Fuyiu Yip, MAOM, L.Ac.

Licensed Acupuncturist (L.Ac.) in Colorado license [#1209]
NCCAOM Diplomate in Oriental Medicine (Dipl. O.M.)
- Indicates that the practitioner passed the following National Board exams:
  - Foundations of Oriental Medicine Theory
  - Acupuncture Theory
  - Chinese Herbal Medicine
  - Point Location
  - Western Bio-Medical
Master of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (MAOM) from the Academy of Oriental Medicine in Austin (AOMA)
International TCM Training Program of Acupuncture, Moxibustion & Chinese Herbal Medicine at the Chengdu University of TCM in Chengdu, Sichuan, People’s Republic of China
Member, American Organization of Bodywork Therapies of Asia (AOBTA)
Co-editor, Acupuncture Treatment of Disease: A Study Guide with Qianzhi “Jamie” Wu, L.Ac.
Editor and compiler, A Guide to Point Location and Herbal Internal Medicine: Study Guide.
Undergraduate degree (B.A.) in biology from Bryn Mawr College

Fuyiu's journey. . .

Fuyiu’s (pronounced “foo-you”) life’s experiences certainly have not been typical, although that seemed to be the case in the beginning.

Since a young child, Fuyiu had set her goal to become a Medical Doctor. Upon graduating from Bryn Mawr College with a degree in Biology, she gained further research experience for a year as a Predoctoral Fellow in the Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on a study of neuroendocrine aspects of the stress-response system. Although Fuyiu was accepted into medical school, her outlook had evolved: during the year at NIH, Fuyiu became interested in naturopathic medicine and Fuyiu also briefly consulted a naturopath and acupuncturist to maintain a healthful lifestyle. These experiences reinforced her belief of the need to take care of the whole body and mind.

Moreover, Fuyiu spent much of her spare time investigating ways to make desserts for her roommate who had numerous food allergies, as well as baking specialty cakes for birthdays and weddings, thus discovering her passion for the pastry arts and nutrition. Realizing that she wanted more than what an allopathic medical degree could offer, Fuyiu decided not to be "typical" and turned down medical school.

In 1998, Fuyiu Yip attended the Baking and Pastry Arts program at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco. The yearlong program was a departure to her previous "left-brained" educational pursuits, and Fuyiu thoroughly enjoyed the challenges and the artistic and creative nature of the field. Upon graduation, Fuyiu returned to the East Coast and began her career as a Pastry Chef, becoming Executive Pastry Chef/Executive Sous Chef after two years of hard work. Certainly, there were occasional aches and pains that came with such a physically demanding job, however, a severe pain in her right shoulder developed that limited her range of motion. After failing to find relief from a plethora of Western Medical specialists who could not conclusively pinpoint the problem, Fuyiu sought help from a massage therapist and an acupuncturist, both of whom were able to provide relief, again reiterating the need for a holistic approach to health.

These injuries and experiences led her back to medicine, one that would incorporate the whole body and mind, and not just focus on the symptomatology, nor "give up" on patients when solutions could not be found. Even though she had sought help from both Western and Eastern modalities, ultimately, her experience with acupuncture as well as her parents' teachings—her parents had integrated the use of Chinese Medicine, nutritional therapy and herbs into her upbringing—strengthened her belief that Oriental Medicine was not only a means of healing, but also a life's philosophy.

Thus, the next chapter of her life brought her to The Academy of Oriental Medicine at Austin (AOMA) to pursue her Master of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. Similar to the majority of the Oriental Medical programs offered in the United States, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is the primary form of acupuncture and herbology taught. While TCM presents a more individualized medicine than Western Medicine, by the end of her second year of studies, Fuyiu felt that a piece of Chinese Medicine was still missing—a piece that was even more about the individual than just memorizing point combinations for differential diagnoses that were determined by symptomatology and confirmed by brief pulse taking and tongue diagnosis. While knowing that each style and form has its place, Fuyiu was introduced to the theories of George Soulie de Morant by Charles Strodtbeck, and she immediately felt that this foundational information contained the missing link.

It was how Fuyiu had imagined (and beyond what she imagined) acupuncture to be--a point by point study of an individual's energetic responses to each needle, in other words, an understanding of how one needle affects the body before adding another in order to yield the most beneficial results for the patient.

Further, Morant's detailed pulse system as a primary diagnostic tool allows investigation into all the body systems, unlike TCM's pulse system which is often used as a secondary confirmation tool. Classical True Acupuncture relies on detailed pulse taking & precise point location to maximize therapeutic results with minimal number of needles and treatments, and this style parallels Fuyiu's philosophy in treating individuals as truly unique beings with precision, care, and understanding. Fuyiu is extremely grateful to Charles Strodtbeck for his time, effort and patience in teaching her Classical True Acupuncture, for without knowledge of this style, she would not be able to truly treat each and every person as the unique individuals they are.