Differential Diagnosis and Treatment of Common Neck and Shoulder Pain Patterns
Diagnosis

Neck and Shoulder Pain Are Not Interchangeable Diagnoses

Differential Diagnosis and Treatment of Common Neck and Shoulder Pain Patterns

Neck and shoulder pain are not interchangeable diagnoses. Clinical outcomes improve when treatment is guided by the underlying pattern of dysfunction rather than symptom location alone. By integrating musculoskeletal assessment with individualized point selection, acupuncture provides a low-risk and effective approach to addressing both mechanical and neurological components of pain.

Nina Jatuparisuthiseen, DAc, LAc, LMT, CSMA
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Editor's Picks
Evidence / Research / Science
Research Literacy: A Tool for Clinical Communication
Research Literacy: A Tool for Clinical Communication
We Don’t Have to Choose Between Science and Tradition

Many of our communities were raised with the Western medical model as their primary medical model. It is their first language. But as practitioners of Chinese medicine, we are actually bilingual clinicians. We have the unique ability to translate between traditional Chinese medicine and modern biomedical frameworks. Research literacy, when taught and applied thoughtfully, can become a tool for communication, collaboration, and patient understanding.

Christine Sanmiquel, LAc, DAOM, PMP
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News / Profession
Profession at a Crossroads: What Must Change
Profession at a Crossroads: What Must Change

The field of acupuncture in the U.S. continues to grow in visibility, patient demand and clinical effectiveness. Yet behind the curtain, many acupuncturists are quietly struggling to keep their doors open. While the profession is rooted in centuries of healing tradition, modern economic pressures – particularly those driven by insurance limitations, low reimbursement rates and job-market saturation – are making it increasingly difficult for licensed acupuncturists to thrive.

Shabnam Pourhassani, LAc, QME, DACM
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Herbal Medicine
Herbal Food Therapy for Long Disease
Herbal Food Therapy for Long Disease

Qi deficiency and yin deficiency are perhaps the most common patterns encountered when treating any long-standing disease. In most cases, these patterns are deeply connected and must be treated simultaneously over a lengthy period of time. One of the most important factors in treating any type of long-term disease is teaching patients how to cook with herbs and add herbs to their meals on a daily basis.

Craig Williams, LAc, AHG
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Featured

Why Some Headaches Don’t Improve

Clinical Insights Beyond Standard Acupuncture Treatment

While acupuncture is widely recognized for its ability to reduce pain and regulate the nervous system, not all headache cases respond as expected. This raises an important clinical question: Why do some headaches fail to improve, even with consistent acupuncture care? The answer often lies beyond standard protocols and requires a deeper look into modern patient patterns, systemic imbalances, and treatment strategy.

Jason Song, DAc, LAc
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Reader Favorites
News / Profession  |  DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE
The Medicine Was Never Just the Needles
The Medicine Was Never Just the Needles

When I hear it said that our profession may be fading, I understand the worry, but I cannot share it. The schools may shrink, the very name may not outlast us. But people will go on suffering in ways no treatment fully reaches, and they will go on needing someone willing to sit close and stay until they are no longer alone in it. That need has outlived every system that ever tried to replace it. It will outlive our fear of disappearing, too.

Robert Asbridge, DOM
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Your Practice / Business  |  DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE
Using Email Marketing to Create Loyal Fans of Your Acupuncture Clinic   
Using Email Marketing to Create Loyal Fans of Your Acupuncture Clinic

Emailing your clients can educate them, but more surreptitiously, you can use it for marketing. It’s (mostly) free advertising that can help you grow your business, if that's something you're interested in doing. Here are my top three takeaways from years of sending weekly emails to my clients.

Nicole Lentfer, LAc
Acupuncture & Acupressure
It’s Time to Stop Prescribing Points
It's Time to Stop Prescribing Points
Why Acupuncture Must Return to Selection, Skill and Qi Movement

A student stands over a patient, needle poised. They have a “perfect” prescription: a textbook combination of points harvested from a lecture slide on chronic lower back pain. But as the needle meets the skin, the student hesitates - the symptom of a quiet habit that has taken hold of our profession. We routinely say we “prescribe” points. It sounds efficient. It echoes the authority of biomedical culture and fits neatly into the insurance field. But vocabulary is never neutral; repeated long enough, it dictates behavior.

Bruce W. Park, DACM
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Your Practice / Business
Let's Build a Business Plan
Let's Build a Business Plan
Why You Need One and a Step-by-Step Outline

According to the Small Business Administration, approximately 33% of small businesses fail in the first two years and 50% fail within five years, primarily due to inadequate planning. This includes lack of funding or working capital, poor management, ineffective business planning, and marketing oversights. As a small-business owner of over 30 years, I found the key to my success was taking the time to create and follow a comprehensive business plan.

Shellie Goldstein, DAPM, AP, LAc
Acupuncture & Acupressure
Matters of the Heart: Two Key Points
Matters of the Heart: Two Key Points

Two points I use frequently and feel are underutilized by most students and clinicians are Pericardium 8 and Heart 8. Both points are ying spring and fire points for their respective meridians and are located on the sensitive area of the palm of the hand. Many practitioners avoid these points due to concerns of pain upon needling – similar to concerns about the important point Kidney 1 – and often choose less effective alternate points.

Craig Williams, LAc, AHG
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