Megan Nielson is amazing and truly gifted as an acupuncturist. Megan is kind, an amazing listener, and I always feel 100% better after my treatment with her. She has the perfect combo of passion and compassion for what she does, and that makes her a wonderful healer. I love my weekly treatments with Megan! read more

I have nothing but great things to say about Tao to Wellness. I started going to help with fertility and got pregnant on my first IUI attempt. Part of that is luck but another part is creating conditions for success which I attribute to Christina and Nikole Maxey. They are both really knowledgable and have provided material that has helped me make informed decisions. I met Nikole on the day of my IUI treatment and have being going to her throughout my pregnancy. Nikole is not only an awesome person who is easy to talk to, she knows what she is doing and offers great resources. My pregnancy has been overall really smooth (more so than a lot of my friends) which I attribute to my acupuncture treatments. Coming to see Nikole has been grounding and is something that I look forward to every week. Nikole is at the top of my list for health practitioners that I respect, appreciate, trust, and enjoy. If you like highly skilled wonderful human beings, I strongly suggest that you give her a try. read more

I've been seeing Megan regularly (usually weekly) for the past few years. She's an excellent acupuncturist and a great person. Not only is she intelligent & competent, she is kind, compassionate and a wonderful listener. I originally started seeing her for some pain in my arm & back, and after a few sessions, the pain was gone, but what I also noticed was how much better I was feeling overall - emotionally & physically. My sleep has improved and I feel like the acupuncture helps with other health issues that have come up, and helps me feel better when I'm experiencing stress or going thru a tough time emotionally. The acupuncture itself combined with her compassion & non-judgmental nature has been & continues to play a key role in maintaining my overall health. Thank you Megan! read more

Deanna is great. I had a wonderful acupuncture section with her. She is very knowledgeable, intuitive and friendly. She listened to all of my concerns and interpreted very thoroughly with great result. After one session I already felt different. I was more focused and productive. I had very restful night after my appointment, I even remembered my dream :)) ( it's not happening very often) I would highly recommend Deanna for acupuncture treatments. Elena read more

What compassionate care! I've been coming to see Deanna for about a year and a half. She helped me with fertility issues in the beginning, pregnancy discomforts, and now supports me in general wellness. She is gentle, a great listener, and a deeply knowledgeable practitioner. I'm so grateful for her care. read more

I've been going for weekly acupuncture to address multiple issues and am really happy with the results. Deanna is a great listener and caring practitioner. Highly recommended! read more

In many ways, I joined Yelp for Tao to Wellness (before I ever had my first appointment). A couple of months ago, I Google searched for Chinese medicine and Chinese medical doctors in the Bay Area. Tao to Wellness popped up in one such search. After calling a few places and leaving messages--including one at TtW--I received a phone call back from Megan. During the phone call, I had a positive sense of the practice, and of her treatment style. I thanked Megan for personally calling me back and taking the time to speak with me, and shared that I would follow up if and when it made sense for me, especially since it is an investment, and out of pocket to boot. About a month later, I looked up the Tao to Wellness reviews on Yelp and saw a promotion, purchased one, and finally made an appointment with the person with whom I'd earlier spoken. A few experience-based points of feedback: 1) The practitioner's comment: "Where there's a will, there's a way." Let's be clear. I took two buses to arrive 20 minutes early for my first appointment (I believe the person before me was running late), and paid the $75 Yelp promotion fee for an initial consult (with an additional $21 payment for a less-than, but told it was a, seven day supply of judiciously-decocted granulated herbs). As well, after the initial appointment and on my way home, I waited an hour for the bus to arrive, then when it did not arrive after an hour and 15 minutes, I walked a half an hour back to my home. But, this is not about my having to discuss nor defend my own "will". It's about how I did not appreciate the healthcare provider's commentary, and her promulgation and reiteration of the Horatio Alger myth. Her comment was condescending, insensitive, and patronizing. It also gave me pause for trying to get more individualized (and costly) care than what I generally associate or find with community acupuncture practices, and I suddenly found myself missing the working class CAN model and approach; 2) Megan began needling my skin without telling me. All previous acupuncturists always told me when they would begin needling me. This was not the case at TtW; 3) I did not appreciate how, for lack of a better word, "touchy" she was. Perhaps if I knew her for many years or at least several treatments, I would have had a deeper level of comfort with this practitioner, but as it was, I did not feel comfortable with it; 4) While laying in the treatment room, I could hear doors opening and closing, and people talking and walking past outside *even with* the so-called noise canceling headphones and relaxation soundtrack on; 5) Megan gave me print-outs from another health organization (namely, the Eastern Center for Complementary Medicine, which is apparently in the Highland Park neighborhood of Los Angeles) as a "nutritional consult" for things that I could, and did, find in a previous-to-my-appointment Google search for my health concern and which did not offer anything customized or new. This was not a tailored nutritional consult. It was anticlimactic, at best; and 6) When I followed up by email about getting more herbs and with a few nutrition/food-related questions, the acupuncturist/practitioner did not respond to the email until after the herbs had run out, and although I began the herbal protocol on a Sunday (one day after the initial appointment, so that I could begin it first thing the next morning and thereby begin the treatment for a full first day), the herbs in a small, clear plastic bag lasted only until Friday. _______ tl;dr I felt overcharged, under-helped, and did not feel there was anything healing about my first time visit and experience with Tao to Wellness. read more

