Six years ago, when we sketched out the initial business plan for DAO Labs in the Blue Mountains of North Carolina, my esteemed colleague and fellow co-founder Dr. Eric Karchmer, MD (China), Phd and LAc had one requirement: Our brand had to maintain a level of authenticity and purity for the practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine.  Years later, I’m excited to share that as I type this, Eric is currently on a brief hiatus in Taiwan on a Fulbright Scholarship to study the application of Traditional Chinese Medicine to treat emerging diseases and illnesses - particularly in children.  

How’s that for authenticity and purity?

Two Chinese Medicine Applications to Help Children

Eric’s studies are being conducted at the China Medical University in Taichung, Taiwan, a leading Chinese medicine university that’s regarded internationally for both its teachings of acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine, and its research.  While his original goal was to study in Shanghai, both the pandemic and international relations triggered the change in location - but what did not change was his area of studies:

• To understand how families use Traditional Chinese Medicine to handle illness in children - particularly those illnesses that are new or emerging.
• To work with Doctors of Traditional Chinese Medicine to understand how innovation in the field of Traditional Chinese Medicine is being applied in their treatment of young children.  

His 6 month sabbatical will afford him time to shadow pediatric practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine with close observation of how the modality is being used in families with small children to treat a variety of needs.  This, during a time when incredible advancements in healthcare have outpaced Traditional Chinese Medicine from an innovation perspective, underscores that demand for ancient treatments remains vibrant.  

Why This Matters for DAO Labs, and You

Our brand is important to us, as is the seriousness by which we take the formulas we bring to market.  We’ve cultivated a global network of acupuncturists and Doctors of Chinese Medicine who carry our formulas in their clinics, and we preach the belief that everybody should have an acupuncturist in their healthcare toolkit. 

Our belief is that everybody should include Acupuncture & Traditional Chinese Medicine into their Wellness Toolkit.  Dr. Karchmer's Fulbright research underscores why.

Eric’s time in Taiwan, to say nothing of the Fulbright Program’s belief that his research is worthy of their funds, underscores the seriousness of Traditional Chinese Medicine and its place in the healthcare ecosystem. 

What’s more, Eric’s research is just a sliver of what’s transpiring in Taiwan to advance the use of Traditional Chinese Medicine for various serious healthcare needs.  During a recent conversation, Eric listed some of the medical areas that his academic colleagues are focused on, including: 

• Children’s allergies
• Tourette syndrome
• Stomach and digestive needs 
• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• Menstrual irregularities 

While advancements in Western science and medicine, particularly the advancements we've witnessed over the last 12 months, can not be overstated, it's interesting to consider that a 2,500 year old practice, is being studied and applied with such academic rigor to command a Fulbright Scholarship.  

For this, and for the journey we're on, I'm quite proud of my partner.  

 We’re On a Journey to Change Health and Wellness

In many ways, we view DAO Labs as on “on-ramp” to Traditional Chinese Medicine, from the handful of formulas we offer, to our Virtual Consultation program that connects wellness consumers with acupuncturists in their local markets - this powerful practice has the ability to help with the mundane like sleep and stress, to the much more serious like Eric’s research would suggest.  

By pursuing this scholarship and uprooting his family in the middle of a global pandemic and relocating to Taiwan, Eric’s commitment to Traditional Chinese Medicine underscores for us the passion and mission that we’re on as a company.  

John G. McGarvey is a co-founder of DAO Labs and a regular contributor to The Way. A frequent visitor to China and Asia for both business and pleasure, he is an avid consumer of Chinese medicine. He can be reached at john@mydaolabs.com.