Joseph Downer, LAc, is a licensed acupuncturist at Stratford Acupuncture & Nutritional Wellness Center in Stratford, Connecticut. He holds a clinical master’s degree in acupuncture from Tri-State College of Acupuncture in NYC, the oldest acupuncture school on the Eastern Seaboard. Certified by the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association as an addiction acupuncture specialist, Joe also holds three 300-hour post-graduate certifications in Advanced Japanese Acupuncture, and Kampo Therapy from Tri-State College of Acupuncture. He holds a 300-hour post-graduate certificate in advanced clinical nutrition and is a certified Master Level Practitioner in Nutrition Response Testing by Ulan Nutrition.
Joe graduated from Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut, with a bachelor’s degree in political science and history. He received a certificate in Chinese studies from Nanjing University in China, where he spent a year of college. In China, he was successfully treated for a serious illness using acupuncture and herbs. This resulted in his belief in the effectiveness of TCM.

Joe’s training includes traditional Chinese medicine, Japanese acupuncture, and acupuncture physical medicine – whereas most acupuncturists are only trained in one area. He treats patients with a combination of techniques drawn from these three fields, including East-Asian manual therapy, manipulation techniques, Chinese herbology and essential oils, and Japanese Kampo. Joe is a Clinical Nutrition provider and is one of only 800 Master Practitioners of Nutrition Response Testing in this country, completing all 15 levels of training by Ulan Nutritional Systems.

Joe takes an integrative approach to treating patients with a range of conditions like TMJ, carpal tunnel syndrome, allergies, fertility issues, sports injuries, women’s health issues, addiction, weight management, and smoking cessation. He offers management of chronic pain and relief from stress disorders, as well as symptom relief of internal medicine complaints. Since each person responds to healing therapy differently, he treats each patient individually.