About the Columnist

Steven Alpern graduated from Dartmouth College in 1978. Shortly thereafter, he began to pursue studies in Chinese medicine, first as a private acupuncture student of Tseui Wei (from whom he learned and practiced tuina and traditional Chinese bodywork), then as a student of Fang Feng, a master herbalist in Oakland, Calif. He graduated from the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in 1986.

Mr. Alpern has been in private practice since 1986, and has continued to further his knowledge of acupuncture and Oriental medicine. From 1989 to 1994, he studied Japanese empirical acupuncture methods with Kiiko Matsumoto. From 1994 to the present, he studied classical Chinese medicine with Jeffrey Yuen, an 88th-generation Daoist master, both in California and New York. He has used the written word to explore his understanding of Mr. Yuen's teachings since 1999.

During 2008, Mr. Alpern will be teaching one-day introductory seminars on waike and the Digestion specialty through the professional education program of Golden Flower Chinese Herbs.