His journey began over twenty years ago, immediately after his graduation—a milestone that signalled the start of an extensive search for genuine medical practitioners who had mastered Chinese Medicine.
This global journey was motivated by the unwavering belief that Chinese medicine not only has the capacity to effectively treat a wide spectrum of disease presentations, from the mild to the severe, but also deserves a primary place in healthcare delivery, far beyond being just an alternative or preventative medicine.
Despite his belief, clinical experiences painted a starkly different picture — the anticipated treatment outcomes never materialized, and encounters with renowned Chinese doctors across the globe only highlighted the discrepancies between expectation and reality. These practitioners, despite their fame, often fell short in their clinical results, seldom treating patients with the success promised by TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine).
"The more prominent TCM doctors I sought out, the greater my disappointment grew. Although their theoretical knowledge was impressive, their treatment outcomes were consistently unpredictable and weak."
The turning point in Damien’s life was marked by a personal tragedy—the mistreatment and subsequent loss of his mother under the care of a Western doctor. This event, coupled with his increasing frustration over the inconsistencies of TCM, propelled him away from the medical field he saw as fundamentally flawed and ineffective.
In search of solace and enlightenment, he instead embarked on a spiritual journey to India.
It was there, in an unexpected encounter with a mysterious elderly monk, that Damien found his calling redirected. The monk's message was clear: Damien's destiny was to return to Australia and reignite his mission, not to abandon it. He was to play a pivotal role in reviving the true essence of herbal medicine.
Resuming his quest, Damien was immediately introduced to a fractured version of ancient herbal medicine. This CCM (Classical Chinese Medicine) lineage not only proved to be another failure in clinical practice, but was also directed by someone with little to no clinical experience that was more concerned with their social status and financial gain, than with the quality of their patient care and treatment effectiveness.
However, this introduction steered him back to China to meet with the original living students of this classical herbal lineage to see if this herbal model was just poorly practiced or in fact just limited by its own understanding and application of ancient formula structures.
It was here that the two head physicians of this lineage spoke about the great Todo Yoshimasu, a medical doctor who was superior to any other, including their own lineage— a revelation that hit directly into Damien’s heart.
Todo, a physician whose expertise and approach to medicine transcended the limitations Damien had observed in both TCM and CCM, became a beacon of hope and inspiration. He devoted the following decade to translating and delving into ancient medical manuscripts, concentrating on the works attributed to Todo Yoshimasu. Subsequently, he spent the last three years in seclusion in small-town Bendigo, dedicating himself to the final revisions.
This concentrated period also enabled Damien to put these venerable ancient evidence-based medical methods into practice effectively. By treating more than 120 patients a week, he refined and perfected the system, achieving successful outcomes in the treatment of both simple and complex disease presentations with accuracy and certainty.
Reflecting on his path, Damien recognized a profound connection with Todo Yoshimasu, sharing not only the same struggles but also the common belief that the true potential of herbal medicine was being obscured by the current practices of TCM and modern herbalism. The loss of his mother, a pivotal moment of despair, ultimately served as the catalyst for his renewed purpose: to delve into the depths of Traditional East Asian Medicine and bring forth the knowledge in the form of TEAM™.
Through TEAM™, he provides a comprehensive educational platform that challenges prevailing misconceptions about herbal medicine, empowering a new generation of practitioners with the knowledge and skills to practice herbal medicine authentically. In doing so, Damien not only honors the legacy of Todo Yoshimasu and the great medical sages before him, but also fulfils his preordained mission to position herbal medicine to the forefront of healthcare, making certain that the ancient systematic evidence-based herbal medicine methods are kept alive and passed down to future generations.
