Tao of Wellness

I recently went to Tao Of Wellness for treatment for an ovarian cyst. I was suffering from agonizing, acute pain in my left lower abdomen. I was treated by Sally Goluboff — an amazingly knowledgable, kind and just all around lovely acupuncturist and person. Within a day of treatment from acupuncture and herbs, my pain was down to 20% of what it was. Within 2 days it was completely gone! After suffering from this pain which ebbed and flowed for about 2 months, to being pain-​free so quickly was just amazing! I am so in gratitude of Sally and the wonderful staff at Tao of Wellness. I wish more people were aware of TCM instead of traditional Western practices … (my options were surgery or birth control). I am so glad that I went with Tao Of Wellness!

I personally see Dr Mao and can’t say enough of how an amazing man he is. He knows how to make you feel comfortable from Day 1. I have known Dr Mao for many years now and feel so lucky and honored. Thank you Dr Mao for being the best adviser for all my needs.

I have been coming to Tao Wellness for over a year now. I began because of side affects from radiation due to breast cancer. I have to say that those side affects disappeared (mostly) in the first couple sessions of acupuncture and taking the herbs mixed right there just for me. Dr. Dao is a wonderful 38^th generation chinese medicine doctor and Alison Dougherty has been equally as wonderful to work with. I am a work-​in-​progress. We have since treated my knee for the pain from a torn meniscus and the other muscles in the leg that this has affected, a strange rash on my eyelids (I believe part of the radiation fallout), my sluggish metabolism, and my circulation and digestion overall. I am a true believer in acupuncture and feel as though this is the best place to be. It is a little expensive and not covered by insurance (because our healthcare system is antiquated) but you do get what you pay for and it has been a godsend to me and to my body.
I will continue to come and «fix» things that I can the «very old fashioned way».

I’ve had ongoing back/​leg nerve problems due to a herniated disc in my lumbar spine. Not fun at all. I was at a crisis level of pain the first time I went to acupuncture at Tao of Wellness. The front desk staff recognized my pain level and got me into the treatment room closest to the reception area immediately. I met with Alison Doherty and she started treatments with my particular issues in mind. After only two sessions I was able to lay flat and stand up straight for the first time in months!
I’ve been going back regularly for treatments ever since. Alison is really a wonderful practitioner. I still have numbness in my foot, which we are trying to get worked out, but overall I’m 1000% better thanks to acupuncture. I’m a total believer.
My only complaint is that the appointments here are not cheap (and sadly not covered by my insurance). But you get what you pay for. They also might try to prescribe herbal medicines from the onsite pharmacy, but I found asking what I should take (hint: lots of Turmeric for getting rid of inflammation) and buying that offsite to be more friendly to my pocketbook.

This place deserves 0 stars! I booked an appointment as a new patient 2 weeks out. I came on time for my appointment, waited 45 minutes with no update. I asked if I could get some idea of how much longer the wait would be. I was told that they would check with the Dr. No one returned to update me. I spent over an hour and a half of my time for nothing. Patients should be able to «bill» doctors for missed appointments!

I’ve been going to Tao for the past year. Before this I had one uncomfortable experience with acupuncture, but now I am very happy. I always feel more relaxed and peaceful after a treatment. I was referred to Dr. Dao and he is great!

I would have given a zero if I could. I was treated at this facility, the therapist told me she would do acupuncture and massage. For $ 175, she just did a 1 min accupuncture and left the room. Then gave a diet print from the desk and ended her visit. I’m certainly not going back or recommend this place. The parking is not convenient either. I checked elsewhere, both treatments are $ 75. This place is a scam!

I am addicted to Tao of Wellness. Tom Boldt is such a great person and has been taking such good care of me for over 4 years. Easy street parking or in the building; the staff are very friendly and the studio is very clean and comfortable.

A great place to try Chinese medicine. Very knowledgeable team of practitioners, who are also friendly and professional. Excellent front office staff. Lots of different services including acupuncture, massage, sauna, healthy foods. They’ve done wonders for me and friends and family. Given their kind approach, this would be to check out acupuncture if you’ve never tried it before. Fertility experts.

This may work for some people… so I don’t to judge too harshly. I came here a few times while I was undergoing cancer treatment about a year ago. Last time I went ended up being very unpleasant because I laid around on a treatment table for so long, must have been 40 min, while a prerecorded tape was playing, it finished and I was still laying there, no one checked on me, I seriously think they forgot about me, even though they claimed they hadn’t and previous sessions were shorter, and I felt so lousy afterwards, that was the last time I was there. What’s ironic about the visit is that Dr Dao said I looked better and he thought my immune system was improving. Totally wrong!!! My bone marrow was crashing and blood tests showed my platelets had dropped to almost transfusion requiring levels. I shouldn’t even have had needles placed, they were so low. This place has long hallways with multiple tiny rooms, like a total mill. In addition, the herbs and stuff they have you buy were pricey too and I bought them (just once), just in case, but never took any, I was worried it may interfere with chemo. After all that money we paid, they weren’t even willing to stuff the herbs in capsules for me. And yeah, they even charged extra for capsules. Really? What a rip off. They also gave me a vaginal cream without an applicator and told me to use my finger! Pretty ridiculous. If they cared about patient health they could have purchased some plastic applicators. I feel I got ripped off…
Dr Dao is pleasant and poised, but this place is truly a mill and very expensive for questionable benefit and even possibly harmful. What I don’t get is how he considers himself a cancer specialist, but has no clue your bone marrow is crashing. IMHO, this place seems to be about business more than anything. Pre-​recorded relaxation tapes? Really? I could have done that at home for free. It was worth coming here to check it out, but yes a waste of time money and energy, for me anyway. It may work for some, so I’m giving 2 stars. I’m giving it a benefit of a doubt, but for me personally, it seemed useless, possibly harmful. Buyer beware!

