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Tao to Wellness
Rating Details »
Category: Acupuncture [Edit]
809 Hearst Ave(between 5th St & 6th St)
Berkeley, CA 94710
(510) 883-0383
Community Acupuncture Clinic
Now offering Community Acupuncture for $40-25 sliding scale on Tuesday AM and Friday PM. Go to our website to make your appointment!
- Hours:
Mon. 9:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Tue. 9:00 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Wed. 8:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Thu. 9:00 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Fri. 9:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Sat. 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
- By Appointment Only:
- Yes
Sponsored Result
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18 reviews for Tao to Wellness
Kara does acupuncture. Kara does nutrition. Kara does TAT. Kara saves the world. Well, almost.
I started going to Kara in the fall of 08 for TMJ issues. This was not a normal clicking jaw irritation TMJ-this was painful, jaw splitting, ear piercing, gruesome, go-ahead-and-kill-me-now pain that woke me up in the mornings. I cannot stress to you how much the pain incapacitated me. After 3 weeks of treatment 2 days a week I was virtually pain-free. Wow. Now that's amazing.
I've continued to see Kara, because I realized other things about my health were improving as well. Problems that I have had for my entire adult life and had decided to just put up with. Kara is caring, honest and down to earth. She will tell you what she can help you with and what she thinks you need to see a western physician for.
One example: My digestive system has always been a little iffy. Just not happy. Kara treated me with a few very inexpensive herbs, a few dietary suggestions and weekly acupuncture. I feel better than I have in 10 years.
I have been a Pepsi addict since I first drank the stuff. I would drink 5+ Pepsi's a day. Well, I know it's not good for my weight or my cholesterol. Kara introduced me to TAT. I truly didn't believe in it. However- I have had several TAT sessions and although I still drink Pepsi, I only drink one a day. Also, I have greatly decreased my sugar intake, started cooking, exercising and enjoying life again. Hmmm, could it be the TAT?
Really, no one wants to admit they have any mental issues on yelp, but I'll go ahead and admit that I've had my share of difficulties. Acupuncture and TAT have helped me tremendously with that as well. Honestly, my life has done a 180 since I started seeing Kara. There aren't words to express the difference going to Kara has made on my life. I just want you to know that there's hope. For pain, for diet, for mental health. It's worth every penny.
Kara Sorensen. My hero. Really.
I saw Christina Martin once for infertility. When I spoke with her via phone, she had suggested that, based on my history, I would probably require regular care for an average of a year. Based on my inability to pay this expense, she suggested that they were starting a community clinic that I could be part of that would be less expensive. She wanted detailed medical records, which I went through extensive trouble to get.
In my first appointment, her assistant gave me the wrong time to arrive, and Christina seemed annoyed with me despite the fact that it was her assistant had made the mistake. She then spent perhaps 5 minutes leafing through the detailed records that took a while to gather, then asked me some questions. She clicked on one thing that I said, the fact that I train a marshal art, and told me essentially I needed to stop doing that. When I tried to explain that it was actually not that taxing on average and that it significantly reduces stress in my life (an issue for infertility itself), she got a bit defensive and simply said 'I'm just telling you what will work. You can choose to do it or not.'
She then did the accupunture, which I had never had before, and said 'it will pinch just for a moment and then will go away. If it hurts, it's because your body is just working through something.' Well, it hurt a lot, for the 30 min she left me alone in the room. Sure, my body was working through something -- having a bunch of needles in my body and not feeling particularly well taken care of.
She then charged me $145 for the first visit, and told me to eat 'warm foods', like indian food and sweet potatoes to 'warm up my body for the baby' (what?). I've since learned that I have PCOS (which, if she had actually reviewed my medical records that she asked me to get should have been apparent to a trained eye) - and starchy foods like sweet potatoes are exactly what you don't want to eat.
At the end of the appointment, she informed me that the community clinic would require me to share a room with multiple people - and that she didn't man the community clinic - her partner did - something she didn't mention before I agreed to come in for the first (expensive) visit. Given I already felt like a number, the opportunity to pay to share a room with a stranger for a weekly visit of 30 minutes of needles stuck in me did not sound attractive.
