James Tin Yau So

Dr. James Tin Yau So, N.D., LAc., (1911 – 2000) also known as Dr. So, was one of the most influential individuals of the 20th Century in bringing acupuncture to the United States.

Dr. So’s teacher was Tsang Tien Chi who studied under Ching Tan An. He graduated from Dr. Tsang’s College of Scientific Acupuncture in Canton, China, in 1939. During the same year Dr. So opened his medical office in Hong Kong. In 1941 he opened his own school, The Hong Kong College Acupuncture. For the next thirty years, Dr. So established himself as one of the most successful and well-respected acupuncturists throughout Asia. Practitioner came from all over Asia and Europe to study at his college.

Several acupuncturists from the National Acupuncture Association (NAA) sought Dr. So’s assistance in 1972. At the time the NAA offered Dr. So a position as acupuncturist at the UCLA Acupuncture Pain Clinic, the only legal acupuncture clinic in California at that time. Dr. So accepted and joined the NAA staff of acupuncturists and the UCLA Acupuncture Pain Clinic in 1973. [ [http://aaaomonline.org/default.asp?pagenumber=12] /]

In 1974, Dr. So was part of the NAA group that traveled to Massachusetts and opened the first acupuncture clinic in Boston and a second clinic in Worcester. In the fall of 1974, Dr. So founded the New England School of Acupuncture. Karen Freede and John V. Braga assisted Dr. So in the translation of his three books on the points of acupuncture, the techniques acupuncture and treatment of disease by acupuncture. . Dr. So, with the help of his students Arnie Freiman and Steven Breeker, founded the first school of acupuncture in the US, the New England School of Acupuncture (NESA), in 1974 [ [http://www.nesa.edu Welcome to NESA ] ] With his approval Dr. Gene Bruno and Dr. Steven Rosenblatt founded a second school in the US, which became the California Acupuncture College, located in West Los Angeles.

A majority of the acupuncture schools in the U.S. were founded by students of Dr. So. This legacy of acupuncture in North America is unparalleled.

Dr. So was awarded the Acupuncturist of the Year in 2001 by the American Association of Oriental Medicine. In 2007, Dr. So Tin Yau was among the first four acupuncturists to be inscribed on the Founders of the Profession Honor Roll by the American Association of Oriental Medicine.

External links

* [http://www.aaaomonline.com AAAOM]
* [http://www.acupuncturetoday.com Acupuncture Today]
* Traditional Chinese Medicine
* Classical Chinese Medicine
* Gene Bruno, OMD

References