Dr. Ken Andes, DTCM, L.Ac.
I began studying Oriental medicine when I was 12 years old, under my first teacher who was also my martial arts instructor. I spent 8 years studying different forms of acupressure, energy medicine, Qigong, and martial arts with him. No, I didn’t actively decide to study healing at that age. At the time I had no idea or even desire that I would pursue healing as a profession, it was just something that I grew up around and thought was interesting.
I practiced martial arts and Qigong every day, and by the time I was 17 years old I had become skilled enough in Qigong and Kiatsu (a Japanese form of acupressure and energy medicine) that I was able to heal friends and family members of injuries and illnesses. Most of these were minor problems, but some were major injuries and illnesses. Believe me when I say that during these early years when I started healing people, no one was more shocked than me that it actually worked!
It was around this time that my love affair with the traditional healing arts slowly started to grow. It started to become more than just something that I did after school, but a distinct part of my identity as a person.
After high school I studied social work and theology at Rutgers University. During this time I went through a “wandering” phase for a few years where I sought out different teachers to learn as much as I could about martial arts, philosophy, metaphysics, and traditional medicine. I was really lucky. This searching period led me to sit at the feet of several amazing masters from India, Tanzania, China, and The Philippines.
This, by the way, is the reason why my style of medicine seems so eclectic to people who are used to going to someone who only does strict acupuncture or Herbology. As a healer, I have never pledged loyalty to any one tradition or school of thought….it always seemed dogmatic and self-limiting to me. My only loyalty has always been towards my patients…..towards achieving maximum results with the safest and most effective methods possible.
After Rutgers, I spent four years (full-time) studying acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in New York City, the largest and most reputable Chinese Medicine college in America. During this time I was fortunate enough to directly apprentice under several leading masters of Chinese Medicine including Dr. Guidun Bai and Master He Binhui. I graduated from Pacific College in 2002 with a Master of Science in Traditional Oriental Medicine.
My most difficult patients…have been my greatest teachers. It has been those patients with the most complex, debilitating, and puzzling disorders that have pushed me to become a better doctor…a better healer. They have made me realize that “the book is not always right” and that one must always be aware of Murphy’s Law when working with the chronically ill. Because my patients have made me realize that learning can never stop in this business, I have continued to search for the world’s greatest healers to study medicine with. I have received extensive training in Clinical Nutrition, Western Herbology, Functional Endocrinology, Neurological Rehabilitation, Field Control Therapy, and Applied Kinesiology.
I have held a full-time Chinese Medicine practice since 2003. For the first five years I had an office in Suffern, NY but have relocated my practice to Ramsey, NJ to accommodate my growing patient base. In addition to treating patients, I also train other acupuncturists in the unique healing methods that I have developed. My hope is that the medicine I practice will spread far beyond the walls of my clinic, and thus bring healing to as many as possible.
I truly love what I do. For me this is not just a job….it is a source of purpose and meaning. My work is the culmination of 20 years of study and refinement towards understanding why people become sick…and how they become healthy again. Nothing brings me more joy than seeing my patients regain their health and live more dynamic lives. Nothing brings me more excitement or fulfillment. It never gets tiring for me. It never gets old.
Thanks for reading.
Summary of My Qualifications:
You can read more about it here: http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/acm.2012.0052
I began studying Oriental medicine when I was 12 years old, under my first teacher who was also my martial arts instructor. I spent 8 years studying different forms of acupressure, energy medicine, Qigong, and martial arts with him. No, I didn’t actively decide to study healing at that age. At the time I had no idea or even desire that I would pursue healing as a profession, it was just something that I grew up around and thought was interesting.
I practiced martial arts and Qigong every day, and by the time I was 17 years old I had become skilled enough in Qigong and Kiatsu (a Japanese form of acupressure and energy medicine) that I was able to heal friends and family members of injuries and illnesses. Most of these were minor problems, but some were major injuries and illnesses. Believe me when I say that during these early years when I started healing people, no one was more shocked than me that it actually worked!
It was around this time that my love affair with the traditional healing arts slowly started to grow. It started to become more than just something that I did after school, but a distinct part of my identity as a person.
After high school I studied social work and theology at Rutgers University. During this time I went through a “wandering” phase for a few years where I sought out different teachers to learn as much as I could about martial arts, philosophy, metaphysics, and traditional medicine. I was really lucky. This searching period led me to sit at the feet of several amazing masters from India, Tanzania, China, and The Philippines.
This, by the way, is the reason why my style of medicine seems so eclectic to people who are used to going to someone who only does strict acupuncture or Herbology. As a healer, I have never pledged loyalty to any one tradition or school of thought….it always seemed dogmatic and self-limiting to me. My only loyalty has always been towards my patients…..towards achieving maximum results with the safest and most effective methods possible.
