Our acupuncture lineage is in the tradition of Dr. Nguyen Van Nghi and Dr. Tran Viet Dzung, two prominent French-Vietnamese acupuncture physicians. Dr. Nguyen Van Nghi was the mentor of Dr. Tran Viet Dzung, who became his co-translator. From here on they are referred to as Dr. Van Ngi and Dr. Tran.
Dr. Van Nghi played a key role in preserving classical medicine and is one of the physicians responsible for bringing the art of acupuncture to the West. The practice of Dr. Van Nghi was based on the classical texts of ancient medicine: Su Wen (Classic of the Medicine of Ancient China), Ling Shu (The Spiritual Pivot), and Nan Jing (Classic of Difficult Medical Issues).
The mission of Dr. Van Nghi was to translate these ancient texts (which at that point were preserved in the language of Old Vietnamese), into French and to spread their teachings throughout the world. Dr. Tran coauthored these translated texts and is active today as a teacher and physician of the classical style. In their translations they also added commentary and included commentary of later classical physicians, which made the texts clearer and more accessible to practitioners.
From 2015-2019, Emmanuel Moortgat LAc translated one of Dr. Van Nghi’s prominent books, the “MTC” (Médicine Traditionnelle Chinoise) from French to English. Emmanuel’s late wife, Debra Rene Moortgat, LAc AP, was the translator of the Ling Shu from French to English and also the lecture-translator to English speaking students of Dr. Tran. Her mission was to bring authentic classical acupuncture to her community, and this now our mission. Debra Rene was an renowned, well-respected acupuncture physician in St. Augustine, Florida. Her devoted friend, Dr. Deborah Hipp of Kaya Kalp Acupuncture in Athens, GA, is also a practitioner of the same classical acupuncture and our mentor.
We (Emmanuel Moortgat and Toni Brewer) met during our graduate school Master of Acupuncture program, where we dedicated our studies to preserve and practice the classical way and to make it the basis of Family Care Acupuncture.
Classical acupuncture is a safe and gentle health practice that truly works. More than that, it is a complement to your regular modern healthcare and can help form the foundation of a healthy lifestyle. Everyone who engages with classical acupuncture is keeping an ancient tradition alive. It is more important than ever to preserve the wisdom of the past for the health, wellbeing, and knowledge of modern times.
-Emmanuel Moortgat L.Ac. & Toni Brewer L.Ac.
Family Care Acupuncture 