I have been working with Treasure for almost a year to help with fertility and now the symptoms of pregnancy. She has been great. Very knowledgable, compassionate, sensitive and helpful. I had to do IVF and Treasure helped prep my body for the transfer. Helping with stress and other symptoms. I then became pregnant and had lots of nausea and other symptoms. Treasure has helped me with these symptoms and been great support throughout. I highly recommend Tao to Wellness. This has been my first experience with acupuncture and it has been great! read more

I've been seeing Treasure for various issues for the last five months. Over that time, she's given me herbs and suggestions for improving my fertility and now my egg count is way better than before I started seeing her. Not only that, I look forward to seeing her for her sincere compassion, encouragement, and support. She really does care about how you're doing and is fully invested in your well-being! read more

I love Megan. She is one of the best acupuncturists I have seen over the years due to her skill (I hate needles and hardly felt any discomfort) and ability to make one feel at ease regardless of physical pain. I was treated by her for several months while I was pregnant to help with a host of physical issues and I continued afterwards until life got way too busy. I felt so much better after the visits both physically and emotionally. I wholeheartedly recommend this practice and Megan specifically. read more

I first started coming to Tao to Wellness for their excellent prenatal and fertility acupuncture. One of their acupuncturists went on-site to my fertility treatments and even did house-calls for me afterwards. It was simply above and beyond. I came back 2 years later (after a successful pregnancy and happy baby) for another health concern having to do with my GI tract. This time I worked with Deanna. Deanna is a wonderful practitioner. After several months of treatment, she has helped me heal a pretty severe condition to the point that I am now symptom-free. She really listens to me and is an excellent practitioner. I left my other acupuncturist (at another clinic) to see her exclusively because she was so good. I highly recommend Tao to Wellness. You can't go wrong here! read more

while it's obvious christina doesn't need any more positive yelps, i couldn't not write. i went to her when i'd thrown my back out, and within an hour and a half i was once again walking freely. she's not only amazing at what she does, but she's friendly, warm, and caring. she even gave me a hug last time! i look forward to working with her in the future. (btw, i'm needlephobic, so this means a lot.) read more

I started seeing Treasure for stress and digestion issues. I can't say enough about how much she has helped me. Her work and has eased a significant amount of my anxiety issues and cleared up my acid reflux. When Treasure was on maternity leave, I saw Deanna. Deanna was able to pick up where Treasure left off. They are both great at what they do. Highly recommend them and Tao to Wellness. If I had not moved, I would still be seeing Treasure. read more

Megan is awesome! She recently helped me though the worst cold/infection I have had in years. She is kind and knowledgeable and really worked with me to heal: Acupuncture then an herbal regiment that I could actually follow and stomach. (That is usually really hard with me and Chinese herbs.) She has a really calming energy and genuinely cares about her patients and practice. read more

I found my way to Treasure and Deanne because of terrible TMJ in my right jaw. It was completely healed after three sessions which was remarkable after months of pain. They are both extremely gifted healers. I will keep going as it has supported stress management and digestive issues. I highly recommend Tao to Wellness! read more

