Dr. Rayna Kamerzell is a wonderful chiropractor, I saw her for maintenance care and she did a great…read morejob explaining what each movement and stretch was for. My adjustments weren't forced and she took her time with my treatment. If you interested in chiropractic care, I would recommend Dr. Rayna. I will definitely be returning for more appointments.

Claire and I trained for an extended period earlier this year to help me get better at swimming…read morelaps and lose weight. During the 6 months we worked together, I saw substantial improvement for both my goals and I attribute that to Claire's ability to see where her clients upper bound is continuously. During the time we worked together, I lost close to 25 lbs of fat tissue. I've worked with personal trainers in the past and Claire was by far the most committed to make sure I reached my goals. She has a solid work ethic and takes copious notes, photos and videos during training session to learn from each workout. Unlike other trainers I've worked with, Claire listened very intently to all my feedback related to workouts and adjusted our routines both on the gym floor for resistance and cardio training along with our training session at the pool. She was very effective in coaching me at the pool as well as on the gym floor. She has a been committed to fitness all her life and has a wealth of knowledge to draw upon to suggests workouts that cater to her clients. She's also eager to dive into areas that are unfamiliar and proactively does independent research to fill in any gaps in her knowledge that exist. She's also great at transferring this knowledge to her clients so they become more self-reliant. As an example, during one of our workouts we were discussing some question I had about protein shakes; Claire went back that evening and sent me a very detailed email response not only to answer my question but also help me understand the relevant context. Because of her energetic demeanor and solid work ethic, I would gladly recommend her to any of my close friends!

I started training with Claire around 2014, and I never felt so good. Then, I stopped training due…read moreto work relocation and missed her both as a personal trainer as well as for her very caring, thoughtful way of approaching training and wellbeing. Now, I am pregnant, and I only could think of her to help me with pre- and post-natal workout. I have been using personal training internationally (Europe, UK, US), and she still ranks first at making me feel healthy and balanced with my body. My approach is that training is not about looking in a particular way, but make your body feel "just in tune", "ready to go", and, boy, she is successful at that!

Tanya is a wonderful, calming, responsible presence that you would be LUCKY to have in your…read morepostpartum home. We met Tanya through a friend and were so grateful for her help. She educated us on what a postpartum doula can help with - and went above and beyond every time she showed up! Tanya would help by cooking me breakfast, holding the baby while I took a (blissful) shower, and making sure the house looked in great shape so I didn't feel stressed about it. She taught us about babywearing, the Wonder Weeks, and special Boon drying rack pieces - and on top of it all, was so kind and gentle with our son. If you're considering a postpartum doula, definitely reach out to Tanya. She's super responsive and completely worth the investment!

As a postpartum doula, I was somewhat surprised to learn that I, too, needed postpartum support…read morewhen my baby was born! I've worked closely with many doulas, and Tanya really stood out as proactive, sweet, responsive and a very comfortable person to talk with. She showed up on-time, kept herself quietly humming around taking care of things without even being asked -- such a wonderful thing because I was frazzled and exhausted, so being able to just rest and not have to ask for each little thing was sooo wonderful. A glass of water would appear, and I felt I could take a glorious nap with full trust she would take great care of the baby when I did. I'd wake up to a clean house (no chores left, yay!) and felt replenished emotionally too. I cannot recommend Tanya highly enough. In fact, I recommend her all the time! You'd be lucky to have her if she is available.

First of all, thank Joie (pronounced like Joey) for giving me such an awesome massage yesterday. I…read morehad been feeling less than 100% the past couple of weeks but when I woke up this morning I felt awesome! I can see how this sort of thing might become addictive. Joie really cares about who you are and helping you. She has an excellent bedside manner and made me feel very comfortable. There was a bowl of freshly-picked flowers on the floor to look at while your face is in the headrest, which I thought was a nice touch. As she worked, she kept checking in to make sure it was enough pressure, etc. The massage itself was excellent, 90 minutes of pure loveliness. You can tell she really loves her job and enjoys connecting with people. In addition to being a terrific masseuse, Joie is a "Somatic Educator" meaning she teaches you things about your body that help you keep those kinks out *all* the time, not just after a massage. This is an extremely useful and underrated benefit that you don't really know to value until you've done it. I worked with a Somatic Educator after RSI nearly crippled me and learned things that not only allowed me to keep pounding the keyboards 14 hours a day at the time (yes I know this is stupid, but it was one of those situations where I didn't have any other choice) but has allowed me to remain RSI-free for almost 10 years now.

