Testimonials

“This is an acknowledgement of Melanie Katin’s outstanding skills as an acupuncturist. I’ve consulted her on numerous occasions and have always been extremely pleased with my treatments, no matter what it was for.. be it for knee pain, hypertension, back pain, migraine, eye pain, abdominal pain or just simply, fatigue. She listens with full attention to your concerns and does not seem to be in any kind of rush. She provides a ton of lifestyle suggestions and practical remedies to support your treatment. I brought my 20-year old child with special needs for a consultation with her as well, because although my son was considered an adult, his mental age is still that of a child. Dr. Katin managed to put my child at ease enough to allow her to needle him, something that I would never have expected my son to do in a calm way. Dr. Katin is gentle, caring and patient. She has the innate compassion, wisdom and intuitive ability to work with children of all ages, as well as adults. I consider her one of the most extremely qualified, most highly respected pediatric practitioners in New York. Now that she has moved to her hometown Chicago, I feel that New York has lost one of its best talents in the field of acupuncture and holistic medicine.”

“Melanie is an excellent practitioner who applies her experience and analytical skills to solve one’s health issues. She has the right temperament to deliver the message so that you feel motivated to make the minor lifestyle and medical adjustments to greatly improve one’s quality of life. Because of Melanie’s herbal prescriptions and advice, I have been able to increase my energy so that I can function optimally in my daily office work and leisure. Not only is she an amazing acupuncturist and Chinese herbalist, she is an outstanding coach. I think she is a game changer. Thank you, Melanie.”

“I brought my 5 month old baby to Dr. Katin for a bad cough/cold. She not only treated my baby with massage and herbal therapy, but also taught me how to do the treatment myself at home. Dr. Katin is so knowledgable, empathetic and caring. She is an expert in her field and is amazing at treating pediatric cases, as well as adults. I have recommended her countless times!”

“Dr. Katin has helped me many times with my emotional health and stress-related digestive issues. When I see her, I feel like I have been “put back together” and I feel a sense inner peace. When I see her regularly, I do not get colds as frequently, my stress feels lower and my digestion is great. If you have any reservations, may I say that she is one of THE BEST acupuncturists out there. She is compassionate, experienced, gentle and effective. I wholeheartedly trust Melanie with my health.”

“ I went to Melanie with Be Better Acupuncture for help with my plantar fasciitis. After months and months of doing PT exercises and massage, it was getting better but not gone. After two sessions with Melanie my PF is no longer bothering me. I have other things I’d like to work with her on which I know will take longer to address and am looking forward to figuring out a plan with her for those things, too. It’s clear Melanie has a lot of experience and I love that she has been teaching for a long time. She’s a really good listener and her office is comfortable and relaxing. I couldn’t recommend Melanie enough.”

“After nearly three years of various allergists and pulmonologists pumping our 7 year old full of “preventative” asthma medicine year round, with seemingly no benefit at all during fall and spring seasons- we turned to Melanie Katin for help. He was scared at first and so were we- but she quickly put all of us at ease and visits became something he looked forward to. When Michael Phelps and other Olympians became cool for cupping- our son was not impressed- he was a veteran of acupuncture, herbs and cupping and by then he was off all the allergy meds, inhalers and steroids. Melanie was now helping him manage injuries and perform better on the soccer field.

During one visit for my son, Melanie seemed to notice I was stressed out after taking several work calls and suggested acupuncture for stress relief. I took her up on that offer and went regularly as I went through a very stressful and challenging due diligence process as part of my profession. Better sleep, digestion and stress management were the outcomes and certainly helped during that period.

When we learned she was leaving NYC, my wife cried and my son was nervous about the upcoming allergy season. But she left us in good hands and made sure there was a very smooth transition to our new doctor. We all hope to visit her in Evanston soon.

Highly recommend to anyone considering her, especially anyone with children in similar situations, stressful jobs, or who is apprehensive about non-western approaches.”

“Acupuncture with Melanie offered me the undivided time and attention that one does not get in an average doctor’s office. Attention was paid to me and my symptoms - I was treated as an individual as opposed to being generalized by the physician. I was being treated as a whole, instead of being treated for one or another symptom. As I do believe that thousand-year-old procedures would not have survived had they not been helpful, acupuncture offered me an alternative in addition to Western medicine. I felt comfortable with the fact that acupuncture treats without chemicals that might in themselves set off a new set of maladies. I felt a definite improvement after treatments. Case in point is that since I have been neglecting my acupuncture treatments, my symptoms have been returning. I wish insurances would be a lot more “user-friendly” when it comes to covering acupuncture – I believe they would save money on the long run. Instead of allowing a certain amount of visits per year, they should cover regular visits which would prove to be preventive not just curative.”

“From fall 2003 till February 2004 I was suffering from acute pain over the right iliac crest and numbness down my leg, due to a disc that had extruded just above my 42 year old spinal fusion. The disc was both posterior/anterior. I went for physical therapy, and 3 nerve blocks, none of which gave me sustaining relief. After evaluation by a Neurosurgeon, and an Orthopedic surgeon here in Syracuse about surgical options (though both urged me to persist in finding alternatives), I finally visited Melanie in fall-November 2004. Combined with osteopathic treatment at the same time, but most effectively with acupuncture, I eventually achieved striking relief... enough to start an exercise program to rebuild pelvic girdle muscles.

I’m surprised how well it worked, as is my Neurosurgeon. ”

“I was diagnosed with MS approximately five years ago. I started taking Avonex as soon as I was diagnosed and even though this put my disease in a manageable position I was still unhappy with my medical condition. Because MS is an autoimmune disease I thought that keeping my body healthy and strong is how I can help treat the disease from my part besides from taking the medication. I regularly exercise, eat well, and take vitamins; therefore I decided to explore Chinese medicine because of their belief to use natural herbs to treat medical problems.

I have been taking the herbs now for approximately five months and I feel better every day and I have seen an improvement in my health and with some of my problems the medication did not address (or even made worse such as fatigue). My energy level and my physical strength have improved and today I almost feel like a healthy 36 year-old woman. I get up in the morning and look forward to the day. Many people do not know I have MS (because I do not have many visual symptoms) so it is very funny to hear colleagues and friends saying things like: “wow, you look great what have you been doing?” or “life must be treating you good you look great!” I have noticed that I more color back in my cheeks then I have had in years and I smile more than I have in years.

I began acupuncture with Melanie a few weeks ago, I hesitated only because of the fear of needles but I read so many articles (some from the MS Society) how acupuncture has helped people with so many medical problems I decided to give it a shot. So far so good! Just last week I was having a problem with my right eye (optic neuritis) so when I went to my regular acupuncture visit and I told Melanie of my problem and the next day I woke up and the pain was gone. I would not believe it if it did not happened to me.

I highly recommend Chinese medicine to people not only with MS but other diseases. I think that only looking at one avenue for treatment of a disease can limit persons from improving their health to the fullest.”