“This is very much how I experience Yin Tuina sessions with Chris: he supports me to do my own work, and it is the most profound and holistic healing I’ve ever experienced.”

C.S., F, 47, Santa Cruz, CA

“In April of 2016, after coming to a head-on collision with a semi-truck, my life was suddenly put into serious jeopardy.

I awoke from a coma, days later, surrounded by my closest family. My left shoulder and triceps were torn, and the bones in my wrist were fractured in multiple places. In addition, my knee was broken, ankle fractured and hip nearly shattered.

I was barely able to move the entire left side of my body, and every second was agonizing pain. My doctor would soon inform me there would be no guarantee I would be able to walk again without assistance. Dr Ells’ work began to help my body heal immediately. He administered tuina to the affected areas for the first few days and, slowly, I was able to move more and more. Additionally, my mind felt much clearer during these sessions, I was able to see a glimmer of hope in my dismal situation. By the end of the week, I was able to walk across my hospital room, with the assistance nurses. With Dr. Ells’ help, I was able to begin both physical and occupational therapy in a month’s time. Dr. Ells’ work set my body on the path of complete recovery. The quick results I saw gave me the inspiration to push harder when it felt like I had lost everything.

Two years later, I am in the best shape of my life. My body was nearly destroyed, but now I am able to work forty hours a week, comfortably and confidently, without a trace of evidence of any of the above-mentioned injuries or symptoms.

I can honestly say without Dr. Ells’ manual therapy and persistent advice, I would not be where I am today.”

Z.S., M, 26, Ithaca, NY

…ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING THIS CASE:

No acupuncture needles were used during the five consecutive days of treatment for this patient. Only tuina.

In addition to numerous other broken bones, this patient’s left scapula (shoulder blade), humerus (upper arm bone), and femur (thigh bone) were all severely shattered, requiring several surgeons and more than twenty hours in surgery to piece them back together onto strategically shaped titanium plates. He also suffered a TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) and a 100% drop foot (he could not raise his left foot at the ankle at all) due to nerve damage suffered in his left leg from the impact of the tractor-trailer truck. I flew across the United States, arriving at his hospital room on Day 7 following the crash, and worked with him for five hours per day on each of the next five days, right there in his hospital room, while he lay on his hospital bed. I used zero acupuncture needles, and two hands during all of those hours. During the first week of his hospital stay, while he was still in coma, his MD’s at the amazing trauma center hospital where he was staying had informed him and his family that it would certainly be at least thirty days before he could be moved out of the Intensive Care Unit, and that, hopefully, soon thereafter he would be ready to be transferred to an in-patient rehabilitation center for an indefinite period of time. When I left the hospital on Day 13 (not Day 30, but Day 13), he was awaiting his discharge from the hospital. Yes, discharge. They discharged him from the hospital, and he proceeded to do about eight weeks of outpatient rehab, twice per week. At the twelve-week mark following the crash, he returned to work at his job as head chef in a fast-paced kitchen. The left-side foot drop continued to heal, and as of one year following the accident, now close to, if not at, 100% recovery, eventually catching up to all of the other injuries from this harrowing event.

“Letter of Recommendation
On behalf of Dr. Chris Ells, L.Ac., D.A.O.M.

I was the victim of a multi roll over motor vehicle accident (MVA) in 2009 causing extensive damage to my spine, neck, left face, left ribs, and frontal lobe. I had recovered to the point I was able to work full time in a demanding clinical consultation position for a large San Jose hospital as the Wound Care and Ostomy specialist. I worked 8+ hours days despite pain I experienced on a daily basis. The pain spread from both sides of my spine to around the torso at the diaphragm, all due to spasms & burning neuropathy as well as muscular/skeletal type aching pain. I had conditioned myself to the point the pain was manageable and I was able to work as a wound care specialist. Of course, I used pain medications, such as Advil and a Vicodin tab every night to help alleviate the pain so I could sleep.

