Peter Geller

Peter Geller, MS, LAc, has been practicing acupuncture and oriental medicine since 1998.  National board-certified in both acupuncture and Chinese herbology, he worked for more than eight years in conventional and holistic health care practices in New York before relocating to Cleveland in 2006.

Peter comes to the Heights Wellness Center with substantial experience at both integrative and functional medicine settings, including the Cleveland Clinic's Center for Integrative Medicine and the Northeast Ohio Institute of Functional Medicine.  His Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practice encompasses treatment not only of acute and chronic pain, but also gynecological, digestive, and respiratory problems, among many other internal medicine conditions; psychological and emotional issues such as anxiety, depression and obsessive thinking; and nicotine and alcohol dependence.  Areas of special interest include integrative gynecology, in which he has taken much advanced additional training focused on infertility, menstrual problems, symptoms of menopause and many other aspects of women's health.

Using the methods and thinking of TCM, including clinical "pattern discrimination" and classical pulse and tongue diagnosis, Peter takes great care to tailor treatment to the needs and presentation of each patient, and to alter his therapeutic approach as the situation warrants.  In keeping with TCM's focus on the underlying causes of imbalance and illness, he also emphasizes lifestyle modification, where factors such as poor diet, sleep, or exercise habits  contribute significantly to his patient's condition.

He received his training at the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine (PCOM) in New York, which (along with its sister schools in San Diego and Chicago) has been widely considered the most extensive and rigorous Oriental medicine program in the United States.

During the 1970's, Peter trained extensively in Yang-style short-form tai ji (t'ai chi), the gentle Chinese system of internal exercise noted for promoting health, relaxation, energy, and balance, among many other benefits.  He has been teaching this form for more than three decades and intends to begin new classes at the Center in the near future.

In addition to his clinical and teaching interests, Peter has an ongoing commitment to enhancing public awareness of holistic medicine and to helping bridge the gap between mainstream and alternative treatment methods.  He has lectured at PCOM, New York University, the Cleveland Clinic, and other venues, on such topics as understanding the system of TCM, psychological applications of Chinese medicine, media coverage of medical alternatives, and the role of integrative medicine in modern health care.

Peter has long been dedicated to the idea of a coordinated team approach to individual health care, and he is excited about joining the diverse, comprehensive group of holistic practitioners that have come together at the Center to help realize that vision.

Tai Chi

Geller has been teaching Yang-style Short Form since 1977.  He studied in New York with the late American master Lou Kleinsmith, senior American student of Prof. Cheng Man-Ch'ing.  Prof. Cheng, a poet, painter, calligrapher, and renowned doctor of traditional Chinese medicine, was the t'ai chi grandmaster who developed the short form from a much longer sequence of movements.  For those with limited time to exercise, the short form permits the regularity of practice essential for obtaining the benefits of t'ai chi ch'uan.