Our profession has a wonderful history of cultural diversity in its practice and theory. The teaching faculty at our educational institutions reflects that diversity, which rewards us with a rich weave of Oriental medicine information and teaching skills. Many of our finest faculty are practitioners first and teachers second; their dedication to our profession and our students allows us to pass on this precious tradition and experience.
Along with this tremendous asset comes a troubling problem. We are not approaching our profession with enough cohesion and attention to academic teaching standards. I feel that we could all benefit greatly by a strong national teachers association for Oriental medicine. It need not have any political aspirations or goals, but instead could concentrate on assisting our profession in our educational skills. The Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine has started this process with a dialogue between faculty at one of its national meetings. I would like us to take this start and run with it.
We must be the driving force for our profession. It is in our best interest to be vitally concerned about our teaching abilities and how to continually improve them.
The faculty of our profession's colleges and the mentors of practitioners have always been the backbone of our education and quality of care. We have a debt of gratitude to all those who have given so much of themselves to help our medicine thrive and prosper. Let's spend some time and energy to put our heads together collectively to spearhead an educational forum for the profession.
I welcome your comments and input about this issue.
One of the longest nerves in the body is known as the vagus nerve (VN). The VN is the 10th pair of cranial nerves that originates at the brain stem in the medulla oblongata. This nerve is part of the parasympathetic nervous system, which is a part of the ANS. Research suggests ear acupuncture can activate the VN.
In prior issues, Neil discussed the Gallbladder Official as a whole (March 20 including points 17 and 24); points 37-41 (June 2013); points 1, 16, and 20 (May 2021); and points 2-3, 8-9, and 12-13 (April 2024). This article focuses on GB points 7, 10, 14-15, 18-19, 21, and 23.
Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a leading cause of pain and disability, often managed with pharmacological and surgical interventions. However, acupuncture has long been used as a non-invasive treatment for knee pain, and recent research provides new insights into its underlying mechanisms.
