About the Doctors
Dr. Amanda Occhipinti, Owner & Clinic Director
As a third generation holistic practitioner, I have seen first hand the amazing power of natural medicine throughout my whole life. Understanding that the body can heal itself was an integral part of my upbringing. The concept of natural healthcare was always fascinating to me. I knew from a very young age I wanted to help others with their body’s own healing powers to get and stay well.
In college I studied Behavioral Science with a double minor in Business and Italian. Through my tenure at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey I would question whether social work was my true calling. Healing others was the goal, but how was I going to get there? Psychology and neuroscience were my favorite courses, but I never felt “right” about potentially dispensing medications to patients, when I knew there was another, natural way.
After graduating Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa, I began my journey to become a natural healer. Then in 2012 my life changed forever. One Sunday afternoon I was driving on the highway and I was in a serious car accident. The left side of my face and body went numb, I was in pain all over, and mentally traumatized from the event. In the past, because of my healthy lifestyle, I always recovered quite quickly from any injuries and rarely fell sick at all. Fast forward to after the accident and I was constantly in pain, fatigued, suffering from migraines, having mood swings, anxiety and worst of all, not feeling like myself. Intervention beyond my normal routine of eating right, exercising, and taking adjustments needed to occur.
Dr. Amanda Occhipinti
It was at that time I received my first acupuncture treatment, and it changed my life. I remember having an indescribable, outer-body experience, truly amazing! Treatment after treatment I would notice my energy would improve, the pain would dissipate, and emotionally I would feel more balanced. What really solidified that Acupuncture would be my calling was when all of a sudden, my migraines stopped. What was truly remarkable about that symptom resolving was that I NEVER told the Acupuncturist I suffered from migraines! The next week I submitted my application to the Eastern School of Acupuncture and Traditional Medicine in Bloomfield, New Jersey. For three years I dedicated myself to learning the art and science behind Acupuncture. The more I learned about Acupuncture, the more excited I became and each day my love of Acupuncture continues to grow.
I am a self-motivated individual committed to being a lifelong student. I enjoy treating everyone and everything because each connection made with a patient brings an opportunity to learn. In addition to my License in Acupuncture, I have earned a Master’s Degree in Acupuncture from the Eastern School of Acupuncture and Traditional Medicine, a Doctorate in Acupuncture from the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine, Nationally Board Certified Acupuncturist, Microneedling and Cosmetic Acupuncture Specialist, and Fitness Nutrition Specialist. I also am very grateful to have the opportunity to be an acupuncturist for the New York Jets Football team.
I am eternally grateful to be working as a healer and Doctor of Acupuncture. I could not be any happier doing anything else. I believe that being an Acupuncturist is my true calling. I love what I do and look forward to sharing my passion with you.
Dr. Thomas Kouo
Dr. Thomas Kouo
A graduate of the Master's and Doctoral programs at Pacific College, Dr. Kouo founded and was the clinical director of Elemental Harmony Acupuncture in San Diego. Elemental Harmony Acupuncture served San Diego and was one of the foremost clinics for pediatrics, orthopedics, and women's health. He was also the creator of a special facial rejuvenation protocol named "Age-Reversal Therapy" (ART) that was featured at the renowned A & B Medical Spa in Hillcrest, California.
Dr. Kouo has treated athletes on the San Diego Chargers, Los Angeles Lakers, the US Winter Olympic Training team, and was the acupuncturist for the La Jolla Open Tennis Tournament at the La Jolla Tennis Center. Dr. Kouo was one of the original acupuncturists selected to pilot UCSD's Center for Integrative Medicine and was on staff in family medicine with hospital privileges working alongside UCSD's best physicians. He has also worked in the oncology department of Radys Children's Hospital in San Diego where he developed his love and compassion in working with children.
Dr. Kouo is honored to serve on the medical advisory board of Miracle Babies, a non-profit organization dedicated to the betterment of women and families with babies born prematurely. He has lectured both locally and nationally on topics such as Chinese Medicine and HIV/AIDS, Fatty Liver Disease, healthy pregnancy, pediatric care, sports injury care, and integrative medicine. He was also the Director of Wellness for a Fortune 500 company in Los Angeles and was the herbal consultant for the licensure review preparatory company, TCM Tests.
Dr. Thomas Kouo currently serves as both Academic and Clinical Dean at The Eastern School of Acupuncture and Traditional Medicine (ESATM) in Bloomfield, NJ. Under his leadership, the Eastern School developed and implemented the first Masters degree in Acupuncture in the state of New Jersey in 2016 and recently achieved a full seven years of accreditation from the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine (ACAHM) for the first time in the school’s history. Kouo currently serves as the Vice-President for the Council of Colleges for Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine (CCAHM). As VP of the council, Dr. Kouo served as the Council representative at the annual Academy for Integrative Health & Medicine conference in San Diego in 2022 and has worked with the council’s Executive Committee on behalf of the betterment of all the acupuncture medicine schools and the East Asian Medicine profession. He also serves as the current Chair of the CCAHM School Clinic Committee and is the immediate past chair for the council’s Herb Committee. He is a long time accreditation site visitor for (ACAHM).
Prior to arriving at ESATM, Dr. Kouo served at Virginia University of Integrative Medicine (VUIM) as the Academic Dean and Chair of the Herbology department. While at VUIM, he led the university through the ACAOM accreditation process and the university was awarded the maximum five years initial accreditation in March 2015. Prior to VUIM, Dr. Kouo worked at Pacific College of Health Sciences San Diego, where he was the chair of the Herbal Department and taught in both the Master's and Doctoral programs while also serving as a Clinical Supervisor.
Why IHC
Integrated Health Center works to restore and/or maintain your body to homeostasis. Each treatment is unique and specialized to meet you where you are in the present moment. There may be no I in Team, but there is in Integrated and at ICH the I stands for the importance of keeping the individual patient at the central focus of the treatment.