Meet the Natural Health Team
SOPHIA Natural Health – Integrative Natural Medicine
Dr. Kenneth Hoffman, DACM, L.Ac.
Our Medical Director and Founder
Ken Hoffman is a Doctor of Acupuncture and a specialist in Natural Medical Care. In 1991, he began private training under the tutelage of a Taoist medical and qi gong master where he began learning the art of Chinese healing. This culminated in a sabbatical to Taiwan where he lived and studied Chinese healing arts in Chi Nan Temple.
He then completed a 4 year Chinese medical school program with an internship at St. John’s Riverside Hospital in Yonkers, NY. His post-graduate specialties included study with some the best doctors in functional medicine where he focused on the integration of western bio-medicine including blood chemistry analysis, endocrinology and the use of Medical Infrared Thermography. He has performed more than 18,000 acupuncture treatments on over 7,000 patients since starting his practice which has now grown into the busiest clinic of its kind in the state of Connecticut.
The system of Medicine he has founded, Integrative Natural Medicine, is a unique blend of his years of experience and combines the best of eastern medicine and modern functional medical sciences.
He was the host of the local radio show, “The Natural Medicine Connection”. It was the only show of its kind in Fairfield County focused on an integrative holistic approach to health. You can listen to the podcasts here. He is also co-author of the book “Essential Remedies for Women’s Health” a compendium of healthy advice and information specifically for women’s issue.
Dr. Jose' Mahfoud, MD, ND, MSc
Assistant Medical Director
Dr. Jose’ Mahfoud obtained his medical degree (MD) in 2003, in the Dominican Republic. Soon after, he moved to Connecticut to train in Naturopathic Medicine and Acupuncture at the University of Bridgeport, earning both degrees in 2010 and 2011, respectively. He established a practice in Milford, CT where he offered naturopathic care and acupuncture, mainly serving Fairfield County’s Hispanic population. He became a faculty member at UB as well as the former Associate Dean of Clinical Education & Chief Medical Officer in the University of Bridgeport School of Naturopathic Medicine for several years, keeping a work balance between academia and patient care for over a decade.
As a member of our team, Dr. Mahfoud offers an evidence-based, balanced, and truly integrative approach to the equally diverse patient population suffering from various digestive, cardiovascular, autoimmune and mental health conditions. His is an expert in the use of botanical medicine, targeted nutritional, diet & lifestyle interventions, acupuncture, and electromagnetic therapies.
Dr. Philip Suger, Ph.D., L.Ac.
Senior Acupuncturist
Dr. Suger earned his Bachelor’s degree at Penn State where he majored in Neuroscience and minored in Mandarin Chinese while being a Division 1 athlete.
After graduating, he went off to China to begin studying Chinese medicine at the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine. Two years later he returned to the U.S. to complete his master’s degree at the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine and immediately afterward, returned to China to pursue his doctoral degree at the Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine. During these twelve years of higher education, Dr. Suger was under the tutelage of world-class practitioners.
After completing his studies, he moved to Houston, Texas to start practicing Chinese medicine. There he saw patients in a busy medical center clinic and at the same time taught students at the American College of Acupuncture Oriental Medicine. During this time, he published many papers in related scientific journals and helped co-translate one medical text. After several years of living in Texas he took the opportunity to move his family to the California Bay Area. There he practiced in cancer clinics as well as urgent care centers all the while being a professor at the Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine College and the Academy of Chinese Culture and Health Sciences.
Dr. Suger has now finally returned to the Northeast to be of service to the patients of SOPHIA Natural Health Center and the surrounding community!