What is NeiJing Nature Based Medicine (NNBM)?

NeiJing Nature-Based Medicine is an approach to Chinese medicine that was developed by Dr. Edward Neal through combining 20 years of researching the Huangdi Neijing with his over 40 years of clinical experience in both Western and Chinese medicines.

Neijing Nature-Based Medicine (NNBM) looks at health and the healing process through the view that people are one with nature. In NNBM, we examine the underlying patterns of nature, ecology, and the greater cosmos in order to understand and work with people. Through this model, we understand that these core patterns of the universe exist within the human being and govern the way in which life unfolds.

At its heart, the Huangdi Neijing teaches us that the universe has a tendency to move into and out of physical form, and that these core motions can be thought of as a single, coherent breath. Thus, we say the cosmos has a tendency to “breathe” and all phenomena are aspects of this breath.

  • Between 220-280 CE, there lived a skilled physician named Dong Feng. Rather than accepting money for his treatments, he asked that his patients plant one apricot tree in his orchard when they had been cured, or if it was a hard case, three. During the harvest season, the wealthy locals would come to pick his apricots, and in exchange he asked for a portion of grain to be added to his stores. He then took this grain and dolled it out to those who had nothing to eat.

    This story exemplifies the altruism and community minded care that we aspire to as an organization and shows us how resources can be redistributed through a community to serve the whole.

  • The Apricot Grove is a global collaboration of healthcare workers, scholars, artists and other interested individuals who come together to support human transformation and enhance global well-being through the study and practice of traditional medical knowledge.

    Presently, there are Apricot Grove Clinics in Canada, Spain, California, and Australia working together to improve the quality of care given to patients around the world.

  • The Huangdi Neijing (known in English as The Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic) is the source text that all Chinese medical theory can be traced back to.

    Rather than one solid text, it was a series of writings gathered in the imperial library in the first Chinese dynasty. Different sections of the text vary in age, but the older sections date back at least as far as the Warring States Period (481/403 BCE - 221 BCE).

    The text outlines a comprehensive model of the world and its patterns of motion. It then applies these patterns of motion to human beings, outlines our anatomy in astonishing detail, and provides a complete system of healthcare.

Neijing Nature-Based Medicine Basic Principles

  • The cosmos is created and governed by complex patterns of motion and transformation, of which we are largely unaware; we live our lives among a world of secondary manifestations, not primary causes.

  • We are direct expressions of nature, and nature is a reflection of us; no meaningful separation exists.

  • Nature is our primary teacher and the source of all that we experience in our lives.

  • At the heart of these motions is a deep tendency for the universe to move in constant cyclical motions or to ‘breathe’; from this basic tendency, all things in the universe are explained.

  • Physical forms in the universe materialize around patterns of indiscernible motion in ways to maximize the efficiency of the patterns flowing through them at the time of their creation; thus, the physical forms of the world, including the human body, are not static objects but rather represent dynamic patterns of motion in form.

  • The universe is an interrelated resonancescape; changes in any one aspect affects all other aspects; all things exist as part of this great web, we succeed or fail together.

  • Human illnesses arise as primary disruptions in the coherence of unseen patterns of motion and transformation, of which we are largely unaware; due to this, in our healthcare systems today, we tend to recognize secondary manifestations of illness, not their primary cause.

  • Human illnesses are treated by restoring the body’s ecological landscape and circulatory patterns; when these patterns are restored, many human illnesses resolve spontaneously and gracefully.

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Treatment Modalities

  • NeiJing acupuncture involves the use of varying sizes of needles to open the tissues of the body, remove adhesions (called Bi-obstructions), and increase healthy circulation to diseased tissues in order to restore the ecology of the body.

    In NNBM, we see acupuncture as one of our last resorts, and try to restore ecology using the least invasive methods first.

  • Moxabustion is a Chinese medical practice older than acupuncture that involves burning processed mugwort leaves directly on, or near the regions of the body in need of treatment.

    We use Moxa to guide the circulation into or out of regions and often rely on it to nourish regions of the body that are weak and tired.

  • Cupping is a method of treatment wherein we use fire to create a vaccuum inside a thickened glass cup to create suction over various regions of the body. This method has been adopted by many modern western systems to treat muscular pain but has many more uses.

