Dr. Kim is one of the best Doctors I've ever seen. He was able to address my back and neck pain,…read morebut he also helped me with other health issues as part of the whole body treatment. In addition to back pain, I also asked him for help with losing weight.
When you make your first appointment, you will fill out 4-5 pages of health information. Dr. Kim asks you not only about the issues for which you are seeking treatment, but also about how your health and well-being are, in general. He asked about my sleeping, quality of my sleep, stress-level, anxiety-level, and many other questions. He examined my tongue, during his diagnosis as well. When talking about painful areas, he would press along areas of the spine and ask if I felt pain in certain areas. Everywhere there was pain, he would insert a needle either in the area, or next to it. Sometimes he would treat the opposite side of the body, depending on the issue. For example, I had pain in my right ankle, and he stuck a needle in the back of my left shoulder, which fixed the ankle pain.
The biggest thing Dr. Kim fixed was something I didn't even ask him to fix!!!
I have had an issue with snoring for at least 15 years. In the last 4-5 years, as my weight has increased, I've also developed sleep apnea. My wife has been asking me to go see my regular doctor, to get a C-PAP machine, as I stop breathing at least 10 times per hour, while I'm sleeping.
After seeing Dr. Kim, the very first session, my wife said I slept with absolutely no sleep apnea, and very light snoring. She said it was by far the best money we've ever spent on anything health related. I've lost about 20 pounds in the past two months. I see him once a week, and the prices are extremely affordable. I'm used to Acupuncturists charging $100+ per session, but Dr. Kim only charges $85 for the first appointment, and $60 for all follow-up appointments. That is unheard-of for good Acupuncture care, and Dr. Kim is by far the best provider I have ever used.
I'm not sure if all treatment sessions are the same, but my sessions typically last an hour. After an assessment of how you have been feeling the past week, Dr. Kim will have you lay down on a heated bed, wearing underwear, with your torso covered with a towel. He applies tiny needles about 1mm into the skin. All areas are swabbed with alchol before the needles are inserted, and all needles are opened from fresh, brand-new packages, and disposed of in a Sharps container when removed. Most needles you barely feel, even when they are applied. Occasionally there will be a tiny sting, but it goes away within seconds. The first treatment is on the "front" of your body, meaning you are laying face up. He will dim the lights, and let you rest comfortably for about 20 minutes. He typically inserts 10-16 needles in my arms, chest, legs, and sometimes forehead and top of head.
The second part of the treatment is on your back, and involves 20+ needles, mostly in the spine. For me, my right hip has been tight for at least 5 years, so I have him also treat that tightness in the hip area. He also inserts several needles into the legs. 20 more minutes of relaxation ensue, and I typically fall asleep within a minute or two of having the last needle placed.
After the back treatment ends, Dr. Kim goes even further than most providers. The last part of the treatment is "Cupping". Traditionally this was done with warmed tea cups, and is used to bring blood flow to the areas they are applied. Dr. Kim puts about 12 of the cups on my back, neck, and hip. I will admit, this process is fairly uncomfortable, even painful, when the cups are first applied. But the tightness/pain fades after about 1 minute, and the treatment itself only lasts for 5 minutes total. (Plus, if it is too much, just tell him to reduce the pressure.) If you can though, I highly, highly recommend you just suck it up, and suffer through it. Once the cups are removed, the whole area will feel like you've applied "icy-hot" to your skin. The cupping encourages blood flow to the skin and muscles, and causes your lymph system to cycle, encouraging stagnant lymph to flow. As Dr. Kim says (only about the Cupping), "no-pain, no-gain".
The final treatment (4th one, if you've been counting), is to apply "ear patches" to either my left or right ear. Dr. Kim alternates ears, each week. He places 3 very small needles (and 1 "seed"), integrated into a skin-colored "patch" like a small band-aid. These needles are absolutely tiny, and are used to help suppress my appetite. They work amazingly well, and I typically forget that I'm even wearing them. They do make it a bit of a pain to shower, as you can't really wash that ear as you normally would. I clean the "needle patch" ear with alcohol and a Q-tip during the week.
Go see this Doctor, tell him everything that is good and bad about your health and well-being, and let him work his magic on you!
