Sophie Blanchard, DC

I am so lucky to have found Dr. Blanchard. She is excessively generous with her time, and an excellent chiropractor. I have had neck troubles for years, yet a few adjustments from her per year keep me in excellent shape. Dr. Blanchard never tries to «sell» me on treatment I don’t need, but is completely hones and ethical, only providing what I need so that I never have to worry about a large bill. In fact, she has provided more care for me than she even billed me for. To top it all off, she is a very calming and kind person. I feel lucky to have found such an amazing chiropractor, and I recommend her to all of my friends. Thank you Dr. Blanchard!

Dishonest billing practices! One appointment was cancelled and they charged my insurance company. They received a payment for services that were not provided. For a second appointment, I paid a copayment that was not needed to be paid. The insurance company ended up paying 100% for the visit, so I requested a refund of the copayment. I’m still waiting. They owe refunds to my insurance company and me, but have not complied.

Dr. Blanchard is a great chiropractor! I’ve been working with her for weeks and she has really helped me a lot. She is quite conversational and takes a lot of time to get to know you during her assessments and treatments, so they take longer than your average chiro visit. My back was really, really messed up for a long time and she has been taking me through a gradual process of correcting it, along with the entirety of my spine and hips, which I didn’t even know were part of the problem. I no longer need pain medication for my back. Plus, now my back is at a point where it is starting to self-​adjust when it gets out of alignment, with just a few stretches, which is great. She also listens to you during the appointments, so if something is not working, if you had extra pain after a session, if something still feels like it needs adjusting, she is very interested in hearing about it and responsive to it.
I also like that she takes a variety of insurance.
Her office partner, Catherine Le, is also a great chiropractor. You’re in good hands in this office.

Waste of money! Couldn’t even do the adjustment on my back and I still got charged $ 95. Never coming over here waste of time and waste of money

I trust Dr. Blanchard. Her approach to my well being covers all aspects of my health, not just the «chiropractic specific» reasons I have for being there. She has given me practical exercises and lifestyle changes that help me to feel empowered in my care, and not victimized by my pain. I feel she is engaged and connected with me when I am in her presence. Her office is busy, and the other patients exhibit trust and confidence in her as well, so that adds to my peace of mind. Plus! The rooms look out onto the harbor, parking is a non issue and I never feel rushed through my care.

I have been to about a dozen or more different chiropractors in my life, but I am truly so amazed with Dr.Blanchard. She is top notch. Her service is unique in that he takes a holistic approach and it is very personalized. I was in a car accident and she has worked wonders with all aspects of my being, not just my neck and back issues. She is wonderful!!! If you want to find ultimate wellness, she is an excellent choice.

Dr. Blanchard is fantastic. I stumbled in here with some serious neck pain and was unable to turn my head. Dr. Blanchard sat me down and asked about family history, nutrition, exercise habits, daily habits before adjusting me. She quickly identified the problem area, popped me back into place and explained the entire process. I immediately felt better and regained some of the movement in my neck.
I’ve been seeing chiropractors my entire life — Dr. Blanchard is the best I’ve ever seen.
She treats the whole body, understands the whole body and really cares.

Sophie is amazing. She has an immense amount of knowledge and puts caring into everything that she does. She not only is a great chiropractor but she is a wealth of information regarding nutrition and sports training. Sophie works with some of the best athletes in the bay area and has a very impressive client list. Money is not an issue for these professional athletes but they go to Sophie because they trust her. I can also say that some of the other Unilocal negative reviews are bullshit and fabrications. I trust her 100% and she has helped myself and my girlfriend on numerous occasions and done so when we have had unplanned emergencies. I strongly recommend her Sophie Blanchard.

I’ve been to a few chiropractors, and I guess finding the right one is something of a matter of personal preference. LIke Goldilocks, I’ve found some chiropractors to be too rough (a comic memory of one overweight chiropractor practically jumping on me to try to adjust my back while yelling, «Relax! I said, RELAX!»), some to be too gentle (including using some kind of device that tapped places), and Dr. Blanchard to be «just right.» She is very personable, and a good listener, and has gone above and beyond to help me. For example, she came out to the parking lot to evaluate my car seat, and also scheduled time for me and one other patient on a normally off-​day because I (and I presume, the other patient) was in pain. She is knowledgeable about holistic health, and everything about the office and the experience is consistent with that. The office overlooks the Alameda Marina, which is very serene. I highly recommend.