    In NNBM, one of our main applications of cupping is to place 8-10 large cups over important regions on the back in such a way that has been shown to decrease heavy metal content and increase the body's natural ability to remove harmful chemicals. This is one of our main treatments for patients who have undergone chemotherapy in the past and are continuing to feel lingering fatigue.

    Because we have observed measurable changes in the VOC content of the treatment rooms that pose a workplace hazard to the practitioners, you may also see us wearing particulate respirators during your cupping treatment.

  • In NNBM, we try to use the least invasive interventions first and, often, this means starting treatments with manual therapies.

    Although we have yet to finish designing the NNBM manual therapy system, DJ is trained in medical Qigong, Chinese TuiNa, and several osteopathic techniques that he merges into a method that follows the principles of NNBM.

  • Chinese herbal medicine is a broad ranging method of healing that involves the ingestion or topical application of medicinal substances carefully paired to your condition.

    In NNBM, we often pair herbal medicine with foods to make nourishing soups and stews, but also apply topical compresses in the clinic to treat the tissues of the body as an adjunct to acupuncture or manual therapies.

  • NNBM focuses on creating healthy and lasting connection to food as an intimate doorway into our connection with the land around us. Although the core principles of this approach can be summarized simply as "if it looks good on a compost pile, then it will be good in your stomach," there are often more subtle and specific changes that can help to support people during their recovery from chronic illnesses.

  • QiGong, originally known by many names, including DaoYin, involves precise movements together with breathing and body awareness. Studies have shown QiGong and TaiJi practices in general to have myriad benefits including increased balance, improved circulation, and improvements in mental wellbeing.

    When it comes to prescription QiGong, we work to tailor practices to each patient, assessing their condition and making sure to guide them through only the most relevant exercises for their condition.

    Outside of this, DJ also offers general QiGong classes to help keep people healthy and guide them into the practices for longevity and a deeper connection to both the inner and outer worlds.

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DJ Steel R.TCM.P - Clinic Director

DJ began studying Chinese medicine at 16 years old after discovering it through Chinese internal martial arts and Qigong. For the first few years, he studied both under Kevin Wallbridge who introduced him to the concepts and ideas and Michael Smith who encouraged him to pursue a career in medicine, these were two of the three founders of the Academy of Classical Oriental Sciences in Nelson, BC in 1996. At 19 years old, he attended Kootenay Columbia College of Integrative Health Sciences (formerly ACOS) enrolling in, then completing the 5 year Doctor of Chinese Medicine program, graduating in 2019. In his final year, he studied closely under William Morris, learning his Neoclassical Pulse Diagnosis system and completed a term of clinical training at hospitals in ChengDu, China. Afterwards, he obtained his license as a Registered Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner (R.TCM.P) in both Ontario and British Columbia.

Throughout his training, he was deeply interested in the medical classics, particularly the Huangdi Neijing, the source text of Chinese medicine. In the first year of his clinical practice, he saw several patients with chronic, complex conditions and was surprised that he wasn’t able to help as much as was supposed to be possible. This drew him to re-start his studies from the ground up, beginning with the Neijing. He was astounded at the difference in the description of the core concepts and clinical applications of these ideas and continued to dive deeper. He learned that the original descriptions of acupuncture focused far less on points and far more on “ecological restoration” of tissue planes. After applying these practices himself and seeing a dramatic improvement in the results, he knew that he needed to find a teacher with more experience. Soon, DJ found and began to study with Dr. Edward Neal, the founder of NNBM, who had spent 20 years studying the Huangdi Neijing and twice that in the healthcare system. DJ completed the foundational NNBM training in 2023 and continues with advanced training, serving as an assistant teacher.

Currently, DJ studies with Dr. Neal in NNBM, Dr. Michael Smith in Soma Dao Qigong and Applied Combatives, and Kevin Wallbridge in the ways of “cultivating a laid back and easy going approach to life.” He continues his personal research into the Huangdi Neijing with a particular affinity for its teaching on human interactions with the weather and the way these interactions shape illness, and he works to develop an NNBM integrative anatomy alongside Dr. Neal. He has continued a profoundly important personal Qigong and martial arts journey wherein he continually aspires to develop softness and gentle listening. Along with his research and clinical practice, DJ teaches at Pacific Rim College and provides Qigong and martial arts lessons.