Then another car accident happened! I was suddenly hit hard from the right causing new pain on my right side, scapula and arm due to a 0.5mm bulge at C5-6. This pain became excruciating in my right neck, shoulder, scapula and deltoid muscle. I was not able to get back to work because of that injury. I couldn’t even do my dishes at home without feeling terrible pain. I was seeking surgery to correct the problem when my neurologist, Dr. Noor Sachdev, referred me to Dr. Chris Ells. I had tried many different therapies to relieve pain in my life, but I had never even considered acupuncture. I trusted my doctor, so I went to see Dr. Ells on his recommendation.

I initially walked into his office unable to stand up straight without pain in my spine, unable to use my right arm for much of anything, in pain and feeling pretty hopeless at this point. Migraines had increased to 3-4 times a week. I walked out of his office feeling relief in my right side for the first time in months – it wasn’t completely relieved, but it was remarkably improved! So, I went back again, and was impressed again at how much better I felt for at least a whole day. He decided I was in need of more intense therapy because of the extent and age of my injuries so we stepped it up to 2-3 times a week.
I often fell fast asleep on the table and woke up feeling so relaxed, I felt like lead. After a few months the pain was noticeably less, after 6 months, the pain in my spine was almost gone. After 9 months, for the FIRST time in 9 YEARS, I was free from ANY spasms around my spine for several days, in fact weeks, even after starting back to work. I have only taken Vicodin 2 times – both in the same week for the same pain episode==in 3-4 months! That is the first time I have been off of narcotic pain meds in 9 years since the first accident. Regarding the pain due to the C5-6 disc herniation, medical treatment included nerve ablation, which relieved approximately 50% of the neck pain and 70-80% of the arm pain. Within a few treatments from Dr. Ells post ablation 100% of the pain in the arm/shoulder was relieved with 90% relief to the neck spasms. I know that it is the amazing bodywork Dr. Ells provides while acupuncture therapy occurs that makes all the difference in the healing process.

Recently, he treated the neuropathy to the paraspinal skin with acupuncture to the scar at T1-T8. The results were amazing! Burning pain was finally relieved 100%. I enjoyed several days without any burning to my spine.

3 weeks ago, my 110 lb dog was dying of Lymphoma. He had been diagnosed for about 6 weeks, and had not been active at all, slaying on his bed almost 24 hours a day. He had stopped barking at people he heard at the front door. Dr. Ells offered to treat Wilbur. I had no idea what, if anything, he could do. Using only bodywork, Dr. Ells worked on Wilbur for 45 minutes. Wilbur was sound asleep, as I often am, at the end of his treatment. He had more energy that evening, walking around a bit more, and perking his ears. After work the next day, I was sitting on my couch not far from Wilbur’s bed. Dr. Ells had returned for another treatment and knocked on the door. Suddenly, the dog that would not move, leaped up from his bed, loped across the living room to the foyer and front door, BARKING. I was amazed, mouth open, and could not believe that was my dog acting like a dog again. We had 4 really good days before he succumbed to his disease and was bedridden. Dr. Ells treated him the day before he passed. Again that night, he seemed to have a little more energy and looked more relaxed. I can’t thank Dr. Ells enough for the time he gave me with my dear Wilbur.”

B.S., F, 61, Santa Cruz, CA

“I met Chris Ells about five years ago through an acupuncture student. I asked her who the best was. With no hesitation and no other names given, she said Chris Ells. At the time, I was helping a war veteran heal from a ten-year spinal cord injury. Within three sessions, he could turn his head to the left – something he had not done in ten years! His continued work with Chris lead to amazing improvements in other severe injuries he had undergone, as well as with his PTSD.

The next month I started back to running. I had bunions developing on both feet for which I was told I needed surgery. I could only jog slowly five or six miles, as I was in continuous pain. For two weeks I saw Chris for three sessions each week. That following day, I jogged an entire half marathon. For the next six months I saw Chris weekly, regaining movement in my toes! The bunions even decreased in size by at least fifty per cent. And no surgery needed!

Next came my broken foot from a surfing accident. It was like a softball was on top of my right foot. After seeing Chris, my foot quickly healed to the point where I could put weight on that foot with no pain.

