Heaven Qi & Earth Acupuncture & Herbal Medicine- Elizabeth McDowell, L.Ac.

I decided to go to Elizabeth about 9 months after I stopped nursing my son. A month after I stopped nursing, a slew of very weird symptoms began--which included, numbness on one side of my body (left), particularly in my leg that would last for up to 14 days; heat sensation in my foot that sometimes went up my leg to my back, itchy calves and hands, irregular menstrual cylcles along with cyclical migraines and a couple scary bouts of anxiety. My cycles, which were always 28 days before, alternated between 18-35 days. I immediately had an MRI to rule out potential neurological issues (since the numbness/tingling wouldn't go away) and further tests to rule out multiple sclerosis (which were all thankfully negative).\t\n\t\nI began tracking my symptoms which I realized were coinciding with my menstr. cycles. So, I decided to see my OB/GYN thinking my issue was hormonal, but she just referred me back to the neurologist, saying my symptoms were neurological, not gynecological. After a while I just became disconcerted with the docs who either doubted the authenticity of what was actually occurring or just reassured me to just live with it since it wasn't anything life threatening. I don't think they understood that I couldn't just ignore weird health symptoms that I never had before and that were occurring each month with my new found crazy cycles--not to mention that I didn't want to go around for two whole weeks of each month with a heavy, numb, tingly foot or leg. Also, I just couldn't stop thinking, at the fairly young age of 34 to "just live with it."\t\n\t\nThen in my search for an alternative medicine doc, I was referred to Elizabeth by a friend. Elizabeth listened to everything I had to say, took down all of my symptoms and put me on an herbal tea (2 doses/day) and weekly acupuncture regimen for 3 months. After the first couple weeks I immediately began noticing a difference and my list of symptoms seemed to get shorter and shorter each week. After my first month with Elizabeth, my cycles went back to normal (which was impressive after my prior 9 months of irregularity) and after the third month, the only symptom remaining was a slight numb and tingly feeling in my foot which has since disappeared with a few extra acupuncture-only sessions (no more medicinal tea)! \t\n\t\nNeedless to say, Elizabeth is absolutely amazing--a true professional and extremely well-trained and knowledgeable in Chinese medicine and acupuncture. My visits with her (even though I'm not a fan of the needles) have been an absolute treat --she always explained what certain things mean in Chinese medicine to me (such as a liver/spleen deficiency or soggy pulse) and put up with occasional bouts of acting like a complete baby. \t\n\t\nPrior to this experience, my thoughts on Chinese medicine/acupuncture were neutral, but I am now a firm believer that with the RIGHT acupuncturist (Elizabeth!), the sky's the limit.\t\n \t\n

I was completely new to both acupuncture and Chinese medicine, so I went to see Elizabeth without knowing what to expect. Her professional nature and thorough process put me very much at ease. She gave me acupuncture for a shoulder cramp as well as some supplements to help with some skin irritations I had -- both feel fantastic now! My girlfriend went as well for treatment for tendinitis in her wrist and felt improvements after only one session.

Needless to say, we both couldn't be happier and heartily recommend Elizabeth and Heaven Qi & Earth.

When I first came to Elizabeth I was a mess. As a result of my dependance on pharmacuticals, I had developed thyroid disease and never thought I'd be able to taper off all the toxic pills that were damaging my body. Elizabeth won me over with her nurturing ways and her endless determination to see that I become healthy again. She helped me taper off all my pills and gave me hope . She also helped me with my depression and menopausal symptoms. I think Elizabeth is the best and I would highly recomend her because she truly cares about her patience and always goes the extra mile. She really listens and has excellent referrals as well.