About Us
David Bell, LAc
Owner, True Acupuncture
"Each patient is an individual whose unique set of circumstances affects their overall well-being. I take into account many things during a treatment course, including injury, diet, emotions, environment, and stress.
My goal is to create a comfortable and safe environment for the patient to find their way to optimal health in our restorative acupuncture clinic."
David received his four-year Master's degree in acupuncture and herbal medicine from Five Branches University in Santa Cruz, California, and has over 10 years of experience in the bodywork industry. He also completed a four-year Bachelor's degree in Pre-Medical Health Sciences.
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While traveling abroad in China, David was in a car accident — the car struck him, throwing him onto the pavement and injuring his back. He went to a local hospital, where doctors told him all they could offer was pain medication. Since he was already in China, he decided to try acupuncture instead. Acupuncture and natural medicine weren't unfamiliar to him; his mother had encouraged him to explore them growing up. After just a couple of treatments from a Chinese medicine practitioner and acupuncturist, he was out of pain.
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David has spent the last several years studying with Andrew Nugent-Head, who has spent the past 20 years studying classical acupuncture under leading acupuncturists in China. (You can read more about him below.)
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David's approach to treatment is holistic. He treats not only the issues causing pain and restriction in the body, but also looks at a patient's lifestyle and other external factors that may be influencing their symptoms and overall well-being — and provides tools to help manage those factors.
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David has a lifelong interest in health and fitness and has participated in many sports over the years, giving him a strong, practical understanding of injuries and injury prevention. He applies traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture methods to these issues with excellent results.
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After treating hundreds of patients in both California and Maine, David opened Phoenix Acupuncture with the goal of reaching further into the community and offering a safe, effective, and natural healing alternative.
A client's words about David
"I have been getting acupuncture treatments from David since 2016 and have had amazing relief from pain, headaches, and stress. David is very kind and professional and I always feel comfortable in his office. He knows exactly what you need when you come in for a treatment and I always leave feeling like a new person. He is truly the best acupuncturist I have ever seen!"
- Summer S.
Melissa Rambo, LAc
Licensed Acupuncturist, True Acupuncture
A transplant from Nebraska, Melissa journeyed to Arizona at 21 to finish her Bachelor's degree at ASU. Years later, while working in accounting and payroll and pregnant with her second child, she struggled with insomnia every night. At a friend's suggestion, she sought out acupuncture for sleep. It worked immediately, and the stresses of life began to melt away with every visit.
This transformative experience compelled her to extend the gift of healing to others. She enrolled in the Phoenix Institute of Herbal Medicine and Acupuncture, completing her studies in December 2022. Throughout her time at PIHMA, she accrued three years of clinical experience, contributing to the school's clinic and insurance billing under the mentorship of David Bell, LAc.
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Melissa further enriched her education by training under Ioannis Solos, PhD, MD (China), LAc, learning Jiao-style scalp acupuncture at St. Vincent de Paul, and honing her expertise at Natural Medicine & Detox under the guidance of Dr. Fontes, DACM. Following her boards and licensure, she became certified in Acupuncture Injection Therapy and has been excited by the results her patients are seeing in chronic pain conditions.
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These diverse clinical experiences and mentorships have shaped Melissa's journey toward becoming an acupuncturist, allowing her to blend theoretical knowledge with practical skill in the pursuit of holistic healing.
A client's words about Melissa
"Melissa’s acupuncture treatment was hands down the best I have ever experienced. From the moment the session began, she created such a calm, welcoming environment that immediately put me at ease. Her knowledge, precision, and gentle technique were incredible—you can truly tell she is highly skilled and passionate about what she does.
I left feeling more relaxed, balanced, and pain-free than I have in a long time. The level of care and attention she gives during the entire treatment makes all the difference. This wasn’t just acupuncture… it was a full mind-body reset.
If you’re looking for real results and a practitioner who genuinely cares about your wellbeing, Melissa is absolutely the one to see. I cannot recommend her enough!"
- Nature is Life
DAVID BELL'S MENTOR
​The Association for Traditional Studies (ATS) grew out of founder Andrew Nugent-Head's early work translating for Westerners visiting Beijing to meet and study with traditional practitioners there. In 1991, he was hired as a production assistant for Bill Moyers, who was filming the "Mystery of Qi" episode of his Healing and the Mind series, which aired on PBS in 1993.
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The Bill Moyers project threw into stark relief how fast the traditional arts were dying out. The few practitioners who remained were either too fearful or too scattered around China to be filmed easily, and only a handful were able to be interviewed. This sparked the creation of ATS, and the late Professor Wang Jin-Huai (the calligrapher featured in the documentary) and Andrew Nugent-Head began traveling rural China by jeep to document the last traditional practitioners still living there.
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Guided by the late Dr. Lu Binkui, retired director of Chinese Medicine for the Ministry of Health, Professor Wang and Andrew drove throughout northern China over a two-year period, visiting practitioners in remote villages, monasteries, and factories. Together, they tracked down, interviewed, and filmed some of the last traditional voices of pre-Communist China.
With the release of "Mystery of Qi" on PBS, Professor Wang and Andrew found themselves invited to lecture and teach in the United States. This led to the China Culture Lecture Series tours run by ATS, bringing traditional practitioners to the United States and England. From 1994 to 2001, ATS organized seven tours to the West, and from 1996 to 2005, twelve intensive trainings in China. ATS also released more than 60 educational videos and generated over $250,000 in income for the practitioners themselves.
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By 2005, most of the older practitioners had passed on. Professor Wang died in 2002, and the great Yin Style Bagua practitioner Xie Peiqi died in 2003. Realizing how little time was left before that generation was gone, ATS shifted its focus from education to deep documentation of the last Chinese medicine doctor still practicing in a completely traditional manner in Beijing: Dr. Li Hongxiang.
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Andrew became Dr. Li Hongxiang's closing-door disciple and spent years with him in the clinic and at his home, documenting his extensive knowledge. ATS has generated hundreds of hours of audio and video recordings of treatments and conversations, tracked hundreds of cases, and helped Dr. Li write The Study of Chinese Medicine.
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