Ken Bendat, L.Ac, Dipl NCCAOM
Ken Bendat, L.Ac. is a long-term practitioner who blends experience with a relaxed manner. (also the style of his teachers). This along with a precise understanding and application of traditional methods allows results not found by others. Ken was licensed as an acupuncturist in 1987 in California. And he was licensed in 1991 by the Oregon Board of Medical Examiners. He also maintains a Diplomat by the National Certification Board (NCCAOM) and as an adjunct faculty member of the World Medicine Institute, a TCM college in Honolulu
Ken blends gentle acupuncture insertion technique
Ken blends gentle acupuncture insertion technique with an extensive knowledge of traditional Chinese herbals for modern use and is a strong advocate for his clients. He will do what is necessary depending on your particular situation and condition. Mr. Ken Bendat views himself as a ‘family practitioner’ of Chinese Medicine. He has studied widely and focuses more on certain conditions than others. “There is the realization that Chinese medicine at its classical root is not a medicine of ‘specialization'”. Rather it is the focused and experienced application of the study of ‘qi’ , ‘blood’ and ‘shen’ to balance the condition and improve the clients body, energy, and mind.
Chinese bulk herbal pharmacy
Mr. Ken Bendat has always felt it important to maintain a Chinese bulk herbal pharmacy, keeping the herbs available for acute respiratory disorders. Herbal and/or dietary advice and prescription is given according to individual condition. This is constitution based on classical diagnosis as applied to modern needs. Ken has extensive experience and success in the use of Chinese herbs for chronic and difficult conditions.
Ken enjoys taking time to educate clients who are interested in understanding their personal ‘clinical’ Chinese medicine condition from a TCM perspective. It’s important to relate to the diagnosis, but more so to be able to understand that diagnosis at the ‘folk’ level of being your own doctor. By following the ancient principles of eating, moving, and resting according to the flow of the seasons the client can ‘economize’ – alleviating the need for overly intensive supplementation protocols.
We offer an initial consultation
We offer an initial consultation to determine how well a particular person with their own unique makeup will respond to using Chinese medicine, and to evaluate whether the condition is something that will be well treated.
Ken is a strong teacher with inspired interest in using his understanding and experience to teach Traditional approaches. Healing comes from both TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) and pre-TCM perspectives. Studying for over 30 years with Liu Ming (founder of Ken’s acupuncture college) has guided his understanding of the deeper fundamentals of the medicine. With that he often teaches classes about Daoism and its related arts and application to health and healing. Mr. Ken Bendat also gives annual talks on Chinese New Year in Jacksonville and in Ashland.
BACKGROUND
Ken Bendat has maintained a lifelong interest in Asian culture and medicine – stemming from discovering the limitations of modern medicine in treating illnesses in his family and a deep appreciation for the role of the mind and spirit in fully healing chronic illness.
While completing a bachelor’s degree at UC Santa Cruz in Biology and Environmental Studies, Ken briefly attended a Chiropractic college, apprenticed on an organic farm, and lived in a Tibetan Buddhist center. Through these experiences he discovered that a career in Chinese medicine was the path that made sense. At 24 he began his education at Five Branches Institute school of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in Santa Cruz, being in their first graduating class in 1986. While studying he completed several internships with private practitioners as well as received his Diplomate status degree and California license.
After practicing in California for 5 years
After practicing in California for 5 years, Ken travelled to Southeast Asia and China for 7 months in 1991-1992. After opening up a free clinic in Penang, Malaysia, Ken travelled to Hangzhou, China – a town famous for its West Lake (“in heaven there is paradise, on Earth there is Suzhou and Hangzhou”). While on the way to the TCM teaching college his first morning off the train, a passerby took him to the local peoples’ TCM hospital – the Zhejiang Provincial hospital near the famous lake.
In Hangzhou, Ken studied with a reknown Lung/Stomach herbal doctor and a Gyn/fertility herbal doctor, as well as studying acupuncture and infant tui-na (massage) at the teaching college. He was spotted playing guitars in the dorms and asked to perform guitar at the university. Ken started his practice in Ashland in 1992, and designed and moved into the Clear Creek space in 2010.
From 2016-2018 Ken developed and opened up a small practice in the midst of the corporation “NWEA”, next to Lansu Chinese Garden in Portland, OR. As of August of 2018, Ken returned full-time to his practice at the Center for Chinese Medicine in Ashland