Next came a broken nose from a snowboarding accident. Yes, nose smooched to the left. I heard the crunch when it happened!!! After two weeks I realized that it was not getting better and I could not breathe through my right nostril. After five sessions, my son exclaimed, “Mom, your nose is straight!”

Then, a special needs child whom I work with elbowed me in the nose. Chris treated me successfully again! This time it was re-straightened solidly by the fourth session.

Then I smashed my nose motorcycle riding! Yes, I do all the injurious sports. With only three sessions, my nose is straight yet again!

Lastly, I contracted viral pneumonia and the flu while traveling overseas. I returned a mess, having almost died while in New Zealand. No joke! I was born with pneumonia, so this lung thing has been serious. Chris treated my lungs and each time he did I was able to cough out junk (phlegm) from my lungs! I regularly take herbs that Chris has prescribed. At 51 years of age, my lungs feel healthier now than at any other time in my entire life!!!

The quality of life I have and the ability to do all the sports is due to Chris. You do not need to do sports or have injuries to improve how well your body functions. I have learned to take care of my body and mind through working with Chris. The Tuina is very healing and powerful when you allow the body to work with the treatment. I personally do well with the combination of Chris’ acupuncture and Tuina. But you can choose for yourself. Best of luck!”

J.C., F, 51, Santa Cruz, CA

“I had suffered from a minor head injury and sought different modalities of treatment to help ease the pain. I have to say, Dr. Ells’ treatments were the most effective and the longest lasting for the pain relief. His intuitive sense of a body’s needs, his gentle touch, compassion, and patience makes him and his modality of medicine stand out from the rest. His treatments are subtle, non-invasive, and yet powerful. I would without a doubt seek his expertise for the myriad of ailments my body may encounter in the future. Thanks, Chris!”

R.E., F, 30, Hawaiian Islands

“I first used acupuncture as an alternative therapy for HIV back in the 80s when there was nothing else. I was 40. I endured the treatments for years because I felt like it helped my antibodies fight off the effects of the virus, but I never enjoyed the process. I never liked being left in a darkened room for forty minutes to fend for myself. Then, I met Chris Ells.

When I see Chris for a one hour appointment, I actually see Chris for the entire hour. After he assesses me, the needles go in and then he does Tui Na. After my back surgery, he held my back. When my arthritis flares up in my shoulder he holds that. When I had an annoying spur in my ankle joint he held that every week until the pain from the spur slowly disappeared.

Chris doesn’t think it’s magic, but I do. Western medicine never helped with my pain without leaving a drug hangover. That doesn’t happen with acupuncture and Tui Na. I don’t know what I’d do without Chris’s treatments. I suppose there might be other practitioners out there who do what he does, but I hope I never have to find out.

I’m now 65 and since he’s considerably younger than me, I think I’m in good hands for the rest of my life.”

J.S., M, 65, Soquel, CA

“This is a letter of recommendation for Dr. Chris Ells. He has been my acupuncturist for ten years. During the time I’ve been his patient I have had three surgical operations, grown older and less active, retired, and have begun to suffer the physical consequences of doing metal sculptures for twenty years. I am 70 years old.

During the ten years I’ve seen Dr. Ells I have had a hip replacement and two surgeries to lift my bladder, because in the first bladder surgery the surgeon punctured my intestine and had to clean up and close up. In all these cases Dr. Ells prepared me for surgery by strengthening the affected body parts and surrounding tissue and helped me to be more ready and receptive. And after each surgery he helped me to heal more quickly, notably by strengthening the body part, and by promoting the recovery phase and healing processes. This was most evident after the first bladder surgery when he helped speed my recovery “faster than any other patient I’ve seen, and especially remarkable because of your age” to quote my surgeon. After each surgery he worked on pain reduction and stress reduction so effectively that I was happily surprised, and my surgeons were amazed.

His acupuncture has also had a very beneficial influence on my arthritic hands and painful shoulders. Because I have Type 2 Diabetes I suffer from numbness in both feet, which he has both relieved and stopped from either spreading or worsening.

In addition to his regular acupuncture treatment he also practices Yin Tuina, a gentle, non-invasive holding of the affected body parts. This gentle treatment seems to work in concert with the acupuncture.

