take their actions personal, put the ego aside and don’t react negatively to their actions. Instead, empathize with them, give them the time and the space to process the frustration, take the time to listen to them and guide them through deep breathing, once they calm down, ask them if they’re ready for their treatment.
What are your favorite acupuncture points, and why?
Triple burner 4 and 5 combined with Gallbladder 40 and 41, constantly alleviate pain in various regions of body and at the same have calming effect.
Tell us about some herbal formulas and foods you find yourself consistently recommending to your patients, friends, and colleagues. What makes these herbs/foods so helpful?
In treating women’s issues, I find myself prescribing Tao Hong Si Wu tang. Any patient who has a treatment with me learns to avoid processed food in general such as processed sugar and carbs.
The COVID-19 pandemic has without a doubt had a significant impact on the acupuncture practice community and small businesses alike, and while it’s on the mend, we are still navigating through the new normal. How has COVID-19 changed your practice?
Honestly it did not impact my business that much, our office was open throughout COVID and we continued offering our services while following safety protocols and making sure we offer a safe space to our patients and staff.
Sometimes, the best resource for improving our skills is by learning from the other acupuncturists we meet along our professional journey. What is one thing you learned from a fellow acupuncturist or holistic practitioner that has helped you in your professional growth, or in your care for patients?
When I speak to my colleagues, we always talk about how it would be nice to hold regular meetings to discuss our challenging cases and/or obstacles in running a business and discuss possible solutions to such issues. Through my participation in different acupuncture groups on social media and being a part of chat group for ABORM practitioners, I have learned that we are not alone in this journey, by being open to accepting health insurances, I was able to grow my practice and offer my services to all socio-economic levels of the population and not limit the medicine to only those who can afford such services.
What are the benefits of facial cupping vs facial acupuncture for your patients? which is more popular?
Through facial acupuncture, micro lesions are generated in the dermal layer of the skin, which promotes Qi and blood circulation to the face and activates the natural ability of the skin to start the healing process and collagen production, therefore it brings vitality to the face and over time helps with the fine lines and wrinkles and brings elasticity to the skin.
On the other hand, facial cupping complements the facial acupuncture treatment by further promoting the blood flow to the skin layer and it feels like a gentle facial massage and causes further relaxation for the patient.
In my practice, patients scheduling for facial treatments, receive light therapy, facial acupuncture, facial cupping and gua-sha services; and once a month they schedule for microneedling session that includes light therapy and microneedling with applications of high quality hyaluronic acid serum with various serums such as apple stem cell serum and ect. of face/neck/upper chest areas.
You are a fellow on Acupuncture Board of Reproductive Medicine (ABORM). That’s amazing! Tell us how you got to that position and what differences you can make for the acupuncturist community as well as for patients in this role.
Through my journey to becoming a doctor of oriental medicine specializing in women’s health and fertility, I learned about Acupuncture Board of Reproductive Medicine, I studied and passed the ABORM exam that is offered once a year and became a licensed fellow (FABORM), I recommend this process to anyone who practices women’s health because it takes our knowledge and experience to a different level of practice by becoming well versed in western approaches of assisted reproductive techniques and treatments.
Do you have any daily habits or rituals that keep you at your “best-self”, both as an acupuncture practitioner and person?
Morning rituals: Meditate for 5 minutes upon waking up in the morning, having gratitude for another day given to me to live, go to the gym for an hour, walk my dog for an hour and get ready to start my day.
The kindest thing a patient said to you recently:
I always pray to God and give thanks for knowing you, your treatments have changed my life for better.
The funniest thing a patient said to you recently:
After inserting one needle, patient was able to move his neck and instantly experienced less pain than when he came in and said with a smile “you’re a magician”.
As an acupuncturist, what are you most proud of thus far in your professional journey?
Constantly evolving my knowledge of the medicine and polishing my expertise to adding new techniques to help patients.
If you could have a billboard with anything on it, what would it be and why?
Raise your vibration to peak frequency at Peak Life Acupuncture INC.
What is your definition of success?
In my personal life, success is being happy and satisfied with myself. In my career, success is being able to help those who seek my help, and to make a difference in their health and healing journey.
If you could have one superpower what would it be and why?
To be able to HEAL patients instantly.
*Rapid fire questions! *:
Morning or night? Morning
Tea or coffee? Tea
Sun or moon? Sun
Cupping or Tui na? Tui-na
Yin or Yang? Yin
Meditation or exercise? Both
Instagram or Facebook? Instagram
Top 3 Favorite Books? Think and Grow Rich, Evolve your Brain, Acupuncture for IVF and Assisted Reproduction
Where can other licensed acupuncturists, students, and patients go to learn more about your work?
They may visit our website at www.peaklifeacupuncture.com to gain insight on my biography, specialties and services offered. Follow us on Instagram at peak life acupuncture to see photos and videos of treatments rendered. Visit our google and yelp pages at peak life acupuncture to read satisfied patient’s reviews about my clinic, staff, and their experiences.
