Dongguk University

i have been coming here for 7 years now… its great.

Nice school, good location, big parking lot, but the ambiance is kind of ruined by the homeless people who have camped all around the campus… probably not safe to walk around at night!

Wow! This was my best treatment ever! I have been receiving acupuncture for about 5 years now, and this treatment blew me out of the water and into the ethers!
It opened up and released all that was holding me down and keeping me fearful in life! I feel so honored to have been able to receive such a life changing treatment.
The staff her is kind and welcoming. The students are attentive, gentle and wonderful! I will be back!

I love this place! My husband and I are regulars here. These students and doctors are amazing!!! I have been going to Dongguk for about a year now… mainly for my TMJ disorder… which is now GONE! My savior there has been Dr. Floridalma Sommers — who I recommend to everyone! She is the most caring, conscientious and knowledgeable doctor there. She has helped me a lot through my struggle with TMJ … and in alleviating the associated pain I have experienced. Her technique in acupuncture is highly effective and unique. She is an expert at it and knows exactly which points to hit to help heal your body. I love her dearly!!! She is a God-​sent. Dongguk is also extremely reasonable in prices. You pay $ 10 every Monday as a walk-​in and the rest of the time the treatments are $ 25. You won’t get those prices anywhere else! We have referred tons of people here! Thank you Dunggok for all that you have done for our family!!!

I first went to DULA about (3) yrs. ago when I first had back pain. It was the first time that I had acupuncture and it stopped the pain. I was told that I should continue to have the service at least once a month. I didn’t listen and a month ago my back and sciatic nerve started hurting. At first I took pain pills then, I realized that this wasn’t what I wanted to do. I called DULA and made the appointment to see Dr. Qian and I started going twice a week for the pain. The interns that give the acupuncture are well trained and they take the time to ask you about the pain and everything from your eating habits to your sleeping. I was so impressed that I can still remember from the first time that I went there who helped me feel better. Intern Sun who to me had the softest touch when applying needles. Now during this visit I have seen Angel Wang who has the sweetest personality and last week I saw Seo who is great and has true compassion and I find that with the true rivalry of (Michigan) the service is what I expected, marvelous! Dr. Qian has truly trained these you intern to e the best of what they do but, one thing you can’t be trained for is compassion and this is what you are shown here. All this starts with Dr. Qian who guides and shows these interns how and where to apply the needles. I always know that Dr. Qian is the first one to apply the needle and he is speaking to the intern, to me his voice has respect in it and of course the intern’s is the same way. Hopefully that last statement makes sense! I don’t usually want a massage but, after Dr. Qian gave me a massage to my back I knew this is something I could get used too. I mentioned to one of the female intern that I want to visit everyday just for the massage. The main thing to me is that when you put this all together the people of DULA will give the best service and take the time to talk and speaking from experience you will feel as if you are in a body that is able to dance and telling you thank you for making me better! As long as I am in California I will have at least a once a month visit to DULA to insure that I won’t have to take pain pills and be able to walk with a smile on my face and this due to the great Dr. Qian and his talented Interns!

This place is a blessing! It’s changed my life. I love going to Heather. What a gentle, truly caring and very informative student that takes her time with every visit.

The clinic at DULA is very professional looking. I have been to another school clinic that claim to be the Harvard of the Acupuncture world only to find a room full of noisy people with no privacy except for a curtain seperating you from the other patients. DULA is very professional and uses state of the art equipment. I felt very comfortable with my student acupuncturist, they do the full treatment, acupuncture, little bit of massage and have herbal prescriptions ready for you when the treatment is over. the price is inexpensive which surprised me, since I’m a firm believer that you get what you pay for. low price = low quality. but not in this case.
Dula is training their practitioners to be in a professional setting and you can tell.
I would recommend the school clinic to anyone who wants a great treatment.

