Dr. Baoku Liu, LAc, Ph.D., is a New York State licensed acupuncturist with over 30 years of experience in both acupuncture and herbology. His unique practice of the myofascial Scar Tissue Acupuncture Release Technique (START) that he pioneered, has brought healing and a return to activities for thousands of patients over his extensive career.
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After graduating from Jilin University with a concentration in orthopedics and sports medicine, and a PhD in herbology, Dr. Liu began his career in the department of soft tissue injury at the Hospital of Traditional and Western Medicine in Jilin. He initially specialized in spinal pathology, but has constantly been engaged in increasing his knowledge and broadening the scope of his practice.
Through extensive research, Dr. Liu has sought to understand every aspect of the body, through both traditional and modern medical lenses. His treatment principles are focused on the fascia, nervous system, meridian channels, and trigger points. In order to better access these areas, he has developed a number of unique acupuncture techniques, including Theory of Pathogenicity due to Scar Tissue, Scar Tissue Point, Scar Tissue Acupuncture Release Technique, and Tuina & Massage Technique for Fascia, Ligament, Tendon, Cartilage, and Bone Scar Tissue.
In his spare time, Dr. Liu enjoys lecturing, and hosting workshops at Traditional Chinese Medicine conferences around the world. He returns to China each year to continue learning, and is constantly improving his techniques.
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The Branch and the Root – A Scientific Approach to Traditional Chinese Medicine
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Scar Tissue Acupuncture exists at the juncture of traditional Chinese medicine and modern science, which allows for a uniquely effective approach to curative medicine. Dr. Boaku Liu combines the diagnostic tools of western medicine – X-rays, MRIs, and CT scans – with the holistic, whole-body approach of eastern medicine, to treat and heal every part of the body.
While Western medicine most often seeks to treat and cure a specific complaint, which can lead to chronic undiagnosed problems, Eastern medicine takes a much broader approach to your health. To understand the differences in these approaches, and how they work together, it’s helpful to think of a tree. Western medicine treats the complaint – the pain at the end of the branch – while Eastern medicine begins at that spot, and then works back through the tree, treating all of the symptoms along the way, unraveling the pathways of pain, until it arrives at the root of the problem. Although a branch treatment may provide quick relief for a patient's immediate symptoms, it doesn’t provide true healing.
It’s only when these two philosophies are combined that doctors can provide their patients with the best outcomes. Scar Tissue Acupuncture believes that no treatment is complete until the root cause has been addressed. This scientific approach to traditional medicine is central to Dr. Baoku Liu’s curative treatment model. His treatments are tailored to the specific needs of each patient, often providing simultaneous care for multiple conditions, until the branch and root problems have been addressed and the patient’s health has been restored.