Testimonials
Lauren and Ariel are incredible. Look no further if you are not sure where to begin your acupuncture journey. The office is warm and friendly, and treatment rooms are super relaxing. I have received treatments for 5 years on and off for chronic sciatica, chronic rhinitis/sinus pain, anxiety and depression, as well as for fertility. Finding my body’s true balance was all because of this center! Kathleen L.
I have been working with Ariel for close to 12 months. Each session she is focused not just on healing what I came in for originally, but truly listening and working on my body holistically. She helped me prepare and recover from surgery, work through intestinal issues, and address areas of pain. Highly recommend. Melissa A.
Ariel is the most intuitive acupuncturist that I have ever been to. She is observant, and sensitive to how my body feels and reacts, as she puts in the needles. And she uses that feedback to determine how best to proceed. As a 50+ year old want-to-be-athlete who is constantly getting hurt, I have found Ariel to be a godsend and crucial part of my health support system. Robert D.
Lauren is a skilled healer with a number of healing approaches she can draw on to help a patient. I have benefitted greatly from her care. I was in pretty bad shape when we began working together, with significant physical and emotional issues flowing from a long-term toxic exposure and other major life stressors. Lauren is attentive, smart, and a good listener. She knows me and my case well. It is apparent that she has trained hard and is committed to lifelong learning. On top of all of that she has good intuitions and good organization! This combination is rare, and in Lauren I have found my alternative healing home base. It does take time to heal from serious chronic problems, but with Lauren’s help I am well on my way. I am now much more functional and able to live my life more fully.
Katherine B.
Lauren Wolfson is a miracle worker… I went from being curled up on my sofa, crying from the unending pain of fibromyalgia, back to my normal, active lifestyle in a surprisingly short time. She is a very astute listener, gently probing to ascertain clues as to how to individualize and tailor each and every treatment for maximal results of everything going on in my body – starting from the fibromyalgia and dealing with insomnia, seasonal allergies, stress, athletic injuries and more. Originally, I was a bit uncertain about trying acupuncture for my condition (would it hurt more?) but I was even more reluctant to go down the prescription drug treatment route. After getting recommendations for acupuncture in general and Lauren Wolfson in particular, I decided to try it. I felt an improvement from my very first treatment. I have complete trust in Lauren’s abilities to figure out and treat imbalance in the human body, so much so, that when my Mom was suffering with the side effects of chemotherapy for cancer, I brought her to Lauren. My Mom’s best days during her cancer treatments were her acupuncture days because she would feel better, be able to eat, and sleep soundly. Lauren’s care and compassion for me, my Mom and all her patients are without limit. I recommend Lauren without hesitation.
Sandi F.
I suffer from trigeminal neuralgia (TN), a very painful disease. I’ve been very fortunate with the relief that acupuncture has provided me. In my case, acupuncture has been a success of the highest order as I am now pain free. I would urge anyone with TN to try it. My TN started in March of 2010. The first attacks would sometimes last for hours at a time, and I could do nothing to relieve the pain. The pain from my TN episodes was localized in my lower right jaw (think of a root canal conducted with an ice pick, with no Novocain, and with electric shocks thrown in for good measure). Over time, the attacks changed from a constant, overwhelming pain, to much shorter, but equally painful, attacks. The attacks were set off by the simplest acts, such as brushing my teeth, chewing, talking, kissing my wife, washing my face, turning my head, leaning over to pet the dog, or even by the lightest touch of a tissue across my lips when I blew my nose. My wife (a long-time recipient of acupuncture) had long been after me to try acupuncture as a means of controlling or at least mitigating, the effects of TN. Interestingly enough, both my neurologist and my internist were totally in favor of me seeing an acupuncturist, noting that anything that offered the possibility of pain relief was worth pursuing. So, in June I began acupuncture treatments with Lauren Wolfson, at Family Acupuncture Center in Denville. I was initially quite skeptical about acupuncture, especially at my first treatment. Lauren told me that we would be concentrating on the meridians that course through the right side of my face, and that made sense to me. The acupuncture needles, however, were placed in my lower left leg (if I remember correctly), and I remember thinking, “What? The pain is on the right side of my face, so why are the needles in my lower left leg?” But very shortly after the needles were inserted (almost painlessly, I might add), I felt an intense tingling, throbbing, internal, almost goose-bumpish feeling in my upper right face, in the area where the trigeminal ganglion sits. I was astounded. I saw Lauren at least once a week, sometimes more often. I was pain free going into mid July, then had a brief relapse for about a month. The attacks were of shorter duration, but still quite painful. Lauren then tried a different acupuncture technique and by mid-August of 2010 I was again pain free. The attacks suddenly started again in July of 2011. My acupuncture treatments at that time were devoted to a hip problem I was having, so we’d moved away from the TN treatments. Lauren immediately started them back up. After a series of sessions, I again experienced complete relief from the pain. Currently I receive maintenance treatments to insure that the pain does not return.