I just reviewed the Center, and I saw there was also some reviews for the doctors and physicians. I read some of the ones written and some people can’t appreciate what life means sometime :(.
Dr Sophie Blanchard is amazing and thanks to her, I’m still able to play water polo and all of my other back and neck issues are gone.
The best things about this place is that Sophie takes the time to talk to you, to understand you, to listen to you, and to treat you. She can adjust as no one else and results can be seen quickly.
Sometimes I have to wait a little but Sophie comes and put me on one of these massaging chairs and it feels so good (I usually fall asleep).
Now I feel great and still go from times to times to get a check and make sure everything is in line.
One last thing, you know how you feel before going to the dentist? This is how I used to feel when I was going to see the chiropractor until Sophie made this whole experience pleasurable! :D

I have been going to Dr. Sophie since 2005 when I had chiropractic coverage thru my employer. I had never been to a chiropractor before and was somewhat nervous. I had fallen down our stairs at home and just hurt all over. She had me fill out a questionnaire regarding my pain and history, then she clarified a few things and we got to work!
The Feel Of the Place: The waiting office itself isnt awesome or sexy, it is a business office in a business park, so I wasnt really expecting much anyway, but I TOTALLY appreciated that it didnt have a fake hippy thing going on with aromatherapy candles and Yanni piped in on the stereo. There was a little tea station, which was nice while I waited.
The Torture Devices: When I showed up at the office, Dr. Sophie had several mechanical means of loosening tension in the back that I could basically choose from, two different massage chairs, a traction table and a couple other tables the I just dont even understand — but she always seems to know exactly what I need to get loosened up. Everytime I come in she asks me if I want «therapy» which is what she calls the massage chairs and they really do help — even if they make the appointment longer, which I don’t mind, but some people may.
Things You Should Know About Dr. Sophie: 1) She is French. If you have known Francs, you are aware that as a rule they are a very honest and straight forward people (very frank? ok, sure). She is compassionate and attentive, but not a coddler. She believes that if you want to get better, you need to be an active participant in the treatment — an approach that I TOTALLY agree with. 2) She is chatty — Thank God! I love my talks with Dr. Sophie. She is approachable and knowledgeable and helpful, and nothing in her is judgmental at all. She really seems to want to connect with her patients and find out where they are at then she tailors treatment to you and where you are 3) She really is a tiny woman, but … dang. I’m a big girl and that tiny woman lays me out, knots me up and cracks me all out! It is a wonder to behold!
Things You Should Know About The Office: 1) Dr. Sophie shares her office with one other chiropractor — Dr. Hamm, and he is FANTASTIC — and usually has other treatments available through appointment including massage and acupressure, etc. You should look into other services available in the office. He also has a regimen for pregnant women that I Cant Wait to try out! 2) Same hour appointments! I cant tell you how many times I have called up Dr. Sophie and asked to come in and she has asked me if I can be there immediately — even on a Saturday. That woman is a machine! I have had friends tell me that they had to wait a day or two to see their chiro — I have never had to wait. Dr. Sophie usually has to wait for me! 3) Both Dr Hamm and Dr. Blanchard have recently had children (2009) and will periodically have one or both in the office. Now while both are super well behaved and just amazing, if you dont like children, it is something you might want to ask about prior to your appointment.
All-​in-​all, an appointment will take about an hour, sometimes longer, but I always walk away refreshed and happy. I like Dr. Sophie and trust her with my spinal health.

Dr. Blanchard is very knowledgable about back and neck injuries. I was treated by her after my car accident for neck tendonitis and lower back inflammation. I am very glad that I made the decision to visit her. Dr. Blanchard is very welcoming and is always very cheerful. She accomodates my late schedules, such that I won’t miss a session even though sometimes I have to work late. She is great!

Dr. B is the best!
She has these wonderful traction chairs, which are much better than your average massage chair. She lets me sit there as long as I like, and sometimes, I sit an hour.
Then she takes me into the correction room. She asks me questions about myself and makes suggestions about how I might improve things. She refers me to others that she think might be able to help me. She makes recommendations concerning my diet– even recommended an exceptional produce stand off Park Street.
She’s pretty much replaced my psychotherapist.
She does the chiropractic adjustments, which always help. She knows what she’s doing!
So I must highly recommend her.
Think of it as more than an appointment– think of it as an experience that improves your health. Plan on being there at least an hour for maximum results.

