Ni Haixia (1954–2012) was a Taiwanese-born traditional Chinese medicine practitioner who became a registered acupuncturist in Florida in 1991. He was born in Taipei and graduated from Soochow University. He founded traditional Chinese medicine clinics and a school in the United States and later opened clinics in Taiwan and mainland China. His public statements, which often opposed Western medicine, generated considerable controversy.
Early life and career
Ni Haixia initially considered a career as a rock guitarist before an interest in traditional medicine developed after a text helped treat a family member's gynecological illness. After university he worked as a fortune-teller and later studied acupuncture with a physician in Taipei, practicing without a practitioner's license during that period. In 1991 he became a registered acupuncturist in Florida, where he opened a clinic and in 1995 founded a traditional Chinese medicine college.
Students and later activity
Ni Haixia taught acupuncture and classical texts such as the Treatise on Cold Damage and the Essential Prescriptions from the Golden Cabinet. He received a state appointment in Florida and supported an acupuncture law in Nebraska. In his later years he opened clinics in Taipei, New Taipei City and Shenzhen. He died in Taipei in January 2012, and reports of the cause of death differed.
Controversy
Ni Haixia drew criticism for practicing acupuncture without a license in Taiwan and for views that differed from Western medical research. He questioned vaccine safety, disputed the link between genes and some cancers, and argued that vitamins promote cancer. These statements prompted debate in online forums and within the medical community.