Bill Lehr, L.Ac.

Bill Lehr, Nationally Certified and NJ State Licensed Herbalist and Acupuncturist

I am a nationally certified herbal practitioner and acupuncturist (NCCAOM) and am licensed in New Jersey. I have extensive experience supporting customized wellness journeys with herbal medicine and acupuncture.

My knowledge of Asia does not stop at my acupuncture and herbal training. I lived in Kyoto and Otsu, Japan, for 10 years where I learned to speak and read Japanese.

I earned my B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.

Because I am passionate about serving my clients, I'm always refreshing or adding to my knowledge base. Some of my more recent study includes:

  • TCM-Hub Harmonize Herbal Seminar, March 2025, Washington, DC (2025)This is the cutting edge of how to diagnose, formulate, and prescribe herbal medicinals. A very modern application based on traditional practices.

  • Mastering Menstrual Diseases: Complete Program  w/ the Excellent book "A Compendium of Chinese Medical Menstrual Disease" by Bob Flaws   (May 2023)

  • Integreting Functional Medicine with TCM - Adrenal Fatigue  (June 2023)

  • Integretating Functional Medicine with TCM - Thyroid Dysfunction (June 2023)

  • Integrative Breast Oncology: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (June 2023)

My Story

I have had headaches and sinus problems since I was a kid. As an adult I have experienced migraines, insomnia, digestive issues, anxiety and of course joint pain including shoulder, knee and back issues. At the age of 20 or so a friend recommended I try chiropractic. With one adjustment to my neck, my sinuses started to drain. I then realized that decongestants and antihistamines were not the only answer to allergy and sinus issues.

Then in my mid-twenties while living in Kyoto, Japan, I tried shiatsu massage. This also helped my headaches and allergies, but the very gifted therapists, Ryokyu and Mayu Endo, also seemed to connect on a very deep psycho-emotional level as well. Several years later I decided to study their acupressure/shiatsu therapy.

And one year around 1997 I was teaching English at an acupuncture college in Osaka. I had thrown my back out while carrying a very heavy wooden float with 15 other men at a local festival. After class they took me back in the clinic and I got my first acupuncture treatment. I was immediately impressed with how much I improved with just one 30 minute acupuncture session.

After 10 years in Japan, I found myself back in the US but dissatisfied with the office job I was doing and decided to turn to something more meaningful to me. I enrolled in the acupuncture program at the Eastern School of Medicine in Montclair, New Jersey. After passing the national certification and getting licensed in NJ I started practicing. I continue to be fascinated with the art and science of Chinese medicine. The daily process of applying the knowledge and working with patients on their paths to healing I find extremely rewarding.

I continue to use acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, conventional medicine, meditative exercises such as qi gong and tai chi, and attention to diet according to Chinese nutrition to successfully manage my sinus/allergy challenges and other health issues.

Personal Life

I enjoy reading fiction and all things herbal and acupuncture of course. I am also an avid music lover listening to jazz (WBGO!), R&B, hip hop, classical music, alternative rock, and even Indian devotional music. I have a black belt in aikido, the Japanese harmonizing martial art, and have studied qi gong, tai qi, and yoga. I tend to mix these all up in my morning routine. I’m also an amateur guitarist. And of course I like most things Japanese as I am a member of a Japan-centric family and travel back frequently to see friends and family. Authors I enjoy are Colson Whitehead, Pico Iyer, Min Jin Lee, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, et al. As for sports, it’s either the Knicks or the Nets, whoever’s winning. Or I sometimes watch our family team, the Fighting Irish play football. My wife teaches and performs piano. And my 30 - something sons are both technical-minded. One is a programmer and boulderer (rockclimbr.com) and the other a game designer and professional gamer.