We're an acupuncture and functional medicine clinic in downtown Seattle. We've been around since 2008. Our work blends traditional Chinese medicine with modern functional medicine, and we treat everything from chronic pain and digestive issues to hormonal patterns, fertility, autoimmune conditions, and the long tail of 'something is off and no one can figure out what.' We specialize in the complex, chronic, and 'mystery' cases that other clinics often punt on.

What makes you different from other acupuncture clinics?

Three things. First, we treat the whole person, not just the symptom — every plan is customized, no cookie-cutter protocols. Second, we blend Chinese medicine with functional medicine, lab work, modern technology, and clinical reasoning that most acupuncture clinics don't do. Third, we say what we mean. We'll tell you straight up if we think we can help, if we think you'd be better served somewhere else, or if a particular intervention isn't right for you yet. We're not here to upsell you — we're here to actually fix what's going on.

Where is GoodMedizen located?

We're at 509 Olive Way, Suite 1401, in downtown Seattle, WA 98101. The Medical Dental Building, on the corner of Olive Way and 6th Ave. The primary entrance is on Olive Way next to Go Fitness and Cherry Street Coffee. Take the elevator to the 14th floor.

Yes. Every provider at GoodMedizen is a Licensed Acupuncturist (L.Ac.) with a Master's degree in Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine, plus extensive continuing education. We're nationally board certified and licensed by the State of Washington.

What conditions do you treat?

A lot. Pain (chronic and acute), digestive issues, hormonal imbalances, fertility, anxiety and depression, sleep problems, allergies, autoimmune conditions, fatigue, post-surgical recovery, headaches and migraines, neurological conditions, skin conditions, and the long tail of 'something is off and no one can figure out what.' Acupuncture and TCM are whole systems of medicine — we're always looking at the whole body, working on restoration of function to help your body perform the duties it's supposed to.

Do you take my insurance?

We're in-network with most major Seattle-area carriers including Premera, Regence, Aetna, Cigna, First Choice Health, Kaiser PPO, Molina, and several others. We can verify your specific benefits before your first visit so there are no surprises — text us your insurance info or fill out the form on our website and we'll run a benefits check for you.

What if you don't take my insurance?

We're preferred providers for most insurance plans in Washington State. We can still see you on a self-pay basis at our standard or member rates. If you have an FSA or HSA, you can typically use those. We can also provide a superbill that you can submit to your insurance for potential out-of-network reimbursement, depending on your plan.

How much will it cost me?

It depends on your insurance plan, your deductible status, and what services you receive. We'll always run a benefits check before your first visit and tell you what to expect — copay, deductible, coinsurance, the whole picture. No surprise bills.

How do GoodMedizen memberships work?

Standard ($99/mo) is for fairly straightforward cases — member-rate acupuncture, 10% tier discount, office-visit access to your practitioner, 60-minute appointment times that include a few modalities. Premium ($179/mo) adds weekly group Q&A access for people who want more clinical guidance between visits, with a 15% discount on everything. Functional ($397/mo) is the full toolkit — monthly functional medicine visits, quarterly lab review including specialty labs, dedicated messaging access with 24-hour return, 80-minute appointments for more modality work, and 20% off acupuncture, services, and supplements. Memberships are month-to-month and you can cancel anytime.

What's the difference between a la carte and a membership?

A la carte is pay-as-you-go — you pay full rate for each visit and service. Memberships give you a monthly rate that includes longer visits, member pricing on every service and supplement, modalities included in your appointment time, and varying levels of provider access depending on tier. Memberships are designed for people who plan to use them — if you'll be in regularly, they save you significant money over a la carte.

Does acupuncture hurt?

The needles we use are very small — about the width of a strand of hair — and most people do very well with them. They are still needles, so there might be a spot here or there that's a little sharp. If something feels sharp, it should go away within a moment or two. Some points, especially in the hands, can have a deep, dull, achy quality. That ache is actually a good thing, so long as you can rest comfortably with it. Our number one goal is that you are comfortable with our treatments.

How many acupuncture sessions will I need?

What we're trying to do in the beginning is get the attention of your immune system, so we front-load treatments 2–3 times a week for typically the first 2–3 weeks. If you aren't seeing significant change by visit 3, then we dig deeper. The ultimate goal is quarterly maintenance visits — 4 times a year at season change. The goal is to limit the amount of intervention you'll ever need.

How long until I feel better from acupuncture?

Most patients notice benefit from acupuncture at their very first visit, although the first benefits noticed can be nebulous — feeling more relaxed, sleeping better, having more energy. We want to start seeing explicit change around visit 3, and significant improvement around visits 4–6. We front-load treatments to get the attention of your immune system, then slow down.

