Editor's Note: Bob Doane, a veteran acupuncturist, talks about his journey to TCM, the evolution of this medicine, and what he foresees in the future.
AT: How did you get started with meditation? What were some of the changes you noticed right away?
BD: I started meditating in England in February, 1968. The only meditation technique available at the time was transcendental meditation (TM) and one of its main centers of instruction was in London through the Spiritual Regeneration Movement. This is the organization that instructed the Beatles in meditation. The gentleman who instructed the Beatles also instructed me. His name is John Wilshire. My first experiences were noteworthy. I never experienced such calm and mental clarity. I was finishing my first degree in Physics at Sheffield University in Yorkshire at the time. Regular, daily meditation became my best friend and my secret weapon for doing well in Physics, which can be challenging to say the least.
AT: Do you believe your practice of meditation put you on the path to study Chinese medicine?
BD: In some respects yes. After finishing my degree in Physics I went to India to study with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and was honored by him to become one of the first, full-time teachers of transcendental meditation in the U.S. In one short year, from 1970 to 1971, I had the honor of teaching approximately 1,000 people in the U.S. I taught in every major city and university from Notre Dame to the University of Alaska. In 1971 I was invited to be on Maharishi's personal staff and this began my 10-year career as a meditative, celibate monastic. I spent a total of two years in silence and today I joke this is why I talk so much. These 10 years established me thoroughly in a meditative state since I was meditating at least 15 hours a day. I think it is this blessed mood, which I found myself in, has lead me to practice a medical system devoted to creating healthy, happy people. Inner silence is very difficult to feel if the body is not balanced. Chinese medicine, practiced properly, is one of the most potent forces on this earth for creating the physical requirements of an enlightened populace. I am grateful to be able to practice this wonderful medical system.
AT: Since you graduated from the Santa Barbara College of Oriental Medicine what are some of the positive and negative changes you have seen in TCM?
BD: I have only seen positive changes. Practitioners are better and better trained through the schools. There are many more good clinicians that are willing to teach post-graduates. The advent of Modern Acupuncture alone and the fact that it has pre-sold over 500 clinics in 40 states in just two years is a testament to the growth and acceptance of Chinese acupuncture in our society. Our best days are ahead of us. I am truly excited about the future of our great medicine, not only in the U.S., but around the world.
AT: Why do you prefer the distal needle acupuncture (DNA) method over standard acupuncture?
BD: Simply speaking the DNA method is more reliable, produces quicker results, does not require any disrobing to treat, is the best technique for treating large numbers of patients a day, can easily be taught to others, is anatomically based in both ancient Chinese medicine and modern functional anatomy. In addition, DNA is strongly rooted in the teachings of the Huang Di Nei Jing. In 20 years of clinical practice and over 500,000 visits we have advanced the knowledge and efficacy of distal acupuncture.
AT: Other than pain, what is the most common complaint among your patients? Is there something you are known for, or do you have a specialty?
BD: The most common complaints we treat, other than pain, are related to fatigue, anxiety, depression and insomnia. These symptoms are often correlated with heart disease. We treat approximately 120 patient visits a day and roughly 70 percent of these patients complain about these types of symptoms. While we treat many conditions, our clinic is known for improving cardiovascular function. In addition to developing the DNA method we have also developed Medical Pulse Diagnosis (MPD). MPD can reveal many types of heart issues from an inefficient blood flow through the chambers of the heart, to coronary constrictions, either from vasoconstriction or atherosclerosis, and heart valve dysfunction. It is usually these heart issues, which are the causative factors for the common complaints of fatigue, anxiety and insomnia.
AT: What do you say to the practitioners that express distaste for Modern Acupuncture, or their business model?
BD: As in most cases people's negative opinions of something are usually rooted in misinformation. Let's take a good look at our profession. What are our major concerns? One, acupuncturists, in most cases, cannot earn a living, thus many acupuncturists do not practice. Two, the acupuncture techniques taught in school, although getting better, are not good enough to attract a large patient clientele. Three, acupuncturists, in most cases, cannot earn enough to run a viable business, but are practicing out of the love of the medicine or the love of helping, or both. Four, acupuncture is the least accessed method of complementary medicine, behind even Yoga and meditation. Five, there is no standard of care in our profession.
Modern Acupuncture solves every one of these endemic problems. One, by Christmas of 2018 Modern Acupuncture will have presold over 750 clinics nationwide. These clinics will be built over the next three years. The total number of acupuncturists being employed by Modern Acupuncture will be at least 5,000. The salaries being paid are excellent and will be increasing over time with benefits as well. Acupuncturists will finally be able to earn a great living doing what they love. Two, the technique being used in all Modern Acupuncture clinics is DNA, by far the best, or one of the best methods of acupuncture in the world. All acupuncturists working for Modern Acupuncture will be taught DNA thoroughly and will receive continual advanced training from me. Three, the starting salary at Modern Acupuncture is excellent and will increase over time as the clinics gather more and more patients. Four, Modern Acupuncture, beginning last month, launched nationwide advertising to raise the level of knowledge and interest in acupuncture throughout the country. Our advertising company is Strawberry Frog one of the most successful advertising and marketing firms in the world. In a very short period of time acupuncture will become the most sought after method of health improvement available. Five, DNA is the standard of care at all Modern Acupuncture clinics. This standard of care will be one of the highest in the world.
Taking into consideration all of the above-mentioned benefits it is very difficult to see anything wrong with Modern Acupuncture. Whether you work for Modern Acupuncture or not your practice will be greatly improved by our efforts. A big tide raises all boats!
AT: What advice do you have for new practitioners?
BD: Immediately learn DNA and MPD through our teaching website at Doane.us. This will save you years of struggling trying to get Chinese medicine to work and trying to be a good diagnostician.
Robert Doane owns and operates one of the largest privately owned Chinese medical clinics in the U.S. With approximately 30,000 clients, 400,000 client visits and 120 patients a day, Robert helps people from around the world. Patients from Europe, China, Japan, South America and Canada routinely travel to Mr. Doane's clinic for treatment. Through his teaching websites in English, Spanish and Russian, Robert's techniques of acupuncture, called distal needle acupuncture (DNA), and his unique method of medical pulse diagnosis, called MPD, are being taught to the Chinese medical profession and Western medical profession in 36 countries. Mr. Doane has a Masters degree in Chinese medicine from the Santa Barbara School of Oriental Medicine and a Bachelors degree in Physics from the University of Washington. Mr. Doane is also a Fellow in the prestigious American Academy of Pain Management. He is currently teaching Chinese medicine in America, Canada, Germany, Luxembourg, England, Spain, France, Holland, Austria, and Australia. Robert is a founding owner of Modern Acupuncture, an acupuncture franchise, bringing 1,000 acupuncture clinics to cities across the U.S. Mr. Doane's technique of DNA is the exclusive acupuncture method being practiced in all Modern Acupuncture clinics. In 18 months Modern Acupuncture has opened 23 clinics, and 550 more are in development.
Chronic pain afflicts over 20% of the adult population. Sadly, most MDs have essentially no education in treating pain, beyond offering a few toxic medications. Then they tend to steer people with pain away from those health practitioners who are trained. This puts the acupuncture community on the front lines for addressing this epidemic.
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One of the things that makes acupuncture so difficult to measure is that the medicine actually does contain some esoteric aspects. There have been numerous studies that demonstrate the neurochemical reasoning behind why acupuncture points stimulate the autonomic nervous system to enact change However, not all the benefits of TCM can easily be measured by randomized, controlled trials. But does that make them fundamentally and definitively untrue?
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