It all started after I had my left knee operated on. I had a torn medial meniscus. It was a simple repair and should have had a simple recovery but as luck would have it, not for me! I did everything as instructed but the recovery wasn’t satisfactory. After trying nearly 3 months of PT with no success, I decided to take matters in my own hands. I sought out advice and my dear friend Lisa recommended I go to the Tao of Wellness for acupuncture. I have to tell you, that was the best advice I could have ever asked for. The results were not immediate, so don’t think that this is some kind of magic. It takes time. My doctor was Stephanie Yong. She is simply amazing! She was also a massage therapist and demonstrated to me just how tightly wound up my IT (iliotibial) band was to the point of me crying like a little baby! Anyway, the acupuncture combined with electrostimulation was incredible! Stephanie knew exactly what I needed and I honestly couldn’t wait to come back to see her! Who likes to go to the doctor? Anyway, the place is immaculate and the staff is great! It’s a well oiled machine. If you go there, be sure and buy some of Dr. Mao’s beautiful breakfast. It is so good!

So happy to leave a revue for Tao Of Wellness! It’s been 13 years since I’ve seen Dr. Dao and staff, but if it wasn’t for them… I’d never have the oppertunity to be a mother to three beautiful children! With Dr. Dao’s help I was finally able to conceive and keep my pregnantcy! Not a day goes by I count my blessings! I’m so glad I took a chance to try alternative medicine… I was never a fan or convinced it could, or would help me? BUT IT DID! I drank the herbal tea three times a day, followed Dr. Dao’s instructions. Four months latter I was pregnant and carried to term! Something I was never able to do. I found a miracle. Forever thankful.

Dr. Mao killed my friend. Now, I don’t know if he kills people very day, but he very defiantly killed a friend of mine. It was some years ago, and the acupuncture board came very close to taking away his license after the lawsuit, but clearly not close enough as he is still practicing. I am a licensed MD, and my friend didn’t tell me his precise symptoms, he only told me Dr. Mao was taking care of him; this went on for a year. By the time my friend was so sick he actually told me what the problem was and I drove him to the hospital, he was dead of cancer within a month. My friend was 25 and lived a healthy life, except for his relationship with Dr. Mao, which killed him. If any respectable doctor had heard his symptoms the diagnosis would have been clear, and my friends life would have been saved. But Dr. Mao’s ego apparently prevented him from making a normal referral. I am still sad after all these years, and very sad that this «doctor» is still out there potentially harming people who trust him. Do NOT trust him!

I’m a skeptic. I’m the kind of gal that thinks medicine comes in the shape of a pill bottle and not in the form of a root.
But my parents are GIANT proponents of alternative medicine (my whole life I’ve been the lucky recipient of all kinds of Chinese soups courtesy of my dear mother… and I’ve watched my Dad boil pots of herbal teas to cure his ailments. p. s. don’t tell my mom but I used to sneakily pour the Chinese soups into other people’s bowls or back into the pot: «What? Yup! All done. Thanks Mom! I feel so much better…»).
Yet as I’ve gotten older and life has gotten increasingly stressful, busy, and crazy I found my body revolting. It literally just said «No more.» I was tired all the time, my hands and feet were freezing (the second anyone touches my hands they look at me like «wth — did you just dip your hands in ice?»), I was stressed and feeling «off.» My mom strongly suggested I see Dr. Dao (and when my Mom strongly suggests something it means you DO it). So I booked an appointment 3 weeks out (he’s popular but considered the best).
I walked in and was greeted by friendly faces, was taken to his office and he came in shortly after. We talked about my history, and he felt my pulse, looked at my tongue and with confidence he said we would begin treatments that day. First was acupuncture (which I had never done) and I will admit the first session was not necessarily relaxing — I was tense to say the least. It didn’t hurt at all but I have a hard time sleeping as it is so laying there with needles from my head to my feet was not conducive to rest. After 40 minutes he came in, removed them and then went through my herbs and suggested diet. He also introduced me to Dr. Albert Vaca who I would alternate appointments with.
I went home, boiled my herbs and started drinking them (3x per day). Is it gross? YES. It is stinky and the exact opposite of everything tasty.
It’s now been a month… I’ve seen Dao and Vaca multiple times. They show patience, sincere caring and really listen to and adjust their acupuncture and herbs to how my body is changing. I do feel more relaxed after acupuncture, like a warmth and calmness spread over me (maybe it’s because I’m getting a 40 minute rest without work or life interrupting… but I choose to believe it’s them little needles doing some goodness). I’ve diligently taken my herbs and feel better — definitely more warm, high energy, etc.
I’m not going to go so far as to say — WOW, they are magical and the changes I’ve felt so far are 100% bc of them. There’s a little part of me that still thinks «Well you’re taking the time to take care of yourself, rest, etc. so that will naturally translate to feeling better…). But still, I definitely think what they do here: the level of care, the history behind Chinese medicine, the expertise they each have has helped me greatly and I’m looking forward to getting even stronger (although I’m definitely NOT looking forward to drinking my herbs later today — why oh why do the things that are good for you taste the absolute worst?).

