Vivian Manduca-Marquez heats a glass cup with a flame in order to create suction when she applies it to patient Andres Moratalla Jr.¡¯s back. The procedure is called cupping and it gets blood flowing to the affected areas. Treated areas on Moratalla¡¯s back look painful. But looks are deceiving, says Moratalla who says the treatment helps his back pain.

Few things in life help melt away a bad day like a gentle massage accompanied by soft music and incense. Add to that a few tiny needles and everything would be perfect, right?

According to Vivian Manduca-Marquez it would be. She is the owner of the new Jacksonville Oriental Medicine Center on Western Boulevard and a licensed acupuncturist. Ancient Chinese medicine has been her specialty for many years.

"It's so interesting because not everyone is the same and so not everyone should be treated the same," she said.

The clinic offers everything from acupuncture to Tui'na (pronounced "Twee-na") massages to Chinese herbs. Their goal is not just to give each patient a better quality of life, but to help them maintain it by treating the individual as well as the disease.

Stepping into the clinic is like stepping back in time. The stress level drops dramatically once you walk through the door. The entire room has trinkets and pillows that represent the Chinese past and come from Vivian's many trips overseas. The seats entice you to lie down and take a nap or at least kick off your shoes and chill. And that's just the waiting room.

Born in Cuba, but raised in Miami, Vivian has always loved helping people. "I could never work at a job where I sit behind a desk everyday," she said.

From Miami, she moved to Peru and was intrigued by the large Chinese population there. Under the guidance of a practitioner named Master Lee, Vivian began studying the ancient medicine practiced at his clinic. After 12 years, she moved back to Miami and a friend convinced her to give acupuncture school a try. In 1998, she graduated from the Acupressure Acupuncture Institute and, along with her husband Jose Marquez, immediately opened a business with a local chiropractor.

Within a few years her business had grown to three locations and a customer base she could barely keep up with. It was time for a change.

In May of last year, Vivian and Jose came to Jacksonville to visit their daughter and her fianc . It was love at first sight and by Nov. 7, they had sold all but one clinic and were opening their doors in Jacksonville.

Sarah Lopez, 22, also decided to join Vivian in her move to Jacksonville. She is a licensed masseuse and had worked with Vivian in Miami. Just like her mentor, she couldn't stand working behind a desk all day and felt a need to help people. "It was really just a calling for me," she said.

The most prevelant ailment the clinic deals with is muscle pain, which is usually treated with a combination of acupuncture and a Tui'na massage. Andres Moratalla Jr., a local Marine, has done countless treatments with Vivian for his lower back pain. "I feel like a new person afterwards," he said.

The hour-long sessions usually begin with Tui'na, which translates into "push grab" and is very different than its Swedish counterpart. It can be done over clothes and its main goal is not to penetrate the muscles, but to get the energy flowing in the body by gently shaking and rubbing it.

The acupuncture treatment involves tiny, sterile needles, inserted into certain spots on the body to balance out a person's Qi (pronounced "chee"). When Qi is blocked, either from stress, poor diet or other factors, a person can become sick, both emotionally and physically. Different problems require needles in different areas.

If the thought of a needle makes you queasy, Andres said don't worry; it's virtually painless. "They're so small you don't even feel them," Andres said.

More like teeny tiny. An acupuncture needle is 0.33 mm wide. In comparison, it would take 12 to 15 of those to equal the width of one hypodermic needle used to give an injection. Another thing to ponder when considering acupuncture is that hypodermic needles are hollow because they have to be able to inject liquid into the skin. They basically make a hole, tearing the tissue and causing pain. Acupuncture needles are not and therefore cause very little damage, if any.

For those who absolutely can't stand the thought of a needle penetrating the skin, Vivian uses a laser that is completely painless. However, she points out that nothing replaces the affect of the needles. "I ask them, you've been suffering with migraines for 10 years, which do you prefer, a tiny needle or that?" she said.

Another popular treatment for pain is called cupping. Basically, two cotton balls are set on fire and used to heat the inside of what can only be described as a tiny glass fishbowl. The bowl, or cup, is then applied to the patient's skin to create suction. The treatment can look painful as reddish skin bunches up inside the cup, but looks are deceiving.

"It feels itchy for a minute and then it feels really good," said Andres, who says he feels much better after a cupping treatment on his back.

The purpose of cupping is to send blood to the affected area, bringing healthy nutrients to the muscles and relaxing them. So the next time you see a kid sticking a suction-cup dart to his head, leave him alone. The doc says it's good for him.

In addition to her other certificiations, Vivian is also a Reiki Master. Reiki is a form of healing used to cleanse the body of any negative energy and help balance the Qi. It is a relaxing and non-invasive procedure where hands are placed on the body in certain spots. It is not a massage because the hands do not rub. And if you want to learn the practive yourself, the clinic offers classes once a month.

Although most of the patients who come to Vivian's clinic suffer from pain, Chinese medicine can be used to treat a variety of problems, both physical and mental. The National Institute of Health (NIH) and the World Health Organization recognize acupuncture as an effective treatment for things like depression, PMS, morning sickness, asthma, smoking addiction and many others.

One of the biggest advancements acupuncture has made has been with in-vitro fertilization (INF). According to the book "Acupuncture & INF," a recent study in Germany found that using acupuncture with INF achieved a 42-percent clinical pregnancy rate compared to only 26 percent in the control group that did not receive it. It's not just for woman. Both partners can use acupuncture to reduce stress and strengthen their bodies. Vivian has worked with many couples back in Miami and hopes to bring that training into her clinic here.

It has taken thousands of years, but the Western world is finally beginning to accept Chinese practices that date back 5,000 years. The NIH's National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine awarded eight grants totaling more then $9.5 million for acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine and traditional Chinese medical research.

Still, there is a long way to go, Vivian said. A close hand-in-hand relationship between modern medicine and alternative, or holistic, medicine has yet to happen in the U.S. "In China, medical doctors work beautifully with acupuncturists because they believe it is the best of two worlds," she said. "It would be really nice if we would work with other doctors," she said.

Although the clinic has been open for two months, the official grand opening will be Feb. 18 which coincides with the first day of the Chinese New Year, the "Year of the Pig." Anyone who is interested in learning more about the clinic and what they have to offer, Vivian said, is welcome to attend.