Quick: what does number-crunching have to do with helping couples conceive?

At first glance, maybe not so much. But for Dr. Lorne Brown, the founder of Acubalance Wellness Centre, a career in accounting paved the way for discovering his real passion: bringing new life into the world.

Lorne was working in Montreal as a chartered accountant and suffering from digestive problems when he first tried Chinese medicine. “It made a huge difference on my physical level,” he says.

That led to a life-changing discovery. “When I’d look at my library at home, I had two books on accounting… my other books were all about diet, lifestyle, spirituality, [and] Chinese medicine,” he says, laughing.

Lorne resigned from his tax job, went back to school, and opened Vancouver’s Acubalance in 2000. “And I’m so happy I did.”

Acubalance is a traditional Chinese medicine clinic dedicated to treating infertility and reproductive health. It emphasizes diet, lifestyle, and deep relaxation to help couples achieve their dream of having a child. And, if clients feel they need more, Acubalance provides support for treatments such as in vitro fertilization (IVF).

Lorne has ambitious goals for the clinic; its vision, he says, is to foster not only the health of the person, but of the community and the planet. Its central philosophy is yang sheng, a Taoist principle meaning “nourish life.”

Acubalance has just opened a second location in Langley. This fall, it will have a presence on site at Genesis Fertility Centre, which offers IVF. Acubalance also plans to make its unique fertility diet, which is based on locally grown foods and includes recipes and a shopping guide, available online.
From following his personal passion to greening the office, Lorne is clearly striving to make a difference.

“If you don’t think you’ll achieve your dreams, then you won’t,” he says. “So you might as well dream big.”

—Kathy Sinclair