Engineer to Acupuncturist

Hello, My name is Mark Yang, here is my story.

When I was an engineer, I often went to visit Western doctors and solely relied on them for my medical needs. However, I was able to transfer to studying traditional Chinese medicine and building my new career around acupuncture. Oftentimes, people are astonished by this big change I have made.

Seventeen years ago, I was absorbed in my engineering career, and I did not believe in Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine (A&TCM). Whenever I became ill, I went to my family doctor just like everyone else... It wasn’t until my wife was pregnant with my first child when I witnessed the magic of A&TCM. My wife was weak and had already experienced a few miscarriages. The baby she was carrying was about to be born almost three months premature. My mother introduced us to Dr. Wei-Chieh Yang (Disciple of Master Tung Ching-Chang). With his help and knowledge of acupuncture, my wife’s body was able to prevent the baby from being born too soon. In the end, acupuncture made it possible for me to have two beautiful children.

Dr. Wei-Chieh Yang also helped my sister-in-law who suffered from severe Psoriasis. She had always looked for a solution from western medicine for many years but walked away with no results. Ultimately, I ended up taking her to Dr. Yang. That day, while we were waiting, I remember seeing a young lady with severe back pain, slowly limping into the clinic with tears in her eyes and a painful expression on her face. I stood up and tried to help her sit in the waiting room. Dr. Yang took her in immediately. After her treatment, she walked out by herself without any assistance. I was shocked and could not believe what I had seen.

While continuing to wait, I saw Dr. Yang’s published textbooks on a bookshelf. I picked up a couple of books and looked through them. The information was extremely intriguing, so I asked Dr. Yang’s wife if I could buy some. She responded, “Don’t waste your money. Those are for students who are at the doctorate level. You won’t understand!” I replied, “Aunty, (a term Chinese people use toward senior women out of respect) if I don’t understand, I will return them to you.” With that, I got my first two acupuncture books. I enjoyed reading them; a week later, I went back and asked Dr. Yang some questions. He was amazed that I understood the information. He encouraged me to go to South Baylo University to study. I smiled and thought it was impossible since I was busy working as an engineer at the time. For the moment, I put my thoughts about being an acupuncturist on hold.

Meanwhile, after sixteen Psoriasis treatments, Dr. Yang told me that I should start treating my sister-in-law. He believed that by following his instructions, I had the ability to treat her. Dr. Yang would have continued to treat her, but he knew of her financial situation and how far she lived. After some thought, I started treating her. Her skin was back to normal after ten more treatments. Then, my eldest daughter, who was using an inhaler and taking asthma medication, was coughing badly one night. At the time, she was five years old and refused to have acupuncture, so I did acupressure on her. Later on, she was able to sleep, but once I fell asleep and let go of her hands, she started coughing again. Night after night, I became extremely tired and frustrated. Eventually, I convinced her to try acupuncture with four needles. After the treatment, she coughed once and went back to sleep peacefully. With one more treatment the next day, her asthma was completely gone! Over time, I received referrals from my friends, their friends, and family members who had conditions such as pain from cancer, irregular heartbeat, depression, anxiety, ADHD, kidney stone pain, insomnia, diabetes, excessive bleeding during PMS, PMS pain, stroke recovery, Cerebral Palsy…etc. In the end, I was able to treat every single one of them with a satisfactory result.

As an engineer, work was very stressful. Even though I was making a decent income designing computer ICs (Integrated Circuits), I was very unhappy. Every now and then, my colleagues and I would tap -out (complete) a chip and celebrate it. The next day, we would go back to work and the stress and anxiety would hit us again. I asked myself, “What did I contribute to society?” Nothing came to mind. Once I started doing acupuncture and saw my patients recover from their sickness, I felt satisfied and proud! Even to this day, I cherish knowing that I am useful and that I can make a difference in other people’s lives.

In 2013, I got laid off and ended my stressful engineering career. With my wife’s support in 2015, I started attending South Baylo University. Now, I’m licensed. My engineering background has given me nothing but confidence and excellent troubleshooting skills. Before, I fixed ICs; now, I can analyze the human body and help to cure it.

I believe that emotions, diet, and daily routines affect one’s health. For instance, my daughter’s asthma came back in 2014. Right after I lost my job, my wife and I both needed to work while I went to school. I treated my daughter’s asthma in exactly the same way as before, but it did not work. I added more acupuncture points and consulted my professors, but I still didn’t get any effective results. I was puzzled! Overall, my technique, theory, and skills had improved, yet the treatment wasn’t working. I decided to consult my daughter and saw that she was emotionally unstable because there was no longer anyone at home to take care of her after school. She felt lonely and thought that we did not love her anymore. Through that experience, I came to realize how an emotion such as sadness can weaken the body. In my daughter’s case, it weakened her lungs. With new understanding, I was able to treat her and once again make her asthma go away.

I always ask my patients to respect their bodies by paying attention to any signals and signs their bodies may be giving them. . In life, everyone should invest in his/her health because, without good health, there will be nothing left. To promote my own health, I meditate and do Qi-Gong exercises frequently. After such activities, I become stronger and develop a more positive Qi. My daily life includes my joy of reading and hiking. Reading helps me gain knowledge, and hiking makes me healthier. I admire nature; it is the best healing power Earth can provide.

In this lifetime, I would like to achieve something greater than just providing for my family. My passion is to help others and encourage them to become healthier and happier. . One day, before I close my eyes for the last time, I want to pat myself on the shoulder and say that I did well.

Mark Yang 2019