Ayurvedic Practitioners and Chinese Medicine, Acupuncture and Western herbal healers in Berkeley, Oakland, Emeryville, El Cerrito, San Mateo, Redwood City, the San Francisco Bay, plus Palo Alto, Marin, Santa Rosa, Ukiah, Mendocino, Mill Valley, Palo Alto, Santa Clara, San Jose, Silicon Valey: Medicine Buddha Healing Center: Ayur-veda & Traditional Western Medicine: ayurvedic therapy : Pancha-Karma, ( panchakarma ), Indian ayurvedic herbs, ayurveda acupressure massage, acupuncture, Ayurvedic healing, ayurveda therapy, vata pitta kapha constituional medicine, Tibetan Medicine. This graphic is either reprinted with permission or is made available under the "fair use" provision (17 USC §107) of the U.S. Copyright Act for research and non-profit educational and religious purposes only. Picture source: http://community.webshots.com/photo/2866967/15808348gsxQrfQDEs White Beauty by By Luís Peres

 

Medicine Buddha Healing Center

"We do House-Calls" - Indo-Tibetan Ayurvedic and Chinese
Herbal Medicine and Acupuncture
 www.Ayurveda-Berkeley.com - Acupuncturists and Ayurveda in Santa Clara, San Jose, Silicon Valley, Palo Alto, San Francisco, San Mateo, Marin County, Mill Valley, San Rafael, Walnut Creek, Concord, Berkeley, Oakland, Santa Rosa, and Mendocino Communities

Consultations are held at our Downtown Berkeley Medicine Buddha Healing Center clinic at CALL FOR ADDRESS McKinley Avenue, (1 block west of Martin Luther King at Addison Way) Berkeley, 94703 - a 6 minute, 3 block walk from the Downtown Berkeley Shattuck BART (Addison Avenue Stairs Exit) station.

Director: Rev. Losang Michael Reid Kreuzer, D.Ayur, M.A.H., Ph.D Buddhist Ayurveda   (1) 510-292-6696  Call to Book Appointment www.Ayurveda-Berkeley.com     Please CALL US, no e-mail available to the public

 
 

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM):
Herbology, Tui Na Massage, Acupressure/Acupuncture

Acupuncture is one of the oldest, most commonly used systems of healing in the world. Originating in China some 3,500 years ago, only in the last three decades has it become popular in the United States. In 1993, the Food and Drug Administration estimated that Americans made up to 12 million visits per year to acupuncture practitioners and spent upwards of half a billion dollars on acupuncture treatments. Traditional Chinese medicine hold that there are as many as 2,000 acupuncture points on the human body, which are connected by 20 pathways (12 main, 8 secondary) called meridians. These meridians conduct energy, or qi (pronounced "chi"), between the surface of the body and its internal organs. Each point has a different effect on the qi that passes through it.
"Maintaining order rather than correcting disorder is the ultimate principle of wisdom. To cure disease after it has appeared is like digging a well when one already feels thirst, or forging weapons after the war has already begun." 

    - from the "Huang Di Nei Jing" - ancient medical text from China, circa 100 B.C.E.

 

The ultimate purpose of both Ayurveda and Chinese Medicine is give self-less help (relentless joyful service - Seva) to ALL living beings to realize liberation (Bodhi-Moksha) and cessation (nirodha) of all suffering by 1. understanding, 2. preventing, 3. avoiding, and 4. removing the causes (samudaya) of suffering (dukkha) using a time-tested path and a clinically-proven method (Dharma marga).


Traditional Chinese Medicine, abbreviated as TCM, is an ancient system of health care which dates back at least three thousand years in China. The principles and foundations of this medicine are so sophisticated that it has prevailed over the centuries for people of all cultures and lifestyles. TCM utilizes a combination of techniques: acupuncture, moxabustion, acupressure, qigong (energy work), Chinese herbs, tui na (massage), and tai chi (therapeutic exercise). TCM does not focus on treating an illness or disease-states as does Western medicine, but instead observes the underlying causes of imbalances and patterns of disharmony in the body. Treatment is based on how the illness energetically manifests in a particular individual. 

