I have been providing acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine Services since 2000. I graduated from Bastyr University in Seattle, WA. I have studied internationally in China and South Korea. I am a certified executive level Balance Method Practitioner, certified by the International Dermatology Association, and have studied with Jeffery Yuen who is part of the core curriculum at Daoist Traditions College of Chinese Medical Arts. I am adept at treating a large variety of illnesses including pain, neurological disorders, infertility, dermatological disease, and chronic inflammatory illnesses. My knowledge of standard care allows for a collaborative development of informed and effective treatment plans.

When I started college it was with the intent of studying medicine in graduate school. My father and grandfather are at the core of my inspiration to study medicine. They are osteopathic doctors who practiced family practice medicine in rural communities. They also continued the hands-on practice of osteopathic manipulative therapies, which is a method of adjusting the bones of the sacrum, spine, and cranium to provide optimal flow of cerebral spinal fluid to prevent and treat illnesses.

These osteopathic treatments that I received from my father and grandfather as I grew up made me realize that there is more to medicine and healing than pharmaceuticals and surgery. My desire was to become a bridge in the gap between modern scientific medicine and traditional medicines. It was while studying chemistry at Warren Wilson College, and exploring different “antique” medical modalities, that I discovered Chinese medicine. I was attracted to it because of its sophistication in the disciplines of herbal medicine, diet, meditation, and martial arts (exercise). I believe these to be important pillars in optimizing health as well as treating disease. I decided to move to Seattle to study Chinese medicine at Bastyr University.

I received a Master of Science in Acupuncture degree from Bastyr in 2000. My international studies include programs in South Korea and China. I studied infertility at Conmaul Oriental Hospital and completed a clinical internship at KyungHee University in Seoul, South Korea. I studied neurological conditions and learned specific methods for stroke rehabilitation at Tianjin Hospital in China. After receiving my Washington state acupuncture license in 2000, I began working at an integrated clinic in Seattle. During that time I also provided acupuncture in a teenage outreach program. It was in 2004 that my wife and I decided to move with our then three-year-old son to Asheville and extend our family. In 2005, our daughter was born.

I was invited to join the Chinese Acupuncture and Herbology Clinic in 2006. While there I served both the Asheville and Hendersonville communities until 2024. In 2008 I received privileges to treat patients with acupuncture at Asheville Specialty Hospital and Care Partner’s Rehab Hospital. I continue to maintain my hospital privileges. For a decade I taught acupuncture and herbal medicine classes at Daoist Traditions College of Chinese Medical Art, including microsystems, scalp acupuncture, electroacupuncture, pediatrics, and patent medicines. In 2006, I discovered the therapeutic value of the Balance Method and became a dedicated pupil of the late Dr. Richard Teh-Fu Tan and his successor Eileen Han Ph.D, L.Ac. Since then I have been committed to the application of the Balance Method in both my practice and my continued education. The instant results that are achieved with this method keep me inspired and enthusiastic about the practice of acupuncture. It is especially satisfying and exciting for me and the patient when treating pain. In 2019, I received an Executive Level Balance Method certification for my study and experience with applying the balance method. I am a teaching faculty member of The Academy of Acupuncture; the Academy is dedicated to the importance of the Balance Method as a critical tool for diagnosis and treatment.

Throughout 2022 - 2023 I was a student of Mazin Al-Khafaji and completed his dermatology course. Upon successfully passing the end of course examination, I was added to the directory of practitioners for the International TCM Dermatology Association. I continue to study with Mazin Al-Khafaji in order to improve my knowledge, stay current with, and gain more experience with the treatment of dermatological and other auto-immune, inflammatory diseases. The rising incidents of these types of diseases and Mazin’s pragmatic, results driven methodology inspired me to further my expertise on using Chinese herbal medicine to address these problems. The standard care for these types of diseases suppress symptoms at best often with consequential side effects. With Chinese herbal medicine the internal imbalances that lead to the inflammatory state can be corrected, stabilized, and ultimately the herbal medicine treatment can be removed while maintaining the renewed healthy state of the body.

I have experience working with diverse conditions. I especially enjoy working with pain, stroke rehabilitation, fertility, and dermatological conditions. I continue to focus on expanding my knowledge of Chinese Medicine with continued education, mentoring, and acupuncture humanitarian projects. I strive to be an expert at Chinese Herbal medicine and Acupuncture exposing myself to many different clinical specialties as well as methodologies. Patients have described me as a good listener, sensitive, solution oriented, and empowering.

I have been an active member and player with the ABASA soccer league since 2004. In addition to loving to play soccer I have also enjoyed volunteering to coach recreational soccer leagues. I am particularly enthusiastic about the team dynamics of soccer and find it full of enriching opportunity for the players and coaches. More individualized sports I enjoy include kayaking, snowboarding, and hiking. Gardening has been a passion since I was a teenager and I have never had a growing season since without a garden to tend. In the last 4 years I started making pottery again. The resurgence of this craft that I initially learned as a teenager was desire to share the experience with my daughter. She is rapidly exceeding my pottery skills and is on her way to a master potter skill level if she chooses to continue its pursuit.