This leads me to the most unusual thing Dr. Ells does. He treats all his patients for an entire hour or longer for longer appointments, staying in the room the entire time. Every other acupuncturist I have seen puts the needles in and leaves the room. This usually takes less than ten minutes. Dr. Ells feels this is not “best practice” and chooses to treat his patients differently to promote their healing.

I couldn’t be more pleased to have found this gentleman who is a healer, and not just a practitioner.”

G.P., F, 70, Santa Cruz, CA

“I want to express my enthusiasm for the effectiveness of the work of Dr. Christopher Ells. I had my first treatment with Dr. Ells in 2002, very soon after he had obtained his license to practice acupuncture. I had torn the meniscus in my left knee, and Dr. Ells’s combination of acupuncture and yin tui na holding provided considerable relief from the pain. In early 2003, I underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair the meniscus, and I continued to see Dr. Ells twice a week. Even though the orthopedist had told me that I would probably need a total knee replacement in about a year, it was still doing well five years later, when I moved to another state. I give the major share of the credit to Dr. Ells.

In addition, Dr. Ells treated my 100-year-old mother a few times for severe arthritis. She was initially hesitant to try acupuncture and tuina, but became a true fan after only one treatment.

I can heartily recommend Dr. Ells for both pain relief and long-term healing.”

S.D., M, 78, Walnut Creek, CA

The following email is from the wife of a surprisingly spry 76 year old COPD patient (he smoked two packs a day for over thirty years) who had been experiencing frequently recurring/nearly continuous lung infections for about one year prior to working with me, as well as increasingly severe hip and sacrum pain from a decades-old injury. He received from me eight ninety-minute treatments per week on two separate occasions, with about eight weeks in between the two occasions. This email was sent more than six months following the last treatment of this series.

“I just thought you might like to know that Graham is doing so well after your treatment. He used to take steroids sometimes four weeks mostly every six weeks and sometimes 8, it was getting terrible and the awful side-effects are ghastly. On the subject of his hip he was struggling, often limping in pain but now after the massage and acupuncture everything is improved hugely almost clear on both counts. We can’t thank you enough Chris – it’s truly wonderful. If anyone wants to contact us please give them my email address lots of love from S.T.”

S.T., London, England

“If there were boxes to tick to evaluate treatment—of which I have had much and varied sorts —if there were five boxes I would have to double that for you (and only three other practitioners—in over 40 years of benefitting from myriad treatments).”

P.H., F, 73, Paris, France

“During classes as your student, and treatments as your patient, I’ve had some of the most profound healing experiences of my life.

As a patient, I’m especially grateful to you for guiding and supporting me through the resurfacing of traumatic memories that I had been holding in my body since since childhood. Working with you has helped me have the courage to face old pain that I had suppressed and to discover a greater sense of flow in my body, mind, and emotions. I can’t thank you enough for supporting me with your presence, your hands, your listening, and for making me laugh even on my darkest days, especially at myself!

In our society, it’s so easy to doubt that healing is possible, to believe that the answer to fixing our problems is outside ourselves. Having experienced your work, I know deep in my bones that healing is possible, from the inside. I’ve seen this possibility unfold even with serious physical injuries that seemed like they would never get better, like my injured shoulder that remained partially frozen for months. People around me started suggesting that I should consider surgery, but the injury turned around after a series of two-hour sessions with you, and my shoulder steadily recovered.

Your guidance on working with my body through self-care and exercise has also been incredibly valuable. I always emerge from sessions with you feeling greater enthusiasm and determination to face my challenges with persistent attention and patience.

As a student, I’m so grateful to you for teaching through your presence, showing me how to listen by listening, and for speaking about the subtle dynamics of Yin Tuina with such clarity, wisdom, and humor. Watching you treat patients has been a great gift. Each time I witness another person profoundly relaxing and returning to greater health with your support, there is always a palpable sense of flow that I can feel in my body as I watch the treatment unfolding. I wholeheartedly recommend your Yin Tuina workshops to anyone interested in seriously exploring the body’s capacity to heal, to anyone interested in cultivating greater levels of presence, listening, skill, and responsiveness in their healing work.

