Oriental Integrative Medicine

As practiced here at Center Medicine, Oriental Integrative Medicine is the synthesis, exploration, and clarification of the threads of understanding pertaining to the cause and cure of human disease. Oriental Integrative Medicine is not a vast toolbox of tricks and tips, pulled piecemeal from the medical traditions of the east or west, nor leaning to favor either the new nor the old - it is a combination of the best of both worlds.

We live in a time where we are constantly inundated with “the next best thing.” Even in the most straight-laced paths of Western conventional medicine there are breakthroughs: wonder drugs, new surgical procedures, stronger microscopes. These are generally considered progress and not wishful thinking, even when they disrupt the comfort or stability of our current understanding. We once thought the Earth was flat and the sun revolved around it. As we learned more and small portions of our ignorance resolved, we didn’t throw away all our maps or burn the charts of constellations. We took those aspects that had both been reliably useful and were adaptable to our new understanding and continued forward.

There are certainly times when treatment through modern medicine is both appropriate and necessary to sustaining health and life. During those times, we are able to work in conjunction with your Western medical practitioners, to provide you with the finest care available.

Gabriel Stern - L, AC., RN.

Gabe’s study and practice in the medical field began in 2002 as an emergency technician in the western medical world. He continued on to become a registered nurse, specializing in intensive care. As much as he enjoyed the work in these areas, he chose to pursue an advanced degree in Chinese Medicine in order to further his knowledge and understanding of the nature of disease.

Gabe is a graduate of Dragon Rises College of Oriental Medicine, where he focused on the treatment of emotional disorders and the relationship between mental and physical disorders alongside the standard education in traditional Chinese medicine. In search of a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of Chinese medicine, he went on to complete a fellowship in classical Chinese medical theory and the treatment of infertility before diving into the worlds of European and American herbal traditions. He is currently training in functional medicine through the Institute of Functional Medicine, which includes understanding their holistic and systems-based approach to conventional (western) medicine as it relates to dietary and lifestyle modification, as well as the use of supplements when appropriate.

Gabe truly believe that the principals of Chinese medicine used in conjunction with western medicine should be viewed as the next step in appropriate healthcare for our modern age.   

Degrees:

• Masters of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine

• Bachelors of Health Sciences

• Associates of Science in Nursing

Certifications:

• NCCAOM: Diplomate of Oriental Medicine

• NCCAOM board certified: Oriental Medicine

• NCCAOM board certified: Acupuncture

• NCCAOM board certified: Chinese Herbology

• NCCAOM board certified: Bio-Medicine

• Diplomat of Hunyuan Medicine