Patient Testimonials
UCLA Center for East-West Medicine Saved My Life. Seriously
Several years ago my body began to betray me. Bizarre irregularities appeared one by one over the course of a year: constant heart palpitations; lightheadedness; burning and irritated lips/palate/gums/tongue; shiny patches on my tongue; worsening of my hypoglycemia; constant, severe gastrointestinal pain; a feeling of extreme fullness; abdominal bloating; a sensation of coldness in my abdomen; sinus problems; pain in my salivary glands; severe pain in hands and feet; constant neck pain; nausea; flashes of anxiety; reappearance of menopausal hot flashes; fuzzy thinking; and sensitivities to chemicals and drugs I previously tolerated.
Not surprisingly, I deteriorated mentally. What was once a reasonably happy, well adjusted individual became someone who started and ended her day crying and despairing what the future would hold, who scoured the internet for answers to assist her doctors and who obsessed over writing down every detail of the increasing onslaught of symptoms. An analyst by trade, I believed that, if I could organize the symptoms, surely one alert physician could diagnose me.
But that never happened. Over the course of more than a year I saw two dozen specialists, including eleven days of testing at The Mayo Clinic in Arizona. I was diagnosed with hyperparathyroidism and being overmedicated for my hypothyroidism. I underwent surgery to remove an enlarged parathyroid gland and a severely scarred thyroid lobe, then waited to become me again. Six months went by, but my symptoms failed to improve and new ones appeared.
Six months later I walked into the East-West Center. It wasn’t an easy decision. I was fed up with Western medicine and had decided to try Traditional Chinese Medicine. But the Center was affiliated with UCLA, a bastion of Western medicine, and used Western-trained internists in their practice. Ultimately, I chose the Center for those very reasons, viewing them as safety checks, as opposed to using an independent Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner.
My “Western” doctor explained that, although I thought what I had was rare, they saw patients like me all the time and could help me. Improvements came quickly with weekly acupuncture and acupressure treatments by my “Eastern” doctor of Chinese Medicine and with moderate dietary adjustments. Occasionally, tiny lytocaine shots were used to train my screaming muscles to calm. Aside from that, I was given no drugs, not even any herbs. Soon my body was no longer my enemy. Even the non-recuperative sleep I suffered from my entire life disappeared. Three years later I’m on a maintenance schedule of one treatment every three weeks, my body has regained its equilibrium and I know how to keep it on track.
Looking back, my problems were likely caused by a combination of hyperthyroidism, hyperparathyroidism, mild fibromyalgia and a difficult menopause that had pushed my metabolism so far out of alignment that it couldn’t recover on its own.
Western medicine has some excellent methods of diagnostics and treatments. But it compartmentalizes the body into specialties and is incapable of treating it as a whole. Traditional Chinese Medicine can, however, do this. Modern Western medicine is in its infancy, having been around only a few hundred years, while Chinese medicine has endured for more than two thousand. Neither can do everything - each has areas where it shines. But much of what we consult Western medicine for can be accomplished far better by Chinese medicine, more gently, less invasively, less expensively, and it can even succeed where Western medicine fails.
I’ve entrusted my care to Drs. Malcolm Taw and Jie-Jia Li the entire three years. The overriding impression I’ve had from my very first visit was the level of patience they both display and the degree to which they focus on me during every visit. If I tell them the same thing ten times, because I assume they don’t remember every patient’s background information, they listen with the same attentiveness they did on day 1.
And there has never - never - been any distraction that pulled them away from my visit before they’d fully listened to my concerns and responded in full. No interrupting phone calls from other patients or doctors that cut my time short and no feeling that they’re on a timer from the moment they walk into the treatment room. In today’s climate of meager payouts from insurance companies, that’s a rarity. There’s a sense of unhurriedness, a feeling of calm and a total focus on the patient that is nurturing and, yes, even healing. This is vital to any patient, but particularly so for those who seek out the Center because traditional Western medicine has not helped them.
Some years ago, before I was treated at the Center, I had a good physician who was training a resident during one of my office visits. He told the resident “It’s very important to listen to the patient.” I turned to the resident, firmly grabbed the lapels of his white coat and shook him back and forth and said “Listen to the patient! Listen to the patient!” After I released him and his eyes popped back into their sockets, I calmly told him “Now you’ll remember that.”
I’ve never had to grab Dr. Taw’s or Dr. Li’s lapels.
