1999-present, in Collaboration with Dr. Lobsang Dhondup
In 1999 I met Dr. Lobsang Dhondup while working as a researcher at the University of California, Santa Barbara. I had been independently studying Tibetan Medicine since my return from Asia in 1988 and Dr. Dhondup and I had an immediate connection. We began our long-term collaboration to integrate east-west medicines. Through our comparative research we have shown that Tibetan medical theories are consistent at the microscopic and macroscopic scales of the human body, providing a bridge for these seemingly unrelated medical systems.

In 2006 we had the good fortune of sharing our research with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and received the Medicine Buddha Empowerment from Him.

Subsequently, Dr. Dhondup and I participated in the Functional Medicine Board Certification Program in order to integrate these medicines, both of which have a systems biology approach, with the goal of doing clinical studies and further personalizing both medicines. We have been fortunate to have the support of Professor Robert Thurman, Dr. Mark Hyman, Dr. Patrick Hanaway and Dr. Oz for our integrative approaches.

Here are photos from some of our events, including with Geshe la, Mr. Gyalo Thondup, Arjia Rinpoche, and Steven Seagal.