I have known Joie as a massage therapist for more than 6 months but only recently have I had the…read moreopportunity to be a client of hers in the last few months. I have found a new me after our sessions. I am an International Latin and Ballroom competitor and like any dancer I am very aware of my physical body. I was in a dangerous continuous cycle of score and or injured muscles then I would get a massage, then right back to sore and or injured muscles. When I found Joie I discovered that she teaches how to train one's body to heal itself. I was amazed that in the first session with Joie I learned more about myself and my overall body consciousness then in any other massage session. Her teaching of conscious integrative bodywork is astonishing and guaranteed for wanting to learn more. Her energy is comforting and wholesome. Joie creates a healing environment for you and is very connected to where your body, your mind and your overall self are at in the session. You leave this wonderful environment with a new understanding of alignment and able to keep with you what you have learned because you are conscious. I am continually thinking of what she says about my breath and alignment when I dance and each time I have a session I learn something new that I take with me as a dancer and human being. Thank you Joie and, much love.

Christine Jarc from PBS is the Doula of all Doulas...I cannot recommend her enough. When we first…read morestarted planning for our birth we didn't totally get what a doula could do for us and my husband, especially, was not convinced we needed a doula. Boy. was he wrong and were we glad we had one. Put it this way... its your body, but once you're in labor there is so much poking and prodding and a multitude of "things' to be checked you need someone to help navigate all of the decisions that need to be made. Trust me... I had a 30 hour labor and 4 hours of pushing, there were a lot of decisions to be made and I wasn't exactly coherent enough to understand what we were saying "yes" to but when push came to shove (literally) it was Christine I wanted, with my husband, of course, in the operating room with me. And when it was all over my husband went with the new baby, and it was Christine who stayed by my side during 2.5 hours of recovery. Call her ,you will be glad you did.

My husband and I lost our first child at full term due to an umbilical cord accident. It was more…read moredevastating and life-altering than I can put into words. We delivered her after 16 hours of hard labor, knowing there would be no happy ending, and knowing that we were robbed of all the beauty and innocence of pregnancy and childbirth now and in the future if we were to have more children. We got pregnant again quickly and while we were so grateful for the opportunity to continue to grow our family, we were scared to death and filled with a tremendous amount of mixed emotions, fears, and anxieties. We specifically considered a doula for our second child in order to acknowledge that our experience was so unique and as such we could perhaps benefit from as much additional emotional support as could be offered. I in particular was concerned that in Round 2, my husband and father, whom were both present from start to finish for the birth of my late daughter, could understandably have varied emotional reactions during the second childbirth experience and be torn between handling their own emotions and trying to be present and loyal to me. I didn't want them to have this potential conflict, so I felt a doula could serve as the buffer to allow all of us to know that my needs and baby's needs were indeed acknowledged and handled, without my husband or father having to carry the burden of this task being solely on their shoulders. Additionally, I tried to be proactive in acknowledging my own potential varied emotional responses in delivering another child within the same year and after such a traumatic experience, and I wanted to ensure that someone was present with a clearer mind to keep the baby's needs paramount above all else. I was committed to not underestimating my potential for completely freaking out, passing out, or running out of the delivery room mid-delivery on the way toward any sort of nervous breakdown. Needless to say, with such a unique set of factors, while a doula might be helpful, we knew that it would take a person with a very special skill set to not be scared off by our tear-inducing experience, fully acknowledge the reasons for the various levels of fear and anxiety we were experiencing, not minimize our sense of helplessness, and do all this within the context of also just doing his/her job of birth coaching, etc. Basically, we were clear this person needed to somehow GET IT so we could feel comfortable, taken care of, validated, and empowered to get through this all again without assuming the worst. We found Christine, and we found EXACTLY what we needed. She catered her process to our unique situation, so we knew we got individualized care and service. She was thorough, professional, patient, honest, knowledgeable, intuitive, and lovely. My husband and father and I made it through pregnancy and childbirth two more times, with Christine as our doula, and therefore our kids made it out as hoped and planned, because of her. Our late daughter, Donnalee, has two beautiful baby brothers, Mansour and Reza, and to this day we sincerely and without reservation acknowledge Christine for their existence. ~Heather, Proud Mother of 3 (Donnalee, born/died 1/19/05; Mansour, born 12/27/05; Reza, born 7/3/08)

Susie delivered my daughter in 2005, she was great. Although she wasnt the person who followed me…read morethroughout my pregnancy she was patient and respectful of my no-pain meds/no epidural request and was very encouraging during the labor/delivery. I',m back for my second pregnancy and have seen her a couple of times and she is very thorough *** Dr Shapiro delivered my son, and she was great, so thoughtful and respectful of my desires, she almost didnt make it! but that was the baby of course

I had my first annual exam with Susie, circa 2003. After having subsequent exams by Melissa French…read moreand Dr. Joy Zhou, I think Susie is a little rough around the edges. She's not as patient and gentle (gentle is important) as Melissa and Dr. Jo, and she doesn't do as much talking.

