Lakan Ubaya Nagsalad, MAcOM, DiplOM, LAc

A Short Introduction

Hi, I’m Lakan Ubaya Nagsalad—also known by some as Jamee Pineda or simply JP. I’m a licensed acupuncturist, herbalist, and hilot practitioner. My ancestral roots are Tagalog and Chinoy, and I was born on the traditional homeland of the Tongva people on Turtle Island.

Like many in this field, I first came to acupuncture as a patient. At the time, I was dealing with severe burnout and multiple health issues—with very limited access to healthcare. Curious to seek better solutions, I tried community acupuncture. It was a turning point. I began to understand medicine as something holistic, relational, and rooted in community.

That experience shifted how I viewed healing—and ultimately led me to this work. Over the years, my journey deepened to include the Filipino healing tradition of hilot, a path that continues to shape my practice. I am grateful every day to walk with people on their healing journeys.

My Education in Acupuncture

I graduated from the Seattle Institute of East Asian Medicine in 2015 with my MAcOM.  In 2020 I traveled to the Philippines to study at the Hilot Academy of Binabaylan.  After the pandemic started, I continued my training online and earned the title and role of “Lakan”. In addition to my traditional medicine studies, I received a Masters in Public Administration from The Evergreen State College with a concentration in nonprofit management.

My work is also informed by communities and my lived experiences as a neurodivergent, queer, and gender nonconforming Tagalog person. It is a priority for me to meet people where they are in their healing journey, support patient autonomy through education and ongoing meaningful consent, and affirm patients’ identities and experiences. Themes I encounter often in my work include post traumatic stress and medical trauma, the effects of structural oppression on health, neurodivergence, and the role of healing in justice and liberation.

My Patients

My patients are my collaborators. None of us are machines that can be dropped off at a mechanic for repairs — we all deserve intentional and compassionate care. My role is as a facilitator; helping patients align with their intentions. It is the patient’s participation, qi (vital energy), and lived experience that is the foundation for healing. Traditional medicine is more like tending a garden rather than disease warfare. When I enter into a treatment relationship I always think:

1. What care does the ecosystem of this person need in order to flourish?
2. How can my tools and skills increase a person’s agency over their wellbeing?

It is important to co-create treatment plans with patients that are accessible and effective. Here are some examples of how this can look:

• Using higher or lower stimulation needling for folks with sensory needs or needle anxiety
• Creative and low barrier ways to incorporate Chinese food energetics into meals (especially when it is hard to cook)
• Or preparing herbal formulas to support surgery recovery when mobility needs are higher and it’s hard to come into the clinic.

I Would Like to Specialize In…

I consider myself a general practitioner with a special interest in gender affirming care. This includes medical transition as well as co-occurrences like autism, ADHD, hypermobility disorders, POTS, chronic pain, and nervous system regulation. Although these co-occurences are common, each individual’s presentation is unique and I am eager to expand my knowledge of how to help people improve their quality of life.

My Passion and Training in Chinese Herbal Medicine

I favor classical Chinese herbal formulas because they have been tried and tested over centuries and are still relevant today. My approach to herbs is very influenced by Zhang Zhong Jing’s (張仲景; 150–219) and the Shang Han Lun (傷寒論). In recent years, I have been grateful for the effectiveness of Chinese herbs in helping my patients recover from symptoms of long COVID like brain fog, fatigue, dizziness, memory loss, etc.

As an avid cook and herb nerd, I absolutely love working with herbs in their purest and strongest form: raw. There is something precious and embodied in the ritual of brewing my own decoctions. Of course, this is not everyone’s cup of tea (literally). Thankfully, modern innovation also gives us convenient preparations, like granules and pills. The best strategies are always going to be the one that is accessible to the patient.

Herbs can be a standalone treatment or a great complement to acupuncture and other modalities. For folks who are traveling or cannot come into the clinic for regular treatments (ex: surgery recovery, limited mobility, etc.), I highly recommend Chinese herbs as a convenient and effective way to improve one’s health.

My Favorite Herb Is…

One of my favorite formulas is xiao chai hu tang. It is composed of chai hu, ban xia, huang qin, ren shen, zhi gan cao, and sheng jiang. I use this formula to treat a wide range of symptoms including insomnia, allergies, respiratory infections, constipation, diarrhea, depression, pain, nausea.

It may seem like a panacea at first, but to use it appropriately requires attention to a person’s constitution as well as their main complaint. We seek to treat the root of an imbalance, not just the branch (the presenting symptom that we see), in order to shift an undesirable pattern.