I've had lupus (SLE) for almost 10 years and have been mostly managed by my rheumatologist with hydroxychloroquine and prednisone. However, the baseline of my disease has crept up over the years and the next level of treatment options were going to consist of drugs with more significant side effects. I wanted to explore other options before going down that road, which is when I came across Turtle Tree.

We started with regular acupuncture treatments and, almost immediately, I noticed a huge improvement in my hands. Suddenly my hands were warm (they're usually ice-cold) and then the daily stiffness and swelling from SLE started to decrease until it was barely noticeable. I'm only 34 and it had been years since my joints felt that good in the morning.

Jonathan then started me on a three-phase herb regimen to more systemically address the SLE inflammation. After 6 months of herbs, my rheumatologist ran blood labs and the results amazed me. My inflammation was clearly down. It was like hitting a reset button on the progression of my disease. I've gone from having 3-4 flares per year to zero flares in the last 18 months (and counting!).

Acupuncture and herbs were something completely new to me and I was definitely nervous in the beginning. Jonathan was very patient in walking me through this whole treatment process and I'm incredibly grateful for his knowledge, compassion, and skill. I'm so glad I walked through the door of this clinic.