Jake Fratkin, OMD, LAc, has been in the practice of Oriental medicine since 1978. Following undergraduate and graduate training at the University of Wisconsin in Chinese language and philosophy and pre-medicine, he pursued a seven-year apprenticeship in Japanese and Korean style acupuncture with Dr. Ineon Moon and a two-year apprenticeship in Chinese herbal medicine with Drs. Zhengan Guo and Pak-Leung Lau in Chicago. He also spent a year in Beijing hospitals interning in advanced herbal medicine, specializing in gastrointestinal and respiratory disorders, and pediatrics.
Dr. Fratkin is the author of several books, including Chinese Herbal Patent Medicines: The Clinical Desk Reference, and is the editor-organizer of Wu and Fischer's Practical Therapeutics of Traditional Chinese Medicine. In 1999, he was named the "Acupuncturist of the Year" by the American Association of Oriental Medicine.
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.
