Dr. Bob Quinn has pursued a path that differs from that of most Chinese Medicine practitioners in the U.S. He has studied and practiced a neoclassical style of acupuncture whose roots are more Japanese than Chinese, although the same core Chinese classical texts are studied for insights. This style, referred to as Japanese Meridian Therapy, utilizes very gentle techniques. The acupuncture needles are far thinner and are inserted typically only very superficially; often they are not even inserted at all.

Dr. Quinn earned his master’s and doctoral degrees in Chinese Medicine in 1998 and 2008 respectively. His doctoral capstone project was on the topic of “Wholeness in Traditional East Asian Medicine.” Dr. Quinn has also worked in recent years to bring the practice of dream work back into Chinese Medicine. (Two chapters in the Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine deal with dreams, but it is not at all common for practitioners to use patients’ dream images in any significant way.)

In his clinical practice at NUNM and in his private SE Portland clinic, Dr. Quinn treats a variety of conditions, ranging from musculoskeletal pain to anxiety to chronic conditions, including Lyme disease. A writer as well, Dr. Quinn has contributed articles, case studies, book reviews, and interviews to professional publications such as the North American Journal of Oriental Medicine and The Journal of Chinese Medicine, along with monthly columns in community papers for the public.