Joan Duveen (NL)

Joan Duveen, originally trained as a physiotherapist worked in his own private clinic in the Netherlands until August 2024 after which he retired from treating patients. He continues to write and teach.
 
Because he was interested in both physical work and philosophy, in 1975 he heard about Dr. van Buren who taught acupuncture based on Chinese philosophy. Since there was a long waiting list for this course, he began studying Chinese medicine first with Chinese massage and later acupuncture with other teachers. Together with Jan van Baarle he wrote a study book: Chinese massage for physiotherapists.

Graduated from the Dutch Society for Acupuncture, Holland in 1982, he finally was able to study with Dr. van Buren in the Netherlands and became B.Ac in 1986 at ICOM Holland.

At the end of this study, he had the rare honour to be invited by Dr. van Buren to study with him in the UK for a M.Ac., which he finalized in 1991 at ICOM England. 

He became a regular staff member at the International College of Oriental Medicine UK for 16 years, teaching Chinese Medicine in year 3 and 4. During these years, and later till Dr. van Buren died, Joan was able to visit him often, to observe his treatments and to learn as much as possible and to exchange ideas.

Joan sees it as his task to keep the legacy of the work of Dr. van Buren alive, which is the practical use of Chinese philosophy in the acupuncture clinic. The core of the work of Dr. van Buren is found in the philosophy of the heavenly stems and earthly branches, a subject which was theoretical for many years, even in China. Dr. van Buren’s work was to focus on the practical use of the philosophical ideas of the Chinese calendar in the acupuncture clinic.

Since 1987 Joan is an international teacher in this subject which brought him, besides the Netherlands to schools and congresses in England, Germany, Israel, Norway, Australia, and Poland. Being a husband, father, and grandfather, he chose to refuse several requests from schools in other countries.

He is co-founder of the Study centre Pakua (1988). He resigned as chairman after 13 years being convinced that the objectives continue to be propagated. This study centre still organizes post graduate courses in Philosophical Chinese medicine. 

In 1992 he had the chance to travel to China with a group of colleagues and Dr. van Buren and his wife and colleague Pauline to visit Colleges of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Beijing, Chengdu, Hong Kong, and Shanghai.
His specialties in the field of acupuncture are paediatrics (he studied with Julien Scott), pulse diagnosis (studied with Dr. van Buren and Dr. L. Hammer and others), acupuncture according to the five elements and the philosophy of stems and branches, considering the constitutional energies at birth, based on the Chinese calendar.
 
He wrote several articles in journals on Chinese medicine on these topics and published a book on the theoretical and practical principles of treating according to the philosophy of heavenly stems and earthly branches. In this book - Applying Stems and Branches in Clinical Practice - he shares his experience and understanding of this important but historically often forgotten approach to acupuncture.
 
Joan reads widely and continues to study Chinese philosophy and Chinese Medicine, especially the Yijing and its practical use in the clinic. Since childhood, he has been accustomed to learning through spiritual work and staying healthy through fitness, qi gong, meditation, long walks and listening to music.

He is blissed with an active family life with his wife Marjolein, 4 children and 4 grandchildren.