Dr. Ozben Felek, DAOM, LAc.,Clinic Owner
I came to Chinese medicine through a roundabout path — one that began with an engineering degree in Istanbul, and took a turn when I arrived in the United States and discovered Aikido, Tai Chi, and the quiet depth of gong fu tea.
Those practices changed something in me. They pointed toward a different way of understanding the body — not as a machine to be fixed, but as a living system with its own intelligence. That curiosity eventually led me to graduate school, a clinical doctorate in Traditional Chinese Medicine, and nearly two decades of study that I'm still very much in the middle of.
Today I practice acupuncture and classical Chinese herbalism with an approach deeply shaped by Aikido: gentle, responsive, working with the body rather than against it. I use palpation-based Kiiko Matsumoto style diagnosis, classical Jing Fang herbal formulas, and am currently deepening my practice through an advanced mentorship in classical acupuncture with Ann Cecil-Sterman. I've been doing this long enough to know that the best treatments are the ones where the body does most of the work — and I'm still learning how to get out of the way.
I work with people of all ages (from babies to geriatric care) and all kinds of conditions — chronic pain, autoimmune issues, anxiety, insomnia, and digestive disorders — and I especially love supporting patients through life's bigger transitions: fertility, pregnancy, postpartum recovery, and perimenopause.
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A Six-Month Classical Acupuncture & Remote Healer Training with Ann Cecil-Sterman January 2026-
Shāng Hán Lùn and Jīn Guì Yào Lüè pulse diagnosis with Nadine Zäch
Successful completion of Chinese Medicine Classical Formula Family Series totaling 33 hours with Dr. Eran Ever, Ph.D., Dr. TCM (All classes approved by Professor Huáng Huáng and the International Jingfang Institute of the Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine)
Classical Acupuncture Mentorship with Dr. Sean Tuten, January 2023-August 2023
Nurturing the Fetus / On the Ten Months of Pregnancy From the Ancient Classics to the Contemporary Clinic by Sabine Wilms, PhD and Andrew Loosely, LAc. March 2023
Classical Chinese Formula Families training with Eran Even, Ph.D., Dr.TC, October 2022-present
Graduate Mentorship Program/ Advanced Classical Chinese Herbal Medicine (Jing Fang) with Sharon Weizenbaum LAC, March 2021-2023
Classical Chinese Herbal Medicine (Jing Fang) Mentorship Program with Dr. Suzanne Robidoux Jan. 2021-Jan. 2023
Shan Han Lun with Hu Xi Shu, One Clause At a time with Dr. Suzanne Robidoux, Sep. 2020- Dec. 2020
The Circle of Life: Pregnancy-Prenatal and Postnatal Care using Classical Chinese Herbal Medicine with Genevieve Le Goff LAC. Aug. 2020-Jan. 2021
Kiiko Matsumoto Style Acupuncture Seminars by Kiiko Matsumoto & Monika Kobylecka 2016-current
Completion of 2 years Jing Fang Classical Chinese Herbalism program with Dr. Suzanne Robidoux 2018-2020
Clinical Internship for Neurological Disorders and Chronic Pain with Dr. Suzanne Robidoux, Toronto, Canada, August 19th-30th 2019
2019 Externship with Kiyofuji and Miyawaki Sensei, Osaka, Japan, March 2019
Internship, Robert Levine, Licensed Acupuncturist and Herbalist, Albany, CA, 2014-present
Internship, John Nelson, Licensed Acupuncturist and Herbalist, Berkeley, CA, 2017-2019
Internship, Dr. Steven Finkbine, Licensed Acupuncturist and Herbalist, Fairfax, CA, 2015-2016
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California Licensed Acupuncturist, AC 16974
NCCAOM Diplomate of Oriental Medicine, National Board Certification (National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine) 842784
Certified Massage Practitioner License, California Massage Therapy Council, 2011
Kiiko Matsumoto / Nagano style acupuncture 150 hour Certificate
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Doctorate in Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine, Academy of Chinese Culture and Health Sciences (ACCHS), Oakland, CA, Oct. 2017-2021
Master’s Degree, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Academy of Chinese Culture and Health Sciences (ACCHS), Oakland, CA, 2012-2015
Massage Education Program, Tui Na & Acupressure, Acupressure Institute, Berkeley, CA, 2009-2011
Bachelor’s Degree, Industrial Engineering, University of Galatasaray, Turkey, 2003-2009
My approach
My practice is rooted in the Aikido principle of working with force rather than against it — meeting the body where it is, rather than fighting disease with aggressive methods. I hold a second-degree black belt in Aikido, and that philosophy shapes every treatment: gentle, responsive, and aimed at helping the body find its own way back to balance.
Diagnostically, I rely heavily on palpation-based Kiiko Matsumoto style acupuncture, which allows me to read and respond to the body in real time rather than following a fixed protocol.
I am also integrating what I'm learning in Ann Cecil-Sterman's advanced classical acupuncture mentorship, particularly the use of the complementary channels. This work opens up more effective pathways for treating emotional, psychological, and psychiatric concerns, as well as chronic degenerative conditions and illnesses that have deeper roots — through the Eight Extraordinary Channels and the Divergent Channel system.