I know others have had a good experience with her. Unfortunately mine was a waste of time and money.
My mom raved about Tao to Wellness for quite some time before I finally made an appointment with Christina, and I really had no idea what to expect.
Before I began seeing her twice a week I had lower and upper back pain, headaches, stomach aches, sleeping problems, low energy levels, anxiety, you name it. The only reason why I even began going was because I had heard that acupuncture could help with depression. I didn't think it would alleviate all the emotional and physical pains I had been experiencing.
If I could spare you the details and give you a full understanding of how amazing Christina Martin's practice is and how much she has changed my life I would.
I've never been able to successfully quit smoking cigarettes. For quite some time the irritability and physical discomfort was too much for me. But I don't even have cravings. Its been one month. I feel great, and I can breathe!
I had no idea that acupuncture could even heal in so many ways.
Oh...and her office is very serene, and there's a pond of koi fish and a beautiful little garden out in front.
I have been seeing Christina - referred to me by one of my friends who spoke very highly of her - for about 2 years now -over these past two years, she's helped me with multiple issues i had, ranging from injury recovery caused by an accident I was in, to helping me with my headache to simply helping my body chi balance right.
I've seen many acupuncturists, and I find Christina to be the most intuitive amongst them all. I can't recommend her enough!
Kara Sorensen, Healer
A 30 minute phone session with Kara released me from a persistant carbohydrate addiction. I continue to be amazed that my behavior has changed. I find myself walking away from the food table at parties after choosing the gourmet cheeses or veggies and dip rather than the chocolates and pastries:) March 29, 2008
Top qualities: Great Results, Personable, Good Value
I'm a needle-phob.
MAJOR.
I don't like needles taking things from me (blood, plasma or other bodily fluids) AND I don't like needles giving things to me either (booster shots were my worst nightmare growing up).
Somehow this doesn't apply to tattoos or acupuncture.
Is it all in my head? Probably.
After my tried and true acu-guru decided to close-up shop to pursue other interests, I was forced to find a new needle genius in my new 'hood.
Thank God for referrals! My Naturopath sweetly recommended I go see Christina Martin. She's well studied, really sweet and great at what she does.
Okay perfect. Sign me up.
I went for my first appointment earlier this week. We spent a good 15 minutes just chatting, getting to know each other (more like her getting to know all the dirty details about my bodily functions).
Afterwards, she was super gentle at needling (knowing my phobia) and even put on some ear phones with soft rain sounds to soothe my weary mind.
I came in with a nasty cough that just wouldn't quit and today, 3 days later...I'm at the tail end with barely a cough in sight. WOOT WOOT!!!
I'm going in again tomorrow for my follow up treatment.
Christina is great. She sets up a treatment plan that makes sense for you and whatever "issues" you're working through. She's very soft spoken and genuinely nice.
Can't wait to go back tomorrow...I call acupuncture my "get high without getting high" experience. I seriously feel like I'm stoned every time I leave an appointment. Talk about good stuff!
Normally I wouldn't bother to review a place with so many stars, but I have to specifically give a shout out to Kara. She's been treating me for six months now, and I can't tell you how much good it's done me. I was having a lot of problems with a neck pain from a herniated disk, tendonitis, digestion, and general mood issues, and all have improved by leaps and bounds. There are days I don't feel any pain at all in my neck, which is amazing, because I've been dealing with this for at least four years. She's very patient and intuitive and a naturally caring person. When I walk in there I automatically relax. Five stars for Kara!
Christina is amazingly intuitive. I've had incredible results. Long-story but I've been trying to get off prednisone and it is incredibly painful. With Christina's help I've been able to cut my dosage down to 10 mg.
Her office is tranquil and very relaxing. In addition to being a gifted acupuncturist, she is also a lovely person.
Honestly, I don't know how I would've made it through my first trimester without Christina.
Fatigue was not the word for what I had--I'd wake up, walk down stairs, and then get back on my couch because I was too fagged to eat breakfast. I couldn't function. I'd heard that acupuncture might help, found Christina on Yelp, and figured I'd give it a shot.