Twice a week for stress management and the only regret I’ve had is when I miss a session. Can’t beat the price. Yes students apply the needles but always supervised by a doctor. I’ve seen the same doctor for months. A great opportunity to experience acupuncture and a eastern approach to healing at an accessible price

It’s understandable that walking into a «university» there are many students in white coats assisting patients. Ignoring my better judgement, I decided to follow the good reviews on Unilocal and try this clinic out. Once I passed the checking in process, a very young looking student in a white coat approaches me directing me to one of the rooms. I ask the clerk for verification, «That isn’t the doctor, is it?» She replies, «No, he is just going to ask a few questions and the doctor will come in after to proceed». The student asks basic medical history questions and says «Ok wait here and I’ll have the doctor come in.» After a few minutes, the same young student walks back in with a handful of needles and tells me to lie on the table and «roll up your pants or take it off». Somewhat in dismay, I look around for something to cover me, but nothing was provided so I uncomfortably roll up my pant leg. He then starts unpackaging the needles and was about to administer on my leg when I ask, «umm… where is the doctor?» Response, «unless you have specific questions, I will be handling your leg». With hesitation I allow him to proceed. He presses around asking «Does it hurt?» If not, passes if yes, pokes a needle. I ask his methodology to acupuncture as I’d assume depending on the pain, there wld be different pinpoints to insert a needle. The student’s response, «I asked the doctor and he just said to stick it where it hurts» Ummmm… just stick it where it hurts!!! Since I already had a few needles in me, I remained calm and left disgusted. I asked if this will be effective, his response, «Probably not… unless you come 3−4times» I paid and left. $ 10 for Mondays… prob since $ 10 for procedures done by students not actual doctors. Not ONCE did I meet a doctor or having one supervise a procedure being done by a STUDENT. I understand students may have had some practice but having no nurse or superior to oversee this… ummm no thank you.

Dr Chen (male) is the best. My hair has stopped falling out. Amazing.
I did have one psycho make intern who yelled at me but now I’ve found my faves and I’m all good!

I’m pregnant and developed some numbness and pain in my left heel due to the weight gain and fluid retention. I had a student and attending physician work on me and they did a great job. Being a student in a health profession myself, I don’t mind having the students practice on me since that is how we all learn. They were both great and my heels feel better. I will be returning for more acupuncture:)

Great and affordable place for a holistic treatment!
Have used this clinic for many years now and have never been disappointed!
Highly recommended :)

I love the Dongguk clinic. Everybody is very nice and I have received excellent acupuncture treatments, herbal medicine and tui-​na treatments that helped me get through a very difficult period in my life. The student that treated me, Tao Kwan, will be opening an office herself in the near future, and I can highly recommend her, as well as Dr. Doris Johnson and Dr. Chun Yi Qian, whose compassion and expertise have helped me tremendously.

This place is the the birthplace of the ways of QIANism! In the end… ONLY The Master can help you. Dr. Qian has… The Powers. Go see this man if you have a problem. Its no problem!

I have been coming to Dongguk for 8 years now and I really really love it here. They are clean and have great prices on herbs. Dr Chin has been my treating Doctor through the years and he is phenomenal. I trust him and his knowledge and the students seem to be great.
For someone on a budget this is wonderful option to get wholistic treatment without breaking the bank!

First of all, the above number is not the phone number to the clinic.
213) 487‑0150
You’re welcome.
I’ve returned several times now, and I wanted to just post a friendly advice for fellow Unilocalers.
This place is really a hit or miss. I now know how to make each visit a «hit»…
And this took me some time to figure out.
You just have to try to FIND THE INTERN AND INSTRUCTOR COMBO YOU LIKE. That’s it.
My last visit was horrifying. I had this one elderly intern and Dr. Joo. Call in advance and postpone your visit if Dr. Joo is on site. She just takes your pulse and walks away, and the intern does the rest.
This intern tried putting needles in my leg and neck while I screamed of pain, and he kept trying different spots. Worst acupuncture experience. He finally had to call Dr. Joo and she did a few. And then she tells him to do the rest and walks out again. And my screaming began again.
I walked out with new pain that wasn’t there before entering the clinic.
The visit prior to this nightmare, I had Dr. Chin. He is the man.
Very chill and friendly. My intern who was on her last year was really nice too.
She pretty much just wrote down my symptoms and had Dr. Cheng come in.
After an acupuncture session on my back, I felt great. He then said, okay, then maybe you don’t need cupping.
I told him I’d like it though. He performed it with several students watching. I was sitting upright on a chair, and it was magic.
Dr. Chin. He’s the one to go to.

Diverse dining choices, Dongguk University and karaōke bars are the greatest benefits of living in K-​town.
I try to visit this acupuncture school weekly to treat my eczema skin condition. I feel excellent after most treatments but will caveat that service is a bit inconsistent. Some interns are obviously more skilled than others and there are days when instructors are less attentive in supervising their interns. On a great day, you get an apt pupil and instructor that will explain the effects of each pressure point. Good news is it’s only $ 20 per visit and even $ 5 on Monday mornings (though I have not taken advantage of this rate).