Acupuncture, the most common subset of TCM in the West, involves the insertion of sterilized disposable needles into acupoints. A less invasive version of acupuncture is called acupressure. Acupressure, a TCM technique which involves gentle or forceful stylus or finger pressure on acupoints, allows the release of muscle tension and blocked qi. Acupressure is still very effective even though the needle stimulation is replaced with the stimulation provided by a stylus or the fingers of the practitioner.  Central to this modality (both acupuncture and acupressure) is the concept of Qi, the vital universal life force. Qi flows along energy pathways in the body termed meridians. The twelve major meridians are named according to the organ through which they flow. There are innumerable acupoints on each meridian, but 365 primary acupoints. Inserting needles at these points allows the flow of Qi or energy to rebalance and readjust. This theory is based on the scientific understanding that human beings are complex bioelectric systems.

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The human body is a microcosm of the natural world; therefore, the language of Oriental medicine is imbued with metaphors of the earth and the elements. The Five Phase theory deals with the five elements: fire, earth, metal, water, and wood. Each of the elements has a corresponding yin and yang organ. These Chinese characters mean "Yin" and "Yang" in Chinese. Qi is believed to help regulate balance in the body. It is influenced by the opposing forces of yin and yang, which represent positive and negative energy and forces in the universe and human body. Acupuncture is believed to keep the balance between yin and yang, thus allowing for the normal flow of qi throughout the body and restoring health to the mind and body. Each of the organs nourishes or is nourished by another organ. In the same way, an organ can also inhibit the function of another organ. The primary meridians in the body are all connected to these organs. The body is a dynamic interplay between the forces of Yin-Yang, the polar opposites that are interdependent and interconsuming. When one understands and lives the philosophy of yin-yang which is balance and harmony between all things in nature and all things within oneself, then it becomes clear why this holistic perspective becomes a continual healing process.

Although Chinese Medicine, Chinese herbology, Tuina Chinese massage, acupressure, and acupuncture are more effective for chronic conditions, they can also be used for acute illnesses. The World Health Organization lists 104 conditions which acupuncture can treat. To name a few: sinusitis, the common cold, tonsillitis, asthma, addictions, myopia, gynecological and gastrointestinal disorders, stroke paralysis, sciatica, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid conditions, and hormonal and mental imbalances. It has also been operative in treating allergies, headaches, migraines, high blood pressure, gallbladder disease, and diabetes. Some evidence suggests that this modality can also treat environmentally-induced illnesses such as radiation, pesticide poisoning, toxic compounds, and air pollution.

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Chinese Medicine and Herbal or Acupuncture / Acupressure Therapies:

Chinese healing modalities focus on the principle of movement. When energy is stuck in the body it is due to blockages of Qi in the meridians, resulting in patterns of dysfunction. The three main factors that lead to imbalance are emotions, climate, and life-style. Once the conditions disappear, so do the causes of the illness. However, the best cure is always prevention. There is an old saying that a man is not sick because he has an illness, but has an illness because he is sick. This implies that a disease-state exists prior to illness, allowing the illness to take hold of the body. 

A TCM practitioner obtains a detailed clinical observation of a client to discern the overall patterns of disharmony or imbalance in the individual. On one hand, sometimes people with very different symptoms but the same pattern of disharmony can have similar treatments. On the other hand, some clients with very similar symptoms need to be treated with very different regimens. She must discern the effect of a person’s social, environmental, and seasonal factors. Thus, the practitioner’s skill is crucial in a diagnosis because he uses his own judgment, intuition, and experience.

In conclusion, Chinese Medicine is a modality whose magnitude and ability to heal the human body is still not fully uncovered here in the West. The future shows great promise for increasing Chinese Medicine education and therapy in the West. It is not only education about a modality, but also a philosophy, a way of life. The greatest strength of TCM lies in the fact that its approach includes and moves beyond issues of just physical health.

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Sheng-wei Lan, L.Ac., M.S.TCM, Ph. D - Chinese Ayurvedic Herbalist Specialist:

