Bob Flaws, LAc, FNAAOM (USA), FRCHM (UK)

Bob Flaws received training at Shanghai College of Chinese Medicine in acupuncture, tuina and herbal medicine. He currently is the main editor and translator for Blue Poppy Press. He is also a founder, past president and Lifetime Fellow of the Acupuncture Association of Colorado, a founding member of the National Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Alliance, and a Fellow of the Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine in the UK. He has also served as the editor of the Colorado Acupuncturist and the Journal of the National Academy of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. He is also a coauthor of an NIH-funded acupuncture research protocol on AIDS-related peripheral neuropathy, which was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

Previous Articles

Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome and Chinese Medicine
October 2008 (Vol. 09, Issue 10)
The Preventive Treatment of Premature Ovarian Failure
June 2008 (Vol. 09, Issue 06)
A Four-Step Protocol for Improving the Effects of Clomiphene in Patients With Ovulatory Dysfunction Infertility
February 2008 (Vol. 09, Issue 02)
Acupuncture and the 50-Minute Hour
October 2007 (Vol. 08, Issue 10)
The Need for Endowments in AOM Education in North America
July 2007 (Vol. 08, Issue 07)
Acupuncture Today Columnist Bob Flaws Asks Profession to Act Immediately on Impending Ephedra Ban
Bird Flu and Chinese Medicine
October 2006 (Vol. 07, Issue 10)
Why We Should Not Use the Term "Patent Medicines"
October 2004 (Vol. 05, Issue 10)
The Issue of Dose in the Use of Chinese Ready-Made Medicines
August 2004 (Vol. 05, Issue 08)
Supplementing & Draining Simultaneously in the Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis
October 2003 (Vol. 04, Issue 10)
The Four Bars
January 2003 (Vol. 04, Issue 01)
New Approaches to the Chinese Medical Treatment of Obesity
October 2002 (Vol. 03, Issue 10)
Chinese Medical Treatment of Malignant Lymphoma
July 2002 (Vol. 03, Issue 07)
Cortex Eucommiae Ulmoidis (Du Zhong) and Latex Allergy
May 2002 (Vol. 03, Issue 05)
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
March 2002 (Vol. 03, Issue 03)
Chinese Medicine & Congestive Heart Failure
January 2002 (Vol. 03, Issue 01)
Treating Mental/Emotional Diseases: Reframing Our Patients' Responses in the Questioning Process
September 2001 (Vol. 02, Issue 09)
The Tuina Treatment of Tennis Elbow
November 2001 (Vol. 02, Issue 11)
The Treatment of Menopausal Palpitations with Chinese Medicine
May 2001 (Vol. 02, Issue 05)
Pointers for the Effective Prescription of Chinese Patent Medicines
January 2001 (Vol. 02, Issue 01)
Chinese Medicine and Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy
January 2000 (Vol. 01, Issue 01)
Trending
News / Profession
Classification and Determination of TCM Constitution: China’s New National Standard
Classification and Determination of TCM Constitution

On April 1, 2026, China implemented a landmark national standard: Classification and Determination of TCM Constitution. Although designated as a recommended rather than mandatory standard, it represents a major step in modernizing traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) by converting traditional constitution theory into a clear, measurable and clinically practical framework. By clarifying the relationship between constitution, disease, and pattern differentiation, the standard strengthens professional credibility, supports research, and enhances patient-centered treatment.

Ann Y Wang, CMD (China), LAc
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
Acupuncture & Acupressure
It’s Time to Stop Prescribing Points
It's Time to Stop Prescribing Points

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