Institute For Health & Healing

I just got off the phone attempting to make an appointment for a first visit. I am a cash paying patient. I described my condition which is focused on issues around my flat feet and the radiating pain up my back and neck it causes. The «receptionist» did everything in her power to tell me that they did nothing to help what I was looking for despite review to the contrary. I was directed to go to a day spa. What a joke. Don’t bother calling if this is how a polite inquiry is treated. Just imagine if you are really needing help and in pain.

I went to this institute back in September 2015. They took my name and information down and let me filled out an application.
I was very very sick back then and I needed immediate treatment.
until now DEC 14 – 2015 I have not heard back from anyone. NOONE.
Very slow. They lie about approving your application or to process your app.
They said it takes about 2 weeks maximum to review the application and see if I could be seen w/​out an insurance.
I ended up going somewhere else.
Such a disappointment.
it’s been more than 3 months .ARe you kidding me ?
These doctors only seek $$$$$$.

I have gone to Sharon Meyer for nutritional help at the Institute. What a wonderful resource for cleaning up my nutrition and improving my health! She is so bright, so clear, she communicates in a way that I can hear and not feel overwhelmed by, and she has just the right amount of structure and ease. I learned a lot in a short while; it was reasonably priced, and I have recommended her to several people. She is worth turning towards when nutritional guidance is needed… you will be delighted by her kindness and intelligence!!!

I feel lucky to have stumbled across this place via the internet. I have seen Dr. Akil Palanisamy for Ayurveda for a little under a year now and so far I am pleased with the results. I think my conditions were not very severe to begin with, but concerning, and slowly but surely I am making progress, particularly in the area of ‘poo.’ I will leave out the gory details. I also go see Laurence McKee for abyangha massage and I adore her, for both personality and quality of massage. Also my boyfriend was snoring and Laurence did this treatment on him, and he has not snored since!!! He is also seeing Dr. Akil. We are both taking herbs prescribed by him and are making progress towards thriving.
Honestly I have been reluctant to write a review because I don’t want other people to steal all my appointment times. :/​. So don’t you go and do that. Unless you really really need to. Dr. Akil is the perfect blend of alternative and holistic combined with traditional M.D. and it doesn’t hurt that he went to Harvard! He makes me feel less crazy so that is definitely a plus. I am going to wait another little while before I get a blood test for definitive results, but as far as I can tell, I feel a lot better already.
I have found the front desk to be nice overall even when I call to book 1,000 appointments. One of them maybe is a little short at times. Maybe. But overall very nice. Also I love the shop. Ok I am going to stop now.

Sharon Meyer helped to educate my husband and I about nutrition. Six years later we continue to strive & practice eating for optimal nutrition. I have refered others to Sharon who was patient, caring and very good at her profession.

I have been going to IHH to see Dr. Palinasamy for two years. He is an incredible physician with a rare combination of a firm foundation in Western medicine with advanced clinical knowledge of effective approaches to holistic health. I have a complex health situation that requires patience and advanced knowledge that the majority of clinicians in the US simply are not aware of (extreme mold sensitivities and thyroid challenges). While Dr. P is a Harvard trained physician, he is very humble and listens to me as a patient and works with me to create an effective treatment plan. I am very grateful to have access to a physician of this caliber.
The front desk staff are also very lovely and accommodating; I always look forward to seeing them when I come in for a visit a. I have never had a billing issue (unlike UCSF where every single visit I had billing issues, but that is a whole other review with way less stars).

The doctor and office staff were very rude. The doctor did not seem to want to help me and was rude during the first visit. I thought I’d give them a second chance and went for a follow up appointment. However, the doctor’s attitude was worse. I would not recommend this facility.

IHH is THE place for healing! For over four years, I have come to IHH for therapeutic massage, and I am grateful for the improved health, general flexibility and enhanced serenity I enjoy as a result. After breast cancer surgery, I was reluctant to make appointments at traditional spas where robe-​clad men and women mingle in lounges waiting for their treatments. That is not the custom at IHH!
A special shout-​out to Jennifer Sweeney, who is a compassionate person and gifted massage therapist. In spite of my widespread arthritis and physical side effects of an auto-​immune disease, when I leave after a much-​needed treatment from Jennifer, I always walk taller and more gracefully, and can forget for a while just how much older I am than I think.

