Alex has sensed longer-term Qi changes in the cosmos and after 10-years in the capital, 6-years of full-time practice at the Hutong, he has chosen to relocate the family and his Chinese medicine practice to his wife’s hometown, Flagstaff, Arizona.

China Chapter – age 32-42 – What a journey it has been! What an influence on Alex’s life, particularly his worldview and perspective. In the words of Marcel Proust, “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” Alex arrived as a single, starry–eyed warrior on an internship after completing a 4-year degree in Chinese medicine and instantly fell in love with Beijing. He camped out for a few years in the 6th ring road south to reconnect with family, absorb language & culture, cultivate TCM internships while working at the local university. Alex also adventured the country by train at every opportunity, lapping up China’s bountiful offerings!

Like most good men, Alex fell in love, got married, and now has three children. Time to take life a little more seriously! For the last six years, Alex has dedicated his heart and soul into a full-time Chinese medicine clinic and education practice at the Hutong. A pioneer at the Hutong since it’s laidback beginnings back in 2008, Alex remembers when the current clinic was Stacey’s bedroom and Mark was cooking up ideas on how to market the place with more pumpkin recipes. Straight Bamboo and the Hutong developed in symbiosis, growing and flourishing together in mutual benefit, and to that of the expat community at large.

Alex is no newcomer to travel, he has done a 15-month adventure around Australia in a Land Cruiser, a 15-month solo backpacking trip in South America, an 8-months solo hitchhiking in Europe, but alas China… it’s a different beast! The culture and its peoples seem to come from the opposite side of the viewing spectrum to the West – He loves it and likes to refer to this phenomena as, ‘Parallax’ – like viewing the same star (life) from different viewing points. This is what I love about China! – The big panda gently guides you to question all your previous assumptions about life, logic and the universe!

This is where we really see the benefits of differing cultural perspectives and how we can use the best of these differing perspectives in different aspects of our lives. Alex believes that Western analytical sciences and medicine are brilliant in saving lives, and emergency care but when it comes to the proactive preventative health and wellness practices, stick with relational and holistic views, and no one does that better than the Chinese. What maintains balance is the key to life, and always has been!

Don’t just read this and say, ‘interesting’ or ‘he is right’ or ‘what’s for dinner’? Your health journey is your central mission in your life, everything else depends on your success here. The information that the ancient Chinese have laid out for future generations has transformed the life of millions of people over the millennium. I believe all our cultures had similar wisdom, but the Chinese have taken it to another level with their theories and methodologies. Alex believes that in the modern day, this information is even more important. This is the age of unprecedented choice, we need to know about them and choose wisely. It is not good enough to follow and be reactive, you must be proactive and intentional otherwise the path of least resistance tends towards imbalance.

Alex leaves with a love of Beijing and when asked to leave some words of wisdom for those of us staying here, he says, “I feel I have experienced first hand a fundamental assumption at the core of Chinese medicine philosophy – What we can see, touch, feel and measure is secondary to what we cannot see. As a foreigner living here in Beijing, read this daily mantra! Take the best of China with you, and my tip is that it’s little to do with what you can see and touch – it’s the 5000+ years of history and culture – central concept balance, and what maintains it is the game and implementing it successfully is the art!”

To all my clients over the years, and for whatever motivation it was for you to visit Straight Bamboo clinic in Beijing, I would like to express my deepest gratitude. Thank you for your support, your trust and the health insights and wisdom you gave me. I feel honored and fortunate to have started my full-time practice with such an internationally diverse and culturally aware group of individuals. Your openness to a new way of seeing and understanding yourselves in a new environment was an inspirational that made my work a pleasure.

If you would like to get a piece of Alex before he leaves – a final 2-day workshop in Beijing, Chinese Metaphysics tours twice a week in July, and The Beijng Cold & Flu Book as a legacy to his clients and the expat community that supported him.

Final Beijing Eat Sleep Breathe Workshop – 2-day special – Alex’s keystone workshop condensing 20 years of research and practice in Chinese medicine and Qi Gong: Unpacking 5000-years of Chinese medicine health philosophy; master the 8 Golden Treasures Qi Gong; Integrate this wisdom into your daily life, sowing the seeds for personal growth and transformation: July 12th & 19th – for more details click here

For a 90-minute action-packed version of what the emperor was doing at the altars, how that is related to Daoism and the keys to Chinese Medicine preventative join Alex’s most inspiring Chinese Metaphysics Walk – twice a week in July – click here

Alex is promoting his Beijing Cold & Flu book this month –  The Easy to Use Guide of Prepared Chinese Herbal Medicines to Treat Cold & Flu. After 10-years in China as a qualified Chinese Medicine Practitioner and Educator, Alex addresses one of the most common questions he gets in an easy-to-use self guide. That is: What Chinese herbs do I buy when I have a Cold & Flu? This book gives you the best chance of getting through a cold & flu as quickly and effectively as possible, or even avoiding the cold & flu all together – click here