Elliott Acupuncture & Chinese Herbal Medicine opened in February 2011, the culmination of over ten years of experience in the field of Chinese medicine. Situated above Columbia Street Dental and across the street from Columbia Memorial Hospital in a converted carriage house, I encourage patients to think of Chinese medicine as a practical and effective alternative or supplement to the treatments they receive via conventional medicine – with a history of thousands of years of use, the remedies, techniques and ways of viewing the body used in Chinese medicine are capable of addressing a wide variety of common complaints. My teacher Dr. Huang likes to refer to it as the longest standing medical experiment in human history – Chinese medicine is experiential medicine at its best.

My teachers Dr. Jin Zhao of Chengdu and Dr. Huang Huang of Nanjing taught me much of what I know about Chinese herbal medicine, and more importantly, how to properly prescribe the ancient Chinese formulas of which it is comprised. My idea of what a Chinese clinic should be derives in large part from what I have observed of their work in China which most often takes place at a bustling clinic where up to 50 patients might be seen in a morning. I might not see that many people in a morning (my teachers have multiple assistants and practice Chinese herbal medicine exclusively), but I do believe in offering appropriate herbal formulas and/or acupuncture to resolve complaints quickly and effectively.

Bustling Chinese herbal pharmacy

I draw from several traditions and teachers in my practice of acupuncture, but the methods I employ are all targeted toward getting results. I might use the Tung system (a particularly effective system of acupuncture handed down through the Tung family for generations before being shared outside the family), Japanese traditions like Kiiko Matsumoto style or Shudo Denmei’s brand of Japanese Meridian Therapy, or more orthopedic approaches to acupuncture. I like simple treatments that get to the heart of the problem quickly, but I am also prepared to employ the variety of techniques and strategies that it takes to solve your problem. Everyone is different.

You can consider Chinese medicine (acupuncture and/or herbs) for a wide variety of complaints that range from common neck and back pain to more internal complaints that might be respiratory, digestive, gynecological, genitourinary, endocrine, autoimmune or mood/stress related in nature.

Conditions that I commonly see in clinic and have observed treatment for in China include:

If you have questions about whether I have experience treating a particular condition, please ask.