I had been having extreme pain in my left foot due to plantar fasciitis and tried everything (I even had to stop running) then my sister recommended I try acupuncture. I'd never done acupuncture before so I was a bit scared but felt at ease when I met Deanna. Her energy is very calming and she is very gentle. A couple of the needles were quite painful at the root of the pain in my heel on my first visit and she was understanding to that every session after that, always asking if I was okay. I've had 7 sessions total and the pain has reduced dramatically to the point where some days I don't even feel it. I used to not even be able to get out of bed without limping, and this morning I realized I popped out of bed with no pain at all! Plantar fasciitis takes a long time to heal but with acupuncture, rest and time I hope to be able to start running again soon. Deanna also helped me a couple time when my stress level was high and my allergies were bad. I would definitely come back and recommend anyone else to see Deanna too! read more

I have been seeing Christina on a weekly basis for a few months now, and I don't actually know how I lived with acupuncture now! I have been struggling with a few issues (infertility being one), and so far the treatments are helping steady my cycles, and keep me calm during the process. I would recommend her to anyone!!!!! read more

I signed up for Yelp just so I could rave about Christina and Tao to Wellness. Before seeing Christina, I had been to one other acupuncturist. My first visit to Tao exceeded any experience I've had with acupuncture or any other health practitioner. She speaks with me conversationally, but professionally, obtaining an extensive amount of health information about me. Her sessions are extremely relaxing (in a spa-like atmosphere), and always reduce my stress level considerably. In addition, she's been a great resource for recommending other doctors, herbal treatments and meditation practices. I hope if you've been considering acupuncture, you will check out Tao to Wellness and Christina first. read more

Definitely the best acupuncture in town - especially if you have a problem others haven't been able to help solve! I went here to get help recovering from a concussion, and it worked in a few weeks. Highly recommend! read more

I have seen Christina on and off for two years. She has to be one of the most amazing practitioners I have ever been treated by. She is very gentle in her personal approach but super tough on the problems you're facing. I recently came down with some type of neck stiffness that was completely debilitating and was like I had never experienced, I tried chiropractic and it only made it worse. I was miserable. Christina treated me and within a day I was better than I had been in weeks until she made everything completely normal again. I swear she's a saint read more

I started receiving treatments from Deanna when she was practicing at a different clinic, and love her approach so much that I followed her to Tao of Wellness. I have a variety of ailments that Deanna has helped me with. Before I started treatments, I was seriously considering surgery due to a painful arthritic bone spur in my hand. After regular treatments I was pain free and was able to function again! I have also had depression and anxiety on and off which impacts my sleep, stress, and appetite. Deanna has a very empathetic and kind approach with her treatments and always takes the time to fully listen and understand your situation. I feel so calm and relaxed after I leave Tao to Wellness and notice a change in my emotional balance. I highly recommend making an appointment with Deanna if you are struggling with depression, anxiety, or anything that is impacting your emotional wellness. read more

I enjoyed three wonderful acupuncture sessions with Megan Nielsen. We did two sessions before and after an IVF appointment and one a few days later, to promote fertility and potential pregnancy. Megan was delightful and very calming during a bit of a nerve-racking process. I highly recommend her services, particularly for women/men facing fertility issues !! read more

I've had a lot of acupuncture in my lifetime and my favorite treatments are always those by Nikole. She is a skilled practitioner- intuitive, kind, intelligent and truly gifted at listening to my symptoms, diagnosing me, then treating me based on Chinese medicine. I trust her knowledge of the medicine and I feel so grounded and refreshed after her treatments. read more

I signed in to this site just to tell everyone how great Christina at Tao to Wellness is. After I had a serious run-in with toxic shock syndrome she helped me get healthy again and get over a lot of my lingering symptoms. I continue to see her for whatever problems come up, as well as for general maintenance. I just feel better after I see her, both because of the excellent care she offers and her calm, knowledgeable, and caring personality. read more

I have been seeing Nikole Maxley for a few years and she has helped me tremendously with everything from sinus infections to chronic pain and digestive issues. I can't recommend her enough, and have family who now see her regularly as well. She has exactly the kind of warmth and listening skills that is needed in a true healer, and she takes her time to get to know you and your conditions. Without a doubt, I feel truly grateful to have Nikole as someone I can trust for my health needs and will be seeing her for many years to come! read more