After Rutgers, I spent four years (full-time) studying acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in New York City, the largest and most reputable Chinese Medicine college in America. During this time I was fortunate enough to directly apprentice under several leading masters of Chinese Medicine including Dr. Guidun Bai and Master He Binhui. I graduated from Pacific College in 2002 with a Master of Science in Traditional Oriental Medicine.
My most difficult patients…have been my greatest teachers. It has been those patients with the most complex, debilitating, and puzzling disorders that have pushed me to become a better doctor…a better healer. They have made me realize that “the book is not always right” and that one must always be aware of Murphy’s Law when working with the chronically ill. Because my patients have made me realize that learning can never stop in this business, I have continued to search for the world’s greatest healers to study medicine with. I have received extensive training in Clinical Nutrition, Western Herbology, Functional Endocrinology, Neurological Rehabilitation, Field Control Therapy, and Applied Kinesiology.
I have held a full-time Chinese Medicine practice since 2003. For the first five years I had an office in Suffern, NY but have relocated my practice to Ramsey, NJ to accommodate my growing patient base. In addition to treating patients, I also train other acupuncturists in the unique healing methods that I have developed. My hope is that the medicine I practice will spread far beyond the walls of my clinic, and thus bring healing to as many as possible.
I truly love what I do. For me this is not just a job….it is a source of purpose and meaning. My work is the culmination of 20 years of study and refinement towards understanding why people become sick…and how they become healthy again. Nothing brings me more joy than seeing my patients regain their health and live more dynamic lives. Nothing brings me more excitement or fulfillment. It never gets tiring for me. It never gets old.
Thanks for reading.
Summary of My Qualifications:
- NJ Licensed Acupuncturist since 2003
- Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine: Five Branches University, San Jose, CA
- Former faculty, Pacific College of Oriental Medicine, New York City. I used to teach advanced needle techniques at Pacific College.
- Nationally Board Certified in Acupuncture (NCCAOM)
- Nationally Board Certified in Chinese Herbal Medicine (NCCAOM)
- Clean Needle Technique Certified (CCAOM)
- Master of Science in Traditional Oriental Medicine (Pacific College of Oriental Medicine, New York City). Received over 3,500 hours (both clinical and academic), over a period of four years, of training in acupuncture, Chinese Herbal Medicine, nutrition, physiology, and pathology.
- Teacher of advanced graduate level courses in acupuncture and medical qigong (NCCAOM approved).
- Advanced level training in Field Control Therapy, a modern form of causative homeopathy that specializes in restoring cellular fields through the detoxification of environmental pollutants and heavy metals. I was trained directly by its creator, Dr. Savely Yurkovsky, M.D.
- Master level practitioner of Nutrition Response Testing and Clinical Nutrition. Trained personally by Drs. Freddie Ulan and Lester Bryman.
- Advanced level practitioner and certified instructor of Sujok Acupuncture, a revolutionary form of acupuncture developed in Korea by Professor Park Jae Woo. I am one of only two people in North America certified to teach this amazing method by the Sujok Academy of India. I teach courses in Sujok to other acupuncturists, and operate the only full-time clinic in North America to offer the advanced levels of Sujok.
- Level 3 practitioner of Quantum Neurology. Quantum Neurology is a new and extremely effective method for the rehabilitation of nervous system disorders (both motor and sensory). I have trained directly under its founder, Dr. George Gonzalez in Los Angeles, CA.
- Practitioner of the Kaufman Technique ™, a system of myofascial manipulation developed by Dr. Stephen Kaufman, D.C. for the treatment of both internal and musculo-skeletal disorders. I have trained directly under Dr. Kaufman in Denver, CO.
- Medical Qigong healer and senior student of Medical Qigong Master He Binhui (voted one of the top 100 doctors in China in 1998 and 1999).
- Acupuncture consultant for Discovery Channel’s medical talk show “Second Opinion with Dr. Oz” (2003)
- From 2006 to 2012, I worked as a federal researcher for the National Institute of Health (NIH). During this time I was involved in government funded research to study the effects of medical Qigong (a form of energy healing from China) on reducing cocaine cravings in early addiction recovery. This was the first study of its kind to be conducted in America and I served as both the principle healer, as well as one of the program engineers. This study was a great success and proved the validity of this form of Chinese medicine in treating a disorder (cocaine addiction) that western medicine has no solutions for. For me personally, this study was one of my proudest accomplishments.
You can read more about it here: http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/acm.2012.0052