Health Element

Not what expected for traditional Chinese Medicine. Very unhappy with the staff and charges. Gave me medicine that did not work and very expensive. I am willing to give it another try and visit the clinic. I have received many positive comments on the treatments that I am going to go back and try it with a new practitioner.

I had an appointment at 1pm, arrived early, another patient was waiting already for ½ hour (had a 12:30) appointment and the Acupuncturist was not there. The front desk did not make me aware of this, I overhead the other patients talking after waiting for 15 minutes. Energy was not very clean or healing inside. Front desk seemed overworked and did not like their job. Not particularly welcoming, friendly or helpful. I would recommend finding a more professional clinic. Can’t comment on quality of treatment as I left after realizing I would be waiting for at least 30 – 45 minutes before even seeing the acupuncturist. if he showed up… unprofessional.

Great place. I came in as a walk in and waited not too long, and got acupuncture right away. The service was great. She even came in more than once to check up on me. I will be going soon for a massage. The Music, and the room by yourself was very relaxing. I will come back.

The front desk staff was nice and attentive. The massage therapist was fairly good — Talkative and kind. The overall place did not seem set up for massages though. The room was very cold and the music was loud. With some tweaks to make it more of a retreat, I think it could be decent for the price.

Best massage I’ve ever had… Get your massage from Arif Altintas, he’s got over 10 yrs exp and combines mixed massage of five different techniques into one. I was floored, his sensitivity to your body and understanding how it works is incredible. Best massage I’ve ever gotten I tipped him a $ 20, I suggest you do the same.

Nine months ago, I walked into Health Elements for my 1^st appointment, after my orthopedic surgeon at Mt Sinai Hospital in his half-​hearted attempts to get to the bottom of the excruciating & paralyzing pain I’d suffered since I was run-​down by a reckless driver, sending my bike flying into the air in a way that God never intended, & slamming me into the pavement, leaving me w/​a tibia plateau fracture & massive hematomas in my left leg, right where the car ran into me. While my ortho-​doc did a pretty good job, w/​his conservative treatment plan for my fractured tibia, he was completely out-​to-​sea when it came to diagnosing the pain in my arms & shoulders that felt like millions of shards of glass embedded in my muscles.
Thus, my ortho-​doc sent me to another MD, who incredulously remarked, «I don’t know why he sent you to me; I usually send my shoulder patients to him!» This failed to inspire my confidence. After examining me, she admitted that she was at a loss, but charged me a consulting fee anyway. At the end, she agreed w/​me that acupuncture would probably help.
After calling several friends in the healing arts, finally my chiropractor, Dr Lemont Freeman, referred me to Health Elements, telling me that the owner, Long, was a third generation Chinese herbalist & acupuncturist. Dr Freeman (I’ll write a review of him later) also remarked that he was a frequent customer of Long’s Chinese herbal shop.
When I arrived for my 1^st appointment, Long greeted me warmly. Since my pain was so severe, he began w/​some massage to relax me & warm-​up my muscles to help desensitize my overly sensitive arms & shoulders. After the massage, he standard acupuncture. However, instead of just leaving me to simply lay there w/​the needles, he attached electrical clips w/​wires that attach to a device that sends rhythmic electric pulses into several needles placed in strategic places along the meridians. Every week I went back for another treatment, w/​slow, but steady progress.
Eventually, Long turned the message duties over to a message-​therapist named Star. When it comes to massage, she most definitely lives up to her name. She has magic hands; and I told her so. They’re strong, but sensitive, w/​an uncanny ability to pinpoint exactly what I needed, & where. If I could afford it, I’d have a Star message everyday.
When Long was out-​of-​town I had Jennifer as my acupuncturist for a few weeks. The 1^st week I had Jennifer, she introduced me to cupping — & not just the standard cupping, she actually slid the cups up & down my arms, which drew out toxins, stimulated circulation, and triggered endorphins, for the very 1^st time since the accident. I left the office in a state of euphoria, like I hadn’t felt for a l-​o-​n-​g time. That night I slept better than I had in months. That’s why I call Jennifer the «Endorphin Queen.»
When Long returned, he began a more targeted acupuncture, using l-​o-​n-​g needles, which weren’t always the most comfortable, ‘cuz he’s concluded that the physical therapy I was still undergoing had actually caused more damage to the muscles of my arms and muscles. Thus, the longer needles were necessary to get deep into the muscles to break-​up stagnant energy that was manifesting as scar-​tissue in my muscles.
One afternoon, when I appeared for my appointment, Long introduced me to a young man, Chris, who would do my message. Once he completed the massage, I was surprised to have him set-​up for acupuncture. At first, I was wary of this young upstart. However, at the end of that 1^st treatment with Chris, I knew I was in the hands of an extremely competent & talented acupuncturist. Chris has the best «bedside manners» of ANY healthcare practitioner I’ve ever experienced. He even laughs at me jokes & when I tell him «Tales from the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party!» Furthermore, he taught me a breathing technique to make the insertion of those BIG l-​o-​n-​g needles less painful to insert.
After a month or 2, Chris, who told me that, although he was neither trained, nor licensed to make such diagnoses, all my signs & symptoms seemed to indicate separated shoulders. I went home & looked up separated shoulders. By Jove, he was right! Just yesterday, he had me show him what my arms & shoulders were doing. Furthermore, I told him about some of the breakthroughs I’d had in my self-​directed hydro-​physical therapy. We were both impressed by my progress, especially from the past few weeks. What a delightfully kind, gentle, thorough, patient, & wise-​beyond his years young man!
While I’m in no sense completely healed, thanx to Long, Jennifer, Star & Chris, I’m well on my way. If things continue to proceed at this pace, I’ll be good as new before long. In conclusion, I’d whole-​heartedly recommend the practitioners at Health Elements, particularly Long, Jennifer, Star, & Chris to anyone who feels they might need acupuncture and/​or massage therapy. When you call, tell them «Peggy sent you.»

