DJ Steel

DJ began studying Chinese medicine at 16 years old after discovering it through Chinese internal martial arts and Qigong. For the first few years, he studied both under Kevin Wallbridge who introduced him to the concepts and ideas and Michael Smith who encouraged him to pursue a career in medicine, these were two of the three founders of the Academy of Classical Oriental Sciences in Nelson, BC in 1996. At 19 years old, he attended Kootenay Columbia College of Integrative Health Sciences (formerly ACOS) enrolling in, then completing the 5 year Doctor of Chinese Medicine program, graduating in 2019. In his final year, he studied closely under William Morris, learning his Neoclassical Pulse Diagnosis system and completed a term of clinical training at hospitals in ChengDu, China. Afterwards, he obtained his license as a Registered Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner (R.TCM.P) in both Ontario and British Columbia. Throughout his training, he was deeply interested in the medical classics, particularly the Huangdi Neijing, the source text of Chinese medicine. In the first year of his clinical practice, he saw several patients with chronic, complex conditions and was surprised that he wasn't able to help as much as was supposed to be possible. This drew him to re-start his studies from the ground up, beginning with the Neijing. He was astounded at the difference in the description of the core concepts and clinical applications of these ideas and continued to dive deeper. He learned that the original descriptions of acupuncture focused far less on points and far more on "ecological restoration" of tissue planes. After applying these practices himself and seeing a dramatic improvement in the results, he knew that he needed to find a teacher with more experience. Soon, DJ found and began to study with Dr. Edward Neal, the founder of NNBM, who had spent 20 years studying the Huangdi Neijing and twice that in the healthcare system. DJ completed the foundational NNBM training in 2023 and continues with advanced training, serving as an assistant teacher. Currently, DJ studies with Dr. Neal in NNBM, Dr. Michael Smith in SomaDao Qigong and Applied Combatives, and Kevin Wallbridge in the ways of "cultivating a laid back and easy going approach to life." He continues his personal research into the Huangdi Neijing with a particular affinity for its teaching on human interactions with the weather and the way these interactions shape illness, and he works to develop an NNBM integrative anatomy alongside Dr. Neal. He has continued a profoundly important personal Qigong and martial arts journey wherein he continually aspires to develop softness and gentle listening. Along with his research and clinical practice, DJ teaches at Pacific Rim College and provides Qigong and martial arts lessons.