What do Martial Arts and Medicine Have in Common?

(2008 Floyd Press Article Excerpt)

What do Martial Arts and Medicine Have in Common? You’ll find the answer at the Blue Ridge Center for Chinese Medicine (BRCCM) where a small group practices a unique “family style” of Traditional Chinese Medicine that blends internal martial arts energy cultivation with traditional Chinese medical principles, to create a powerful system of health care for a broad spectrum of Floyd residents—farmers, artists and professionals alike.

According to BRCCM’s Executive Director Jason Redinbo, the merger of internal martial arts and Traditional Chinese Medicine is an ancient coupling that works together on two important levels. “First, BRCCM practitioners are serious internal martial arts students, training daily in energy building disciplines such as Bagua (ba-gwa), Taiji (tie-chee) and Qigong (chee-gung). Their commitment to maintaining optimal health and energetic well-being is the foundation for providing effective care. Clients also play an essential self-help role by being instructed in appropriate martial art exercises as part of their care to practice at home. Classes are also available as a way for them to train with the support of others, and continue to learn and grow with their daily practice.”

David Wiley, BRCCM’s Board Chairman, believes that empowering to be a part of their own health care and providing tools for them to participate is very synergistic with Floyd values and has won the hearts of many residents. In turn, residents have worked hard to establish BRCCM’s 4,200 square foot facility, complete with multiple treatment rooms, kitchen, Chinese herb apothecary, and a stunning vaulted timber framed 30’X48’ training hall.”
Also, it was community members who first encouraged the Center to become a non-profit organization—helping it to meet strict operational and financial requirements to earn 501(c)(3) public non-profit status, granted this past January by the IRS. Says Wiley, “It is the strong support of the community—providing guidance, volunteer work, talent, and monetary support—that is vital to BRCCM’s ongoing development.”

In order to fully develop and offer the Center’s closely-related areas of expertise, BRCCM operates three distinct units: the Laurel Creek Clinic, Spirit Honesty Martial Arts School, and Ancestral Mountain Tuina School. (The Chinese Herb Gardens had not begun at the time of this article.)

The Laurel Creek Clinic

Practicing a Family-style of Chinese Medicine

Laurel Creek Clinic uses acupuncture, Chinese herbology, Chinese structural massage (called Jin Shou TuinaTM), craniosacral therapy, Qigong energy techniques and education to address a full range of conditions from stress and exhaustion, to muscular, structural, and joint disorders, to internal disorders and chronic conditions. The Clinic has provided hundreds of community members with relief and resolution for their ailments. The system of thought that binds these techniques together is based on a family-style of Traditional Chinese Medicine that has been passed down through generations from teacher to apprentice. In keeping with this tradition, the Laurel Creek Clinic’s success is in part based on the volunteer efforts of its four apprentices who study Jin Shou Tuina and Chinese medical theory and assist clinically under the direction of Jason Redinbo, Licensed Acupuncturist and BRCCM’s Executive Director.
Two apprentices are also working toward their Master’s degrees in Acupuncture, which will expand the Clinic capabilities even further in the future.

Spirit Honesty Martial Arts School (Jing Cheng Wu Guan) — Preserving a Traditional Lineage

Spirit Honesty Martial Arts School offers programs and classes in the traditional Chinese arts of Xingyi (shing yee), Bagua, Taiji, Qigong and general well-being. These internal arts teach movements that promote health, cultivate energy, and maintain proper functioning of the body and its systems. Although most students are interested in health aspects, the school also offers classes that focus on the martial applications of these arts, and provides yearly sparring opportunities. Through the School’s association with the North American Tang Shou Tao Association (NATSTA) http://www.natsta.org/, students also have access to workshops, conferences, opportunities to train abroad, and a national network of internal martial art students and teachers. At NATSTA’s recent instructor conference, six of the School’s students were tested and awarded assistant instructor certification. Also, Thirteen students will be taking advantage of a NATSTA-sponsored trip to Thailand this Winter to train with Chinese masters in Taiji, Xingyi, and two styles of Bagua.

Ancestral Mountain Tuina School—Passing on an Ancient Tradition

Ancestral Mountain Tuina School (AMTS) teaches Jin Shou TuinaTM—a nationally registered bodywork system that is strongly rooted in traditional Chinese medical theory. AMTS is a newly formed Career and Technical school certified to operate by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. Jason Redinbo, the school’s director and primary instructor, developed the curriculum to provide quality vocational training for those interested in learning a professional trade in bodywork. In doing so, he accomplishes an important goal impressed upon him by his own teachers: to preserve and pass on this valuable art. The Laurel Creek Clinic apprentices will be the first to graduate from the AMTS program. Starting in 2009 AMTS plans to accept new students.

Working Towards a Sustainable Future

Redinbo’s vision for developing and linking these three units is part of his long-term goal to meet the growing needs of the Clinic, Martial Arts School, Tuina School and the Floyd community in a sustainable way. “Each unit will be supported by the expertise, skills and services of the others to sustain BRCCM operations, continually rejuvenate the organization, and enrich the community who so generously supports us,” says Redinbo.

This concept is already at work. Starting next year, AMTS will provide the Laurel Creek Clinic with the next generation of licensed practitioners, and by 2010, offer continuing education for graduates through the apprenticeship program. The Spirit Honesty Martial Arts School classes will strengthen both community members and the clinic practitioners—who in turn support BRCCM in bringing traditional health care to Floyd area residents.
Located in Floyd County, BRCCM is a 501(c)(3) public non-profit dedicated to providing health care services and educational programs using the principles and techniques of Traditional Chinese Medicine. BRCCM’s Executive Director, Jason Redinbo, is a licensed acupuncturist and certified Jin Shou Tuina and martial arts instructor with 18 years teaching and clinic experience. The members of the Board of Directors are area residents who are dedicated to achieving the organization’s mission and providing guidance for the success of BRCCM.