I love sharing my birth story since we had such a great experience and we give thanks to Susi for…read moremaking it all possible. I knew I wanted a doula but finding the right one was tricky. I met with a couple of others and right away, you can tell doulas experience and professionalism range greatly. Susi is not only warm and compassionate but has a long resume of credentials, wisdom, and experience. These were important to us since we needed support through a stressful high risk & IVF pregnancy. I was open to medication for my labor but ended up going natural, no meds with Susi's guidance, coaching, and pain relief with counter pressure. After being bruised from our IVF journey I kind of gave up on my natural birth dream. What an empowering gift Susi gave me. Before my husband didn't understand the work of a doula but now he tells everyone, don't hesitate to hire a doula. Their work is truly invaluable. I was very relieved she was available for our due date. Bonus, birth photos are priceless! My husband and I didn't have to worry about pulling out the camera to try to capture the best moment of our lives. We are forever grateful for our beautiful birth experience bringing our miracle baby safely to earth side. Thank you Susi!

In summary: I can't recommend Susi enough. It would be impossible to overstate how valuable she was…read moreduring the entire process of my pregnancy, birth, and post-birth. When I look back at the pregnancy and birth experience, I really don't know how we would have managed without her. We are so grateful for her care during birth. A bit of background: I considered a homebirth but ultimately planned a hospital birth with midwives at Kaiser. I was pretty nervous and bummed to be in a hospital setting and really wanted to have an unmedicated birth. At our first consultation, Susi immediately put me at ease. She really understood my concerns about being at a hospital. She was incredibly comforting but also practical and honest about what to expect. This unique mixture gave me a lot of confidence that she could help me navigate the hospital system while also supporting me emotionally. Her prenatal visits were informative and reassuring, particularly for my partner. We also contacted her several times before birth for resources, recommendations, and support when we were nervous about something. I ended up being induced at 39 weeks for gestational hypertension. She was very comforting over the phone and was in contact through out the beginning of the induction process. Once I started Pitocin, she actually drove over before we asked her to since it was a long drive. I am so grateful that she did! She arrived when the contractions were really intense and I was already at 8cm. She walked in the room put her thumb to my forehead and I immediately relaxed. I went from feeling like I was being dragged behind each contraction to feeling like I was riding the wave. The way she talked me through contractions was absolutely incredible. My only coherent sentences during this time were "Susi, I like you so much. I'm so glad you're here." She was also amazing at interfacing with the hospital staff. When the midwife and team arrived to deliver, she pulled the midwife aside to make sure she knew about my birth preferences and reminded the nurses that I wanted no cheering when they forgot. During our postpartum meeting, the midwife told me that Susi was a great doula to work with and asked for her name to recommend to other patients. I am so grateful to Susi. Her care created such a positive birth experience for us! (This is posted from my husband's yelp account).

Teri is a wonderful acupuncturist…read more I have been seeing Teri for quite a few months now and I have a sense of childlike excitement every time I go visit her for an appointment... which I take as a good sign. Her space is very centrally located at 18th and Castro- just a block from the underground muni stop. The room gets lots of natural light and is very soothing and calming. A very thought out decorated approach that is not only very peaceful, but functional as well. My experience with Teri has also been great. She is very attentive-- very present in her sessions. I feel like she considers the big picture and pays attention to the details of my health also. She has given me suggestions on chinese herbs that have been helpful with treating my conditions. She often has suggestions on self care items that might be helpful (I suffer from a lot of repetitive stress injuries). Her needling has been ON POINT (and gentle), and I have seen improvements in my digestion, as well as (often immediate) results to my body pain in my hands and feet from repetitive stress motions. Oh, and she takes insurance.

I have been seeing Teri Chacon for Acupuncture treatment for stress and chronic pain for nearly a…read moredecade. The results have been tremendous. She has also helped me find the right Chinese herbal formulas to help support the treatments she gives me. Many years ago I was suffering from recurring acute bronchitis and had no luck with western approaches using steroids. Teri's treatments completely and totally cured me and I've not had any respiratory issues since then. Despite being fairly heavily tattooed, I do not like needles but Teri's treatments never cause me pain and discomfort and still give me great relief. Teri is warm and compassionate and her office reflects that in every way. It's perfectly located in the Castro so despite my often overly full schedule, I can get to her easily. I highly recommend Teri for exceptional healthcare. She is amazing!