My Story

My passion for Oriental Medicine stems from a long background in martial arts and eastern philosophy. I spent many years before college reading Taoist philosophy and practicing both the physical and mental aspects of martial arts. At the same time my dream was to study medicine. While preparing for medical school at the University of Pennsylvania I began studying a style of fighting that used pressure points to incapacitate your opponents. One night, our teacher was a little rough on one of the students and managed to knock him out with a combination of strikes.

At first, I was amazed that you could knock someone out with just these simple point strikes. However, what changed my life, was when our teacher started rubbing other points on the unconscious student, that revived the student with no ill side-effects from being knocked out. Needless to say I was hooked, and I had to learn more. I began studying Tai Chi and Qi Gong, two styles of martial arts that presented something more meaningful than any other style I had learned before. Along with this my teacher began to show me the "other" uses for these magical points.

From then on, my dreams of becoming a conventional western doctor fled, and my pursuit of a more holistic form of medicine began. My first formal training in Oriental Medicine came while studying at the East China Normal University in Shanghai, China where I interned with the worldís best Tui-na doctors. There I watched the doctors knowledgable in both Chinese and western medicine present a model of medicine that successfully combined them to not only treat and prevent disease, but to promote health and well-being.

I went on to complete a 4 year program at the oldest acupuncture school in the country, the New England School of Acupuncture. There I received my Masters of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, a dual degree with focuses on Chinese and Japanese techniques, Herbal Medicine, and Chinese Classical Texts. My clinical training came from three places; the Dimock Community Health Clinic in Roxbury, MA, the NESA Clinic in Watertown, MA, and the AIDS Care Project in Boston, MA. All three places provided a wide variety of patients with whom almost all had tremendous success. Particular cases with wonderful recovery were patients with low back pain, dizziness (labyrinthitis), acid reflux, infertility, TMJ, childhood muscular dystrophy (pain from life in a wheelchair) and irregular menstruation. Additionally, I treated many patients suffering from HIV/AIDS, and helped them regain vigor and deal with side-effects from their regiments of medication particularly chronic diarrhea and neuropathy.

I have sinced brought my practice to Center City, Philadelphia and formed a wellness center that combines traditional and complimentary medicine all under one roof, much as I learned in China. After 5 years on South Street, in 2006 we moved to a new location at 2nd and Chestnut and the Healing Arts Center of Philadelphia was born. All under one roof we have a Chiropractor, Podiatrist, Physiatrist, Massage Therapist and a movement studio for Yoga and Tai Chi instruction.

Over the past 6 years I have developed a specialty of treating infertility and have been featured in Philadelphia Magazine, Philly Style, and CBS Health Watch. Even before the famous German IVF study came out I was helping couples who were trying on their own to conceive. I have pioneered bringing Acupuncture to the major fertility clinics in the Philadelphia and New Jersey area including the Women's Institute, Main Line Fertility, Northern Fertility, Penn Fertility, RSI, & Cooper Fertility. I invented the IVF Challenge with the purpose of giving couples an option other than western medicine for natural, healthy conception.

As many have asked, YES, I treat things other than infertility. I know my way well around Headaches, Back Pain, Asthma, Stroke Rehabilitation, Anxiety and much more. I hope to continue to be of help in bridging the gap between Eastern and Western medicine and to provide quality care to those in need. I currently sit on the Executive Board of the Association for Professional Acupuncture in Pennsylvania and actively work to promote access to Oriental Medicine for all patients.