“We are travelers on a cosmic journey, stardust, swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. Life is eternal. We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share. This is a precious moment. It is a little parenthesis in eternity.”
― Paul Coelho

We are all just travelers on a journey. I am a healer, a warrior, a father, a husband, a son, a brother, a friend, but most of all I am an educator. Like you, I am on my own journey too. Part of my journey is to assist people with their journey. Notice I used the word “assist.” I am not an omnipotent or omniscient being - I am just me. I cannot cure you, I can only help you heal yourself. Through my travels I have learned a thing or two which I hope might help you.

My journey started out in 1970. Throughout my childhood, I developed a love for the martial arts and Asian medicine, although I didn’t know it at the time.

One of my fondest childhood memories was when my father and I would go to watch chambara samurai and martial arts movies at theatres like the old Linda Lea theatre in Los Angeles. I actually saw movies like Bruce Lee’s Big Boss and Tomisaburo Wakayama’s Shogun Assassin in the theatre before I was even 10 years old. My two favorite characters were always the shaolin monk healer and the omniscient martial arts teacher. Today, I am both an acupuncturist and a teacher of Aikido.

In 1990, I became a student of Reverend Kensho Furuya and have been involved with Aikido for over 27 years now. Aikido has taught me so much more than how to defend myself. It has taught me the value of life. Aikido’s core teaching is that of compassion and the founder, Morihei Ueshiba’s words, “All life is precious” really resonated with me.

Trying to understand the teachings of Aikido and learn the true meaning of compassion led me in 2002 to begin studying acupuncture at Emperor’s College in Santa Monica. The study of acupuncture has truly benefited me as a person. Not only do I get to help people, but I get to put compassion into practice every day. Acupuncture training has really taught me how to look at things with the bigger picture in mind while not leaving out any of the details. The Japanese proverb, “Even Dust, When Piled up, Will Become a Mountain” is apropos because it’s the little things which make up the big things. If we can’t see the bigger picture then we run the risk of missing the point. If we “merely pinch off the leaves or concern yourself with only the branches” then we also miss the minute individual details which lead us to the top of the mountain. A good practitioner of medicine needs to be able to focus not only the tree itself, but also be able to see the minute details which make up the tree.

My only desire is to assist you in your journey to help you understand your health better.

David Ito has over 20 years in the health and fitness industry. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology and Physical Education from California State University, Long Beach, a Master’s degree from Emperor’s College in Acupuncture and Oriental medicine and a Doctorate in Acupuncture from Pacific College of Oriental Medicine - San Diego. David is currently licensed by the State of California to practice acupuncture and has been a personal trainer since 1997 holding one of the highest personal training certifications as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) with the National Strength and Conditioning Association.

David regularly travels all over the nation and to Japan in order to deepen his understanding of acupuncture and medicine.

Unfortunately, my practice does not accept insurance.