AB ACUPUNCTURE

Before pursuing my passion for Chinese medicine, I worked in the financial industry and in nonprofit arts management. After being a patient of acupuncture for over 20 years, I had a transformative moment while lying on the treatment table—I realized I wanted to share this incredible gift with others. Acupuncture helped me understand my body in a whole new way, inspiring me to study at the Pacific College of Health & Science, the largest institution for Acupuncture and East Asian Medicine in the country.

Recognizing that there’s always more to learn, I pursued advanced studies in orthopedic acupuncture techniques for chronic and acute pain with some of the field's leading practitioners. I also focused on stroke rehabilitation techniques and became certified in Oncology Acupuncture by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. My studies even took me to Kyoto, Japan, where I advanced my practice of Japanese acupuncture for a short seminar at Meiji University of Integrative Medicine.

Early in my career, I was skeptical of anything that sounded like "woo" — including the parts of this medicine that lean on story and metaphor instead of straight anatomy. Studying the neuroscience behind pain changed that. I understand now why picturing a headache as a storm cloud, or learning to interrupt the sentence "I'm so dumb," can measurably change how your body experiences pain. My training in motor point acupuncture, Pain Reprocessing Therapy, and photobiomodulation grew out of that shift — treating the nervous system, not just the tissue.

For those curious about my education, I hold a Master of Science in Acupuncture from Pacific College of Health & Science, where I completed an intensive four-year program combining Eastern and Western medical coursework, including over 3,000 hours of clinical experience. I am board-certified by the National Commission on the Certification of Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM) and licensed in New York.

Now, I am thrilled to have opened a multidisciplinary health and wellness space on the Upper West Side, specializing in acute and chronic pain conditions with a focus on immune health, anxiety, neurological conditions, and related conditions.

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I understand how hectic life in New York can be — running on autopilot between errands, workouts, and a packed subway platform. My goal isn't to give you an hour of escape and send you back out the same way you came in. It's to help you leave knowing your own body a little better than when you arrived, so that over time, you need me less, not more. Acupuncture changed how I understood my own body. I think it can do the same for yours.

Making AB Acupuncture a true family business, Annalisa’s husband Brian White joined the practice after a long and successful career in theater production management. He worked on Broadway and Off-Broadway shows and toured internationally with theater and dance companies, where he learned how to keep complex, high-pressure environments running smoothly.

At AB Acupuncture and W72 Wellness, Brian brings that same steady presence to the day-to-day operations of the practice. He manages the business, supports patients at the front desk, and takes care of the space itself—ensuring that everything runs with thoughtfulness and ease.

He is also proud to be Annalisa’s first patient—and continues to be one of her biggest cheerleaders.

Yaffa Borukhova joins AB Acupuncture as our part-time Front Desk Coordinator, bringing both warmth and a sharp, curious mind to the front of the practice. An Upper West Sider, she is the host of the podcast Streetsmart MBA, where she explores business, culture, and real-world intelligence beyond the classroom.

She also writes on Substack and is the author of the children’s book You Don’t Look Jewish!, reflecting her interest in identity, storytelling, and the nuances of modern life.

At the clinic, Yaffa is often the first person you’ll meet—helping patients feel welcome, oriented, and at ease from the moment they walk through the door in the mornings.