Larry R.
I first met Lauren in 2003 when I was suffering from shoulder pain. I had previously spent months with a chiropractor with minimal success and then was referred to a medical specialist who did an MRI and said that I had a pinched nerve directly behind my shoulder blade. Surgery was an option but it would be challenging. My wife suggested visiting Lauren as a last option and thank goodness I did. I explained my dilemma and Lauren quickly took control. Even after just the first treatment I felt at least some relief for the first time in months. We continued weekly treatments and much to my relief the nerve recovered and I have never had a recurrence. Needless to say I became a proponent of acupuncture and Lauren's skill in particular. Since then I have had occasional aches and pains such as a trigger finger which, through a series of acupuncture treatments, have been resolved. My biggest challenge, which Lauren has helped with, is hypertension which has been treated with standard prescription medications. In addition I visit Lauren regularly and she keeps a log of my progress as well as treatments specifically to assist in lowering my BP. She always provides good advice as well as alternative meds. In the many years that I have known Lauren I am always impressed with her sincerity and skill. She really cares and I am happy to recommend her to friends and strangers alike. Timothy L.
After a few years of fertility challenges, I decided to have a consultation at a well-known fertility center. After an evaluation of my records, an exam and blood work, the fertility doctor informed us that our best opportunity to have a child would be through use of a donor egg. At that time I had recently turned 41 years old and this news was devastating. A few weeks later, I discussed these results with my primary care physician during a routine appointment. She recommended that I try acupuncture to promote my fertility naturally. I had no knowledge of acupuncture's benefits for fertility. I found Lauren Wolfson during my research to educate myself on acupuncture.
The journey to become pregnant in the face of fertility issues can be disappointing, frustrating and sad. During my first appointment with Lauren, I felt encouraged and for the first time in years, I had hope. Her professionalism, encouragement and her skills were invaluable to me. Although I was not certain if acupuncture would lead me to a successful pregnancy, I was sure that I was doing something healthy for my mind and body. Lauren taught me to track my basal body temperature while she adjusted the weekly sessions according to my cycle. Eventually the treatments were successful and I became pregnant! I had my beautiful, healthy baby boy at 43 years old. I am grateful for Lauren's expertise and for her unwavering support and encouragement.
Patty D.
Back in late 2000 I began to see Lauren to get some help for the symptoms of Fibromyalgia. Among the many benefits were a general feeling of good health, an abating of the Fibro pains and those from multiple slipped disks along with a laundry list of others. One I was not expecting, was the lack of a good cold. All of my life, I have been nagged by two annual visits of ‘The Cold’. In my case, that meant 2-3 days out of work plus a week or two of residual effects. I hadn’t noticed that my annual February cold didn’t appear in 2001. I also didn’t notice when I did not get the traditional November cold either. Eventually, in the summer of 2002, I mentioned to Lauren that I had not suffered the traditional cold for what was then 3 cycles. She readily admitted that the treatments I had been receiving would have that benefit as well. That was 10 years ago. Since then I have had ONE cold. And that was during Lauren’s maternity leave. I told her she can’t have any more kids – lest it interfere with my good health! Don E.
I fell off the front stoop at our home and everyone heard the snapping sound. Later that Friday evening, the hospital confirmed that I had come close to tearing a ligament off the bone in my foot. All weekend long I was in so much pain that I could not even set my foot on the floor from my office chair. It was excruciating. On Monday I visited Lauren to see if she could relieve the pain. I thought bringing her some acute pain would be a challenge for her. Not so. With a single pin to my right wrist, the pain in my left foot subsided to the point where I could stand on it with only minor discomfort. Later that day, when I visited the local Orthopedist, I was met with extreme skepticism that my pain was as bad as I had described and that a single, well placed needle could have that much of an effect. No amount of convincing could change his mind, despite my being the living proof. A fine example of traditional medicine not being open minded enough to accept treatments that they do not understand. Don E.
My husband Max has been suffering from back pain practically all the time since I have known him. The cause is his herniated vertebra L5-S1. The pain would occasionally become so bad he could not go to work. He consulted local doctors and eventually the famous Doctor Kraus in Manhattan. When he became older, the pain shifted from the spine to his buttock and to the sciatica nerve. We tried a new set of doctors, including an orthopedist, and a pain management specialist who would give him injections in the hospital under x-ray monitoring, but nothing really helped. Then our dentist who felt sorry for Max when he saw how painful it was for him just to sit, suggested we see Lauren Wolfson at Family Acupuncture Center in Denville. Finally it was there that Max’s condition gradually improved and he actually became pain free. Initially he received treatments 1x/week and now is on 1x/ month maintenance schedule. If he skips his treatments for a longer period of time then the pain will begin to return and he is reminded that he needs to continue with these maintenance treatments. That is not much of a hardship for avoiding back pain at the age of 93! Besides he loves Lauren Wolfson and feels her treatments are wonderful. Dudi S.
