Hi, I’m Juan Carlos.
I hold a Master's in Traditional Chinese Medicine from ACTCM in San Francisco, completed a specialized internship in Chinese medicine gynecology and fertility support under Dr. Lifang Liang, and spent over a decade in private practice working with people navigating fertility challenges, hormonal imbalance, chronic pain, and complex vitality concerns.
That decade of practice ran alongside a long, personal reckoning with my own health — one that reshaped how I think about the body, and eventually led me to where I am today.
For 35 years, I was a strict vegetarian, including six years as a vegan. I was highly active, yet I struggled to build muscle mass, suffered from cold hands and feet, and watched old sports injuries take years to heal. Eventually, under a wave of intense stress, my system down-regulated into low body temperature, chronic migraines, and a 20-year battle with insomnia. In the language of traditional herbalism, my Jing—my vital baseline energy—was entirely depleted.
I had to challenge my own dogmas. I merged my knowledge of classical Chinese herbology with the cutting-edge science of Western cellular biology and mitochondrial function. I realized my nervous system and hormones were starving for dense, bioavailable, ancestral nutrients. I shifted my diet, introduced traditional fats, grass-fed proteins, collagen, and targeted metabolic lifestyle support.
The results were life-altering. My 20-year insomnia vanished. My physical strength returned, and I felt truly, vibrantly alive.
I don't just understand depletion from a textbook. I have lived it. I know what it means to feel like your body is running on empty, and I teach how to rebuild that fire from the ground up.
Most recently, my family and I navigated an incredibly demanding four-year period of career pivots and high stress. By applying these exact mitochondrial and pattern-restoration understandings, I protected my own reproductive vitality and nervous system. Today, we have relocated to northern Italy, and my wife is currently pregnant with our first child.
I also know what it is to navigate chronic health struggles. My own experiences taught me that recovery is rarely linear, and that the most important thing a coach can offer is a genuine, unhurried attempt to understand the patterns happening for this person, in this body, at this moment. Deep listening and versatility are the core coaching skills that make everything else work.
Education and Training
Pomona College
My educational foundation includes a Bachelor's degree in International Relations from Pomona College, shaping my holistic perspective and contributing to my diverse skill set.
American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine
I hold a 4-year Master's degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine from ACTCM, solidifying my expertise in this time-honored healing tradition.
Diplomate Of Canonical Chinese Medicine
I earned a Diplomate of Canonical Chinese Medicine (DCCM) from the Institute of Classics in East Asian Medicine, a two-year immersive program under Dr. Arnaud Versluys focused on the clinical application of Han-dynasty canonical texts — principally the Shang Han Lun and Jin Gui Yao Lue. The lineage I trained in traces back through an unbroken line of oral transmission: from Dr. Tian Heming, a renowned physician in Chengdu, to his student Dr. Zeng Rongxiu, to Dr. Versluys himself. This certification underscores my commitment to bridging ancient wisdom and contemporary healthcare practices.
Dr. Lifang Liang Acupuncture Clinic
I completed a year-long clinical internship at the San Francisco practice of Dr. Lifang Liang — O.M.D., Ph.D., L.Ac. — one of the foremost authorities in TCM gynecology in the United States and author of Acupuncture & IVF. This internship, focused exclusively on gynecology and male and female infertility, gave me the specialized clinical foundation that continues to inform my fertility support work today.
Center for Ecoliteracy
I had the privilege of working at the Center for Ecoliteracy alongside the esteemed Fritjof Capra, fostering my passion for ecological awareness and innovative education.
Academy of Chinese Culture and Health Sciences
For five enriching years, I served as an associate professor of Chinese Medicine at ACCHS, dedicating my expertise to the realm of herbs and herbal formulas, further enhancing my understanding of holistic healing.
Robert Levine Acupuncture Clinic
For six transformative years, I apprenticed under the tutelage of Robert Levine, a master practitioner in Chinese Medicine and Pulses, honing my skills and deepening my understanding at his esteemed private practice in Berkeley.
Juan Carlos Acupuncture
For a decade, I passionately dedicated myself to Juan Carlos Acupuncture, nurturing my private practice and utilizing holistic therapies to guide countless individuals toward optimal health and well-being.
Today, my work is entirely health consulting and wellness coaching — herbs, nutrition, pattern-reading, and lifestyle strategy, delivered remotely and built around your specific picture. I'm not currently licensed to practice acupuncture.
My Approach
Good medicine begins with listening — not just to symptoms, but to the person expressing them.