Horrible!!! Simply horrible!!! After a few visits, this office is lacking in more than a few areas. Office organization and customer service is non-​existent. Appointments are dropped and and patients are left waiting in the waiting room up to an hour after a scheduled appointment, that’s it… you’re dropped. Come back again soon??? I think not. And if you do get a table, you’ll have to wait some more. Just a few seconds with her and out the door she goes. I could have put a warm pad and read a good book at home! Absolutely no personal attention. If you like being herded like cattle, go for it.
I received a bill almost 2 years after my last appointment which included one of those dropped appointments. Then, they have the nerve to write «last attempt» on the bill as if they had sent a bill in the first place!!!
Blanchard is not as good as a DC as she presents herself and certainly not worth it. My back still hurts but not as much as my headache.

after weeks of increasing neck pain, several visits to my family practitioner, and hundreds of anti-​inflammatory pills, i finally decided to try a chiropractor. Dr. Blanchard healed my neck in 2 sessions…
she proceeded cautiously by ordering x-​rays and gathered all the necessary information before moving forward. from this experience, I found Dr. Blanchard to be extremely diligent and professional. she also made me feel at EASE during the moments before my first «manipulation» (cracking the neck into place). :)
I’ve been under the care of Dr. Blanchard for close to 4 years now. she is a very sweet lady… always friendly and easy-​going. I highly recommend her as a chiropractor.
seriously, Dr. Blanchard is the way to go… she is the only one i trust with my bones!

Visited but did not find it helpful at all. Several patients were seen at once; my service was not personalized nor one-​on-​one. One of my «treatments» was to lay on a machine and a ball was run underneath me, which was uncomfortable and I felt, depersonalized since I had asked specifically for network chiropractic manipulations, which is a specific way of approaching chiropractic care.
More than two years later, the office manager is suddenly presenting a bill for services that was never sent to my insurance company back then – very unprofessional, and here’s why: I was with a different carrier in 2006 with a higher rate of coverage, and had the claims been filed at that time they would have been covered nearly in full, minus my co-​pay (which I paid in full in 2006). Because the claims are being made now and I am with a different carrier with a different coverage structure – and because they forged dates for 2008 when I never saw her in 2008 – coverage is not covered nearly in full and additional money is requested for a non-​allowed amount. I paid my co-​pays then; this office has no right to submit their bills late and then request more money, later.
Edit 08÷13÷08: My insurance co called me today to ask more questions about these visits that Blanchard’s office claims I had in 2008 (when really, they were back in 2006). I told my insurance co that I saw her back in 2006, never in 2008. As proof that the office lying about something, I’ll add that the dates of service they’re claiming are for dates when I was on a trans-​continental flight from Europe to the U.S. So they called the office to ask how it’s possible that I could have seen Blanchard and been on a flight at the same time. What a shock – the story changes to «oops, we didn’t see her on those dates, we saw her on some other dates in 2008.» Instead of just owning up to their own mistake in billing and claims, someone in that office is lying and changing their story. [shakes head.]
Edit 05÷04÷08: Was just contacted today by the third Unilocaler in 2 years who has read this review and has had the same experience with billing – forged dates, bills presented 2 years after the fact, etc. A P. S. for those of you struggling with this or a similar issue: Legally, doctors have only 180 days to submit claims to insurance companies. If they don’t do it within that time frame, the insurance co will deny the claim. The doctor has no legal right to then turn the bill over to you.
Last, I’ll just add that while I feel this account of my experience with her office is unfavorable, it is also a simple account of my experience. Beware of other Unilocalers who will email you with rants if you write anything other than glowing reviews of your experiences here.

In a world where health practitioners have only a few minutes to see each patient, its refreshing to have someone take the time to get to know me, and my problems and stressors. Dr. Blanchard is gentle, inspirational and excellent at adjustments.

I came to Sophie Blanchard because she was on the list of chiropractors for Kaiser, and she was the only female. I normally don’t mind but she likes to chatter about people a bit too much (not confidential patient though). Wish I could put this in a better, less-​hippie way but I wasn’t getting a very good «vibe» from her or the place.
On the plus side she takes appointments on Saturdays.
I feel an urge to see if there’s someone better in Alameda.