Keith McDonald, LAc

LICENSED ACUPUNCTURIST

Keith is one of the most experienced therapists in the field and has provided world class rehabilitative care to athletes, artists, and accident victims for over 25 years.

Keith’s personal history has led him to work with athletes with injuries and those who want to enhance their performance, working with artists and musicians with repetitive motion injuries, and those in motor vehicle accidents and other accidents who need rehabilitative bodywork. He combines his experience with acupuncture, moxabustion, and cupping with over 25 years of experience in bodywork to help his patients.

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Keith McDonald, Licensed Acupuncturist & Bodyworker
In 1991 I woke up in a strange room. As I looked around, there were all manner of fancy medical equipment with blinking lights flashing in the darkness. I could hear muffled voices outside the door and was flooded with the acrid chemical smell of sterilization. My mouth was dry as a bone and I had to pee! I rolled out of the bed to go to the bathroom and hit the floor with a thud. Immediately the room was alive with buzzers and alarms and the muffled voices became louder outside the door. I had just rolled onto my back when a nurse, closely followed by two orderlies burst through the door. Where was I? What happened? And why can’t I move my legs???

It took the two orderlies to lift me back onto the bed. When they left the nurse explained to me that I had been in an accident and in a coma for three days and was paralyzed from the waist down. I still remember her voice, soft as a feather in quality, but hard as a 9-pound sledgehammer in what she told me. I can’t be paralyzed, I’m an athlete. I’m young and healthy, and the ski season had just begun. My mind whirled and spun for the next half hour until my parents arrived at the hospital, but their tear streaked faces was the only affirmation I needed that this was indeed true. And, no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t move my legs!

I was an amateur mogul racer with a promising upward trend in my ranking. Skiing was my life. I devoured skiing magazines and watched Greg Stump’s “Blizzard of Ahhhs”, dreaming of being as fearless as Glen Plake or as graceful as Scott Schmidt, dreaming of finding my way into the Olympics as our hometown hero, Dean Cummings, had. Punishing myself with squats and wall sits and sit ups and endless miles of running at altitude. The next day I was gazing through the hospital window at huge snowflakes falling, and my dreams seemed as far away as Mount Olympus. That snow was only a reminder that the life that I had known and loved and thrived in was over.

There’s nothing as debilitating and heartbreaking to an athlete as losing the ability to participate in their sport… To feel their body moving with practiced precision. Athletes live for their time on the field or rink or course or mat or pool and when that is taken from them due to an accident or injury, the mental territory can get dark and lonely. It is a place full of questions and void of answers. Having a supportive medical team surrounding the athlete in this time can make all the difference in the world.

Through the help of a gifted medical team I began to regain sensation, then movement in my legs. First a toe, then an ankle then the bigger muscles in my calves and thighs and hips. I remember using a walker and weakly making it to the end of the corridor before collapsing in exhaustion. I remember resuming my life in college, using a cane to get around. Over the course of that year I became stronger and eventually regained the full use of my legs. And that fall I hit the snow with a renewed passion and enthusiasm! I continued to have successful seasons until 1994, when a broken pelvis ended my competitive career.

Today, I continue to ski and enjoy other activities such as: backpacking, sailing, golfing, scuba diving and yoga. Some may say that my story is a miracle… And in a way it is! It’s a miracle because it lead me to a top notch team of caring healthcare providers that helped me achieve all my dreams and reach for bigger ones. I was so inspired by this miracle, that I went into the healthcare field to help other people achieve their dreams. I truly believe that Acupuncture, Herbal Medicine and Massage Therapy can be a part of that miracle for you! Every day, through this work, I see lives change. I see people come to life as their injury and pain slip into the background and they regain their ability to participate in the activity that fills them with life!

Over the last two decades in healing practice, I have been called many things: healer, magician, wizard, but I think of myself as a guy who likes to play. Who understands the importance of play. Who understands the agony of losing the ability to play. If you’ve been injured, I know what you’re going through! I can meet you where you are and help you get where you want to be.

Together we can change your world… one muscle at a time.

