Christian Nix

Christian Nix has launched the first Hospital Based Acupuncture Residency Training program in North America and his Community Pain and Stress Center is the first private model of community-style practice to be integrated into a major hospital system. His new book, Tao of Integration is a fresh look at much of the misapprehension hindering professional quality integration in medicine. Christian travels and teaches throughout the world.

Previous Articles

A Guide for Talking to Doctors about Acupuncture and Brain Chemistry
September 2014 (Vol. 15, Issue 09)
The Importance of Knowing Mainstream Lingo
July 2014 (Vol. 15, Issue 07)
What is a Discipline in Medicine?
April 2014 (Vol. 15, Issue 04)
The Dawn of a New Day For TCM
February 2014 (Vol. 15, Issue 02)
On Marketing to the Mainstream
November 2013 (Vol. 14, Issue 11)
Herbal Medicine: Go Mainstream
June 2013 (Vol. 14, Issue 06)
Ten Cardinal Sins Acupuncturists Make
April 2013 (Vol. 14, Issue 04)
The Last Frontier
October 2012 (Vol. 13, Issue 10)
Who Does Best in a Hospital Based Practice?
July 2012 (Vol. 13, Issue 07)
Seven Steps to Establishing a Successful Hospital Based Practice
June 2012 (Vol. 13, Issue 06)
Here at Last: Community-Style Acupuncture in Hospital Settings
May 2012 (Vol. 13, Issue 05)
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