Save the dates and plan to attend this year's conference of the Society for Acupuncture Research (SAR), co-sponsored by the University of New Mexico Medical School, to be held Oct. 21-23 in Albuquerque. Since its inauguration in 1993, the annual conference has reflected SAR's role as a focal point for practitioners and researchers interested in conducting, improving, and disseminating research on acupuncture, herbal therapy, qigong, and related modalities. The meeting affords clinical and basic science researchers a unique opportunity for sharing their cutting-edge research contributions with practitioners and educators. Beginning researchers are especially encouraged to attend to network and obtain advice from those more experienced with research design and interpretation.
A record number of abstracts have already been submitted for this fall's conference from university research centers, acupuncture and Oriental medicine schools, and practitioners in the United States, as well as those practicing abroad. The keynote speaker will be Iris Bell, MD, PhD, director of research for the program in integrative medicine at the University of Arizona, whose topic will be, "Are Complex Adaptive Systems and Network Theories the Foundation for a Science of Whole-Person Healing?"
For detailed conference information and registration, please visit SAR's Web site (www.acupunctureresearch.org).
The most important relationship I seek to nurture in the treatment room is the one a patient has with their own body. We live in a culture that teaches us to override pain, defer to outside authority, and push through discomfort. Patients often arrive hoping I can “fix” them, but the truth is, we can’t do the work for them. We can offer guidance, insight and support, but healing requires their full participation.
Chinese medical theory details each meridian’s functions and associations, which can be extrapolated for metaphorical significance.For example, the Large Intestine (LI) meridian expels physical and emotional waste, supporting systemic purification and renewal. Its anatomical trajectory, which traverses the index finger, upper extremity, shoulder, neck, and terminates at the contralateral nasolabial groove, also serves as a narrative metaphor, eloquently illustrating my journey from acupuncturist to colon and rectal surgeon.
When we are in the grips of an anxious pattern, it dominates our brain and nervous system, and we lose our normal body-mind regulation. In this and subsequent articles, I present effective mindfulness-based method* via case study, that we can add to our acupuncture treatments to help clients consciously stop the dysregulating cascade of events and bring “distressed parts” into coherent body-mind-spirit integration.