I have been going to IHH since it opened; all of the practitioners I have seen have been helpful; however, the billing system seems to have been improperly implemented, and the billing representative at IHH, in my experience, is so horrifically rude, inaccurate and unhelpful that I will not go back because this is the bottleneck that will not go away.
I am not the only person who has had this experience. She pulled the same nonsense on one of my friends going through a serious illness and that friend also decided to leave Dr. Roberts’ practice.
No one wants to go to a place where you pay in full and then, due to systems errors or user errors, receive unfounded bills that they can neither explain nor correct. Today, after having told me two months ago that she corrected my spa bill, I was told that she actually had not corrected the bill, but had increased my bill because she went through Laurence’s (the practitioner’s) notes and determined that I should been billed a higher rate even though I paid in full, and always pay in full before I leave. I feel she did this to because she was upset when I complained about her service. She never bothered to call me to follow up and let me know that she had decided, on her own, to increase the bill.
This is not a place of peace or healing when dealing with this person and this issue, it is a place of serious disfunction in my view and if she tells you something has been corrected, be prepared to have to deal with it THREE more months until you just throw up your hands and pay a bill that isn’t even correct; I have done that more than once.
Heads up to other clients, I have been told that the systems software does not easily accommodate the seasonal rates offered in the spa, so be mindful of your bills. Frankly, I ‘ve been going through this for years, but I liked the practitioners so much, I kept trying to overlook it.
This time, however, the mistreatment and miscommunication was shocking and disgusting. When you mess up the same thing repeatedly, I hope you are in the business of working with zen priests, because the rest of us do not have that kind of patience.
I will miss Laurence, Dr. Roberts and Pauline… they were great.

I normally don’t take the time to write a review but I feel this place deserves recognition. It has changed my life. Since I started going here regularly for the last 6 months I have lost 20lbs, my migraines are so much more manageable, and I was diagnosed with thyroid disease which is under control now. I have to say these professionals are practicing much more than just medicine. They practice kindness and caring above what I have have experienced from other health professionals. They really take the time to get to know you and treat you like a person who has thoughts and feelings. They aren’t just herding cattle. I feel so much better physically and mentally since I started going here. I had almost given up. I was starting to think I couldn’t be helped. That has changed thanks to these wonderful care givers. I have to give a big thank you to Ken Rosenberg– acupuncture, Sharon Meyer– nutrition, and Dr. Bruce Roberts. You guys are the best! Oh and I almost forgot one of the best things, they take insurance!

I have to say that there are two amazing practitioners at this practice that I could not live without.
Jennifer Sweeney — If you have any sort of muscular issue that needs some attention, see her! She is amazing. I’ve been a patient of hers for about 8 months and every time I see her I leave feeling 1000x better than when I arrived. I have not found another massage therapist that can do what she does. Jennifer takes the time to understand the unique challenges your body has and find out how she can truly help you get better. She has an energy about her that is calm and caring, and I recommend her without hesitation. Take the time to do something nice for yourself. GO SEE JENNIFER!
Jeff Draisin — He is a spectacular physician. He really cares about his patients. He is hilarious. Jeff knows all kinds of different techniques and understands how the body works so well that when something is wrong he is great at knowing where to start treatment. He is a truly skilled acupuncturist, who takes time with his patients and finds the course of treatment that can really improve your condition and life. Whether you’ve done acupuncture before or not you Jeff is your guy. In fact, if you haven’t, he’s probably the absolute best choice. No one will make you feel more comfortable about have tiny painless needles poked into your body than Jeff.
The front desk staff — There are like 5 of them and I can’t recite all their names, but I think I owe them all a drink by now. They are fantastic. They are all very attentive, kind, caring and helpful. Beyond helpful. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve needed to cancel or change and appointment, call about a bill etc. and I’m always treated like I’m the only person in the room. They always have a smile on their face too.
You know when you’re sad and you take a bottle of wine to a friends house and you leave feeling a lot better? That is what this place is. You go in feeling like crap and by the time you leave your body, mind and soul feel better.

ANNE EASTHOPE has CHANGED my life! She is a professional, compassionate, knowledgeable, super intelligent Integrative Nurse Practitioner.
I had been suffering of seasonal allergies for the past five years. I have seen at least 3 Allergy Specialists that have never cured my seasonal allergies, or the other allergies that I have. What the allergy specialists did was give me all sort of allergy medications that clearly did not work. SINCE SEEING Anne MY ALLERGIES HAVE GONE!!!
Also I had always been suffering of being cold at all time, even if the weather was warm. Every doctor I have seen in the past for being cold would look at me with a very condescending look telling me that there was nothing to be done about it. Anne Easthope has taken care of this problem too!!! I am not cold anymore for the first time in 15 years.
I AM ALSO NOT TIRED ANYMORE! My fatigue has vanished along with all the other symptoms.
I truly recommend Anne Easthope, because she has improved my life to the point that I feel like I have just experienced a miracle since being her patient.
THANK YOU ANNE!

