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.

Same Nutrient, Different Bottle: A Guide to Supplement Forms

GoodMedizen Acupuncture and Herbs
17 hours ago
8 min read

Two bottles sit on the same shelf. Both say magnesium. One costs nine dollars, the other thirty-four. The front labels list a similar milligram number. A sensible shopper picks the nine-dollar bottle and goes home.

That shopper may have bought a laxative.

The large word on a supplement bottle names an element or a vitamin. The small word underneath it — glycinate, oxide, citrate, cyanocobalamin, methylcobalamin, palmitate — names the form. Form decides whether the nutrient crosses out of your digestive tract and into circulation, how much of it arrives, and in several cases whether your body can use it once it does. Two products can carry an identical number on the front and deliver wildly different amounts to your tissues.

It is the most useful distinction to carry into a supplement aisle, and it takes about ten minutes to learn.

The doorway problem

Nutrients do not drift through the intestinal wall by good intentions. Most of them ride in on dedicated transporters — protein doorways embedded in the cells lining your small intestine, each shaped for a particular passenger. Some doorways are generous. Some are narrow, easily crowded, and shut down when the body decides it has enough.

A mineral bound to the right partner molecule can slip through a doorway it would otherwise have to queue for. Magnesium bound to the amino acid glycine, for instance, can travel through amino-acid transport routes rather than competing in the crowded mineral lane. That partnership is what the word chelated describes: the mineral is clasped by an organic molecule that escorts it across.

A mineral bound to a poor partner sits in the gut lumen, pulls water toward itself by osmosis, and leaves the body the way it came in. Magnesium oxide is the classic example. It carries an impressive amount of elemental magnesium by weight and releases very little of it into you. It works beautifully as a stool softener, which is a legitimate use — one that is rarely the reason people buy it.

The B vitamins: activation and paperwork

B12 appears in four forms. Cyanocobalamin is the cheapest and most stable, and it is what fills the majority of shelf products. Methylcobalamin and adenosylcobalamin are the two forms the body uses in its enzymes. Hydroxocobalamin sits between them, converting readily to either.

The honest position on B12 is more measured than the marketing on both sides. Cyanocobalamin converts into usable forms in a healthy person, and the cyanide fragment released is trivial in quantity. A careful review has argued the case against reflexively abandoning it, and the argument holds up (Obeid, Fedosov & Nexo, Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, 2015 — PMID 25820384). Where the methylated forms earn their premium is in people whose conversion machinery is slowed, whose kidney function is impaired, or who are being supported through a methylation-heavy protocol. The form matters most when the pathway is under strain.

Folate is where the distinction turns sharper. Folic acid is a synthetic form that requires reduction by an enzyme with limited capacity. Push past that capacity and unmetabolized folic acid appears in the bloodstream, doing nothing useful and possibly masking a B12 deficiency on standard labs (Obeid, Holzgreve & Pietrzik, Journal of Perinatal Medicine, 2013 — PMID 23482308). The reduced forms — 5-methyltetrahydrofolate and folinic acid — bypass that bottleneck. Folinic acid deserves more attention than it gets: it enters the folate cycle one step earlier than 5-MTHF, which makes it useful in people who tolerate methyl donors poorly.

B6 carries a caution rather than a preference. Pyridoxine, the common form, is associated with peripheral nerve symptoms at sustained high intakes; the active form, pyridoxal-5-phosphate, is generally the better-tolerated choice, and neither should be taken in large doses indefinitely without supervision (Hadtstein & Vrolijk, Advances in Nutrition, 2021 — PMID 33912895).

Minerals: absorption, competition, and timing

Magnesium. Glycinate for calm and sleep support, citrate when gentle bowel movement is welcome, malate for daytime energy work, threonate when the target is cognitive. Oxide and hydroxide belong in the laxative category. The elemental number on the label tells you how much magnesium is present, not how much arrives.

Iron. Ferrous sulfate is inexpensive and reliably absorbed, and reliably rough on the stomach. Bisglycinate is gentler and absorbs well at lower elemental doses. The more useful discovery of recent years concerns timing rather than form: a single dose raises hepcidin, the hormone that closes the iron doorway, for roughly a day afterward — so alternate-day dosing can deliver more total iron than daily dosing (Stoffel et al., The Lancet Haematology, 2017 — PMID 29032957). Iron also travels with company. Vitamin C reduces iron to its more absorbable state; folate and B12 are required to build the red cells the iron is destined for. An iron supplement taken without that entourage is doing half a job.

