Continuing a Tradition of Thoughtful Care: A Note to Patients of Dr. Michael Fox
On male pelvic health, reproductive medicine, and the next chapter of care at Pacific Medical Group
For many years, Dr. Michael Fox at Silverlake Acupuncture has been known by his patients as a thoughtful, careful, and deeply committed practitioner. His work has touched many people in Los Angeles, especially those dealing with conditions that are often difficult to talk about, difficult to diagnose, and difficult to treat well.
As Dr. Fox transitions away from active practice, I want to offer both a note of appreciation and a word of reassurance to his patients.
I have known Michael for many years. Over time, we have shared patients, discussed clinical problems, and recognized in one another a similar seriousness about treating conditions that many practitioners either oversimplify or avoid altogether. His patients know that he brought real attention and care to his work. That kind of clinician is not easy to replace.
A Shared Interest in Male Pelvic and Reproductive Health
Male pelvic health is still an underdeveloped area of medicine.
Many men suffer for years with symptoms that are real, disruptive, and often poorly explained. These may include pelvic pain, perineal pain, testicular discomfort, urinary urgency or frequency, pain with ejaculation, erectile dysfunction, prostatitis-like symptoms, genital numbness, low back or hip tension, and chronic discomfort that does not fit neatly into a standard diagnosis.
Too often, men are told that nothing is wrong because imaging or lab testing is normal. Or they are given antibiotics, medications, or vague reassurance without anyone carefully examining the musculoskeletal, fascial, neurological, and stress-related dimensions of the problem.
This is where a more integrative and hands-on approach can matter.
Dr. Fox and I have both been interested in the broader territory of andrology, male reproductive function, and pelvic dysfunction — not only as abstract medical categories, but as lived problems that affect confidence, intimacy, sleep, mood, and quality of life.
A man with chronic pelvic symptoms is rarely dealing with “just pain.” He may be dealing with fear, embarrassment, sexual frustration, relationship strain, health anxiety, and the exhausting experience of not being able to get a clear answer.
These patients deserve to be taken seriously.
Why Male Pelvic Dysfunction Requires a Broader Clinical Lens
The pelvis is not simply a collection of isolated organs. It is a dense intersection of muscles, nerves, connective tissue, blood vessels, joints, and autonomic nervous system activity.
Pelvic symptoms can arise from many overlapping contributors, including:
pelvic floor muscle tension
hip, low back, or sacroiliac dysfunction
pudendal or peripheral nerve irritation
abdominal and fascial restrictions
stress-related guarding patterns
postural and movement habits
prior injury, surgery, infection, or inflammation
sexual anxiety or protective muscular bracing
chronic sympathetic nervous system activation
In real clinical practice, these factors often overlap. That is why many patients do not improve when treatment focuses on only one explanation.
A purely urological approach may miss musculoskeletal drivers. A purely orthopedic approach may miss pelvic floor and autonomic contributors. A purely psychological approach may miss the fact that the body is generating real pain signals.
The best care often requires a clinician willing to think across categories.
That has always been one of my core interests: treating the body as an interconnected system without losing clinical precision.
Pacific Medical Group’s Approach
At Pacific Medical Group, I treat male pelvic and reproductive health concerns through a combination of careful evaluation, acupuncture, dry needling, manual assessment, functional medicine principles, counseling and, when appropriate, ultrasound-guided procedures.
The first step is always understanding the actual pattern.
Where is the pain?
What triggers it?
What relieves it?
Is it related to sitting, ejaculation, urination, bowel function, exercise, stress, hip motion, or low back tension?
Has the patient had infections ruled out?
Has pelvic floor dysfunction been considered?
Are there signs of nerve irritation, muscular guarding, or referred pain?
This kind of clinical questioning matters. It prevents patients from being reduced to a diagnosis label like “prostatitis” when the actual source may involve pelvic floor tension, obturator internus irritation, adductor dysfunction, abdominal guarding, or a broader pain sensitization pattern.
The goal is not to force every patient into one theory. The goal is to understand the individual case clearly enough to choose the right treatment strategy.
Ultrasound-Guided Dry Needling and Precision Treatment
One area where my practice has developed in an especially innovative direction is the use of ultrasound-guided dry needling.
Traditional dry needling can be effective, but it is often performed by feel. In many regions of the body, especially around deeper or more anatomically complex structures, there is a real advantage to visualization.
With ultrasound guidance, I can see relevant muscles, tendons, fascial planes, vessels, and surrounding anatomy in real time. This allows for a more precise and careful approach when treating deeper musculoskeletal contributors to pain and dysfunction.
For male pelvic health, this can be especially relevant because pelvic pain is often influenced by structures outside the pelvis itself: the hips, adductors, lower abdomen, gluteal muscles, low back, and deep stabilizing muscles. When these regions are assessed and treated carefully, patients sometimes discover that symptoms they thought were purely “urological” or “reproductive” have a significant neuromuscular component.
Ultrasound-guided dry needling is not a magic cure. It is not appropriate for every patient. But for selected cases, it allows for a level of anatomical precision that fits the kind of careful, individualized care these conditions require.
Honoring Dr. Fox’s Patients
For patients of Dr. Fox, a practice transition can feel unsettling. Many of you may have worked with him for years. You may have trusted him with sensitive concerns that were difficult to discuss elsewhere.
That kind of therapeutic relationship matters.
My hope is that patients coming from Dr. Fox’s practice feel welcomed, respected, and not rushed. I will want to understand your history, what helped, what did not help, what your priorities are, and what kind of care you are hoping to continue.
Some patients may be looking for maintenance care. Others may want a fresh evaluation. Some may have specific pelvic or reproductive concerns. Others may simply want a clinician who understands that complex symptoms require time, attention, and a serious clinical mind.
You do not need to start from zero emotionally, even if we begin with a new evaluation clinically.
A Thoughtful Next Chapter
Dr. Fox’s retirement marks the end of an important chapter for many of his patients. It is appropriate to acknowledge that. Good clinical care is not just technical skill. It is relationship, trust, memory, and continuity.
At Pacific Medical Group, I hope to offer a natural next step for patients who valued Dr. Fox’s seriousness and care, especially those seeking help with male pelvic health, reproductive concerns, chronic pain, and complex musculoskeletal dysfunction.
If you were a patient at Silverlake Acupuncture and would like to continue care, you are welcome to contact my practice. We will do our best to make the transition clear, comfortable, and clinically thoughtful.
To learn more about the transition, please visit our dedicated page for Dr. Fox’s patients or call Pacific Medical Group at323.899.3531.
