How did you first get started in alternative medicine?

I was influenced and inspired by my father, who was one of the most distinguished professors of surgery in China, an advocate of Chinese medicine, and Qi Gong master. It was natural for me to follow in his footsteps of medicine, since my mother and many relatives were doctors, including my sister and brother.

In China, when I was eighteen, I was sent to the countryside to care for the sick as a Barefoot doctor. It was out of necessity to combine Chinese medicine with Western medicine in order to treat those living far away from hospitals. This vast experience in the field deepened my understanding of hands-on medicine and healing.

What is your educational background, and how have you prepared yourself for your practice?

After I received my M.D. in both Chinese and Western medicine at the Sun Yat Sen Medical School in Canton, China in 1976, I became a Senior Physician at the Cardiovascular Institute and Provincial Hospital, practicing both traditional and Western medicine. While there, I met Dr. Michael Weiner, a renowned colleague, who was visiting from the University of California, San Francisco. He invited me to work at UCSF doing the most advanced research in Western medicine — magnetic resonance imaging.

• In1983, I finished my postdoctoral fellowship at the UCSF Medical Center and earned a fellowship award from the American Heart Association. After completing my fellowship, I wanted to help patients with my knowledge of Chinese medicine and Western medicine. Therefore, I was excited to open a private practice with Deirdra Claiborne, whom I met at UCSF in 1981, where she was practicing acupuncture. We opened the Acupuncture Herbal Center in San Rafael, California.

• In 1998, I was elected as a council member for the World Federation of Traditional Chinese Orthopedics.

• In 2000, I received a Ph.D. in Oriental Medicine Research with a Specialization in Chinese Orthopedics and Gynecology.

As a result of my interdisciplinary training and education, I have integrated the traditional medical technologies of China and the United States. This comprehensive knowledge enables me to understand and successfully treat patients with complicated conditions.

Can you tell us about acupuncture and how your patients benefit from it?

Acupuncture is the insertion of ultra-fine needles to specific points along energy meridians of the body to stimulate the energy and help to unblock congested areas, encouraging the body to begin healing itself. Many conditions are relieved and often permanently alleviated using acupuncture, herbal remedies, and cupping. When I create a treatment plan for a patient, I utilize traditional Chinese diagnostic skills and the patient history. I try to expedite the healing process starting with the first treatment because of my quick assessment of the patient’s condition. If necessary, I recommend my patent herbal formulas or raw herbs custom-made for each patient. Some of my specialties include complicated orthopedic conditions, gynecological disorders, cardiovascular disease and female & male fertility.

 Would you share with us some of your case histories?

• A female patient who was diagnosed with premature ovarian failure by her gynecologist. The patient had a 3-year-old daughter but wanted another child. She tried Western fertility treatments without success. After four months of my acupuncture and herbal treatments, she began to show signs of pregnancy. Nine months later, she delivered a healthy baby boy whom she named Samuel in honor of me.

• A 37-year-old woman tried to get pregnant for over 4 years. Fertility assessments with her gynecologist showed that she had no abnormalities, but her husband’s semen count was far below the normal range. Their physician recommended in-vitro fertilization, but they chose to try acupuncture first. Since the man had irreversible atrophy of the testicles caused by a childhood case of mumps, the couple accepted my recommendation of compensatory treatments for the female. In two months, she was pregnant and delivered a seven-pound, healthy baby. This shows that when male fertility is low, we can enhance female fertility to succeed in pregnancy, and vice versa.

• One of my female patients had back and neck pain and menopausal symptoms at the age of 52. Her primary physician diagnosed degenerative disc disease and gave her anti-inflammatory drugs. Because she could not tolerate the side effects of the medications, she came to me for treatments. I treated her with acupuncture and my special herbal formulas. I also applied an herbal plaster at the pain sites. Three months later, she was pain-free, with significantly reduced menopausal symptoms.

What are your major achievements in the field of Chinese medicine?
I am the founder of micro-dialectic analyses of Wang’s Classification: a systematic diagnostic tool created to analyze complicated infertility cases, orthopedic conditions and diseases in contemporary Chinese medicine. My achievements in non-mechanical back and neck pain and in female fertility have gained international recognition, receiving awards at the World Conference of Traditional Medicine in the year 2000.

Would you like to share anything else about yourself?

I am a proud father, with a great compassion and love for all children. Of all my achievements, I receive the most satisfaction and fulfillment when I ease the suffering of a child. And when I successfully treat an infertile couple with acupuncture and herbs, I feel as if I have enriched their world. I am also in favor of working with infertile couples who choose to combine in-vitro fertilization with Chinese medicine, which enhances their success rate.

Dr. Wang as a young physician in China