New President / CEO Takes Office at Yo San University
Lawrence Lau, MD, MS, LAc, began his term as president and CEO of Yo San University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (YSU) in October. Dr. Lau joined Yo San in 2001 and previously served as vice president of academic and clinical affairs before assuming the presidency.
Dr. Lau replaces Lois Green, who stepped down after one term despite the fact that she "reaped record-breaking fundraising, added innovative academic concentrations and clinical experiences," according to the university.
"It is my privilege and honor to continue serving this remarkable institution," said Dr. Lau. "As president, I look forward to advancing key initiatives that capitalize on YSU's strengths and tap undiscovered fonts of potential. I truly cherish our rich legacy, diverse community, and life-changing mission."
After joining YSU 15 years ago, Dr. Lau served as "chief architect" of the university's postgraduate doctoral degree program and helped grow the master's program. He has also taught courses at both the master's and doctoral levels.
Heavily involved in the accrediting process, Dr. Lau is an accreditation specialist with the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) and the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine (ACAOM), while participating regularly in accreditation site visits at acupuncture schools. He is also a council member in the Specialty Committee of Internal Medicine of the World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies.
Despite his busy schedule, Dr. Lau also finds time to maintain a private acupuncture practice at the YSU Blount Community Clinic.
Electroacupuncture for Constipation?
A Chinese study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine suggests 28 sessions of electroacupuncture at traditional acupoints relieves constipation significantly compared to sham electroacupuncture over non-acupoints.
The study involved more than 1,000 participants suffering from severe constipation who were randomly assigned to receive either electroacupuncture or sham treatment for eight. Members of the active treatment group experienced a greater increase in weekly bowel movements than the sham group, and by the end of the 20-week follow-up, nearly four in 10 patients in the treatment group were experiencing at least three weekly bowel movements, compared to only 14 percent of patients in the sham (inactive) group.
Structured water (H3O2) can be considered a fourth state of water between liquid and solid. It has the hexagonal structure of ice; however, missing a critical bond, it behaves more like a gel than a solid, but retains some of its crystalline structure.
In the past five years of my clinical practice, I have seen an astonishing upsurge in the chronic use of proton-pump inhibitor (PPI) medications for the gastrointestinal issue diagnosed by allopathic medicine as GERD. It is not uncommon to encounter patients taking these prescriptions for five-plus years.
Working with chronically ill patients entails acknowledging the reality that not all patients will survive their diagnosis. Chinese medicine and acupuncture play a crucial role in palliative and end-of-life care, addressing medication and disease side effects, alleviating pain associated with death, reducing anxiety and stress, and helping patients find peace during the dying process.
