Keith Ferris

I’ve been immersed in traditional Oriental medicine since the 1970s – working hard to figure out what works, and what’s just noise.

My professional journey started with Shiatsu in the early ’80s – a form of Japanese bodywork that works with the same points and channels used in acupuncture. That early training taught me something essential: subtle, hands-on therapies can be remarkably powerful.

In 1989, I completed a three-year acupuncture course at the London School of Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine (now part of the University of Westminster). I’ve been in continuous clinical practice ever since.

Much of the next 16 years was spent deepening my knowledge and skills. I travelled regularly to Shanghai and Hangzhou, studying at the Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and working at Yueyang Hospital. In 2004, I was honoured to be appointed a visiting professor at Zhejiang College of Traditional Chinese Medicine (now Zhejiang Chinese Medical University). It was a rare privilege – and a formative one.

I’ve also spent a significant amount of time teaching, founding the South West College of Oriental Medicine in 1996, and training acupuncture students at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels for nearly two decades.

While teaching and travelling, I ran a busy practice – first in Bristol, then in Alicante, Spain – gradually folding in nutrition, lifestyle changes and exercise programmes as part of my everyday toolkit.