I have been going here for a few weeks. I was having severe issues with my allergies. Western medicine was failing me… and I found myself at Dongguk.
This isn’t just a place to go for acupuncture… It is actually a school. And the place where you receive treatment in their school’s clinic where interns are able to practice and learn under the supervision of the doctors/​instructors. As such, you can expect a bit of a learning curve to occur… some students are further along than others… some better or more knowledgeable. But everything is closely supervised.
I have been going on Mondays because they offer a $ 5 clinic that day. It is a first-​come, first-​served sort of deal. You go, you get on the list, and you sit (sometimes for hours) until your number is up. Now that I have been a few times, I have interns that I prefer… so I write down their names and when my number is up… I’m their next patient to see. Other days you can go as a walk-​in or by appointment — the cost is more, but still reasonable.
As someone who had no experience with Acupuncture… this seemed like a great way to test the waters without an serious monetary investment.
The thing here is that when you begin attending, you will be randomly matched with an intern (and whatever doctor is available) when you are called up to be seen. It takes a few tries to finally find someone that fits. My first few appointments, I wasn’t so crazy about my interns or doctors. One doctor just kinda poked around, loaded me up with pins on my left side, and disappeared while the intern filled me in on the right. The result? Half the pins on my right side left me in some discomfort for the duration of the treatment. On other occasions, though, I’ve had interns and doctors who had better bedside manner and who really explained things to me. I have finally found an intern/​doctor combo that I like a lot… and I write their names on my check-​in card upon arrival so that I can see them specifically. This means a slightly longer wait but is SO worth it!
Well, I’ve been going for over a month. And, my allergies have really cleared up. I’m now med-​free and comfortable most days. I will continue going back as needed… continuing weekly visits until I can make it a full two weeks without returning or having symptoms. (Checking here & there to see how long of a stretch I can manage with that.) So far, so good!
I really am glad to have found this clinic! Their services have changed my life without breaking my budget!

I have to say that previously i was a BIG FAN of Dongguk.
They pretty much cured me of my carpal tunnel.
YES CURED. no drugs or operations needed, just the magic of ancient healing. seriously it was insane how much they did for my life!!!
BUT
i went in today and had a weird experience with an obvious new student who left 2 needles in my body that I discovered as I was leaving the office!!!
NOT OK DUDES!!! luckily it was no biggie but its a warning, make sure they thoroughly check your body before you leave! demand it!
I would recommend the following Doctors (you end up working with a student, but the doctors oversee the work)
Dr. Chen (this dude cured my yearlong carpal tunnel pain!!!)
Dr. Doris Johnson (a super cool doctor who knows her stuff and speaks English)
I would not recommend
Dr.Joo (too quick and impersonal)
:)

I am a student at Dongguk and have visited most of the other acu schools in the LA area. For people who don’t live out by the beach, DG is pretty much the only game in town (although I am told there is another school on Wilshire @ Union– oh, and South Baylo (branch of Anaheim school) on Lafayette Park Place @ 6^th Street).
As has been observed in previous posts, there is unavoidably a degree of Russian Roulette at any of these clinics– even at the tonier places in Santa Monica & Culver City (adjacent). The trick is to go with an open mind, maybe go back more than once until you find the intern and/​or supervisor that suits you– and then REMEMBER to ask for (or at least try to get) that same team when and if you return.
Just like in allopathic (aka ‘Western’) medicine, there are different styles, different personalities, varying language barriers, and yes, varying levels of competence or experience.
As a student with nothing but low simmering, chronic ailments, I am trying to be a bit more adventurous and embrace the whole RR thing. Sometimes you discover a genius practitioner you would have never known about otherwise. But if you find someone you love and can keep seeing him or her, that also sounds like a winning formula :)
I wish more of «we students» would regularly read these Unilocal posts (or more enthusiastically encourage feedback from the community). It’s thrilling for someone like me (just starting my second year and one quarter away from observing in the clinic) to read the positive reviews– and equally elucidating to read the criticisms.
I have had some of the same experiences, both good and bad, at the clinic at my previous school. But once I had figured out the lay of the land, as it were, I was confident that I would get expert care each time– and regularly returned for preventative tune-​ups.
Please tell your friends! We have a huge group of wonderful students due to enter the clinic spring & summer of 2011. It would be our great pleasure to have you as regular clients.