October 2015 was the start of a very bad year for me health wise. Two years prior I had been diagnosed with diverticulosis. As a result of testing (MRI, etc.) a very small tumor was discovered on my duodenum. The medical doctors thought this growth was a type of benign tumor that is common and of no threat or consequence. But they all agreed that it should be watched (MRI every six months or so) and if it grew larger or changed shape (a sign that it could possibly become malignant) it should be removed. The thought was that it would remain stable. For two years there was no change, but that was not to last as it eventually did change size and shape. A PET scan then revealed more bad news as I was told "it lit up like a Christmas tree" which meant that it had turned malignant. Surgery was scheduled and I was in the operating room within a few days. During the operation the surgeon found the tumor was not where they thought it was but rather it was on my pancreas. It was a small tumor although malignant. The doctor decided to do a whipple procedure which basically removes the duodenum, head of the pancreas and a portion of the large intestine because the tumor was entangled in these tissues. The "good" news was the tumor was now gone and only one lymph node was showing any cancer cells. With all the tissues removed that had cancer cells, no chemotherapeutic treatment was needed. The type of pancreatic cancer was a neuroendocrine pancreatic tumor which is a very slow growing tumor. After a few days I should have been released from the hospital but you need to have a bowel movement before release. I felt great but I had no appetite. I forced myself to eat to get out of the hospital. I finally passed a little gas and they let me go home. For the following week I tried to eat but every time I ate or drank I would vomit every thing back up. The doctors had me return to the hospital and I was diagnosed with gastroparesis (paralyzed intestines). For three months I was in the hospital more than I was out. I was being sustained by TPN, a system of feeding nutrients intravenously 24 hours a day continuously. All during this time I could not eat or drink anything by mouth and was unable to have a bowel movement on my own. The only thing keeping me alive was the TPN. Gastroparesis in most cases only lasts a few days to a few weeks however it can be permanent. After three months in the hospital I was sent home and told I may be on the TPN for the rest of my life, however long that may be. My daughter had been doing much research on the subject and read a small article about how acupuncture had been helpful in cases of gastroparesis. I had been a former patient of Lauren Wolfson some years before and had a successful treatment for a shoulder problem so I asked my daughter to make an appointment. We left a message for Lauren and she returned our call promptly. She said she had not had any experience with this condition but she would do research on it. During my first acupuncture treatment I heard and felt gurgling in my intestines that I hadn't hear or felt for three months. I returned home to await my next appointment in two days. We had thought treatment twice a week may be needed for a few weeks to get things working, which seemed very reasonable to me. That night as I was sleeping I awoke with a feeling that I needed to move my bowels. Sure enough I did. I couldn't believe that acupuncture worked so quickly! I called my doctor and he was more than thrilled and started me on a liquid diet and slowly changed my diet to a solid diet. Things became better and better over time. Today the intestines are functioning normally and I am l cancer free. I still come for treatment with Lauren as I believe my overall health has improved because of acupuncture and Lauren's skill. I thank Lauren for saving my life, as I believe that she is the reason I am still here. My surgeon and metabolic doctor are now "Believers" in acupuncture and get treatment themselves and recommend it to some of their patients. My metabolic doctor who also teaches metabolic medicine, now uses my case in lectures to make young doctors understand that sometimes Alternative medicine should be considered. Thank you Lauren, I will always be grateful for your skill. Robert K.
I came to Ms. Wolfson for acupuncture in June 2017 for the treatment of severe facial pain and debilitating, chronic headaches. I had already sought treatment from a dentist, an ENT doctor and was next scheduled to see a neurologist. My primary care doctor suggested I try acupuncture and highly recommended Lauren Wolfson. At first I was highly nervous about the idea of needles but was quickly put at ease by Ms. Wolfson's calm, friendly and professional manner. The acupuncture was so effective that from my first visit I could stop taking my pain medication! Along with healing my facial pain and headaches, Ms. Wolfson has also helped me significantly with my acid reflux problem and upper back/shoulder pain. I cannot thank her enough for restoring my quality of life. Lynda R.
Relatively new to acupuncture....Ariel is great and always targeted with the treatment after a brief check-in. There is a lot more to acupuncture than treating pain-- always feel refresh after my visit. Howard M.
Experienced, professional, considerate and caring. The treatments gave an overall positive feeling well beyond the intended purpose. Cheers! Mickey J.
I have chronic sciatica from a fall and Lauren is my saving grace - not only does her treatment help me get through some really excruciating pain but since i've been seeing her my over health and chi are more in balance.
i feel great after every treatment and go home and sleep like a baby. i highly recommend anyone seeking alternative medical modalities should make an appointment. love our conversations too! Lisa T.