Biography
While the other boys in Omaha, Nebraska were out wrestling in the mud hoping to become the next star quarterback of the Cornhuskers, Al Stone was asking deep questions of his rabbi and anyone else who could come up with answers about life, God, and destiny. Fascinated by philosophy and comparative religion he took the transcendental meditation course in 1973 and began his path of understanding the deeper human experience at the tender age of 15.
His college years included formal education at the University of Kansas studying music therapy. Later, he took his first baby steps into radio at California State University in Long Beach. Finally, Al attended the University of California, Irvine, where Al honed his teaching and leadership skills.
While employed as a radio announcer in Big Bear Lake, California in 1987, Al began to study martial arts and the Buddhist way of life. It was here that Al had his first taste of traditional Chinese medicine in the form of the defensive and therapeutic disciplines of the Shaolin temple.
In 1990, Al began his studies at the Taoist Institute of Los Angeles, a martial arts school in the lineage of Sifu Share Lew of San Diego. One of the requirements for the Kung Fu black belt was a course in Tui Na or Chinese acupressure. This course also included a healthy dosage of Chinese medicine. It was at the Taoist Instite where the idea of Chinese medicine as a profession first emerged.
That's when he enrolled in the masters degree course at Emperor's College of Traditional Oriental Medicine in Santa Monica, California. While still a student, Al created the web site: Acupuncture.com. By the time he graduated in 1997, this site had won numerous international awards and enjoyed millions of visits from computer users all around the world. Al's websites continue to recieve industry notice and traffic from consumers and practitioners alike. Websites directly under Al's supervision include: PointInjection.com, Gancao.net, BeyondWellBeing.com, and EagleHerbs.com.
Following his graduation and successful passing of the California state acupuncture board examinations Mr. Stone flew off to Kunming, China for a four month internship at the Yunnan Province Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital. Treating patients there, he witnessed the profound effects that acupuncture and Chinese herbal therapies had in painful, gastrointestinal, and stress related disorders.
In 2007, Al Stone became Dr. Stone when he earned his Doctorate of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (DAOM) from Emperor's College's Doctoral program.
Al periodically teaches Oriental Diagnosis techniques and herbal medicine at Emperor's College of Traditional Oriental Medicine. He is also a supervisor overseeing student interns in the intern clinic there.
Here's an excerpt from a recent magazine article in which Dr. Stone was interviewed:
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1. what is it about TCM that most interests you? I like to make people feel understood. The herbs themselves are a never-ending study. The deeper I understand herbs, the more deeply I can help people. I think that's neat. 2. how do you feel that people most benefit from choosing TCM? TCM meaning herbs specifically? Herbs are great. My dad's nickname is Herb. Think about the problems that drugs can treat. In the hands of a trained TCM Practitioner, herbs can treat them all as well. Ear, nose, & throat stuff; heart, lungs, kidneys, bladder, gallbladder, liver, stomach, intestines, even dermatology for healing from within. TCM herbs don't always work of course, but before resorting to drugs, consider the cost in side-effects that may come with the drug use. Some side-effects may not even be recognized yet. While TCM herbs can have side-effects, we do as a rule craft the formula (a mixture of numerous herbs) to achieve therapeutic goals, but also avoid side-effects. When the herbs have the correct properties they can be targeted very narrowly toward your particular issue both on a symptomatic and causal level. With that done, tissues that are otherwise healthy can be less effected by the treatment. This results in less side-effects. Now, TCM herbalism is not an exact science. Herbalists use herbs the way a master chef uses spice. So, if one formula doesn't work out, consider another practitioner. Or discuss your expectations with the TCM herbalist to see if a higher dosage or more time is required. 3. how would you describe the benefits of such an ancient form of medicine in a modern context?
4. why would somebody want to choose being stuck with needles when they can simply have their doctor prescribe some pills?
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PUBLICATIONS
Co-Author of The Traditional Chinese Medicine Diagnosis Study Guide with Qiao Yi. Eastland Press, 2008
Chen Da-can, Xuan, Guo-wei, Stone, Al. (ed.) The Clinical Practice of Chinese Medicine: Lupus Erythematosus. People's Medical Publishing House. 2007, Beijing, PRC.
Chen Da-can, Xuan, Guo-wei, Stone, Al. (ed.) The Clinical Practice of Chinese Medicine: Scleroderma and Dermatomyositis. People's Medical Publishing House. 2007, Beijing, PRC.
Co-Author of The Traditional Chinese Medicine Formula Study Guide with Qiao Yi. Snow Lotus Press, 2000
Cover and internal graphics for Jade Remedies, Chinese Herbal Reference for the West Vol. 1 & 2. Snow Lotus Press, 1996
"Sometimes, the most potent medicine is just being understood.
That is my first task... to listen"
Want more? Wanna see some pictures I took and some thoughts I thunk? Click on: Crazy Nature, Straight Face and Random Images of Santa Monica
