Dr. Richard Grossman's Biography
 My fascination and commitment to healing started quite early in life. I
am the son of a pharmacist, so I grew up in a medical environment and always was fascinated with medicines, pills, medical knowledge, and other aspects
of what I experienced while quite young.
Unfortunately, growing up in a medical based environment didn't do much
for my health. Every illness had a solution. A cold - take antibiotics;
headache - take aspirin; stomach ache - take a smooth muscle relaxant.
It went on. In middle school, my digestive system started to rebel, and
continued to get worse throughout high school. Finally, the proverbial
poop hit the fan, both figuratively and almost literally.
I was living on a farm in Southern Oregon. My health had degenerated
to the point where I was too weak to participate with normal activities
and chores. I had already spent a year and a half as a strict vegetarian,
following mainly a raw food diet and taking various herbs I had read about.
. I was convinced that I should be able to heal myself with the wisdom
I was receiving from the dozens of spiritual and health related books I
had read. Unfortunately, all that happened was that I got worse, and worse.
 In desperation I went to a medical doctor who asked me how much money
I had for medical tests and treatment and treatments he thought I would
need. When he gave me a starting figure of several thousand dollars more
than I had or could get, I asked some friends what I should do. They directed
me to a Native American trained healer.
She was a wonderful 86 year old woman who lived with her family on a
farm in Central Oregon. For the next several weeks, this amazing
woman took me into her family's home. I was put on a carefully restricted
diet of mainly fresh goats milk yogurt, garden vegetables and fruits. She
took me on daily forays into the surrounding hills to collect wild herbs.
Every day I received her skilled reflexology treatments. This proved to
be the first step on my journey towards wellness and becoming a healer.
Shortly thereafter I was fortunate enough to spend time in India, studying
meditation on the banks of the Ganges. There, the seeds of understanding
the spiritual aspects of healing were planted. Over the course of 10 more
years, these seeds continued to germinate and grow into a decision to dedicate
my life to helping others on their paths towards healing and health.
In the mid-seventies, I studied further aspects of natural healing:
massage, macrobiotics, juice fasting, yoga, martial arts, Oriental philosophy,
etc., all led towards one major event. In 1979 I began my formal education
in Oriental Medicine at the California Acupuncture College.
After three
years of intensive study, I was fortunate to be one of three students from
my school to attend a World Health Organization sponsored acupuncture training
in Beijing, PRC.
The time I spent in Beijing was a heaven of education. Every day we
spent 4 hours in a clinic under the eyes of highly experienced acupuncturists.
The faculty was incredible. The least experienced teacher had been in practice
17 years, and the most experienced teacher had a beard with two or three
strands or gray hair reaching to his navel.
 After graduating from California Acupuncture College, my fascination
and love for learning continued to manifest. Over the next years, in addition
to growing and maintaining a private practice, I was able to earn a Masters
in Acupuncture, a Doctor of Oriental Medicine degree, a Ph.D. in Oriental
Medicine, a Diplomat in Acupuncture, a Diplomat of Pain Management, and
a Diplomat in Acupuncture Orthopedics.
In 1991, I took a three year working sabbatical to Central Mexico where
I was able to delve into some of the traditional healing techniques of
that wonderful and magical culture. I returned to the U.S. in 1994, having recommitted
myself to assisting others in the healing and transformation
of their lives. I currently live in the beautiful Santa Monica Mountains
with my amazing dog, Dassi. Follow this link to view my Curriculum Vitae. |
