Dear patients,

I am Chung-Hu Tao, a licensed and certified acupuncturist at the Tao's Acupuncture & Herbs Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania. I have practiced acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine since 1985, including 6 years in Taiwan and 16 years in the US. I hold a Master's degree from Samra University of Oriental Medicine in Los Angeles. I am a licensed acupuncturist in Pennsylvania, and am also licensed in New York and California - the highest professional standard in U.S. In addition, I am a board certified diplomat in Chinese herbs by the National Commission for the Certification of Acupuncturists (NCCA).

My country of origin is Taiwan. Up until 1985, I worked in business. At that time, I switched to a career in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) because I was inspired to help improve the health of others. I completed a two year TCM apprenticeship in Taipei, and then completed the Master's degree program at Samra University of Oriental Medicine in Los Angeles. After graduating in 1994, I completed a one year continuous educational program related to orthopedics. I then moved to Allentown, PA and have been practicing TCM ever since. In addition, I also studied anatomy, physiology, and biomedicine at East Stroudsburg University and completed additional clinical training at the TCM hospitals in Beijing, Shanghai and Gualin.

In my own experiences, I have found acupuncture combined with Chinese herbs to be very helpful in treating chronic pain, gastro-intestinal disorders, female diseases, allergies, skin diseases, mental illness, drug & alcohol withdrawal, and chronic fatigue, as well as those who wish to lose weight or stop smoking. Additionally, acupuncture can serve as a supplemental treatment and may help patients who experience G-I upset from medication, no improvement or relief from medication; or limited help from cortisone injections, physical therapy, or spinal adjustments.

In 1997, the National Institute of Health (NIH) endorsed acupuncture as treatment for nausea, vomiting, addiction, and chronic pain. While conceding that additional research is needed to categorically prove acupuncture's effectiveness in treating other diseases, the NIH supports acupuncture's therapeutic value and has urged physicians to be open-minded about recommending it to their patients. Based on this research, I urge patients and primary care physicians, neurologists, orthopedic doctors, pain specialists, rheumatologists, physiatrists, physical therapists and chiropractors to be open minded regarding acupuncture and TCM treatments.

Surgery should always be the last option. This applies to chronically painful conditions like carpal tunnel syndrome, trigger finger, mild or moderate disc bulging or herniated disc, spinal stenosis, and chronic Illnesses like hysterectomy for uterine fibroid, mammary cyst, ovary cyst, endometriosis, small gallstones, pancreatitis, colitis, sinus, etc. Acupuncture with herbal therapy has been an effective, risk free treatment of the aforementioned conditions.

I adhere to strict sanitary standards and use only disposable needles in my practice. If you have a fear of needles, I can use alternative approaches to achieve results similar to acupuncture. I can use ear seeds to stick on the acupuncture points in the surface of your ears, magnetic needle techniques, cupping, orally taken Chinese herbs, and external patches to achieve a somewhat similar result if the patient has an initial fear of acupuncture needles.

Regarding insurance, worker's compensation and auto injury cases are typically covered. The health insurance coverage is limited; currently we only accept United Healthcare-PPO plan, and Aetna POS plan. If you have a different insurance plan, or are unsure whether your treatments will be covered, we ask that you could contact your insurance representative before making appointment .

For your first appointment, please bring any reports or information that could help me to understand your physical condition and develop a treatment plan. This could be a radiologist's report, lab test's report, specialist written report, or any other reports if available. Under current PA acupuncture law, a written diagnosis from your medical doctor is necessary if you will receive our treatment over 60 days from the first day of your visit.

Meanwhile, I encourage you to open "Testimonials" link below, in which our patients share their true stories and experiences about the effective treatment they received at my practice. In addition, the "Specialties" link contains in-depth information regarding some of my specialties, treatment of specific diseases, and commentary.

Finally, I would like to quote the words of Deng Xiao-Ping, the past Chairman of China: "No matter you are the white or black cat, who can catch the mouse is the good cat." The meaning behind the statement is when comparing Western and Eastern medicine, the issue is not whether you are an M.D. or a practitioner of TCM; what matters is how much you can help the patients. The best doctor is the one who can help patients the most. Based on Deng's practical thought, I'd like to invite you to try acupuncture and TCM if you are not satisfied with your current treatment.

Thank you for visiting this website. Please contact me with any concerns or questions or to schedule an appointment by phone.

This website is also shared with those patients who are frustrated with the current state of bio-medicinal practices
.
Truly Yours,

Chung-Hu Tao/ L.Ac. & L. OM.


Announcement:

This is to announce that I am the first one received the new license-practitioner of oriental medicine from Medical Board of PA. License # OM000011. This is the new license issued from PA State Government to protect our consumers could be treated by a real qualified medical practitioner whose background and competency has been evaluated and passed by the medical board.

This new license is not only entitled the practitioner could practice acupuncture but also in herbal medicine, nutritional consultation, diet and life style change to match the philosophy of oriental medicine. Previously, this part was belong to the scope of practice under the title of acupuncturist, however, some of this practitioner even not received the herbal education or exam to prove their competency in the field of herbal medicine. Now, it is my pleasure to see the Board moved toward the right direction to protect our consumers.

From now on, if the patients concerned the safety of drug/herbs interaction or the side effects of herbal medicine, or looking for a practitioner who really know how to treat a people's health by a holistic approach in using acupuncture with the herbs etc. then please come to the right door, let me help you.