Is acupuncture safe during pregnancy?

Yes — and incredibly helpful. Acupuncture is safe throughout pregnancy when performed by a trained practitioner, and it can help with morning sickness, back pain, sleep, anxiety, breech presentation, labor preparation, and postpartum recovery. It's often one of the only things a pregnant person can do for stubborn aches and pains, as many standard treatments and medications are contraindicated.

Can children get acupuncture?

Yes. We treat kids of all ages, including infants for things like reflux and sleep disturbances. For younger children we often use non-needle techniques (shonishin, gentle bodywork, magnets, ear seeds) that get the same effect without the needles. By age 8–10, most kids are curious about the needles and actually lead us to start using them.

Is dry needling the same as acupuncture?

Dry needling is a form of acupuncture — so all dry needling is acupuncture, but not all acupuncture is dry needling. Acupuncture is a complete medical system with upwards of 5,000 years of clinical refinement. Acupuncturists train for 3–4 years at master's or doctorate level and complete national board exams. An acupuncturist needs 2,000–4,000 hours of training to insert needles. A physical therapist can be certified to do dry needling after 50–100 hours. That's the practical difference.

What is functional medicine and how is it different from going to my regular doctor?

Conventional medicine is excellent at acute care, surgery, and managing established disease. It's less designed for the chronic, complex, multi-system stuff — the gut/hormone/inflammation/fatigue tangles where every specialist sends you to a different specialist. Functional medicine zooms out, looks at how your systems interact, and uses targeted labs and interventions to address the upstream causes. We work alongside your conventional providers, not in place of them.

How long does functional medicine take to work?

Most people start feeling shifts within 4–6 weeks of starting a personalized protocol. Bigger structural changes — restoring gut function, rebalancing hormones, healing chronic inflammation — usually take 3–6 months of consistent work. Functional medicine is iterative: we run labs, build a protocol, retest, refine. It's not a quick fix; it's a rebuild.

How do I know if I need detox?

Common signs include chronic fatigue, brain fog, unexplained inflammation, hormonal disruption, chemical sensitivity, mold exposure history, dental amalgam history, occupational exposures, autoimmune patterns that aren't responding to other care, and a long history of 'doing everything right' without feeling right. We start with a thorough intake and (when indicated) testing to figure out whether toxic burden is actually the issue.

Why doesn't GoodMedizen sell a 30-day detox kit?

Because they don't work, and some of them are dangerous. Pre-packaged detox kits don't account for your specific exposure history, your drainage capacity, your genetic detox pathways, your medication situation, or your nutrient status. They mobilize toxins without first making sure your exits are open — which is exactly how detox protocols cause harm. Real detox is individual. We don't shortcut it because we've seen what happens when people do.

How much does microneedling cost at GoodMedizen?

Microneedling at GoodMedizen is a flat $619 per session and is never discounted. Exosomes are expensive — really expensive — and they're the difference between 'okay' results and exceptional ones. Cheap microneedling without quality exosomes is a fundamentally different treatment. We don't compromise on the materials.

How many microneedling sessions will I need?

Most people see significant results from a series of 3 sessions spaced 4–6 weeks apart, with maintenance every 6–12 months after. Severe scarring or significant sun damage may benefit from a series of 4–6 sessions.

What should I expect at my first acupuncture visit?

Your first visit is longer than a typical follow-up — usually 75–90 minutes — because we're doing a thorough intake. We'll go through your health history, current medications and supplements, lifestyle, and what brought you in. Then we'll do a TCM diagnostic exam (pulse, tongue, palpation) and build your initial treatment plan. The treatment itself is included in this first visit.

How do I book an appointment at GoodMedizen?

Online at goodmedizen.com/schedule-now — it's the fastest way and shows real-time availability. You can also text 206-402-3813 if you'd rather book that way or have a specific timing question.

What's the fastest way to reach GoodMedizen?

Text 206-402-3813. We're a busy clinic and during clinic hours we're with patients, hands-on, often literally holding needles. We can't pick up the phone in real time — but we can absolutely respond to a text between patients. Texting is by far the fastest way to get a response from us.

Chinese Herbs and Your Prescriptions: The Safety Review That Should Happen First

Oct 6

4 min read

The most useful thing I do before writing an herbal formula is ask a boring question: what else are you taking. All of it. The prescription you have been on for eleven years and stopped thinking about. The over-the-counter thing you take twice a week. The supplement your sister recommended. The one you are slightly embarrassed about.

That list is the safety review. Everything else is downstream of it.