Zinc. Picolinate and bisglycinate absorb well. The relevant caution is that sustained high-dose zinc intake competes with copper absorption, and copper deficiency produces its own neurological and hematological trouble. The clearest illustration is a case report of a man who developed an irreversible myelopathy from chronic use of a zinc-containing denture fixative (Carroll, Abdul-Rahim & Murray, BMJ Case Reports, 2017 — PMID 28790120). A single case is not an evidence base, and the mechanism is well established enough that extended zinc supplementation warrants a copper strategy alongside it.

Calcium. Citrate absorbs without stomach acid and suits anyone on acid-suppressing medication; carbonate requires acid and food. Calcium is also the mineral most worth questioning before adding — high-dose supplementation without a broader bone strategy has been associated with cardiovascular signal in meta-analysis (Bolland et al., BMJ, 2010 — PMID 20671013). Bone is built by a team: calcium, vitamin D, K2, magnesium, protein, and load-bearing movement.

Fat-soluble vitamins: source and half-life

Vitamin D. D3 outperforms D2 at raising and holding serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D, with the advantage most pronounced in bolus rather than daily dosing (Tripkovic et al., American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2012 — PMID 22552031). Most D3 is manufactured from lanolin, since sheep's wool contains 7-dehydrocholesterol — the same precursor molecule your skin uses when sunlight strikes it. At Seattle's latitude, skin synthesis is negligible for a large part of the year, which makes the form question practical rather than academic here.

Vitamin K2. MK-7 has a half-life measured in days; MK-4 clears within hours. For once-daily dosing, MK-7 maintains steadier levels and produced more complete carboxylation of osteocalcin (Schurgers et al., Blood, 2007 — PMID 17158229). K2 belongs beside vitamin D, since D increases calcium absorption and K2 helps direct that calcium toward bone. One caution from that same work: doses of MK-7 at 50 micrograms a day or more can interfere with warfarin and similar oral anticoagulants.

All four fat-soluble vitamins require dietary fat in the same meal. A D3 softgel taken with black coffee is a partially wasted softgel.

Oils: form, freshness, and patience

Fish oil comes as triglyceride, re-esterified triglyceride, free fatty acid or ethyl ester. A review of the bioavailability literature places the ethyl ester form lowest and the free fatty acid form highest, while cautioning that the studies are heterogeneous enough that firm conclusions are difficult (Ghasemifard, Turchini & Sinclair, Progress in Lipid Research, 2014 — PMID 25218856). Taking any of them with a fat-containing meal helps.

Oxidation is the more interesting question, and the honest answer is that the market surveys disagree with each other. An Australian analysis of 26 supplements found 33% exceeded the voluntary total-oxidation limit (Heller et al., International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, 2019 — PMID 30626234). A New Zealand analysis of 47 products found 77% compliant, and a French analysis of 20 found all of them compliant (Bannenberg et al., Scientific Reports, 2017 — PMID 28469193; Pasini et al., Biomolecules, 2022 — PMID 36291569). Worth weighing alongside those results: several authors of the New Zealand paper were affiliated with the omega-3 industry body that sets the voluntary limits being measured against. The practical position is that rancidity is a real risk rather than a certainty, it varies by product and by how long the bottle has been open, and your nose remains a reasonable instrument. A capsule that smells sharp when opened is telling you something.

The other thing worth knowing about oils is patience. Red blood cell membranes turn over across roughly four months. Fat tissue remodels far more slowly (Arner & Rydén, Journal of Internal Medicine, 2022 — PMID 34914848), and brain DHA has been estimated by PET imaging to have a half-life near two and a half years (Umhau et al., Journal of Lipid Research, 2009 — PMID 19112173). Judging an omega-3 supplement after three weeks is judging it before the membrane has changed.

Three questions for any label

What form is it, and does that form need something I am not giving it? Fat, acid, vitamin C, a cofactor, an empty stomach.
What is the elemental amount, not the compound amount? "Magnesium citrate 500 mg" and "magnesium 500 mg" are different claims.
What is this competing with? Zinc with copper, calcium with iron, iron with coffee and tea.

The other half of the question

Form answers whether a nutrient will be absorbed. It does not answer why the deficiency arose.

This is where the older map earns its place. Chinese medicine reads chronic depletion as a problem of transformation — the Spleen and Stomach system's capacity to convert what you eat into what you are made of. A person whose absorption machinery is inflamed, whose meals are eaten standing up, or whose digestive capacity is diminished can take an excellent form of iron and remain deficient. The pattern explains the persistence; the form explains the delivery. Both are worth addressing, and addressing only one is how people end up with a cabinet full of expensive bottles and unchanged labs.