[\  Sheng-wei Lan, L.Ac, M.S.TCM, M.A.H., D.Ayur, Ph.D
Chinese Ayurvedic Herbalist Specialist, Licensed Acupuncturist
 Master Herbalist, Diplomate of Ayurveda, Ayurvedic Practitioner,
Doctor of Philosophy in Buddhist Healing Ayurveda ,
Pastoral Counselor, Center Co-DirectorOne of our two main Berkeley Acupuncturist Chinese Medicine Practitioners and a Himalayan Herbalist, Rev. Sheng-wei Lan, L.Ac., MSTCM, M.A.H., D.Ayur, Ph.D was formally trained in a 3-Year Chinese Medicine Masters degree program at the Oakland Acupuncturist Chinese Medicine college called Academy of Chinese Culture and Health Sciences. Sheng-wei has also apprenticed extensively with Losang Jinpa, senior student in the American Ayurveda lineage of world-renowed Indian Ayur-Vedic Physician, Doctor Vasant Lad, B.A.M.S. (graduated in 1964), M.A.Sc. (Indian medicine post-graduate degree in 1974), from Pune, India with 38 + years of clinical Ayurvedic experience in Indian Ayurveda. A 2003 graduate of the Ayurveda Healing Arts Institute’s "Chinese - Ayurvedic Herbalist Specialist" program, since 2003 Sheng-wei has continued her advanced “Gurukula” Ayurvedic-TCM clinical study, where she has administered more than 16000 needles and seen numerous patients in the San Francisco East Bay Area. Sheng-wei's 6 years of serious full-time alternative medicine study included Indian - Chinese Medicine - Chiropractic theory and Buddhist healing. Sheng-wei's primary Buddhist healing practice is chanting Buddhist mantras such as this Medicine Buddha Mantra, the Shurangama Mantra, the Great Compassion Mantra so as to potentize the herbal medicine therapies of of Asia based on the Taoist - Buddhist - Confucian - Yogic classics.

Please CALL US (No e-mail available) (1) 510-292-6696

www.acupuncture-berkeley.com

Sheng-wei has completed her 4 years, 3000 hours-long Masters of Science of Traditional Chinese Medicine Degree (M.S.TCM) including Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture at the Academy of Chinese Culture and Health Sciences.  She has studied 3 years of Buddhism and has apprenticed in clinical Ayurvedic studies with Master Herbalist Michael (Losang) Reid Kreuzer, D.Ayur, Ph.D of the Ayurveda Healing Arts Institute.  As a student of Buddhist Ayurveda and the Chinese healing arts Sheng-wei offers free of charge herbal and dietary consultations to those in need.  Her Master Herbalist status is based on the American Herbalist Guild educational guidelines.  

Her second graduate degree, upon doctoral committee review of her dissertation, Ph.D - a 4700-hour Doctor of Philosophy diploma in Buddhist Ayurveda with more than 1600 hours of Indo-Tibetan Ayurveda, 1500 hours of Buddhist sutra scriptures, mantra chants, meditation and philosophy, 3280 hours of Chinese Medicine, 700 hours of Western medicine / chiropractic, and 900 hours of Chinese language, culture, poetry, and philosophy.  More than 4700 hours were spent over a seven year period earning her Ph.D coursework in Buddhist Ayurveda healing arts. 

Ph.D in Buddhist Ayurveda is a post-graduate-level religious healing-arts degree (theological science) conferring the most advanced level of academic and clinical status as a Buddhist Pastoral Counselor (Minister) to already ordained lay ministers with First Amendment Constitutional protections to practice Buddhist Ayurveda as part of a lay ordination program of the Medicine Buddha Healing Center.  Her classes, research work and writing involve a Doctoral Dissertation on the integration of Indo-Tibetan Ayurveda with Chinese Medicine.  Based primarily on 400 B.C. Vedic-Yogi Monk Charaka's Carak Samhita of the Brihat Trayi Sutras - the most ancient Ayurvedic text - analyzed from a Chinese Medicine perspective. Emphasis was not only on analysis of the Charak Samhita, but also on the the 550 A.D. Sanskrit Indian Buddhist Ayurveda classic Vagbhata's Astanga Hridayam of the Brihat Trayi Sutras, on the 700 A.D. Tibetan Medicine Four Medical Tantras (called rGyud-bzhi in Tibetan, it is based on Astanga Hridayam and on the healing teachings and mantras of the Shurangama Sutra, the Dharani Sutra and the Avatamsaka Sutra.

Click here to download Sheng-wei's Research Paper (466K MS Word Document) on "Manic Depression (Bi-Polar) with Emphasis on Treatment of Manic Aspect with Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda". 

Click here to download the PowerPoint Slides (1.1 MB) of her recent presentation at Academy of Chinese Culture and Health Sciences.