The short version

Chinese herbs are pharmacologically active. Several of the most commonly used ones interact with the cytochrome P450 enzyme family — the liver and intestinal enzymes that handle most oxidative drug metabolism and account for nearly half of all drug elimination. An herb that induces or inhibits CYP3A4 can change how much of a prescription drug reaches your bloodstream, in either direction. (Hsieh & Huang, Journal of the Chinese Medical Association, 2026)

That is the mechanism. Now the practical part.

Why "natural" says nothing about safety

Every herb that does anything useful does it by being biochemically active, which is the same property that creates interaction risk. A plant that can move your physiology can also move your drug levels. Those are not two facts, they are one fact viewed from two angles.

The concerning direction is usually not toxicity from the herb itself. It is the herb quietly changing a medication's exposure. Speed up clearance of an antiseizure drug and the dose that has been controlling seizures for six years may stop controlling them. Slow down clearance of an anticoagulant and a stable dose becomes too much. Neither of those failures announces itself as an herb problem. They present as the medication failing.

The herbs I check first

A review of commonly used Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western herbs evaluated effects on the major CYP isoforms — CYP3A4, CYP2C9, CYP2D6, and CYP1A2 — and flagged several with clinically relevant induction or inhibition (Hsieh & Huang, 2026):

Danshen (Salvia miltiorrhiza) — a widely used blood-moving herb, and one that warrants particular care alongside anticoagulants
Huangqi (Astragalus membranaceus) — one of the most common qi tonics in the materia medica
Chaihu (Bupleurum chinense) — the anchor herb in a large family of formulas for constrained qi
Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba)
St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum) — the best-documented offender, a potent CYP3A4 inducer

Two of the first three appear in formulas I might otherwise reach for on a routine Tuesday. That is exactly why the medication list comes before the formula rather than after it.

The interaction picture is more complicated in oncology, where the same herbs can both interfere with and support treatment depending on the agent and the mechanism, and where risk prediction is an active area of research. (Duan et al., Chinese Medicine, 2025) Patients in active cancer treatment get their oncologist looped in before anything is written. Every time.

The five rules I work by

1. The full list, before anything gets written. Prescriptions, over-the-counter drugs, supplements, and anything herbal you are already taking, with doses. Photographs of the bottles are welcome and more accurate than memory.

2. Narrow-therapeutic-index drugs raise the bar, not the caution flag. Warfarin and other anticoagulants, certain antiepileptics, immunosuppressants after transplant, thyroid replacement, some oncology agents, some antiarrhythmics. These are drugs where a modest change in blood level changes the outcome. Some combinations are workable with timing separation and monitoring. Some are not worth attempting, and the right answer is a formula built from different herbs.

3. Sourcing is a safety issue, not a quality preference. Herbs come from suppliers running third-party testing for heavy metals, pesticides, and pharmaceutical adulterants, with documentation available on request. An unsourced formula from an unverified supplier is an unknown quantity in a body you are trying to be careful with.

4. Your other providers get told. The herb and supplement list goes to your prescribing physician. This is not a courtesy — coordination is the actual safety mechanism, and it functions only when both sides have the information. A patient who does not tell their doctor about herbs has removed the person most likely to catch a problem.

5. Reassessment when anything changes. A new prescription, a dose change, a new diagnosis, pregnancy, a surgery on the calendar. Many herbs get stopped before surgery specifically because of bleeding risk and anesthesia interactions. A formula that was appropriate in March may not be appropriate in September.

What to ask any herbalist

If you are seeing someone new, these questions are reasonable and any competent practitioner will welcome them:

Did you ask for my complete medication list before writing this formula?
Which herbs in this formula have known drug interactions, and what did you check?
Where do these herbs come from, and what testing does the supplier do?
What should I stop before surgery, and how far ahead?
Will you communicate with my other providers?

A practitioner who has not asked for the medication list has skipped the step that matters most. That is worth knowing before you swallow anything.

What this means for you

Chinese herbal medicine is a serious clinical tool with a long track record and real pharmacological weight. Treating it as gentle-because-natural is how people get hurt, and treating it as too dangerous to consider throws away something genuinely useful. The middle position is the correct one: active medicine, prescribed with the same care you would want applied to anything else that changes your biochemistry.

Bring the list. All of it. Including the one you are slightly embarrassed about — I promise I have heard worse, and it might be the one that matters.

Text your medication list to (206) 402-3813 before your first visit and we will have the interaction review done before you sit down.

Courtney M. Zeller, AEMP, L.Ac., MS is the owner and primary practitioner at GoodMedizen in downtown Seattle, where she has practiced acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine since 2011.

This article is educational and is not medical advice. Do not start or stop any medication based on it. Nothing here is intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.