STEPHEN RUSH, LAc.
Director of Acupuncture/Qigong
Stephen Rush, L. Ac. received his Associate Degree in Social Work (1975). At the same time, he began to study various forms of martial arts, having already been introduced to a rough, but effective unarmed combat method by his father, a U.S, Navy SEAL, covert CIA Operative, and former ranked professional boxer, starting when he was 8 years old.
Steve was noticed by his master teachers as having a natural gift and inclination for the unseen side-the "healing side". His Sifu (teacher) explained that the few students selected to teach martial arts need to learn to take care of their students completely, including working with the body's energy meridians and "chi" centers (with acupuncture needles) and with herbs to address any injuries they might suffer during the rigorous mental and martial training process. So, Steve started to learn more about "chi" and the body's energy system by working with those students who became injured, bruised, or “broken”.
Steve has studied and worked side by side with master teachers of various forms of Qigong, Kung Fu, (Tai Ji Chuan, Hsing-I Chuan, Ba Gua Chang, Liu Ho Ba Fa Chuan, or Lo Kap Bak Fat, (in Cantonese pronunciation)....and others that cannot be named openly), Tui Na (Vital Point therapy), and Jing Ku (traditional art of bone-setting and spinal manipulation), and has become a capable practitioner and teacher himself.
In 1984 he became the first and only student formally certified by Dr. Loo, York Y. to teach Liu Ho Ba Fa Chuan, an ancient, complete, and fully integrated Kung Fu (martial) system of Chi Gong. Liu Ho Ba Fa is NOT acupuncture. It is Kung fu, it is Chi Gong, but it's principles can be applied to the theory and clinical practice of acupuncture, and many other things as well..
Liu Ho Ba Fa Chuan is most likely the OLDEST Martial/Chi Gong form/system in China's history, pre-dating anything else that came out of China OR Tibet by centuries, in most cases. As such, Steve represents oral lineages of teaching that have handed down this knowledge, teacher-to-apprentice/student, from a very long time ago. Some of what Steve practices and teaches most likely extends into the period of Chinese and Tibetan PRE-historic times. It's exact date of origin is therefore so ancient as to be virtually unknowable with any sense of certainty.
In order to practice what he learned with Dr. Loo, Steve became a Licensed Acupuncturist after graduating from the California Acupuncture College in 1986. While doing an internship, Steve met, befriended, and started working with Dr. Richard Tan, a master acupuncture practitioner from Taiwan. Steve encouraged Dr. Tan to go to the clinical acupuncture community with his unique and superior method of acupuncture, and share his knowledge with that practitioner community openly. After securing status for Dr. Tan as a Continuing Education (CEU) Provider, he encouraged Dr Tan to embark on a project to publish a couple of clinical reference acupuncture texts, which Steve co-authored. Today, those texts are both in their 3rd and 4th editions, and have contributed to an intense interest worldwide in Dr. Tan's clinical method of treatment, which he, Steve, and now thousands of other acupuncture professionals, refer to as the "Balance Method". Steve also authored numerous articles about the Balance Method,which were published in various acupuncture professional journals over those years, as well.
As many managed care and hospital systems begin to integrate acupuncturists into their clinical staffs, many of them require evidence of the applicants' experience, and clinical efficacy, and many stress education in the "Balance Method " as a pre-requisite for considering their addition to the staff.
Today, Steve divides his time between clinical work at the Tibetan Center, and at Dr. Richard Tan’s clinic, with his teaching duties, where he focuses on sharing the knowledge from the teaching lineages he represents in classes he offers in local San Diego Hospitals, the Tibet Center, and privately, as well.
GEOFF THOMAS, MS, LAc.
Acupuncture
Geoff Thomas has been studying Tibetan Buddhist culture and philosophy since he attended the 1st International Conference on Tibetan Medicine in Washington D.C. (1998) presided over by the H.H. Dalai Lama. He is a graduate of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Pacific College of Oriental Medicine, and has interned with Dr. Lobsang of our Center for the past 5 years. Geoff has extensive training in Eastern massage techniques including Thai, Shiatsu, and Tui Na. Geoff completed an internship at UCSD Rimac Sports Training Facility and UCSD Geriatric Clinic.