At Gracey Holistic Health, where acupuncture is the hub of what we do, we provide alternative & holistic health solutions in conjunction with our traditional and non-insertive acupuncture treatments.

Karta also known as Ibolya E. Laar, completed The Master of Science in Acupuncture (MS-Ac) program at New York’s Pacific College of Oriental Medicine (PCOM), the biggest acupuncture college in the USA. In this program where East meets West, Karta studied the clinical practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in our modern world. She is well trained in the practical application of cupping, gua sha (a scraping technique), moxibustion (heat therapy), the use of electric stimulation (e-stim) and the Chinese body work Tui Na. In addition, Karta is a recent graduate of massage therapy from PCOM as well. Upon completion of this hands-on program she refined her sensitivity to the muscles and joints of the human body enhancing her therapeutic touch.
In her private acupuncture practice Karta teaches her patients pain management and successfully treats shoulder pain, back pain, knee pain, sprains or strains and post-surgery pain including joint replacements. She also treats any type of emotional disturbances such as, anxiety, nervous disorders or the inability to sleep. She promotes and supports fruitful fertility, alleviates painful menstruation, and eliminates PMS symptoms like irritability, anger, cramps, headaches or bloating. In addition she balances the digestive system by relieving constipation, acid reflux, bloating, nausea or gas, and has great results in the management and prevention of allergic reactions such as runny nose, burning eyes, itching, sneezing and/or skin rashes such eczema or acne. Her specialty is assessing and successfully implementing lasting lifestyle modifications that will suite your specific needs.
Last but not least, Karta through the practice of Kundalini Yoga for the past 15 years has been able to consolidate inner virtues such as patience, personal integrity, self-esteem, and compassion for the soul purpose of promoting a healthy happy life. The practice of this self-cultivating discipline is the distinguishing factor of her healing arts. After a good days work she enjoys long conversations with her daughter, who is currently a student in Pacific College of Oriental Medicine, about the mysticism of Chinese Medicine and spirituality.

At Santa Cruz CORE, we have a passion for what we do. We make an effort to spend significant time and energy with each patient to ensure their needs are met. For us, it’s more than just acupuncture; our acupuncturists work with multiple healing modalities during an acupuncture session to get you feeling better. Working to create positive change in the body, we use a combination of needling, moxa, gua sha, cupping, ear seeds, massage, and Tai Chi and Qi Gung. Each individual is treated as such, an individual with an unique body and we use our various tools to create the most healing we can in each session.

Having evolved over thousands of years, acupuncture is one of the oldest continually practiced medical modalities in the world. A treatment involves the insertion and manipulation of flexible, hair-thin needles at specific points along the body's meridian pathways, which are channels through which the body’s energy is thought to flow. Acupuncture is a safe, effective, chemical-free way to promote the body's remarkable self-healing abilities. It is used to prevent and treat disease, relieve pain, balance mood, enhance athletic performance, increase fertility, and improve overall health and wellness

Alan has been practicing an extremely GENTLE style of Traditional Acupuncture for over 30 yrs and we pride ourselves on deliv­er­ing effective, punctual and friendly service.