My review pertains to acupuncture part of Health Elements. I discovered Long as my new acupuncturist while searching for a more convenient place to get acupuncture close to the South Loop. Previously I had been going to the Northside for acupuncture but the drive in traffic after work was too much. However I am glad I found this place! I have visited a few different acupuncturists in the past and found that acupuncture when done correctly is essentially curative of my migraines. I’m not saying it works for everyone, but when I came to Long my migraines had started recurring. After one acupuncture session they were gone again and I have just needed some maintenance treatments. From my experience with previous practitioners, most just place needles and then if heat is needed use a heat lamp. Long takes the time to use moxibustion. He also uses electric stimulation with needle placement if necessary. None of the other places I have been to offer this. He takes more time with patients and places enough needles. I believe this likely leads to faster results from the acupuncture.
The prices are reasonably in line with other places offering acupuncture as well. Discounted packages of several treatments are offered which saves money and makes sense since maintenance treatments are needed once the condition is resolved generally.
You should definitely give this place a try if you are considering acupuncture. Long is top notch as far as acupuncture goes. I can tell by how fast I responded to treatment, and by how the needle seems to hit the right acupuncture point every time.
Massages are offered here as well but those are done by massage therapists.

«Miracle worker» is what comes to mind. I went to Health Elements after hitting a dead end with traditional western medicine and I am amazed at the information I gleaned and with the results I saw. After a consultation with 3^rd generation herbalist & acupuncturist, Long, I was offered a unique combination of herbs to drink as tea, as well as given insight into what I should and should not be eating. Within three days, I saw results, felt amazing and had an peace of mind that I had not had in over 4 weeks while dealing with my health issue. Looking forward to going back for yoga, medication and try out Tai Chi! So very happy this eastern philosophy wellness place moved into the neighborhood! Next time I have an ailment, I’m going to Health Elements first! Thank you Long!

I purchased a Groupon for a massage here, and what an ordeal it has been. My first warning sign should have been that the Groupon was for another institution that the owner of this one had left. After a few failed attempts to reach someone during normal business hours (second warning sign this was not a normal business), I was finally able to make an appointment and was extremely excited to be getting my first professional massage ever.
I arrived at the shop 5 minutes early of my scheduled time. Unfortunately, it was closed. Another person was also waiting outside in the cold with me. I called the shop. No one answered, so I left a message. Days later, no response, so I called again. Again, no one answered, so I left another message.
I understand when tragedies happen, and the shop must close on one day, but even so, afterwards, the professional gesture is to call your clients, apologize, and offer compensation, none of which occurred.
My advice: STAY FAR AWAY FROM THIS POSSIBLY FRAUDULENT BUSINESS.

Jennifer Nahon, the acupuncturist at Health Elements, is absolutely fantastic. I don’t write a lot of reviews on sites like Unilocal,but I feel compelled to sing her praises! I’ve been receiving acupuncture from Jennifer for nearly two years. Besides helping virtually every minor problem I’ve ever had, I credit her with both helping me get pregnant and keeping my blood pressure down during pregnancy.
Additionally, Jennifer has taken her knowledge of Eastern medicine and is now offering a vitamin she calls Multishapers. The vitamin is designed to help balance your hormones, which can differ based on your particular body shape (she calls them Jade, Sapphire, Opal and Topaz). I’m an apple body shape, what she calls Jade, and this vitamin has been nothing short of amazing for me! I needed to balance my hormones and drop some weight after I had my baby and the vitamin has helped me do both. I mean, it is seriously amazing, ladies! You should definitely try out both her services as an acupuncturist and her fantastic vitamin. You won’t be sorry!