Home – Acupuncture & Dry Needling
Welcome to Meridian Health Clinic, your Dry Needling and Acupuncture provider in Santa Monica, CA. We use modern treatment approach to help you live your best life. Our practice is focused on dry needling and other orthopedic methods to relieve pain and also promote rapid healing.
We provide the following services: Dry Needling, Acupuncture, Cupping and Herbal Medicine. By using a range of holistic methods, we empower you with all the tools needed to achieve and maintain optimum health. Our friendly staff, relaxing environment and scientific approach all provide additional support on your journey to complete wellness.
Welcome & Best Health,
Eric Schmidt, L.Ac., Dipl. O.M.
Licensed Acupuncturist & Clinic Director
(310) 699-4533
We specialize in a modern style of acupuncture (dry needling) for more effective pain relief!
Traditional acupuncture can work well for some internal medicine conditions, but I find that Dry Needling delivers much better results for muscle pain and orthopedic conditions. Dry Needling is a therapeutic treatment that involves the use of an acupuncture needle to release a shortened bundle of muscle fibers called a “trigger point“. The treatment principle is based on relaxing muscle fibers (trigger points) that produce pain and limit range of motion. If left untreated, trigger points can become locked into an inflammatory state (sometimes for years) producing a localized or radiating pain and can affect surrounding muscles as well.
Please contact us if you have any questions about dry needling or your condition!
-Eric Schmidt, LAc
» We are top rated on Yelp in Santa Monica for the last 10+ years.
Great experience with Eric. He treated me for plantar fasciitis. I am a runner. Prior to seeing Eric, I had been struggling with plantar fasciitis for several months. I saw my podiatrist, iced, stretched, strengthened, got a cortisone shot and used custom orthotics but nothing really made a big difference. I got dry needling from Eric and after a few sessions, the pain finally went away and I can run without pain. The dry needling is not too comfortable but Eric is really good about talking you through it and making the process manageable.
W Y.11/12/2025
Eric is super kind and walks you through everything you need to know. He is super knowledgable and kind as well.
Andre L.1/03/2026
A few years ago, I got a soft-tissue injury which, while relatively minor in the grand scheme of life, was totally debilitating for a time. The healthcare system put me through an emotional rollercoaster of misdiagnosis and gaslighting, sledgehammer-style "pain management" (i.e. meds that made me sick as a dog), and suggesting a range of incredibly invasive, life-changing surgeries. Through dry needling, Dr. Schmidt was able to coax my body out of the muscular guarding patterns that were protecting my torn hip labrum, which alleviated about two-thirds of my symptoms. He was also kind, informative, and made me feel like a human being at a time when I was consumed by mysterious pain and the stress it was causing me. I cannot recommend him highly enough.
Emma R.9/23/2025