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Completed Interview - Stephen Birch

Stephen Birch received his BA from Hull University, UK and a diploma in acupuncture from the New England School of Acupuncture, USA, with Ted Kaptchuk and Tin Yau So as principle instructors. He also has a PhD in Complementary Health Studies from the University of Exeter, UK, focusing on acupuncture research.

He practiced acupuncture in the USA from 1982–1997 and currently practices in Amsterdam, the Netherlands with his wife Junko Ida. Stephen studied extensively in Japan, principally with Dr. Yoshio Manaka (co-authoring his book), and experienced meridian therapists, especially senior Toyohari teachers. He has also studied with various Japanese teachers in workshops around the USA and in Europe.

He has been studying and practicing Toyohari acupuncture since 1988 and is President of the International Branches of the Toyohari Association. He is co-author of five published texts on Japanese acupuncture and in 1999 publishing Understanding Acupuncture (co-authored with Bob Felt).

Stephen is past chairperson of the Japanese Acupuncture Department at the New England School of Acupuncture, where he taught for over 10 years, and has lectured on Japanese acupuncture around the world. He was involved in clinical research of acupuncture at Harvard and Yale medical schools, and has written numerous papers on acupuncture research methods. Stephen is currently working on the development of novel research methods in acupuncture.

In this interview Stephen talks about:

• Early training in a pre-TCM style of acupuncture
• Needling and the diverse spectrum of acupuncture styles
• The history of needling and the question of deqi
• The development of palpatory awareness and sensitivity – Japanese acupuncture
• Understanding Chinese medical theory in biological terms – studies with Manaka
• Health, the autonomic nervous system and cardiac coherence
• Needling and the contemplative stats
• Questioning authority in Oriental Medicine
• Problems and their solutions in acupuncture research

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This interview is 72MB in mp3 format, so is probably not suitable for download via a dial-up connection.