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Rev. Michael (Losang) Reid Kreuzer, D.Ayur, Ph.D - Ayurvedic Herbalist, :

Michael studied the basics of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chinese herbology and Tui Na / An Mou Oriental Massage at the International Institute of Chinese Medicine in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1999 and 2000. This graphic is either reprinted with permission or is made available under the "fair use" provision (17 USC §107) of the U.S. Copyright Act for research and non-profit educational and religious purposes only. Picture source: http://www.IICM.orgThe Medicine Buddha Healing Center's Michael (Losang) Reid Kreuzer, D.Ayur, studied with diverse Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) teachers at two different schools of Oriental Medicine, the Academy of Chinese Culture and Health Sciences (www.acchs.edu) in Oakland, California and at the International Institute of Chinese Medicine (www.IICM.org) in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  Additionally, Jinpa has studied the Chinese Medical Herbalists Training at the Institute of Chinese HerbolOne of our two main Ayurvedic Professors and Practitioners and a Himalayan Herbalist, Rev. Losang Jinpa, D.Ayur, was formally trained in a 6-Year Apprenticeship in the USA and India with world-famous Indian Ayur-Vedic Doctor, Dr. Vasant Lad, B.A.M.S. (graduated 1964), M.A.Sc. (post graduate degree 1974), from Pune, India with 33 + years of clinical experience in Indian Medicine. A 1998 graduate of the Ayurvedic Institute’s Ayurvedic Studies Program, since 1999 Michael continued his advanced “Gurukula” clinical study, where he has clinically observed his teacher Dr. Lad, treating over 1900 patients in the San Francisco Bay Area, India and New Mexico. Michael was honored to served on the faculty at the Institute where he taught Ayurvedic Materia Medica and Tibetan Medicine Seminars. Michael’s 8 years of diligent scholarship included Indo - Sino - Tibetan Medicine theory and two intense Tibetan Ayurvedic Medicine study trips to H.H. the Dalai Lama’s Tibetan Medicine & Astro Institute in the Himalayas (tibetan-medicine.org), where Michael studied with Tibetan Vaidya Dr. Kelsang Dorje. In the year 2000, Michael was one of the first Himalayan Ayurvedic Herbalists to be awarded Diplomate of Ayurveda (D.Ayur) by the American Ayurvedic Association. Michael's primary Buddhist healing practice is chanting Buddhist mantras such as this Medicine Buddha Mantra, the Great Compassion Mantra and the Shurangama Mantra so as to potentize the complementary medicine therapies of Ayur-veda, panchakarma, ayurvedic herbal medicine, Ayurvedic aromatherapy, chromotherapy and ayur-vedic nutrition based on the ancient Indian Ayur-Veda teachings of the Maharishi Charaka, Sushruta and Vagbhata, and Patanjali Yoga. ogy in Oakland, California (www.ich-herbschool.com) and the Five Element Acupressure Massage system at the Acupressure Institute in Berkeley, California (www.acupressure.com).  Jinpa continues his Chinese Herbology studies by apprenticing with Sheng-wei Lan at the Ayurveda Healing Arts Institute.

\[  Michael (Losang) Reid Kreuzer, D.Ayur, M.A.H., Ph.D
 Master Herbalist, Ayurvedic Practitioner, Pastoral Counselor,
Center Co-Founder and Director

 


Please CALL US (No e-mail available) 1-510-292-6696

Completed a Six-Year Apprenticeship with Dr. Lad observing over 1900 patient consultations and served on the faculty of Dr. Lad's Ayurvedic Institute and currently serves as the primary faculty of the Ayurveda Healing Arts Institute in Berkeley.

Download MS Word Brochure on the Ayurveda Healing Arts Institute (1 MB)

Download MS Word Brochure on the the Medicine Buddha Healing Center (3 MB)

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Membership in Professional Organizations:

American Association of Oriental Medicine (AAOM)

California Association of Ayurvedic Medicine (CAAM)

National Ayurvedic Medical Association (NAMA)


