Photograph by Robert Scheer
Dr. Ying Qiu Wang uses his Vital Core Medical System to treat Reyha Zhao, who has been unable
to find relief for her sore neck through Western therapies.
By ANNE GELHAUS
Dr. Ying Qiu Wang is the first to admit that Eastern and Western medicine don't necessarily mix. But in developing his "Vital Core Medical System," he has done just that.
Before opening the Inter-national Institute for Health and Healing in Sunnyvale, Wang studied Western medicine at Sichuan Medical Official University. He then studied traditional Chinese medicine at Beijing Chinese Medical University. While the research techniques he used in developing his medical system are from the former school, the system itself is a product of the latter.
"Chinese medicine uses acupuncture and herbs," Wang says. "Western medicine uses surgery and drugs. People come here when Western doctors can't find the problem."
Wang's system has won accolades from his peers in holistic medicine: Last year, he was honored at the Conference on World Traditional Medicine in Las Vegas for best achievement in the field. The conference is sponsored by the American Institute of Chinese Medicine in San Francisco and the Chinese Cultural Research Institute in Beijing.
Wang spent 18 years researching his system, based on the ancient Chinese concept of the Three Gates, through which Eastern medical doctors believe the body's energy flows. Traditionally, these gates were thought to be located in the lower part of the spinal column, but Wang's research showed that the gates actually run along the entire spine and house a series of smaller gates that cause specific health problems when "closed."
The doctor dubbed this series of gates the "Vital Core." He says these gates can be blocked by injury, aging or unhealthy habits such as bad posture. A closed gate, Wang adds, can lead to poor circulation, loss of energy and susceptibility to illness and disease.
Wang's treatment is designed to open closed gates with a combination of herbal hot packs, massage and acupuncture (ironically, he learned this Chinese art of healing with needles in the United States). He also teaches his patients a modified version of qigong, a meditation technique to improve health, intelligence and circulation through controlled breathing, movement and imagination. Wang says his "Human Tune-Up Qigong" nourishes the body's vital core.
Joyce Donelly came to Wang's Sunnyvale offices seeking treatment for a 15-year-old back injury, and she now works as the doctor's office assistant. Donelly says Wang is highly attuned to the body's energy flow.
"He can determine what the problem is just by touching you," she adds.
Wang's offices are located at 660 S. Bernardo Ave., Suite 1. For more information, call 992-0218.
This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, May 8, 1996.
©1996 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.