Andres Vergara, Dipl.OM, L.Ac, M.Ac., MMQ, co founded 4 Branches Chinese Medicine Center with Michele. He was a Diplomat of Oriental Medicine, a licensed acupuncturist, Chinese herbal practitioner, Master of medical qi gong, and a qi gong instructor. He was also an ordained Daoist priest, 82nd generation Highest Purity sect and 66th generation Celestial Masters sect.
Andres died in June of 2022, but his voice and wisdom remain an integral part of 4 Branches and the work Michele is continuing here. Andres was always in the process of deepening his knowledge and understanding of acupuncture, inner alchemy, Taoist mysticism, Chinese herbal medicine, Chinese energetic medicine, and growing and cultivating Chinese herbs. He was a curious, brilliant, and generous teacher, healer, and father. This bio gives you a brief history of his studies, which are just a way of describing his commitment and deep dive, not only his own personal journey of cultivation and healing, but also to how he was constantly sharpening his ability to apply his skills in a clinical setting.
He practiced acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine in Maryland, as well as at the Naturopathic Health Clinic, and Piedmont Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, both in Winston-Salem North Carolina, before co-founding 4 Branches Chinese Medicine Center with his wife, Michele. He had a general practice, with particular experience in treating pain, anxiety, arthritis, depression, allergies, migraines, dizziness, vertigo, urinary problems, tremors, digestive disorders, asthma, gynecological issues, chronic fatigue, autoimmune disorders, dermatological conditions and insomnia. As an additional resource, Andres offered meditation, qi gong and tai chi classes to his clients and practiced these methods for nearly two decades.
He graduated from the Tai Sophia Institute in January 2007 where he received his M.Ac. He was licensed to practice Acupuncture in the state of North Carolina. He trained in Chengdu, China for 6 months where he studied the use of herbs in a Chinese hospital that uses both allopathic and traditional Chinese medicine. He has also studied with a number of well regarded teachers of Chinese medicine including Lonny Jarrett, Dr. Tan, and Bob Flaws. He studied medical qi gong with Wendy Lang and the International Institute of Medical Qi Gong curriculum introduced by Dr. Jerry Allen Johnson and is a Master of Medical Qi Gong (MMQ). He studied Daoist mysticism with Sifu Laura Johnson McCreary, a doctor of Medical Qi Gong. Andres was passionate about curious about understanding the multidimensional world both within himself and in the world around him.