I’m continually amazed and transformed by the deep field of listening that unfolds during your demonstrations and that we students get to participate in with your guidance during practice sessions. The workshops are packed with sensory and hands-on learning. I always have the feeling that I’m taking in information both consciously and also outside my conscious awareness, and the learning invariably continues to unfold for weeks, and even months, after each workshop.

Not only have I gained a love and appreciation of Yin Tuina as a healing modality in its own right, but your emphasis on approaching patients with respect, listening, paying attention and being responsive to the body’s signals has been essential to developing my skills as an acupuncturist. My sense is that practitioners of every healing modality imaginable could benefit from the rich learning experience of your workshops.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for sharing your passion for Yin Tuina with myself and others, and for teaching me to listen to the music of life. I wish that not only all healthcare providers, but all human beings, could experience and learn from this work, which is so needed in this world.

I wrote the following poem seven years before I met Dr. Chris Ells in a class at acupuncture school. When I wrote the poem, I was struggling with chronic pain. I was becoming increasingly conscious of traumatic memories from my childhood that were locked in my body and that felt inextricably connected with my physical issues. I was searching for anything that might help, and tried many modalities: massage therapy, acupuncture, osteopathy, physical therapy, yoga, tai chi, psychotherapy, even surgery. Many of these things helped, but I was still searching for some way to reconnect my fragmented self in order to feel whole again. One day when I was writing, a vision came to me of a healer who could help me, and the poem emerged. One of the things I love about this poem is that the healer and I do the work of putting my fragmented self back together as a team. This is very much how I experience Yin Tuina sessions with Chris: he supports me to do my own work, and it is the most profound and holistic healing I’ve ever experienced. After meeting Chris and experiencing Yin Tuina, I remembered this poem and was amazed to realize I had found the healer that I’d been searching for, and I’m so grateful to have been his patient and student ever since.

Here’s the poem, which I call simply, “The Quiet Man”:

The expert quiet man
who knows about broken minds
is touching the bright shards with his hands
one by one he lifts them to the window
and they begin to sing
my child is a window like this one
I show the broken pieces to the quiet man
I have collected them from many places
unfinished dreams and mothers and fathers
quiet man and I begin to sing over them
touching them and lifting them
until each one begins to sing
and the song is like a child
opening her eyes

– May 20, 2007”

C.S., F, 47, Santa Cruz, CA

“I am writing this testimonial on the benefits of the acupuncture and massage treatments that I received from you in 2017. I am a 64 year old man, in generally good health, but I had been suffering from chronic neck pain and related spasms in my upper back and shoulder area for quite some time, and the pain and discomfort had finally gotten to the point it was impacting my sleep, my work and my ability to engage in any strenuous physical activity. I had been treated successfully with acupuncture about 15 years ago for a knee problem (torn meniscus), so I decided to seek a similar treatment plan for my neck pain. Over a period of approximately 8-10 (as I recall?) regular interval treatment sessions (once a week I believe?), consisting of massage and acupuncture for the affected areas of my neck, back and shoulders, the chronic pain has been relieved, and I am still pain free about a year later.

The sessions provided immediate relief, and after just a few weeks the recurring pain began to subside for longer periods, and ultimately was gone forever, at least so far. I did not have a clinical diagnosis for what was causing the pain, but I do know that the treatments you gave were amazing and successful on a long term basis. I will also offer that your hands on massage treatments were quite pleasant and a key component of the overall treatment plan. I am not a regular user of massage therapy, but your ability to find, feel, and relieve the tension through your massage treatments were extremely effective.

Your ability to explain how you approached each treatment through your understanding of the various integrated pathways of energy, alignment, blood flow, nerve patterns, muscle activity, soft tissue connections, etc allowed me to understand what was going on in my body as you were laying hands on, and allowed me to embrace the treatment internally and promote it from within as it was being administered. I feel that was also a key to the success of your treatment plan for me. I am happy to endorse your work to anyone who wants to feel better, and please feel free to use my name as a reference or just added to your list of satisfied patients.”

R.M., M, 64, Los Gatos, CA