From Fighter to Healer: How Dr. Kenneth Hoffman Began His Acupuncture Career

By Pacific College - April 30, 2018
Ken Hoffman

Dr. Kenneth Hoffman has a sign in his acupuncture office that reads, โ€œFight me if you wish, but remember, Iโ€™m old for a reason.โ€ Itโ€™s not meant to be intimidating or threatening; rather, it reminds his students and young staff that he has been around for a whileโ€”and that he knows what heโ€™s doing.

โ€œItโ€™s a common principle in East Asian philosophy,โ€ Hoffman explains. โ€œItโ€™s called the scholar-warrior principle. When one is in youth, they learn to fight. But as they get older and they gain wisdom, they begin to follow more scholarly pursuits.โ€

Itโ€™s the trajectory Hoffman followedโ€”one that led a young paratrooper to earn a black belt in martial arts, then study Eastern medicine, and eventually become the founder and director of Sophia Natural Health Center as a doctor of acupuncture.

โ€œTo me, my lifeโ€™s pursuit has been about the balance of yin and yang,โ€ Hoffman says. โ€œThe ability to fight and the ability to heal…to me, itโ€™s very natural.โ€

Early Training and Eastern Philosophy

Hoffmanโ€™s journey toward becoming a healer really began when he started training in 1991 under the tutelage of a Taoist master. The training in both martial arts and medicine was rigorous and strictโ€”Hoffman likens it to what you would see in a Karate Kid movie.

โ€œHe taught me three exercises,โ€ Hoffman recalls. โ€œHe said, โ€˜Now, I want you to practice these 100 times a day and keep a journal, and if you donโ€™t, Iโ€™ll stop teaching you.โ€™

โ€œWhat he taught me was that any worthy wisdom in life is going to be grasped through hard work and perseverance.โ€

Sabbatical and Advanced Studies

Hoffmanโ€™s training with the Taoist master led him to take a sabbatical to live and study Chinese healing arts in the Chi Nan Temple in Taipei, Taiwan. He took his training a step further by simultaneously enrolling in Pacificโ€™s Master of Science in Traditional Oriental Medicine and the schoolโ€™s transitional doctoral program.

acupuncture-program-classes

Hoffman says the schoolโ€™s blend of Western and Eastern medicine was what drew him to the acupuncture program.

โ€œIt was going to give me the language I needed to help more people and to integrate more into a Western society,โ€ he says. โ€œFor example, instead of talking about chi and blood, Iโ€™ll talk about oxygen and the transmission of nutrients through the blood. It makes more sense to people.โ€

After graduating from PCHS, Hoffman also began to study functional medicine. He now practices what he calls โ€œintegrative natural medicineโ€โ€”a blend of East Asian medicine and functional, more Western medicine.

In addition to treating patients at his clinic, Hoffman is a strong advocate for his profession and is dedicated to leaving a legacy of practitioners who can continue his commitment to a holistic, integrative approach to medicine.

โ€œWe can go forward and really push this medicine forward,โ€ he says. โ€œWhoever is willing to come to me, whoever is willing to learn the system…Iโ€™m going to give them everything Iโ€™ve got.โ€

And while Hoffman is dedicated to healing, he places equal importance on his ability to fightโ€”although perhaps not physically.

โ€œIt takes a warrior mentality to every day go out there and fight for what you believe in,โ€ he says, โ€œto battle paradigms and to battle peopleโ€™s belief systems and their ignorance about what health is and how to manage their health.”

โ€œYou have to have a warriorโ€™s heart to make it in this medicine.”

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Pacific College

Pacific College of Health and Science (PCHS) is a leading institution in holistic and integrative healthcare education, deeply rooted in Chinese medicine since 1986. As the largest school of Chinese medicine in the U.S., PCHS offers a wide range of innovative programs, including online and on-campus degrees in holistic nursing, massage therapy, and integrativeย medicine.

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