NCCAOM certified in Chinese herbology
Chinese herbal medicine at Acuherb Clinic
Formulas written for the person, not sold off a shelf, from a physician who has practiced in Ellicott City since 1997. Treatment runs alongside the medicine and the doctor you already see.
Chapter 01
A formula, not a single herb
Dr. Liu does not hand a patient one herb and send them home. People's constitutions differ, and so do the pathologic changes each person is carrying, so a formula is written to match the individual's own body condition and pattern rather than the name of a complaint.
Two patients with the same symptom can leave with different mixtures, because the mixture is built around the person in the chair, not a label on a chart.
The in house herb shelf at Acuherb Clinic
Where the herbs come from
Asked whether the herbs are safe to take, the clinic's own answer is this: "All the herbs are collected from primitive mountain forests without industrial pollution. They are all imported and inspected by the US authorities." That inspection step is part of what makes them safe to take alongside your own medicine, and patients do not need to stop their current medication to start them.
Patients do not need to stop their current medication to take Chinese herbal medicine here, and Dr. Liu asks that you keep your regular visits to your own physician going while she treats you, the same as she does with acupuncture.
Chapter 03
What a course of treatment looks like
For something simple, one visit with three to five doses of herbs may be enough to settle it. Flu is the example Dr. Liu gives. Chronic disorders take longer, and treatment for those usually starts at one or two visits a week before the interval stretches out.
How many visits a particular case needs depends on the person's own health condition, which is why the plan is set after Dr. Liu has seen you, not before.
What sits alongside the herbs
Cupping, gua sha, moxibustion and tuina are offered from the same room, alongside diet and lifestyle adjustment. They are named here as part of what the clinic offers, not detailed further than that, and Dr. Liu decides case by case whether any of them belong in your plan.
Acuherb Clinic, rated 5.0 from 6 Google reviews. Call (410) 313-8226.
The range of things people bring in
This is the clinic's own stated scope of practice for Chinese herbal medicine, grouped the way Dr. Liu groups it herself. It describes what patients have come in with, not a promise about what your own case will do. Every plan is written after she has seen you, not from a list.
Digestive
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
- Bloating
Respiratory
- Chronic cough
- Asthma
- Shortness of breath
Cardiovascular and cerebral
- Poor memory
- Palpitation
- Chest tightness
- Dyspnea
- Dizziness
- Nausea
- TIA
- Early-stage stroke
Genitourinary
- Dysuria
- Urinary frequency or incontinence
- Proteinuria
- Edema
- Chronic flank or low abdominal pain
- Low sperm count
Women's disorders
- Irregular menstruation
- Dysmenorrhea
- PMS
- Fibroid tumors
- Pelvic infections
Post-tumor and chemo or radiotherapy side effects
- Anorexia
- Diarrhea
- Low white blood cell count
- Insomnia
- Intolerance to radiation or drugs
Other
- Blurred vision
- Tinnitus
- Meniere's syndrome
- Rhinitis
- Frequent colds
- Fatigue
Herbal remedies are categorized as dietary supplements and are not covered by insurance. Acupuncture coverage is separate and worth checking with your own insurer before your first visit.
The shelf, kept in the building
Dr. Liu is NCCAOM certified in Chinese herbology, on top of her acupuncture certification, and completed a three year postgraduate program in Chinese herbal medicine after her medical degree at Hunan Province University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The desk where she writes a formula sits a few feet from the shelf where it is made up.
The clinic at 10304B Baltimore National Pike has stocked and dispensed its own herbs since it opened in 1997. There is no second location and no rotating staff, just the one room in Ellicott City. Call (410) 313-8226 to ask whether herbal medicine suits what you have before you book anything.
From people she has treated
“Dr. Liu's treatment relieved my pain from the stroke 10 years ago. My hand function has also greatly improved. I can do many things now, such as tying my shoelaces by myself.”
J. M., Ellicott City
“My initial approach to acupuncture and overall [treatment with] TCM started with a skeptical but open mind. It is an understatement to say that I'm very pleased with my results.”
Jerry H., Catonsville