Karen Bitlon, PT LAc and Ross Rotherham, LAc founded Lotus Healing Arts in 1998. Both Karen and Ross are Australian natives but have made New York City their home for the past 12 years.

They received their formative training in healthcare in Australia and therefore bring an international flavor to Lotus Healing Arts. Many of the manual therapy skills they offer have their origin in Australia and are new or unheard of here in New York City.

Similarly, with the spread of acupuncture from China to the Western world, there were two main routes for the transmission of information, one via Europe and the other via North America. Chinese medicine in Australia has been strongly influenced by the European model. As such some areas of acupuncture that are taught in Australia and Europe are uncommon in the USA. Accordingly some of the approaches to acupuncture treatment is unique to Lotus Healing Arts.

With this comes a refreshing approach to solving healthcare issues. In terms of both manual therapy, and acupuncture and Chinese medicine, the antipodean heritage of Lotus Healing Arts brings a new and alternative influence to the treatments offered.

To concentrate his labors in other fields 2002 saw Ross discontinue treating people at Lotus Healing Arts. Although no longer part of the clinical team Ross still plays an active role in the administration of the clinic.

Since the beginning of 2007 Karen has been conducting research investigating the reliability and validity of using pulse diagnosis as a diagnostic tool in Oriental medicine. This research is at the doctoral level, the results of which will be published by the end of 2009.

2007 also saw the birth of Karen and Ross' son Oskar. In her effort to attend to family while attempting to raise the standard to which Oriental medicine is taught and practiced, Karen has reduced her hours and relocated Lotus Healing Arts to Park Slope in Brooklyn.

Find more specific information on Karen Bilton, PT LAc, and Ross Rotherham, LAc, by following the links to their individual biographies.