I started seeing Treasure recently and just had my 2nd session, and so far, already feel relaxed and as though I can tell a difference. I appreciate Treasure's approach to the sessions. We started the first one with a consultation where we discussed my overall health, stress, work, personal life, etc. I felt quite comfortable sharing this information with her, knowing too that it would only help her as she started treating me. She's open, understanding and has a relaxed (yet professional) demeanor which I appreciate. Even in the 2 times I've been, I feel relaxed the second I open the door! I look forward to continuing the sessions and working with Treasure! read more

I've been seeing Deanna for stress reduction, seasonal "tune-ups", and allergy relief. She is kind, knowledgeable, and has great needle technique. She clearly loves what she does, which allows her practice to transcend technical medicine and creates opportunity for human connection and healing rapport. I always leave feeling more relaxed and sane than when I went in. I can't recommend her more highly. read more

I've been seeing Nikole for a year and a half for fertility treatments. She is super warm, such a good listener, and I've found her treatments to be extremely helpful. Acupuncture with Nikole lowered my stress level significantly which I think helped a ton in my ability to get pregnant. I'm due next month and I've been going to her regularly during my pregnancy. I've felt really good this pregnancy and I know the acupuncture has had a lot to do with this. The treatments help with my back pain and sleep and just help to calm me down in general. I highly recommend Nikole! read more

Christina Martin has changed my life!! A few months ago I started feeling low back cramping all month long (I get this type of cramping with my period, sorry if it's TMI, but it's true). I also was extremely stressed, was not sleeping very well and basically had PMS for a month (my poor husband). I went to 3 medical doctors all of whom gave me different diagnosis. Finally got an ultrasound, and don't have cancer or anything, so I was told just to live with the pain. After being completely fed up with western medicine I gave Christina a call. I had never been to an acupuncturist before and was a little nervous. The first visit was about two hours long. I really appreciated how caring and concerned Christina was about my health problems. Before the visit I had to fill out a long questionnaire and instead of trying to cover my low back pain up with meds, Christina put the time and effort into fixing the issue. I saw Christina every week for six weeks and am now go in for monthly maintenance. She has made an amazing difference in the quality of my life and I am so very grateful to have found her. My back pain is gone and I feel better then I have in months!! read more

I found Megan by reading her yelp reviews- she has fantastic reviews, and she deserves all of them! I had an illness as a child and because of that I was told that I would not be able to get my wife pregnant. During our first session she asked about some test results from my MD. I told her that I had tried, but had not been able, to get the results and that I had not seen that doctor in years. Megan proceeded to spend the next 6 weeks following-up and checking-in with me. She eventually did manage to get the results. She laid out a treatment plan for me (referred me to 2 other MD's), and told me that acupuncture/herbs would not be the most effective way to deal with my situation. One week later I received an envelope in the mail from Megan with a copy of the test results she had tracked down and a card wishing me the best. I was amazed. This is how I wish health care to be- practitioners who care, who spend time, who follow-up, and who refer. read more

I fist met Megan when she gave a lecture to a class I was attending at UC Berkeley. I had already had acupuncture before, and was looking for a private practitioner to see on a weekly basis. Megan seemed like a very knowledgeable and skilled practitioner from her lecture demo, and sure enough when I went to visit her for an appointment I was not disappointed. Megan is an awesome acupuncturist who really understands the workings of the body. She combined a solid knowledge of dietary needs, sleep and exercise habits, stress levels, and injury recovery for my treatments. I never had a bad experience with Megan, and her advice was spot-on and her professionalism and friendliness overlapped so well; my appointments felt like I was visiting a friend. Towards my final few appointments I requested to learn a little more about acupuncture points and Megan was so kind as to explain everything to me as she was working--I learned so much and have grown increasingly interested in how acupuncture treats the body through her! Megan also inadvertently introduced me to theta waves through her treatments for better sleep, which really helped me with my insomnia during my final year as a college student. I highly recommend Megan; she is a very thorough and skilled practitioner, and I'd still be seeing her regularly if I hadn't moved back across the Bay. read more

