Lam & Lam

Oct 2023

Be aware of your mental and social conditioning before stepping foot in an other-than-white/euro centric space: I.e. "how conditioned by the west/modernity/consumerism am I?" This place is legit. If you were in the middle of China and came across this place I'm sure feedback would be different. There are no call buttons or things that address what westerners normally request. You come here to get well. I came to address long term symptoms that I have gone to an acupuncturist to before. They are covered by my health plan and were on the director list. I was always drawn to coming to this place since I first drove by their location in Alameda. Unfortunately, I'm just meeting this couple in their twilight years. I can tell they may need to have a younger family member or heir take over their acupuncture business soon. Kay, the wife seems to take care of mostly administrative type duties but she is also a doctor of chiropractic care. Harvey seems to do the acupuncture visits based on what I've seen so far. At the end of my visit I was prescribed herbs which my health plan covers.

May 2022

Finding a truly knowledgeable traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner is exceedingly rare. I was knocked out by a really nasty flu, and was barely functional. After three sessions with him, I felt significantly better. After 4 sessions, I almost felt ready. Caveat 1: He's not convenient. His English isn't great. He's not great with technology. His hours are very inconvenient. Electrical shocks via acupuncture isn't comfortable. The medicinal herbs taste horrible (but work). Caveat 2: Traditional Chinese Medicine isn't a cure-all. It's a supportive medicine that will help your natural immune system kick in faster. It's no substitute for chemotherapy, antibiotics, or physical therapy. Originally, I was going to give a 4 star review....but really? All these 1 star reviews? I won't be able to continue going to him (because I have to close my office every time I go, and my staff are pissed off at me taking time off). I'll be seeing his colleague, Dr. Chen in SF because of weekend hours. But I'd happily continue going if my staff didn't threaten a mutiny. However, I can strongly recommend him if: a. You want real Chinese medicine b. You can speak/understand Mandarin/Cantonese c. If you can put up with lack of speed/technology prowess (bring your checkbook instead of Applepay/credit card. d. You can put up with weird hours.