Melissa M. Monroe, PhD, L.Ac, the owner and founder of Eastside Family Acupuncture, is licensed by the State of California as well as the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. In addition to her private practice, Melissa teaches Psychology of Patient Care and is a Technical Supervisor at her alma mater, Samra University of Oriental Medicine.

Melissa began her academic pursuits by completing a Pre-Med curriculum at Loyola University Chicago where she graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University Honors Program with a B.S in Psychology. After graduating, Melissa worked as a Research Technologist at the University of Chicago in the Departments of Drug Abuse Research and Anesthesiology/Critical Care, as well as conducting collaborative research with the Departments of Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery.

After several unsuccessful operations on a knee injury, Melissa found amazing rehabilitative results from yoga, Pilates and acupuncture, and began to study all of the modalities intensively. As she healed herself, many people came to her for advice on healing their injuries, and so began her teaching career.

Melissa attended Pilates Teacher Training with Romana Kryzanowska from NYC and studied with Rael Isacowitz and Moira Stott as well. She completed a one-year Kundalini Yoga Teacher Training with Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa, and in doing so, traveled to India with Gurmukh and Yogi Bhajan. Melissa also completed Hatha Yoga Teacher Training with the wonderful Erich Schiffmann and has attended many workshops with other great teachers such as Rodney Yee, David Life and Sharon Gannon.

A Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) with Yoga Alliance, Melissa formed her own business in 1996 and taught while putting herself through Samra University, where she graduated with a 4.0 GPA and earned an Award for Academic Excellence. Among other groups and individuals, she teaches Pilates and yoga to the staff of Children's Hospital (LA) and specializes in neuromuscular re-education and rehabilitation.

In addition to the training Melissa received at Samra, she has completed several post-graduate training programs, including programs for the treatment of acute and chronic pain such as The Balance Method by Dr. Richard Tan, which utilizes points away from the injured area to help reduce inflammation and encourage muscle relaxation via distal reflex connections. She is currently enrolled in a one-year advanced Acupuncture Orthopedics course with Don Lee, L.Ac. She has also studied advanced herbal prescription construction and has completed several training programs in the treatment of women’s health issues, including fertility and reproductive health.

She is also active in promoting her profession by serving on the American Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine’s Student Organization Council as a Regional Director as well as Co-Chair of the Media and Publication Committee. In March 2008, she was elected Co-President with her term to begin in October of 2008. In serving so, she has written several articles for the Association’s on-line journal.

Melissa is currently working on a PhD in Classical Chinese Medicine that she is expected to earn in May 2009. Her dissertation is on the effects of Classical Chinese medicine on female fertility and reproductive health, which is one of her specialties along with treatment of pain syndromes, neuromuscular re-education and rehabilitation, pediatrics, and stress-related illness, such as digestive problems and depression.

Melissa's diverse educational background ensures that every patient receives the highly individualized treatment that is necessary for optimal health and she firmly believes that empowerment and education of the patient towards prevention and self-care is of the foremost importance in the healing process.

Melissa provides treatments and Pilates training in the Silverlake area at In and Up Pilates.

Contact her for your appointment today.