I came in looking for some tea to help with the zits on my forehead. Instead, I left with stapled bags of herbs to treat "liver heat." Will have to give it a week to let you know how the prescribed eastern medicine treatment works for me, but I had an overall good experience here and the healthcare provider seems legit.
Upon entering, I was met by a benevolent-faced acupuncture specialist with a lab coat bearing his name (Lin) over the left breast.
The signs outside had some English and some Vietnamese. Assuming he spoke Vietnamese, I pointed to my forehead and explained in what I thought was our common tongue that I wanted tea for nice skin. He didn't seem to understand but noticed the inflamed spots on the upper part of my face. "Pimples," he asked in English. I nodded and he disappeared to the back. A moment later, a woman emerged and asked me in Vietnamese if I wanted tea or an examination. I was initially only interested in grabbing a box of some beautifying brew, but after hearing that the exam was $30.00 (not too bad, and they accepted credit cards), I gave it a go.
She took me to his office and he laid out a pillow for me to place me wrist. I actually see an acupuncturist regularly to treat some other issues (separate review to come in the future), so I knew the drill. I placed my left wrist on the pillow and let him listen to my pulse. The woman acted as our interpreter and she asked about my menstrual cycle. After listening to my pulse, he turned to her and told her that I had a lot of heat in my body, that my liver was "very hot." He started scribbling a prescription on the bottom half of a form I had filled out (very basic, name, number, address, no previous medical history requested). After giving the form a once over, he took me to the front for checkout. This exam took all but maybe seven minutes.
The women then began to fill my prescription based on what he had written in Chinese. Taking some very ancient-looking scales, she measured out a variety of ingredients that reminded me of wood shavings or tree bark. She placed these unappetizing items into seven bags, a week's worth of treatment. She gave me a slip of paper with English dosage and brewing instructions.
The exam plus herbs cost $100.00 total. Not as cheap as I thought...but if it "clears the heat" like it's supposed to, it'll be worthwhile.
Dr. Lin, despite the language barrier, seems quite knowledgeable, especially with how confidently and quickly he diagnosed my condition and prescribed treatment. He was also very pleasant and professional. The woman wasn't particularly bubbly or warm, but she seemed to also know what she was doing and had good command of Vietnamese, which helped me. Not sure about her English....but my guess is she knows enough to explain a person's condition and treatment plan. It's also a good sign that Fortune Herbs has a website and a second location off Peachtree Industrial. A web presence and expansion are both positive things in my book. Anyway, I'd recommend this place if you're fed up with western meds and looking for a more holistic treatment for whatever ails you. read more
