We are a not-for-profit organization aiming to prove Chinese medicine is an effective and relevant medical modality. We do everything possible to offer exceptional care in a state of the art facility at accessible prices! The unparalleled level of training and experience of our practitioners, and our tangible and common sense approach to Chinese medicine will wow you! Come in and see for yourself – we are raising the bar of medicine in our field.
Dedicated Founders
Andrew Nugent-Head founded our not-for-profit organization in 1992 to document and preserve traditionally practiced Chinese medicine. The Alternative Clinic continues the work Andrew started 30 years ago; sharing the wisdom of the past through effective medicine for our community and meaningful training for colleagues. Read more about our incredible story: traditionalstudies.org
OUR DIFFERENCE
Comprehensive Approach
Our staff are world renowned experts, offering “comprehensive Chinese medicine” working with one person at a time for the duration of each treatment. We do not tap in acupuncture needles and leave the room to treat other patients concurrently to maximize profit. We are hands-on, devising an individualized approach for each patient with acupuncture or dry needling, moxibustion, cupping, bodywork, custom herbal formula, and sometimes simply discussion and advice.
We do not rely on pills or premade medicines to treat complex conditions – each person is prescribed a custom herbal formula that is changed frequently as the condition changes. We do not sell expensive supplement regimes, nor boost revenue through requiring lab tests. We were trained to understand an illness’ causal factors through Chinese medicine principles, and deftly apply its tools to create obvious and lasting results for every patient.
Our clinic not only offers exceptional quality medicine from the most experienced practitioners in Asheville, we also offer tip free massage and wellness services to ensure self care can become a regular part of everyone’s routine.
EDUCATION
Why Our Training is Different
In 1989, Andrew Nugent-Head was hit by a taxi in China, and broke the metatarsals of his foot. Through Chinese medicine treatments alone, the injury healed remarkably fast, and he was able to hike just a few weeks later. This experience changed Andrew’s life! He decided instantly he must understand this incredible medicine. He did not know that event would set the stage for a life documenting the last old doctors of Beijing.
Trying to find a teacher, Andrew found the ravages of communism had nearly extinguished traditional medical practice. The government had actively embraced western medicine, and had edited the old books to remove anything deemed esoteric or spiritual. Andrew realized he must find practitioners that were trained and practicing medicine prior to to the changes of communism and socialism to learn authentic practices. Through great dedication and hard work, he identified three traditional practitioners, became their student, and worked for nearly 30 years to study under them and document their perspective and treatments. Andrew organized seminars around the world for the teachers to present to an eager western audience. He filmed and edited the seminars, created a much needed income stream for the traditional practitioners and their families. Andrew’s life work became saving the wisdom of the past. As a result, the Association for Traditional Studies has taught thousands of seminars in every continent on the globe, and boasts the largest online library of Chinese medicine seminars available in english.
Today sadly, the great doctors have passed away, leaving Andrew and wife JulieAnn to share what they learned with other practitioners, bringing their training to Asheville with an aim to raise the bar of Chinese medicine in their field.
Improving the skill of every practitioner around the world can only be done by showing others how to effectively treat a broad range of illness with the incredible clarity and common sense of asian philosophy. The Alternative Clinic is the realization of a dream shared by each of Andrew’s teachers – a center for tangible and effective medicine to be practiced, preserved, and passed on to future generations.
