Normally, I am skeptical when it comes to alternative medicine, but I am and will forever be a…read morebeliever of acupuncture.
There is a bit of a story on how I found Lei.
I found Lei by accident when I stumbled upon him first in Chinatown. I was desperate for relief from my carpal tunnel pain and at that point, was willing to try anything. My carpal tunnel had been acting up for the last 2 weeks and it was getting to a point where I was having difficulties even buttoning my jeans. I walked around Chinatown looking for an answer and decided to test my luck with Acupuncture. To my luck that day, Lei was there and worked on my hand. He first asked me a series of questions and then examined my hand. Looking for pressure points, comparing it to my left hand, etc. He said my situation was severe and I would need multiple treatments and I said I did not have time and asked him to make the impossible happen with 1 treatment. To my shocking amazement, right after he put the needles in, it was instant relief. I could feel my wrist go from throbbing, to feeling not as irritated. I could feel my fingers again instead of them being numbed by the pain I felt. After the needles came out, he did some manual therapy, massaging my hand and making sure everything was where it was supposed to be. I still felt pain after the treatment but it was much more bearable. I thanked him and said goodbye that day, not thinking I would ever see him again. This was 8 years ago. The next day after that treatment, I was mobile again. I was able to button my pants, eat, type and do all the normal things I was having difficulty with when the pain started. On day 3, it was like I didn't have carpal tunnel anymore. For the next few years, I went about life as if this incident never happened. I didn't have any flares, no pains, nothing. Until 4 years ago. The same torturous pain came back once more. This time, much more severe as I was older and of course, my wrists have taken a much heavier beating from the years of heavy typing. Lei immediately popped into mind, but I didn't have a name, number or address for him as it was a one-time treatment. I had tried several other acupuncturists in midtown near where I worked and not a single person was able to help me with the pain. Not only was I feeling pain in my wrists, my fingers had gone numb, which then really scared me. I went back to Chinatown in desperate search of the doctor that once helped me before. I walked into the shop where I first met him and decided to try treatment with another acupuncturist there. The lady was kind but stuck about 50 needles into my hand and not a single needle relieved any pain at all. I had kindly asked her to stop at that point and she had left me to sit there and wait for the needles to work their magic. When she came back to take out the needles, I decided I had nothing to lose and asked about the doctor that had helped me years ago. I only had a description of what he looked like. I didn't even know his name at the time. I asked the lady if there was a younger doctor that worked there, male, tall, more muscular set. At that point, she was very reluctant to say anything but quietly mumbled yes. She got up, and dialed his number, and put him on the phone. I didn't remember his voice at the time but asked to set up an appointment and referenced I was his patient a long time ago and that he helped me with my hand. He agreed to set up an appointment to meet and start treatments. The following week, we met up, he re-assessed my situation and I formally started on normal treatments. Since then, I have gone consistently for not only my hand but for my neck, hips, back and shoulders. Lei has done such an amazing job over the years, helping me maintain my carpal tunnel. I have had a lot of mishaps with my right hand. From carpal tunnel, to tendonitis, to developing trigger finger, then having multiple relapses in pain, etc. Lei has been there for all of it and has been able to put me back together every time to the point where I could function normally without any pain at all. I have since followed him to his new midtown location and don't intend to stop treatments. I was skeptical, until I experienced it myself and I would never recommend anything that I didn't truly believe in. Lei is hands down, the best acupuncturist there is and his treatments truly work.