After more than a decade in clinical practice and five years teaching Chinese medicine and herbology, what I've learned is that the body rarely speaks in isolated complaints. Sleep, digestion, mood, energy, cycle patterns, stress load — these are not separate problems. They are one conversation. My work is to understand what that conversation is about, and to support the conditions under which the body can find its way back to balance.
The tools I draw on most are classical Chinese herbal formulas, nutritional medicine, targeted supplementation, lifestyle adjustment, and mindfulness — combined in whatever proportion makes sense for the individual in front of me. I don't work from fixed formulas. I work from careful observation, and I adjust as things change.
I also bring a particular lens from my earlier work in ecological systems thinking — the understanding that healing, like ecology, is not about fixing broken parts but about restoring the conditions for a living system to thrive. That perspective shapes how I approach every client I work with..
ZafronMoon is an invitation to reconnect — with the intelligence of the body, and with the rhythms that support it.
Photo by Mahdi Soheili
What people say
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"JC has an innate gift for this work. I've been through a lot of business-related stress in the last few years and had grown angry and resentful, beginning to despair of feeling anything — but JC helped me reconnect with the me I used to know, and I am eternally grateful."
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"Juan Carlos brings a rare gift to this work. He understands the body from both a traditional Chinese medicine perspective and a broader, integrative one. He is a keen observer, a good listener, and always willing to explain how and why a specific recommendation might work. He also has a deep understanding of nutrition and how to best support the body through diet and lifestyle."
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"I visited Juan Carlos for fertility related guidance and received a highly personalised, detailed consultation in which I was closely listened to and my needs analysed. This was followed by a wonderfully relaxing session... A wonderfully welcoming consultation - many thanks Juan Carlos"
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"In addition to being incredibly gifted with herbs, Juan Carlos has a very solid grasp of nutrition and how to support the body's own recovery. He is one of my favorites ... because he listens to the body and asks very good questions to understand what's out of balance. I am grateful to his thoughtful ear and would highly recommend his services."
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"Juan Carlos has a remarkably holistic approach to healing which begins with simple human understanding."
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"Juan Carlos has managed to find a perfect balance between Eastern and Western thinking about the body. His traditional training combined with a genuine, up-to-date curiosity allows him to connect your symptoms to the larger pattern underneath them. Certainly not a bandage approach here — Juan Carlos enables you to lead a healthy and balanced lifestyle."
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"Super smart and super knowledgeable. Also is very compassionate and professional. I highly recommend him!"
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"I met Juan Carlos a few years ago, when I was dealing with a very painful and debilitating bout of joint pain. Working together, my body settled and the pain resolved. He also shared nutrition guidance and herbs for my particular needs — to support my energy, ease anxiety, help me sleep peacefully, and bring relief from constipation. He taught me a simple form of meditation to improve my ability to focus. I could not have continued teaching without his support. I am ever thankful for his guidance!"
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"Juan was very articulate and created a unique view of my body that other practitioners have failed to do so. I left the session feeling better, refreshed and with a list of tools and life adaptations to heal. Will definitely continue seeing him."
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"I consistently get results from Juan Carlos that I've never gotten before from other Eastern or Western practitioners. He has supported me with sleep, overall energy, seasonal sensitivities, anxiety, digestive comfort, and stress. Thank you Juan Carlos!"
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"Very adept listener. Super caring. Extremely devoted to his profession. I'd recommend Juan Carlos to anybody."
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"I had a very good experience working with Juan Carlos. He listened carefully to my health history and put together a diet approach combined with different herbs to help with the symptoms that were bothering me most. I'm very glad he was recommended to me, since I had needed support like this for quite a while. Definitely a sensitive, attentive practitioner!"
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"This was my first visit with Juan Carlos and he is one of a kind! Very knowledgeable, intuitive, considerate and kind. I am excited to begin working with him further down this path of healing. I am inspired by his whole person approach - mind, body and spirit."
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"Juan Carlos is genuine, caring, thorough, thoughtful, tenacious and very knowledgeable. Resolving the cause of what ails you and positive results are his priority; he is very good at what he does! I highly recommend him."
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"My recent experience with Juan Carlos has been nothing but pleasant. For the first time in my life, someone was actually interested in addressing the root of my concerns rather than just the symptoms on the surface. Juan Carlos also has a deep understanding of herbal traditions. His approach is both comforting and effective. I highly recommend a session with Juan Carlos, even if you're already feeling well!"