I had Gwyneth Paltrow's acupuncturist read my tongue map

When Paul finished, he turned on an LED light over my decorative handiwork and casually mentioned that LEDs were developed by NASA to heal astronauts' skin wounds. As a long-time fan of LEDs and their ability to improve skin texture and tone using infrared light, I was already a fan of this acupuncture add-on treatment. “Acupuncture triggers an internal healing response,” he tells me, noting that the needle punctures are not so strong that additional healing support from LEDs is required, but the light still promotes tissue health.

Then he started to leave the room, but not before I asked how much longer I would be there. “About two or three days,” he joked. A classic Paul trick I was starting to notice – the jokes – that makes him seem less like a wellness practitioner and more like a best friend. Thankfully, it was only 20 to 25 minutes. Although he told me that acupuncture needles should only be left in for 40 minutes, I'm not quite there yet.

When he returns, he is armed with a bottle of Peekay's Herbs, one of the healing herbal elixirs he makes at his private downtown studio, I Love Acupuncture. “Two teaspoons of Chiropractor in a Bottle daily will relieve pain while strengthening musculoskeletal tissue,” he says, to my relief. Physical therapy? No thanks, but herbal tonics? I can get on board with that. This one in particular is packed with turmeric to relieve joint pain, saffron to reduce inflammation, and, according to the website, 36 other ingredients. Between Chinese quince fruit, oyster shells, peony root, and Devil's ClawThere must be something in there that helps with the pain, right?

The many claws on the ingredient list (cat's claw is included) is what piqued my interest the most. As Paul explains to me, unlike Western and European herbalism, he doesn't often use individual herbs in isolation. “There are many similarly effective, yet unique herbs that really help complement each other for better results.” Hey, if it helps with my sacral pain, I'll take it any day.

On the drive home I decided to google the acupuncturist Paul, as I am always curious, because he gave next level Healer vibes. As usual, my suspicions were correct. He's one of Gwyneth Paltrow's personal acupuncturists – maybe you remember her trying facial acupuncture on Insta a few years ago? Yes, that was Paul.