 We are a member of the American Association of Oriental Medicine. There mission is: "Promoting Integrity and Excellence in the professional practice of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine." This graphic is either reprinted with permission or is made available under the "fair use" provision (17 USC §107) of the U.S. Copyright Act for research and non-profit educational and religious purposes only. Picture source: http://www.aaom.org      C.A.A.M. supports the establishment and growth of Ayurveda as an independent healing profession in the state of California. As a non-profit professional organization, C.A.A.M. aims to safeguard the quality and integrity of Ayurvedic practice. Furthermore, C.A.A.M. serves to bring this ancient healing science into our communities through education. Our goals include professional peer support and review, public and legislative education about Ayurveda and its remarkable benefits in health and healing. The Association’s founding members are professional Ayurvedic practitioners, teachers, and students who have joined to work toward these goals. This graphic is either reprinted with permission or is made available under the "fair use" provision (17 USC §107) of the U.S. Copyright Act for research and non-profit educational and religious purposes only. Picture source: http://www.ayurveda-caam.org       The National Ayurvedic Medical Association is a national organization representing the Ayurvedic profession in The United States of America. Its mission is to preserve, protect, improve and promote the philosophy, knowledge, science and practice of Ayurveda for the benefit of humanity. The purpose of the Association is to provide leadership within the Ayurvedic profession and to promote a positive vision for Ayurveda and its holistic approach to health and wellness. We will carry out our mission by creating and implementing a dynamic strategic plan to ensure the professional growth and success of Ayurveda. This graphic is either reprinted with permission or is made available under the "fair use" provision (17 USC §107) of the U.S. Copyright Act for research and non-profit educational and religious purposes only. Picture source: http://www.ayurveda-nama.org

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Links to Acupressure / Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Web Sites:

This graphic is either reprinted with permission or is made available under the "fair use" provision (17 USC §107) of the U.S. Copyright Act for research and non-profit educational and religious purposes only.  National Institutes of Health: National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine:
        http://nccam.nih.gov/

This graphic is either reprinted with permission or is made available under the "fair use" provision (17 USC §107) of the U.S. Copyright Act for research and non-profit educational and religious purposes only.  Alternative Medicine Foundation:
        http://www.amfoundation.org

This graphic is either reprinted with permission or is made available under the "fair use" provision (17 USC §107) of the U.S. Copyright Act for research and non-profit educational and religious purposes only.  American Academy of Medical Acupuncture and Medical Acupuncture Research Foundation:
        http://www.medicalacupuncture.org

This graphic is either reprinted with permission or is made available under the "fair use" provision (17 USC §107) of the U.S. Copyright Act for research and non-profit educational and religious purposes only.  Acupuncture.com: 
        http://www.acupuncture.com

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For more information on Pancha Karma, Chinese Medicine and other healing therapeutic services and classes offered in Ayurvedic Medicine, please CALL US (no e-mail available):

Medicine Buddha Healing Center
 in Berkeley, California (click here for location of consultations)
(1) 510-292-6696   Michael (Losang) Reid Kreuzer, D.Ayur, M.A.H., Ph.D
and Sheng-wei Lan, L.Ac, MS.TCM, D.Ayur, M.A.H., Ph.D

www.Ayurveda-Berkeley.com

 

All our materials on this site are offered free-of-charge
to the public domain (without copyright)
 in service to all living beings by the Medicine Buddha Healing Center who Dedicates the Merit to the Dharma Realm.
www.Ayurveda-Berkeley.com
All Rights Reserved without Prejudice

Medicine Buddha Healing Center is a  non-profit 501(c)3 educational project of
the Medicine Buddha Wholistic Ministry and its Center and Temple (The Ksitigarbha Buddhist Monastery)
 

We are a Buddhist Ayurveda church school,
as proven by our duly and ceremonially notarized founding Articles of Association and Organization
and are hence not under any government jurisdiction whatsoever.

"The religious Association (Church), that is to say the Ministry, Institute, Center and Temple / Ksitigarbha Buddhist Monastery is in no way under the jurisdiction of the Food and Drug Administration, the Internal Revenue Service, the Social Security Administration, the California State Medical Board, or the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education, or any other government organization, agency, or agent (federal, state or local).  Any attempt by any government or private agent or agency to regulate our above described religious educational practices and spiritual practices is in violation of our now declared First, Fourth, Sixth and Ninth Amendment Constitutional rights.  Notice is hereby given to any person(s) who, acting under the color of the law, intentionally interferes with the free exercise of the rights retained by our Ministry, Institute, Center and Temple and its Pastoral Counselors, faculty, students, congregation, and members under the First, Fourth, Sixth and Ninth Amendments, as enumerated in these Articles of Association and Organization and in our Pastoral Counselor’s Declaration of First Amendment Constitutional Rights (Section C2.14) and Pastoral Counselor’s Declaration of First, Fourth, Sixth and Ninth Amendment Constitutional Rights (Section C2.15), that they may be in violation of the Pastoral Counselor’s civil and constitutional rights, Title 42, U.S.C. 1983 et seq. and Title 18, Section 241.  We hereby declare, all rights reserved without prejudice."