Supporting digestion, spacing minerals apart, correcting the sequence of what you take and when — these are unglamorous adjustments that often move numbers more than adding another product.

What to do with this

Read the small type. Match the form to the job. Give each nutrient what it needs to be absorbed, and give it long enough to work.

If you would like the full version — thirty-four nutrients, the forms compared side by side, and the reasoning behind each recommendation — the complete Supplement Decoder is available in our free resources library, along with the rest of our patient education materials.

If you are working around a diagnosis, taking prescription medication, or trying to correct a deficiency that has not moved, the sequence matters more than the shopping. That is a conversation worth having with a practitioner who can see your labs — our functional nutrition work begins there, and you can book a visit online.

We maintain a professional dispensary through Fullscript, which lets us recommend specific forms and verify sourcing. Links to it are affiliate links, and we mention it because the form question is difficult to answer confidently in a retail aisle.

This article is educational and is not medical advice. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any condition. Speak with your physician or a qualified practitioner before starting, stopping, or changing a supplement, particularly if you take prescription medication or are pregnant.

Sources

Obeid R, Fedosov SN, Nexo E. Cobalamin coenzyme forms are not likely to be superior to cyano- and hydroxyl-cobalamin. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2015. PMID 25820384
Obeid R, Holzgreve W, Pietrzik K. Is 5-methyltetrahydrofolate an alternative to folic acid for the prevention of neural tube defects? J Perinat Med. 2013. PMID 23482308
Hadtstein F, Vrolijk M. Vitamin B-6-induced neuropathy: exploring the mechanisms of pyridoxine toxicity. Adv Nutr. 2021. PMID 33912895
Stoffel NU, et al. Iron absorption from oral iron supplements given on consecutive versus alternate days. Lancet Haematol. 2017. PMID 29032957
Carroll LS, Abdul-Rahim AH, Murray R. Zinc containing dental fixative causing copper deficiency myelopathy. BMJ Case Rep. 2017. PMID 28790120
Bolland MJ, et al. Effect of calcium supplements on risk of myocardial infarction and cardiovascular events: meta-analysis. BMJ. 2010. PMID 20671013
Tripkovic L, et al. Comparison of vitamin D2 and vitamin D3 supplementation in raising serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D status. Am J Clin Nutr. 2012. PMID 22552031
Schurgers LJ, et al. Vitamin K-containing dietary supplements: comparison of synthetic vitamin K1 and natto-derived menaquinone-7. Blood. 2007. PMID 17158229
Ghasemifard S, Turchini GM, Sinclair AJ. Omega-3 long chain fatty acid bioavailability: a review of evidence and methodological considerations. Prog Lipid Res. 2014. PMID 25218856
Heller M, et al. Oxidation of fish oil supplements in Australia. Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2019. PMID 30626234
Bannenberg G, et al. Omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid content and oxidation state of fish oil supplements in New Zealand. Sci Rep. 2017. PMID 28469193
Pasini F, et al. Assessment of lipid quality in commercial omega-3 supplements sold in the French market. Biomolecules. 2022. PMID 36291569
Arner P, Rydén M. Human white adipose tissue: a highly dynamic metabolic organ. J Intern Med. 2022. PMID 34914848
Umhau JC, et al. Imaging incorporation of circulating docosahexaenoic acid into the human brain using positron emission tomography. J Lipid Res. 2009. PMID 19112173

Same Nutrient, Different Bottle: A Guide to Supplement Forms

The doorway problem

The B vitamins: activation and paperwork

Minerals: absorption, competition, and timing

Fat-soluble vitamins: source and half-life

Oils: form, freshness, and patience

Three questions for any label

The other half of the question

What to do with this

Sources

Recent Posts

Comments

Acupuncture & Integrated Medicine in Downtown Seattle!

(206) 402 3813
509 Olive Way
Suite 1401

The doorway problem

The B vitamins: activation and paperwork

Minerals: absorption, competition, and timing

Fat-soluble vitamins: source and half-life

Oils: form, freshness, and patience

Three questions for any label

The other half of the question

What to do with this

Sources

Comments

Acupuncture & Integrated Medicine in Downtown Seattle!

(206) 402 3813 509 Olive Way Suite 1401

(206) 402 3813
509 Olive Way
Suite 1401