Within two sessions, I felt better. By four I was halfway to normal again.
She has a calming presence and a soothing way about her, and the treatments have made a marked difference in me.
This is my first experience with acupuncture and I am a believer. Tao to Wellness is a very serene, beautiful clinic. Christina comes across as confident yet warm and mellow. I am happy to have stumbled upon this place. The website is actually really useful and helpful if you're interested in more information about the place. You can print out and fill out the intake survey from the website to save yourself some time for your first consultation appointment.
There aren't enough stars for Christina. She is truly an amazing person. She has helped me through many things over the years with her intuitive healing, acupuncture, and herbs. She will make you feel like you've known each other for years, which makes you totally at ease during your treatments. I highly recommend Christina to anyone who is suffering from anything. I am blessed to have found her.
Christina is a great healer. I am always amazed at how much better I feel after I have been to see her. Her gentle touch makes it easy to want to see her again and be get healthy.
Christina is incredible. I've been seeing her for at least 4 years now. She also treats my husband and my newborn baby boy. After my husband injured his wrist, he was able to use it again after one treatment from her.
She's helped with my migraines. She given me emergency same day treatments which did better than any western or alternative pain med I've ever tried. Her ongoing treatments helped reduce the frequency and severity of the pain in the first place.
She helped regulate my menstrual cycle, which had never been consistent. Through the regulation, I was able to get pregnant, something I wasn't even sure was possible.
But the icing was how much she's helped me throughout and after my pregnancy. I saw her weekly through the first trimester and last month, and every two to four weeks through the rest. I don't know what I would've done without her. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if I would've been confined to bed rest if I hadn't been getting her acupuncture treatments throughout. She calmed my anytime-sickness (mornings, my ass), kept my blood pressure regulated (not so low I'd pass out, but not so high that the Dr. would freak out), and kept my fatigue and stress down to a manageable level despite *major* drama elsewhere in my life. When I went into labor the morning of an appt with her, my doula advised me to keep the appt. Sure enough, her treatment got the contractions to a respectable length even though they still weren't frequent enough to go to the hospital. After the long labor ending in cesarean birth (through no fault of Christina's, mind you), she was one of the first practitioners I saw outside the crappy hospital, and she helped get my recovery on track. Between her and my homeopath, every western doctor who's seen my incision has commented on how well it's healing. Acupuncture rocks! And Christina is the best around.
My husband and i have both had regular visits with Christina for over a year- she is amazing! she helps me feel centered and healthy, and her herbal remedies work. Her office is beautiful and relaxing and she takes our insurance. five stars!
Christina is so gifted at her craft, and she works so hard to offer the very best services to her clients. Many people don't know that the lineage of acupuncture she is trained in is very specialized- she had to fly down to San Diego every month for a long, long time to work with one of the only practitioners of this style in the US. She is that dedicated her to art of healing. Do yourself a favor and see Christina for acupuncture. You will seriously not regret it.
My girlfriend scheduled an appointment for me with Christina and honestly I had no idea what to expect. I didn't know much about acupuncture or how it could help me, particularly with stress. I thought maybe it would help clear up my allergies a little, relax me and that was about it. As it turned out, Christina's approach rebuilt me from the inside out! My experience with her has been a powerfully transformative process. I felt years and years of stress and trauma naturally arise and dissolve under her expert care. I came in stressed and on an emotional roller coaster. Through her wise application of acupuncture, herbs, acu-soma, intuitive advice and a daily qigong prescription, I am feeling more balanced, and profoundly happier than I have in 10+ years. Thank you Christina!
I am well versed in both Alternative Medicine and Chinese Medicine and I can confidently report that Christina Martin is one of the most talented practioners I have encountered. Intelligent, intuitive, compassionate, and unattached to her ego; she sets the stage for transformative healing.
while it's obvious christina doesn't need any more positive yelps, i couldn't not write. i went to her when i'd thrown my back out, and within an hour and a half i was once again walking freely. she's not only amazing at what she does, but she's friendly, warm, and caring. she even gave me a hug last time! i look forward to working with her in the future. (btw, i'm needlephobic, so this means a lot.)
