Dr. Ots studied medicine in Berlin and completed his doctorate in Chinese medicine in Hamburg. He became a specialist in gynecology in Hamburg and completed studies in Chinese medicine in Beijing and Nanjing. He later obtained a degree in ethnology with a focus on medical anthropology in Hamburg. In 1988/1989, he was a visiting researcher at Harvard Medical School. Between 1992 and 1997, he held professorships in social medicine and anthropology. In 1997, he moved to Graz, where he opened a private practice specializing in acupuncture, TCM and psychosomatics. He was editor-in-chief of the German Journal of Acupuncture for 23 years. He is currently chairman of NADA-Akupunktur Austria, a lecturer at MedUni Graz and vice-speaker for complementary medicine at the Styrian Medical Association.