Your health is not just a collection of isolated symptoms; it is a reflection of your nervous system, your environment, and your history. Standard medicine often compartmentalizes the body—a specialist for your back pain, another for your hormones, another for your anxiety.
At Brooklyn Qi, we take a different approach. We treat the ecosystem. In TCM everything is related, organ systems have connections with each other, so when one system is out of balance, we see it in other organ systems as well. Our approach is to treat the whole system, bringing it all into balance.
Where Biology Meets Biography.
We practice Neuro-Somatic Medicine. This means we recognize that the physical body (soma) and the nervous system (neuro) are locked in a continuous feedback loop.
You cannot fix digestive issues or hormonal imbalances if the body is stuck in a chronic "fight or flight" (sympathetic) state. By utilizing acupuncture, targeted bodywork, and Jungian coaching, our primary goal is to shift your autonomic nervous system back into a relaxed state that allows for recovery of all the organ systems. At that point, we can use TCM to work with the affected systems that need attention. Once the nervous system feels safe, the body's innate healing mechanisms turn back on.
Ancient Wisdom, Clinical Outcomes.
Chinese Medicine is one of the most sophisticated, time-tested medical systems in the world. We do not view it as "alternative" medicine, but as functional medicine.
We translate ancient concepts like "Qi Stagnation" into modern physiological terms like "myofascial restriction" and "inflammation." We use evidence-based protocols to influence blood flow (hemodynamics), regulate the HPA-axis (stress response), and modulate the immune system.
Agency in Your Healing.
We are your clinical partners, but you are the authority on your own body. We prioritize open dialogue, patient education, and active listening. We want you to understand why we are selecting certain points or herbs so that you can participate actively in your own recovery and resilience.
Common Questions
Is acupuncture evidence-based?
Yes, within a defined scope. Acupuncture has a robust evidence base for pain management, nausea, headache, and certain fertility applications — with clinical trial data sufficient to support Medicare coverage for chronic low back pain and inclusion in major hospital integrative medicine programs. For other conditions such as hormonal regulation, anxiety, and insomnia, the mechanistic evidence is strong and growing, though the clinical trial literature is less extensive. At Brooklyn Qi, treatment protocols are informed by both classical TCM theory and current research in neuromodulation, hemodynamics, and psychoneuroimmunology.
What does "neuro-somatic" mean in practice?
It means we treat the nervous system and the physical body as inseparable. A herniated disc cannot heal efficiently in a body that is chronically flooded with cortisol. Hormones cannot regulate in a nervous system stuck in sympathetic dominance. Before targeting a specific organ system or condition, we assess and address the autonomic state — using acupuncture, bodywork, and coaching to create the physiological conditions in which healing becomes possible. The specific TCM work happens on top of that foundation.
How is this different from a standard acupuncture practice?
Most acupuncture practices focus on symptom management through TCM point selection alone. Brooklyn Qi integrates acupuncture with medical bodywork, Jungian coaching, functional nutrition, and somatic meditation — not as upsells, but as a coherent clinical system. Liz draws on her background as a Licensed Acupuncturist, Certified Birth Doula, Jungian Life Coach, and Yoga Instructor to design treatment plans that address the physiological, structural, and psychological dimensions of each presentation simultaneously.
Do you work with other healthcare providers?
Yes — collaborative care is a core part of the Brooklyn Qi model. Liz works regularly alongside Reproductive Endocrinologists, OBs, midwives, orthopedic surgeons, physical therapists, psychiatrists, and psychotherapists. Treatment notes and clinical reasoning are available to share with your provider team on request. The goal is always to function as a seamlessly integrated part of your broader care, not a parallel track.
Serving Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Gowanus, Kensington, Fort Greene, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Bushwick, Sunset Park, Downtown Brooklyn, and neighboring communities in Brooklyn and NYC.