Acupuncturists Robert Doane and Gina Hedalh in the center’s medicine room, which has about 1,000 Chinese herbs. Doane compounds several herbs into one prescription, which will treat several conditions.

Robert Doane could have retired at age 40. Or, more precisely, he did — following the sale of his successful oil-trading company in Texas. Instead, the former Los Angeles TV station owner went back to school to learn how to heal people through traditional Chinese medicine.

“I have a natural concern for the welfare of other people,” the former North Kitsap High School graduate said. “Some form of medicine is perfect for me.” After experiencing the results of Chinese medicine himself, and learning more about its history, he decided Chinese medicine was his calling.

He didn’t go alone, but convinced his wife, Anne Stiller Doane, to earn a Masters of Oriental Medicine at the same time. In 1998, with their medical school complete, the couple returned to Kitsap and opened the Acupuncture and Wellness Center in Poulsbo — to what Doane said was an instant success. “We became the largest acupuncture clinic in the state very quickly,” he said.

Since then, the Doanes have treated several thousand local residents, with about 700 people going through the clinic during any given month. The practice eventually outgrew its location, and Doane decided to build his own building rather than pay rent to someone else. Since the new building opened in June, their volume doubled, he said. A third acupuncturist — a former patient who then went to medical school – recently joined the staff.

The center has nine soundproof treatment rooms with comfortable, heated beds. Only disposable needles are used — about 18,000 per month. Chinese herbs are also prescribed as part of the treatments, and several other services including stop smoking therapy are provided.

But what is perhaps the most unique part about this practice is that Doane uses a rare art for diagnosing his patients — through the pulse. He demonstrates how it works by touching the wrists of a person he’s never met before and proceeding to give a list of health concerns, from minor to serious.

“It’s a lost art but I was very fortunate. I learned from two of the best acupuncturists in the world,” he said.

Doane can make a diagnosis almost entirely through the pulse. But in addition to that — and to looking at a person’s tongue — he can work like a detective, asking questions about symptoms and the patient’s situation, during the first intake visit.

The diagnosis is different too: Chinese medicine has its own system of identifying illnesses and conditions. For example, what Western doctors would identify as a cold, a Chinese practitioner will break into seven different types, and each will have a different treatment.

Acupuncture, sort of like the equivalent of Western medicine’s physical therapy, is only one aspect of Chinese medicine, which originated about 4,000 years ago and has been practiced in its current clinical form for more than 2,000 years. Unlike Western methods, which constantly change, Chinese treatments have been around and perfected for a long time.

But, Doane notes, acupuncture is a true complement to Western medicine. “What they do brilliantly we can’t do, and they can’t do what we do well,” he said. It’s a perfect match especially in cases when traditional medicine can’t help because there is nothing “wrong” detected by tests, yet a person is not well.

Acupuncture is especially effective for chronic and acute pain, but the clinic can treat a wide range of conditions, from allergies, arthritis and infertility, to hypertension, sports injuries and chemotherapy side-effects.

“The medicine is very effective, probably 80 percent of the people are significantly helped,” Doane said.

These days, Doane has no intention of retirement. In fact, he says, he plans to practice until he’s very old. How else would you get to hear people tell you, several dozen times a day, how much you’ve helped them?

“It’s a real ball,” he said. “It’s incredibly rewarding to see people get better.”.