Courtesy Cindy Rosenberg
By Christine Graf
Cindy Rosenberg, a licensed acupuncturist with almost 20 years of experience, recently opened a new practice in Wilton.
The Los Angeles native relocated to the Capital Region in early 2021. Her husband, Leigh Rathner, lived in Saratoga for 10 years before moving to Los Angeles to work in the television and film industry.
“We met in California about 12 years ago, and for as long as we’ve known each other, we’ve been visiting Saratoga,” said Rosenberg. “Every time we would come visit, we would say ‘Why are we living in L.A.?’ We had a long-term plan to get out of L.A.. When the pandemic hit, it sort of accelerated.”
After moving to Saratoga, the couple established Night Work Bread, a bakery that produces long-fermented sourdough bread products. They currently sell their breads and other baked goods at farmer’s markets but will be opening a store in Ballston Spa in 2023.
While living in Los Angeles, Rosenberg operated a thriving acupuncture practice.
“I had a really busy practice in L.A.,” she said. “I had a high-rise office with multiple treatment rooms and was seeing 12 patients a day. When I moved here, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to keep practicing. I had gotten a little bit burnt out.”
After devoting herself to Night Work Bread, Rosenberg realized that she missed seeing patients. She began returning to Los Angeles every two months to treat patients and recently made the decision to open a practice in her home office on Edie Road.
Rosenberg plans to phase out her trips to Los Angeles once she builds a local client base. Since opening her practice six weeks ago, she has seen what she described as a “flurry” of new patients.
According to Rosenberg, she treats patients using a combination of modalities with acupuncture being one of them. She also incorporates deep tissue massage, myofascial relief, and other types of hands-on treatment.
“I’m a little unique in the way I work. It’s unusual for acupuncturists to do that. That’s part of the reason why I still have such a busy practice in Los Angeles even though I’ve been gone for almost two years. My patients are struggling to find anyone who does what I do.”
Many of Rosenberg’s patients suffer from orthopedic problems such as back, neck, or knee pain. She also treats patients who are dealing with chronic illnesses, hormone imbalances, mood disorders, insomnia, cold and flu, long COVID, and a long list of other conditions.
“I also really like working with people who are struggling with gut problems. That’s how I came to doing this in the first place. I got sick with gut problems and started seeing an acupuncturist,” she said.
Rosenberg is also a licensed practitioner of Chinese medicine and operated an herbal pharmacy out of her Los Angeles office. Although she no longer operates a pharmacy, she is able to prescribe and order herbal medicines for her patients.
“Herbs are pretty versatile,” she said. “I see a lot of patients with fibroids, PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome), and endometriosis. Herbal medicine and acupuncture can be a real game changer for them.”
Rosenberg has extensive experienced working with first-time acupuncture patients who may be fearful of needles. During her first year in practice, she worked on a cruise ship where most of her patients were new to acupuncture.
“I always tell people that the needles are tiny. They definitely don’t need to hurt,” she said. “It’s not like getting a shot. These needles are very tiny compared to the needle used for something like a flu shot. We can even do acupuncture without needles if somebody is really phobic.”
Although she is an alternative medicine practitioner, Rosenberg also embraces western medicine. While practicing in Los Angeles, she worked in collaboration with a large network of medical doctors who often referred patients to her. As she becomes established in the area, she hopes to build a similar network in the Capital Region.
Rosenberg does not take insurance but provides patients with bills that can be submitted to insurance. In order to make her services accessible, she is committed to keeping her rates as low as possible. The cost of an initial visit is $125. Subsequent visits cost $95.
For more information, visit www.cindyrosenbergtcm.com.