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It is hard to imagine anyone anymore who goes through life without trauma. The complications of life in the 21st century mean that there will be events that mar us emotionally. At their worst, traumas can happen during the formative years of childhood – abuse, neglect, divorce or loss of…

An acupuncture colleague just quoted HIPAA regulations to get “Mr. Joe Six-Pack” out of the treatment room so she could work with his wife after he demanded “needle those points to make my wife lose weight and increase her libido.”

A growing list of scientific studies are concluding that low-level light or LED therapy shows great promise in the treatment of an expanding list of health issues; from pain relief and pain management to tissue and nerve regeneration to cosmetic solutions that don’t require surgery to achieve results. And more…

His foot kept tapping the ground. I could sense he was nervous. When he glanced around the circle and saw others sink into their chairs, he opened himself up to receive treatment. After spending the last year traveling by foot across 13 countries, enduring up to 9 days in the…

I’m sure we have all been there, a patient tells us, “I don’t understand why I am in pain ... doc, can you tell me what the cause is?” Of course, we want to help our patients and we also want to provide them with an amazing answer, but is…

The topic of dry needling is one of the most controversial topics in the field of contemporary Chinese medicine and acupuncture. In this column installment I will discuss some important ideas for practitioners of TCM and acupuncture to ponder in relation to the often perceived “threat” of dry needling.

Dear Acupuncture Today Editor, I have followed with interest the discussion of dry needling in the March 2019 issue, beginning with Dr. Steven Collins’; article “We Are Fighting the Wrong Battle,” followed by several Letters to the Editor .

In some cases, a Traditional Chinese herbal medicine (TCHM) may contain a nightshade or a component derived from a nightshade. Exactly how nightshades negatively impact certain individuals is not entirely clear, but to best serve sensitive patients, information is essential. Product manufacturers must properly label herb-formulas to equip practitioners with…

Stephen

For years, health care practitioners have avoided embarking on the social media highway, primarily due to patient HIPAA privacy issues and the time needed to give the process due diligence. The tides have turned; from hospitals to laboratories to yes, even acupuncture practices are jumping on the bandwagon in droves.

Clinically I have observed improvement in a wide range of presentations and their associated symptoms. The typical dose of sublingual oil is .5 - 1ml of organic whole plant hemp CBD oil at a concentration of 50 mg/ml, one to two times per day. I suggest beginning with half a…

I was told I have a short leg, is one of the most common statements made during my new patient consults. It seems almost universal. Heel lifts are sold over the counter at every pharmacy. Leg length inequity has become almost an expected finding – it is just noted and…

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is considered holistic medicine, this includes our knowledge base and ability to provide sound, and evidence based nutritional advice. Like the scientist of the Newtonian Age traditional healing is often guided by the concept of Occam’s razor which states, “We are to admit no more causes…

The early Chinese considered their emperor to be God’s representative on earth. As such, the emperor manifested those traits that we would all want in a leader, a president or a chief executive: goodness, wisdom, fairness, truthfulness, unselfishness, love for all. These qualities gained him (or her) the love, devotion,…

The American Society of Acupuncturists’ first national meeting, “The State of our Union,” will be held June 1-3, 2019 in Washington, D.C. This meeting is neither an academic conference, nor a purely internal discussion, but rather a conference to connect our profession with leaders throughout the medical and legislative fields.

The year of the pig is underway—there are so many issues facing the profession that it’s hard to know where to begin. I do want to start by saying congratulations to the Asian Medicine Acupuncturists of Arizona (AMAAZ) upon it re-organization, and re-invigorating their group. They held a festive dinner…

This article, divided into three parts, aims at disclosing the flaws in TCM theories, elucidating modifications made to correct conceptual drawbacks, and providing a firm basis for balanced theoretical structures and highly reproducible clinical applications.

The opinions expressed by the author do not reflect the position of the acupuncture profession. Both the Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (CCAOM), who develops academic and clinical guidelines and core curriculum requirements for master’s level programs in acupuncture, and the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and…

In my last column, I discussed a variation on the popular “Four Gates” acupuncture combination most commonly used for the common clinical expression Liver Depression Qi Stagnation. In this installment I will discuss some key ideas which are connected to the concept of Liver Stagnation and how these ideas can…

A letter in response to the article “Dry Needling is not Acupuncture” by Steven Collins. This article, published in the March 2019 issue of Acupuncture Today takes the stance that due to the difference in philosophy behind applying Acupuncture and Dry Needling, they are therefore not the same procedure. The…