I just finished my 4 month treatment, which entailed weekly acupuncture treatments, consultation…read morewith a Dr., and supplements. I'd say I went in there feeling around 65% healthy and now I feel around 95% healthy. I originally visited them because I was suffering in a major way from seasonal allergies and I have also suffered from GI issues for years. I had also felt pretty mentally foggy/distracted and had some symptoms of depression. The big changes I've seen so far: Allergies have pretty much disappeared and I have lots more energy, less depression, have lost a bit of weight, and I have better mental focus/less foggy. My gut is also waaaay better than it was, but not totally perfect. If I can figure out the magic formula for my gut, and/or be more disciplined then it will feel like a miracle after suffering from gut issues for the past 20 years or so.
The best part for me was definitely the diagnostics. They take hair, saliva, stool, and cheek swab tests and send them off to various labs. Based on those tests you learn a ton about your body and its various deficiencies and intolerances. This includes hormonal (stress), as well as nutrients, gut health, and some weird stuff I still don't understand. Then they give you all sorts of supplements and have you follow restrictive diets (not that bad actually) to help you get back on track. I think the supplements they use are good & I'm guessing that I will continue to take some of them after my 4-month 'treatment'. That alone seems helpful, because if I was going to try to go to Whole Foods and figure out what I should buy I would have no clue & I'd probably spend tons of money with little outcome.
My final endorsement . . . I really like the people there. They are super friendly, professional, and personable. They are obviously dedicated to a healthy lifestyle and practice what they preach, but they aren't overly 'hippyish' & they don't expect people to completely change their lives overnight. I feel like my Dr. (Baroody) is really dedicated to trying to help me get healthy, and wants to make sure I leave there in a better place. In contrast, I went to my (Presbyterian) primary care physician the other day for a checkup....because I had to make an appointment 4 months in advance in order to be seen & I figured it was worth just trying out. I was shocked and disgusted at what a factory the health system felt like. I felt like the Dr's job was to get me in and out of the room as fast as possible and just make sure I didn't have any high risk warning signs for cancer/heart disease/diabetes/suicidal depression. The people that worked there were miserable, obese, and seemed like the last people that should be working in the healthcare sector. I was so happy to go back to my Original Medicine appointment the following week.
Negative: The treatment is not inexpensive and they do a good job of selling you and getting you to pay upfront without being super-transparent about what exactly you are paying for. The first appointment (1 hr.) is as much and informational session as it is a sales pitch. The sales pitch felt a bit creepy, to the point where I was seriously worried I was getting conned. If I wasn't feeling so unhealthy that day, I may not have signed up. I think insurance will end up covering some of the cost, particularly the acupuncture, but only through reimbursement & that could be a pain to chase down. That said, now that I've experienced it, I definitely think you ultimately get what you pay for & it's actually nice to get the payment out of the way upfront. Things like the free classes, lots and lots of supplements, and weekly acupuncture visits all add up I'm sure. These guys are not getting rich off of me & I'm sure they are running on very thin margins. They say investments in health are some of the best ones you can make . . . which may just be a platitude that's all part of the sales pitch, but it's already paid off for me in terms of my general happiness.