Kent Addleman, L.Ac., MSOM, Dipl.O.M
is a highly trained specialist in his field and has been dedicated to the extensive study of acupuncture and Oriental medicine since the early 1990’s and earlier. His credentials include:
~NCCAOM board certification as a Diplomate in Oriental Medicine, the highest certification level awarded in the field, which comprehensively covers all aspects of Oriental Medicine, including acupuncture and herbology and other related therapies
~ Master of Science in Oriental Medicine degree from the prestigious International Institute of Chinese Medicine, cited by the Traditional Chinese Medicine World Foundation for having one of the finest faculties and curricula in the nation
~Training from award winning staff of close to a dozen authentically trained Chinese Doctors of Oriental Medicine of mainland China including Tantan Huang and Kezhuang Zhao, renowned Oriental Medical Doctors. Learning acupuncture and Oriental medicine directly from Chinese professors helped to provide clarity and a greater understanding of the complex field.
~ Four year internship with Chinese OMDs at the International Institute of Chinese Medicine in Santa Fe, New Mexico, additional internship at St. Vincent’s Hospital, Santa Fe, N.M.; completion of the institute’s four year program of intensive training in all aspects of Oriental medicine including, acupuncture, Chinese herbal pharmacology, nutritional therapy, auricular therapy, tuina, guasha, qigong, & tai ji chuan.
In addition to treating patients he has been a frequent guest speaker on Oriental Medicine at various colleges, universities and organizations. His interests include beekeeping and organic honey production, wine-making, hiking, sailing, practicing qi gong and tai ji chuan, and taking care of his 18 year old cat.
Education and Training At IICM
Having studied Chinese medicine for many years through intense independent study, including the thorough reading of most major texts on the subject, he later decided to formalize his study by completing the 4 year program at the International Institute of Chinese Medicine in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a city well known as a center for those interested in natural medicine.
The Institute, an ACAOM accredited medical college, was founded over twenty years ago by Dr's Michael and Nancy Zeng, of mainland China. The Zeng family is well known in Chinese medicine circles. Dr. Michael Zeng has spoken before the U.S. Congress on issues of acupuncture and Chinese medicine.
The Institute was awarded commendations by the Traditional Chinese Medicine World Foundation for having one of the finest staffs of experienced acupuncturists and herbalists, the majority of whom were Chinese doctors from their native homeland. Most of the doctors were fluent in the English language, a feature which provided a unique learning opportunity in a field which has been, until only recently, largely inaccessible to Western students due to the language barrier. This was one of many advantages offered by the college. Despite this, the students were required to learn many Chinese terms frequently used in Oriental medicine, including the Mandarin names of some 400 herbal medicines. The Institute was attended by students from many parts of the globe, including France, Switzerland, Ireland, Germany, Canada, and even Taiwan and China.
The Traditional Chinese Medicine World Foundation also awarded the Institute for having one of the finest curricula in the country. All aspects of Chinese medicine were included in the curricula, including traditional Chinese internal medicine, gynecology, and pediatrics. The school was also known for its expertise in teaching Chinese herbal pharmacology.
Treatment Philosophy
In recent times, the relentless pursuit of financial gain at the expense of patient-focused medicine has become the primary driving motivation in the health industry. More and more, it has become the norm in modern medicine for doctors to tolerate enormous patient loads, in some cases treating as many as one patient every three to 12 minutes. This approach has, sadly, begun to find its way into the alternative health professions as well.
Stemming from his deeply held core values of authenticity, spirituality, and ethics, Kent Addleman's personal treatment philosophy is to put the patient first.
Thus, as was once the practice of the ancients, no more than one patient is treated in a period of 40 to 60 minutes, allowing time to properly assess the state of health of the individual, thereby affording a more informed and comprehensive treatment. His goal is to bring about a state of health and well-being in the patient as soon as reasonably possible, so as to lessen the expense of medical treatments. Though he is dedicated to providing community education and information about Chinese medicine through public speaking or writing, he prefers to build his practice primarily on the positive word of mouth he receives from his patients.
Early Beginnings in Natural Medicine
Kent Addleman was born in San Bernardino, California. At the age of three, his family moved to the tropical island of Puerto Rico, where his father, a commercial beekeeper, produced royal jelly, a health product of beekeeping. Beginning at age four, he accompanied his father to the bee apiaries which were spread out all over the island in the remote mountain jungle wilderness. His early childhood was one of beach combing and snorkeling the deserted beaches, trekking through pristine rainforests, gathering and enjoying the wild tropical fruit, and riding along with his father over winding mountain roads in an old pickup. He also learned to speak Spanish during those years. From these young experiences, he acquired an appreciation of the natural ecology and it's green, life-giving, precious bounty. His boyhood fascination and love of the natural world would later become the basis for his interest in natural, eco-friendly green medicine.
He first became fascinated with the world of Chinese medicine as a teenager, upon reading the book, The Art and Science of Chinese Medicine, by Dr. Felix Mann. Other interests at this young age were Eastern philosophy, yoga, nutrition, herbs, and natural medicine. His early reading in these subjects developed into a lifelong fascination for matters of health and healing.
His experience with the use of herbal medicine and nutrition began during his early teens. He developed an extensive collection of herbs, long before herbs had found popularity in America. At the time, herbs were available mostly in bulk form, rather than as pills. Addleman would make herbal infusions (strong teas) of valerian, passion flower and hops for his mother to help her sleep, used aloe vera (growing in the backyard) for sunburns, and used ginseng for energy. He studied major works on herbs and nutrition during his teens.
He also taught himself yoga at age 14, and was able to fully accomplish most yogic postures at that age. He learned a wide variety of meditation practices used in yoga, and adopted yogic dietary and nutritional practices at that age. His study of nutrition has continued to evolve and change over the following years.
His interest in yogic techniques led him to other forms of kinetic disciplines, such as creative movement, modern dance and other methods, which he intensely studied for years, eventually leading him to study from some of the most well known instructors in Los Angeles. The experiences and extensive training in these forms of movement have added to his understanding and abilities in the practice of Qigong (Chinese yogic techniques).
He also followed his fathers footsteps and became a commercial beekeeper for a few years, producing organic honey and bee pollen that he sold to local health food stores as well as providing pollination services to the farmers of almond groves in central California.