John Kokko When I moved to the SF Bay area, a friend introduced me to Fu Yu-Tai, a renowned tui-na (traditional Chinese bodywork) practitioner in the Outer Richmond of the city. I became his first student, spending every Saturday from 8 am to 8 pm for a year studying under him and working with his patients. At the same time, I got a job working at Mayway, the largest Chinese herbal company in the country. Mama Lau became famous in Chinatown a couple of decades back, selling every traditional herb under the sun. She even started a restaurant cooking traditional herbal soups and dishes next door to their herb shop. What I learned there by the time they moved to Oakland was invaluable. I stayed there for 7 years, which got me through graduate school.Since acupuncture licensure, I've taught dozens of graduate courses at three acupuncture colleges for a decade and ran a program to help hundreds of graduates pass their state and national licensure board exams. I also sat on the board of the California State Oriental Medical Association for 5 years, working with others in guiding policy and continuing education for our profession. However, I am most proud of teaching for 3 years at Contra Costa College. At this community college, the academic dean, Susan Lee, now a family friend, helped me set up a program for preventative health using the principles of traditional Chinese medicine. We saw people who reversed major alcohol and smoking addiction, chronic pain, blood sugar and hypertension issues, and anxiety and depression by utilizing the eight branches of Chinese medicine in their everyday lives. This was nothing short of miraculous in many cases and still inspires me today. My passions include creating community through the art of tea. For this, I owe a debt of gratitude to my late tea teacher, Winnie Yu, one of the first to bring artisanal tea to the West. She taught me to be generous and authentic, and that tea, like so many things, can bring us all together and dissolve differences.I continue to refine my clinical practice through ongoing studies with orthopedic expert Alon Marcus and Lonny Jarrett, a pioneer in integral medicine. Both have been awe-inspiring mentors and great friends on this amazing journey. I am committed to translating the depth of these teachers into our life practices, and I look forward to working with you. https://www.instagram.com/explore/locations/318244849/kokko-wellness/ https://www.kokkowellness.com/ Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/earth-ancients--2790919/support .