I came to Tao to Wellness because of prolonged headaches after a concussion. I had tried every other traditional medical treatment and was beginning to lose hope that my pain would go away. I met with Nikole who was always friendly, had a positive attitude, and she was genuinely concerned about my pain and overall wellbeing. She was obviously well-trained and well-practiced both in her knowledge and needle placement. I saw immediate improvement after just my first treatment. The addition of an herbal treatment helped even more. I've been headache free for over a month now thanks to the help of acupuncture and herbs at Tao to Wellness! read more

Nikole has been a sympathetic, sensitive therapist who has provided wonderful support in helping me to manage my irritable bowel syndrome symptoms into remission. She's been wonderfully supportive and I am so happy that I finally found someone who can help me with this, so that I don't need to resort to pharmaceuticals that can cause other health problems over time that are worse than the issue they try to resolve. read more

I've seen Christina since 2006 and continue to see her regularly. I've had all sorts of persistent health issues (female issues, stress, backpain, headaches) and always have a great experience and gain real results after a session or two (depending on the ailment). I recommend her to all my friends...friends who are scared of needles and have never had acupuncture, friends who take too many pills for pain that won't go away (herbs really work!) and anybody, especially women, with persistent health issues...that are typically shrugged off. She works in conjunction with western medicine and this is key. She lives in the modern world! Her office is very soothing too. Christina's professionalism and compassion make her a fantastic practitioner...and a teacher of sorts. I learned so much about stress and my body and I don't mean this in a cheesy way...I'm simply more mindful about what hurts and why and what I need to do to not hurt (I don't need to run to her every time I have pain.). After noticing my improved lifestyle choices and reduced pain (and noting my "I love Christina time" statements), I even got my guy to see her when he was having some digestive issues and now he raves about her too...and he is very scared of needles...trust. read more

I am so happy my friend took me here. I wasn't a believer, but I am now. I had a wonderful experience, yes, needles and all. I felt amazing when I left. read more

I have been going to see Christina for acupuncture for over a year now. I started going because of chronic headaches, stomach aches, and low energy. Before I ever even walked through the door, I knew this was going to be a different (and better experience) than my typical doctor's visit. Prior to my first visit, I had to complete a health questionnaire that was like seven pages long. It really forced me to think and to pay attention to my own health. Then Christina sat down with me and we talked through most of it- it was like she really wanted to know all about me health-wise. How refreshing! I had gotten used to HMO's where they like to know as little about you as possible. This feeling of nurturing has continued through all of my visits. I have never felt rushed or like just another client- Christina remembers little details about my life and my health. I now see her about once a month, and my headaches have almost completely subsided. Overall, I am much healthier than I was a year ago- and much of this I contribute to my regular acupuncture. I have been hugely impressed with my whole experience at the Tao to Wellness. I have one more story to tell in an effort to convey the care that Christina provides her clients. About five or six months ago I was having a hard time scheduling an appointment with one of the massage therapists there- our lines kept getting crossed. On one of my visits with Christina, she asked how my massages were going, and I let her know the struggles I was having. She offered to let me have a free massage! I was really amazed with her generosity- but that is Christina for you. She really cares. read more

about a year ago i was told that i had an FSH score of 21 and that i would most likely only be able to have children with the help of an egg donor. this news was surprising and after a great deal of crying and googling i found tao to wellness. my first phone call was with christina and she was so kind and encouraging. i immediately began seeing nikole for weekly acupuncture. from the very beginning i found nikole to be so positive and knowledgable about all things related to infertility and acupuncture. acupuncture with nikole quickly became the highlight of my week because she was so cheerful, caring and funny. in addition to being such a spectacular person, nikole is very good at what she does. along with acupuncture, nikole gave me herbs and helped me with diet and lifestyle changes. after 3 months i got pregnant with my first IUI. even after i got pregnant i continued to go to acupuncture at tao to wellness. i looked forward to my sessions because they made my body feel better at each step of the pregnancy. i also valued my time with nikole because she is so knowledgable about the process of being pregnant. she answered questions and explained what was going on with my body in ways my OBGYN never had time for. nikole gave me tips and suggestions that were always so helpful. now, i have the most perfect 10 week old baby you ever did see. i am bursting with gratitude for nikole, tao to wellness, and acupuncture in general. if you are somewhere on the path to conceiving a child, tao to wellness will make your experience that much better. read more