Education

Training

  • 2002 – Anma Massage from Institute for Integrative Healthcare Studies
  • 2004 – Myopathic Muscular Therapy with Claude Heckman LMT
  • 2005-2011 – Qi Gong with Jin Jing Gong Master Heiner Fruehauf
  • 2006 – Tui Na at the Chinese Olympic Training Center in Beijing, China
  • 2006-2007 – Preceptor at National College of Natural Medicine
  • 2007 – Qi Gong with Ermei Master Xiongxian Wu
  • 2008 – Fire Cupping with Bruce Bentley, LAc
  • 2009 – Chinese Medical Astrology from Dr. Manfried Kubny
  • 2009 – Fluid Pressure Dynamics with Frank Lowen, LMT
  • 2009-2011 – Japanese Meridian Therapy with Bob Quinn, DAOM, LAc
  • 2009-2011 – Sotai Japanese Bodywork with Bob Quinn, DAOM, LAc
  • 2009-2012 – Clairvoyance from Lotus Lantern Healing Arts
  • 2010 – Dynamic Manual Interface through Lowen Systems
  • 2009-2012 – Apprenticeship with Sandra Brooks, LAc
  • 2011 – Reiki with Padmachya Foundation
  • 2011 – Manaka Ion Chords with Bob Quinn, DAOM LAc
  • 2011 – Koshi Balancing with Jeffry Dan, LAc
  • 2012 – Japanese Acupuncture with Kiko Matsumoto, LAc
  • 2012 – Manual Therapy through Lowen Systems
  • 2013 – Advanced Manual Therapy through Lowen Systems
  • 2013 – Kinesio taping
  • 2014 – Master Teng Acupuncture with Brad Wiznant
  • 2014 – Advanced Pulse Diagnosis with Jimmy Chang
  • 2014 – Advanced Myofacial Taping with Tim Brown, DC
  • 2014 – Adrenal Fatigue Workshop with Richaritha Gundlapali MD
  • 2014 – Fibromyalgia Workshop with Dr Jonathan Law
  • 2014 – Symmetry Postural Alignment with Patrick Mummy ATC
  • 2014 – Yoga Therapy for Musculoskeletal Disorders with Heidi Crocker DC
  • 2017 – NLP Certification: Association of Integrative Psychology
  • 2019 – Orthopedic Acupuncture Certification with Whitfield Reaves, LAc
  • 2021 – Nerve Entrapment Correction with Matt Callison, LAc
  • 2021 – Cosmetic Acupuncture Certification with Michelle Gellis, LAc
  • 2021 – Trauma and PTSD with Alaine Duncan, LAc
  • Flying Needle Acupuncture and Bodywork (Portland, OR): Owner, Therapist
    May 2013 to present
  • Harmony Therapeutic Bodywork, Inc. (Portland, OR): Owner, Massage Therapist
    August 2005 to May 2013
  • Lovejoy Chiropractic (Portland, OR): Massage Therapist
    March 2003 to July 2006
  • Back In Motion Sports Injuries Clinic (Beaverton, OR): Massage Therapist.
    July 2003 to July 2004
  • Oregon Board of Massage Therapists (Salem, OR): Examiner
    December 2002 to June, 2003
  • Private Practice (Breckenridge, CO & Ashland, OR):
    Jan 2001 to May 2003
  • Apprenticeship at Hooper Detox Center (Portland, OR)
    2011
  • Oregon Medical Board: Licensed Acupuncturist #156049
  • Member of the American Acupuncture Counsel
  • Current CPR and First Aid Certification
  • Member of Toastmasters International
  • Toastmasters: CC, CL, Club President, Area Director
  • Wilderness First Responder
Kieth McDonald hiking in the outdoors near a body of water
Keith McDonald and his partner Heather
Keith McDonald teeing up for golf
Keith McDonald playing guitar at a sold out show
Kieth McDonald hiking in the outdoors near a body of water
Keith McDonald and his partner Heather
Keith McDonald teeing up for golf
Keith McDonald playing guitar at a sold out show

What People Are Saying About Keith

Four years ago I was prescribed acupuncture. My doctor referred me to Flying Needle Acupuncture. She had personally gone to Keith and felt very confident in his ability to help heal.  She felt it would help me through my upper back pain from a rear end accident. Massages had not helped relieve my pain. After further testing It turned out that I had a fractured rib in my back from the accident.

After my very first appointment Keith was able to give me relief that I had not felt. Keith’s expertises was just what I needed. His knowledge of the human body and how it works is astounding. He was the one provider in my recovery that understood exactly what I needed to get back to my normal level of activity. I was able to run a 1/2 Marathon with Keith’s healing hands!

Keith also helps treat my family now. I also refer family and friends to him. I would highly recommend Keith at Flying Needle Acupuncture.

Mary M., Portland, OR
My experience with Keith has been outstanding. As an avid distance runner, I came to him suffering from debilitating lower leg pain. Thanks to Keith, I now run pain free! His energy, bedside manner, concern and knowledge are all fantastic. Highly recommend!
Matt Kurtz

As a very physically active guy I go to Keith at [Flying Needle] to stay in shape and to prevent (sport-) injuries. I have Keith work on problem area’s like my tight quads and hamstrings, my shoulders and low back. Keith is a miracle worker with an approach to the human body that reaches further than any other therapist I ever visited.

I can do my work as a white water river- and fishing guide easier and without any physical restriction and move around the tennis court more efficiently through better movement, enabling me with better shotmaking and a stronger service. Thanks Keith!

Bert D., Beaverton, OR

If you are looking for the best Massage therapist in Portland Oregon look no further. Keith McDonald has a true gift for massage. He tailors his technique each and every time you visit him to whatever it is you need at that time and works with you to provide you with a plan to feel better, mind, body, and soul.

I am so blessed to have been referred to him by another wonderful massage therapist after I had shoulder surgery from a car accident. He has helped me heal and regain movement I wouldn’t otherwise have, and has provided me with relaxation techniques that have changed my life. My body hasn’t felt this good in years. I highly recommend you pay Keith a visit!

Megan D., Portland, OR
I‘ve received several massages from Keith and both were fantastic! One was a sports injury related message and he helped with a nagging pain in my knee. The second was a general massage and it was great! The folks at [Flying Needle Acupuncture and Bodywork] are very friendly and very professional. I highly recommend you pay them a visit!
Andrew N., Portland, OR