It has taken me a few years to get around to writing this review as I have been so very upset with Dr Dao.
I went to Dr Dao to help with fertility issues through a recommendation of a friend. Dr Dao did his first consultation and off we went with expensive treatments weekly and the boiling of herbs daily. I was passed onto a more Jr member of his team who really had no idea what he was doing except to put a few needles in and write a few notes for $ 140 each time. I continued this for a year. A few months in I was not feeling myself, I was feeling anxious & jittery. I mentioned this each time & not once did any alarm bells ring with Dr Dao or his colleague. Not to mention that I was not falling pregnant!!!
It ends up that I had Graves Disease. A form of hyperthyroid. It took 1 blood test (that my OBGYN did) to work this out. Dr Dao NEVER once detected this. Being anxious & jittery & not getting pregnant were glaring indications…
I had emergency radioactive treatment as my Dr was in fear that I could of had a stroke. This meant I could not try to get pregnant for at least another yr.
Well 3 years later I just had a baby girl thru IVF. I suppose that is what I have waited to write this as I wanted to see the happy ending!!!
As for Dr Dao — all those books and expensive treatments. A COMPLETE waste of time & money. BUT more importantly, he has no idea about how a woman’s body works & that a thyroid problem can be the very reason a woman is not getting pregnant. Maybe he should go back to medical school and get certified to be a real MD and he will know to do a blood test on every patient that comes to him for fertility treatment!!!

I may as well put in a good word for Dr. Mao (I know, it’s all the same thing, Dao, Mao, Tao, just to confuse the Occidentals) but OK, EVERYBODY’s in love with these guys. Except Nick A’s wife down there. But we devotees would say he just didn’t hang in there long enough. They are expensive, I agree. But this stuff works, on your body’s own time frame. And yes, the tea stinks for sure. But all said, I went to the even more horrifically expensive Dr. Sadeghi at the Beehive of Healing, and his stuff worked, too, over time, took a year to rid myself of allergies, but I’m amazed they’re gone for good. So this is way better because actually less expensive than he was. All relative.
Best acupuncture I’ve ever had, by the way, totally painless, and the bedside patter’s great, too. Plus, somebody has to tell the truth, these guys are way easy on the eyes.
Just sayin’.

My wife had some belly problems. She went to a bunch of places. Nothing seemed to work. So she decided to leave traditional western medicine and try Tao of Wellness.
The first meeting she met with the head guy (Dr. Dao?). He presented it as if this was a straightforward situation and that she should need maybe 5 sessions and would notice improvements in as little as 3 sessions.
THAT SOUNDS AWESOME! Who wouldn’t be excited.
So she started her treatments, which of course meant she had to buy the stinky herbal teas that they sell.
So we did this for a while. After the 5^th session, she didn’t feel any improvement at all. She had a meeting with them and they say basically, «your case is a little different. It’s gonna work but it’s gonna take longer.»
We all know acupuncture doesn’t work on everyone, but they presented it as if it WOULD work for her in this case. It might work for you, but don’t let your guard down.
We spent a lot of money with Dr. Dao. But I regret most that my wife wasted her TIME at the Tao of Wellness.

I am in LOVE with Dr. Dao!
He was first recommended to me by my downstairs neighbor who used him for fertility. She and her husband had been trying to conceive for TWO years and within three months of seeing Dr. Dao, she was pregnant. AND… she’s now on baby #3…all three which came to fruition after three months of visiting the Tao of Wellness.
I went just last week and had THE worst cold. My ears wouldn’t pop, I couldn’t breathe, I was starting to cough etc. I went to see Dr. Dao last week and he put needles near my ears and sinuses and at the base of my throat, head, etc. By the time I went to pay, my left ear popped and I let out an audible gasp! I was SHOCKED… like oh hell no, that WORKED?! Then I went to work and proceeded to go through an entire box of Kleenex… I almost felt worse. The next morning… not ONE drip, ears popping and just mild stuffiness. Was CRAZY.
If you have any ailment or you’re trying to get pregnant and need assistance, or even if you’re trying to stave off morning sickness… go see Dr. Dao! You won’t regret it… and really, why put all those harsh chemicals and medicines in your body when you can make it healthy in an all natural way? :)