So, yes, the Center for East-West Medicine saved my life!--Karen
I'm Looking Forward to Having a Life Again
I came to the UCLA Center for East-West Medicine with multiple diagoses of irritable bowel disease, chronic fatigue, chronic abdominal pain, endometriosis, migraines, gastroesophageal reflux, and insomnia. Prior evaluations and treatments included a laparoscopy with cautherization of endometriosis, a second laparoscopy to lyse resulting adhesions, endoscopies for gastrointestinal symptoms, and several MRIs. These interventions were unsuccessful and my out-of-pocket medical bilss reached close to $20,000. It left me financially bankrupt and homeless. My chronic fatigue and pain intensified to the point that I was unable to keep my job as a computer graphic designer. As my abdominal pain continued, surgical hysterectomy was recommended. Discouraged by this drastic recommendation, I came to the Center.
For the first few months, the most I could do was make my appointments at the Center but, over time, I became stronger and experienced less and less pain. At home, I continued applying pressure to the trigger oints and doing the deep breathing exercises and the abdominal massages Dr. Hui showed me. And it has worked! Gradually, I was able to work part-time, and, a couple of months later, take part in a theatre production. Today I am a full-time student and still working part-time. I have had enough energy to do what I need ADN WANT to do! I'm looking forward to having a life again. Thanks to everyone at the Center for East-West Medicine!
--Leila
I came to the Center suffering from headaches, neck and shoulder tension, and pain. After being treated by my internist for several months with conventional medicine, I was asked if I would be interested in seeing someone in an alterntive medical field.
Since I was ready to cut off the left side of my body, I said, "sure"? The question mark comes from years of being ingrained in the Western medical model. My father, uncles, cousins, and now a newphew are all MDs. My internist tole me that Dr. Hui has been trained in both Eastern and Western methods of medicine and that he has had great success with patients where other medical practitioners have failed.
I figured it was safer than seeing an orthopedist, who would want to do surgery. Before Dr. Hui did his magic with acupuncture needles, Dr. Yu gave me a massage and I learned about his miracle fingers. As I left the office, I felt the tension, depression and lethargy leave my body. I actually found myself skipping down the street and singing. What a change in such a short time! Life is so much better. These are truly great doctors and nurturing place.
--Linda
It's Like a Person Getting Out of Prison
I was intially diagnosed with pneumonia as well as a urinary tract infection. i also complained of an extremely painful left shoulder and that my sleep was distrubed by the pain I experienced whenever I turned over. It was suggested that I see an orthopedist, who gave me an injection and instructed me to undergo three months of physical therapy. I was placed on antibiotics to treat upper respiratory infections; the infections would abate, only to return some weeks later. i was seen by a renowned ENT specialist at a major university hospital and was told I did not have sinusitis. I continued to be plagued by these infections and was taking large doses of antibiotics on a recurrent basis. I was examined by a second, highly-regarded ENT specialist who diagnosed Severe Pain Sinusitis and was told that surgery was required. However, i was also told there were no guarantees surgery would solve my problem. I declined.
I was examined by an allergist who advised to replace all the carpeting in my home, install a new HEPA filteration system in my house and place another portable unit in my bedroom, encase every piece of bedding with speical coverings, and avoid my dog. I followed this advice except as it applied to my dog. My allergist who suggested allergy shots over a four year period. The cost of my care, including the changes in my home, was $23,000. Finally, i came to the Center. Dr. Hui talked with me for quite a while about my life, my family and my work. Dr. Hui then examined my and, after considering my Type-A personality, combined with my professional work pressures and my home situation, he diagnosed me with "Tight Neck". My treatments included acupuncture, trigger point injections, and massage by Dr. Yu.
Since the day I started treatment in November 2002, I have not have a single sinus infection! The Center provides a beautiful balance of Western and Eastern medicine that gave me a miraculous return to health. It's like a person getting out of prison.
--Marjorie
I was referred by my neurosurgeon to the Center with disabling back pain diagnosed as degenerative arthritis with spinal stenosis, which I had suffered for 1½ years. Prior to my referral to the Center, my medical treatments included six epidural steroid injections, physical therapy, medication, lumbar laminectomy, spinal catheter implants for morphine infusion, and several neuroimaging studies, which cost approximately $34,000. All of these interventions were unsuccessful in alleviating my pain in the long-term and I continued to be disabled.
When I first began treatments at the Center, walking or standing for more than one or two minutes was often extremely painful, almost impossible. After seven treatments at the Center, which included trigger point injections, acupuncture and education in self-massage and exercise, I experienced complete relief. The cost of my care at the Center was $700.
My improvement has been remarkable indeed. I have improved to the point where I have days of pain-free activity and seldom experience more than mild discomfort. I've resumed all the activities I engaged in before my problems began!"
-Lorraine