Jennifer Carino
- Japanese acupuncture techniques with gentle treatments.
- Effective, gentle treatments are skillfully applied.
- Hara diagnosis informs acupuncture treatments.
- Palpation enhances therapeutic outcomes.
- Abdominal and neck palpation for diagnosis.
This summary is for informational purposes only and may not be accurate.
Jennifer M. Cariño, L.Ac.
490 Post St, Suite 450, San Francisco, CA, 94102
About Jennifer With more than 24 years of experience, Jennifer blends gentle Japanese acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, and evidence-informed care to create treatments that are deeply personalized and remarkably gentle. She specializes in gentle Japanese acupuncture, herbal medicine, cosmetic acupuncture, and body therapies to help people adapt, recover, and feel more like themselves again. How it Began Jennifer’s path into Chinese medicine began when her late husband was diagnosed with a brain tumor. As his caregiver, she witnessed firsthand how acupuncture, herbal medicine, nutrition, and compassionate care could profoundly improve quality of life. That experience inspired her career, but more importantly, it taught her that meaningful healing begins when people feel truly seen, heard, and supported. Seeking to deepen that understanding, she later studied contemplative caregiving at the San Francisco Zen Center, where she developed the mindfulness, presence, and deep listening that continue to shape her work today. The Cariño Method Every treatment begins by listening. Rather than following a standard protocol, Jennifer uses gentle palpation, Hara diagnosis, pulse assessment, and your body’s real-time feedback to guide each treatment. This allows care to change as your body changes—creating treatments that are gentle, precise, and uniquely tailored to you. Experience Jennifer has contributed to clinical research at Stanford University as part of an NIH-sponsored study exploring acupuncture for depression during pregnancy, reflecting her commitment to evidence-informed care. She also volunteered at the Charlotte Maxwell Clinic in Oakland, providing acupuncture for low-income women living with cancer. These experiences continue to shape her belief that excellent care combines clinical expertise with genuine compassion. Why I Love This Work Life is constantly changing. Sometimes those changes are exciting. Sometimes they’re unexpected. Sometimes they’re overwhelming. Helping people navigate those seasons—and seeing them leave feeling healthier, more balanced, and more like themselves again—is what continues to inspire my work every day. My goal has never been to make healthcare more complicated. It’s to create a place where you can relax, be cared for, and leave feeling healthier, more balanced, and more like yourself again.
Supporting balance, healing, and well-being. These personalized treatments build upon your progress using the gentle, relaxing approach of Japanese acupuncture. Through light, comfortable needling and ongoing assessment, sessions are tailored to support pain relief, stress reduction, improved energy, and overall wellness. Microcurrent or microlight therapy may be incorporated when appropriate to further support your healing process.