James Higgy Lerner
Hello, and welcome to my website. As of May 1, 2019, I have retired from practicing acupuncture. I had an office practice of acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine for 36 years. I remain available for consultations about health issues, and for consultations about Chinese herbal medicine. I retain a great interest in Chinese herbal medicine, as well as in Integrative medicine. Chinese herbs can be an important component in Integrative medicine. An area of great interest to me is Oncology. There is growing evidence that incorporating Chinese herbs along with standard Oncological treatments leads to improved outcomes, including improved survival and fewer side effects of treatment. I am able to have herbs sent directly to people, after suitable consultation. You can reach out to me by going to “Contact Higgy” at the bottom of this page. I will respond as promptly as possible, and further conversations can happen by phone, zoom, facetime or email.
For acupuncture in Chico, California, I now recommend Dr Katrina Carney, L.Ac. She began practicing in my office in 2017, and is now full time there. In addition to her training for licensure and her own practice experience, she was able to spend time with me and some of my patients, so I could share some of my techniques and experience with her. She is a good listener and has a gentle approach. If you contact her please let her know you found her name and number on my website. Dr Carney’s contact info: Katrina Carney, DACM, L.Ac
Healthy Living Acupuncture
(530) 767-4597
Bio
Born in Washington, DC and raised in the eastern United States, I moved to California in 1970.
It was there I began a family, as well as began studying tai ji quan, qi gong, nursing and Chinese Medicine.
I began my studies of acupuncture and Chinese Medicine in the mid 1970’s with Martha Benedict, a student of Miriam Lee [whose arrest for practicing medicine without a license in the early 1970’s led to California implementing licensing for acupuncturists] and one of the
first Caucasians to be licensed to practice acupuncture in California.
I continued studying acupuncture and Chinese Medicine with teachers in the Bay Area. I also went to Oakland’s Merritt College and
obtained my degree and licensure in nursing as an RN in 1980. I then attended the first class of the American College of Traditional
Chinese Medicine in San Francisco, completing the program in early 1983. Martha Benedict was one of the founders of the college, along
with Yat K Lai and C S Cheung. Dr Lai was involved in the initial development of acupuncture licensure in California. Dr Cheung was a
well known translator of Chinese Medical materials into English, and only retired from translating and teaching in his 80’s.
I worked for many years part time as a Registered Nurse, in burn and critical care areas primarily. I also maintained a private
practice in acupuncture and Chinese Medicine. I stopped nursing practice entirely in the early 2000’s. As an acupuncturist I worked
in a variety of settings: at a senior clinic in Oakland, in a large group practice in San Francisco, for both adult and juvenile drug
court programs, and from 2006- 2019 as an acupuncturist for Enloe Medical Center in Chico, Ca. This included working with cardiac surgery and
other inpatients, as well as developing and working in a weekly, low cost community style clinic, the first in Chico, at the Enloe Cancer
Center’s infusion center. From 1998-2000 I was a contributing writer on alternative and complementary therapies for two nursing textbooks. I continue helping clients with herbal medicine for a variety of conditions.
My first serious tai ji quan and qi gong teacher, Fong Ha, was also involved as a translator at the American College of TCM.
I began studying and practicing tai ji and qi gong seriously in the 1970’s. My primary teachers have been Fong Ha, Sam Tam, and my fellow
student and colleague Jan Diepersloot. Master Tam, who lives in Vancouver, BC, is considered one of the finest practitioners of tai ji quan. While living near Chico, California, from 1991 until 2019, I taught tai ji and qi gong. I currently teach these arts at the Jewish Community Center of Greater New Haven, in Woodbridge, Ct.