Clinical Nutritionist Sharon Meyer provided outstanding service. She customized a workable nutrition regimen specific to my condition and lifestyle. Her gentle, compassionate style afforded flexibility and understanding. Results were exceptional. I would recommend her for any nutrition, dietary or digestive concerns.

This place is great. I’ve been going there since 1998 (when they opened). The staff is always helpful, and knowledgeable. Highly recommended!

I started going to the Institute for Health & Healing (IHH) two years ago as I was having major allergy issues that were seriously impacting my quality of life. Prior to my visit to the IHH I had seen an internist, dermatologist, allergist, my PCP, etc to no avail.
After a few visits to Dr. Akil Palinisamy at IHH I was given a course of action that has literally changed my life. He suggested that I modify my diet, he prescribed some supplements and he gave me some lifestyle recommendations that were all easy to adjust to.
Today I am largely symptom free. As my internist said, «Traditional» Western medicine cannot cure everything.” And while I may have initially been a bit skeptical about a semi «alternative’ approach to my condition I could not be more pleased with the results.

I have only done one other Unilocal review and it was positive. This place is so bad I had to write this review. I saw Laurence for a facial and she recommended two products which I purchased for a couple hundred dollars. When I got home I realized that both products were about to expire. I called and spoke to the manager and she refused to switch the products. Then after trying the products for a few days, I developed a rash. It was so bad I actually had to go see a dermatologist and was prescribed medication. I went back to CPMC and told the manager what had happened and she still refused to take the products back. I then cancelled about ten appointments I had previously scheduled and asked to speak to Laurence. Laurence promised to call the distributor and arrange for a refund. She never called back. Two months later I called and left a follow up message and again she never returned my call.

Office staff was often confused and bothered the practitioner to answer questions that they should have known.
Sharon was condescending and unavailable to answer questions in between meetings. She also failed to provide alternative resources for when questions come up. Her working days were only twice per week which isn’t enough room to play with when trying to book appointments. Additionally, after waiting 2 weeks to see her, she had the staff try to reschedule my appointment because she wanted an extra week of vacation. Lame.
When it came to her diet, I questioned her methods. I felt nickeled and dimed… her appointments are expensive and the diet is complex so I think her mental model for helping someone with it, doesn’t match what needs to happen.
I ended up finding someone else to help me — who is an actual doctor and who is fantastic. I’ve lost 20 pounds, getting my hormone issues in line, on a proper diet and feeling so much better.
Hope this helps someone not make the $$ mistake I did and nearly did — thankfully I could return most of the «medicine» I bought. But I’ll never get my money for her useless appointment and the wasted time I spent on the phone with her office staff back.

I never do Unilocal reviews but this place is so bad. I got a terrible rash from products Laurence suggested after a facial. I had to see a dermatologist and was on medication for over a month. Despite this, neither Laurence not the manager would take the products back. The manager was extremely rude. I spoke to Laurence and she promised to follow up and never did. I waited and called again and left a message for Laurence and she never called back.

I started seeing Anne Easthope in 2009 when I was at the worst health low I’d ever been at (and this is coming from a person who has had weird health issues for about 10 years). She was compassionate and caring, and truly listened to me and my story for over an hour. She knew exactly what to test for and what was obvious without testing, and quickly put me on the path to healing. Since I’ve been seeing her, I’ve never reached that horrible low I was in when I found her — she won’t let me. She is truly on my team and wants me to be well.
Yes, supplements and testing can get expensive at times. The way the healers work here is not always accepted or recognized by conventional medicine, so insurance coverage isn’t always stellar for these things. But in the time I’ve known Anne I’ve either been in grad school, unemployed, or trying to get back on my feet and she has always been extremely thoughtful about helping me find the path that not only helps me, but is affordable as well. She would never push something on me that I couldn’t afford, and I respect that greatly.
Go see Anne. She’s one of the good ones in the world and has a passion and skill for healing you as a whole person. I’m happy and proud to have her on my healing team, helping me live a better and healthier life.

Best body work I’ve had in my 30 plus years of receiving massages in the Bay Area.
My practitioner was Pauline and she knew techniques I had never experienced. She identified a musculoskeletal problem I had for awhile, worked on it and made it feel much better, and then gave me some information on what to do at home to continue the healing process.
So often massages are looked at as a vanity experience, and so many therapists treat it like one. My massage here was both healing and therapeutic. Pauline is a true caregiver.