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The Han Dynasty which flourished from 206 B.C. to 220 A.D. gave us one of the most revered books on acupuncture ever written namely the ” Nan Jing. ” Otherwise known as the “Classic of Difficulties.” It was written following the famous Nei Jing, which has been described as the…

Don

At this point, I am certain everyone is aware of the CPT codes for billing acupuncture. However, there have been some recent cases where it is clear that not everyone is following the clear-cut rules on how to define and use these codes. Depending on your state laws, not properly…

In the Merriam-Webster dictionary, I found this definition of the word magic : an extraordinary power or influence seemingly from a supernatural source. Countless times people I was treating with microcurrent, or those witnessing the treatment, have remarked that the results they saw were like “magic.”

Two large professional groups recently held annual meetings that featured a number of presentations about acupuncture and CAM topics. The American Public Health Association, the oldest and most respected public health group in the U.S., and the Gerontological Society of America, a multidisciplinary group of professionals in the field of…

Wind is a philosophical representation of change in the Chinese classics. It is also acknowledged as the root of all physiological disturbance. It is stated in chapter 3 of the Su Wen that wind is “the cause of hundreds of diseases.” Within classical thinking, cold, damp and heat are factors…

Our country is struggling to reduce the cost of healthcare while simultaneously improving its quality and accessibility. I see a partial solution: use Chinese medicine in Western healthcare settings. There are many ways to do this; in fact, in-hospital acupuncture is used across the United States. To effectively reduce cost…

Most professions have discourse about the “professional.” Merriam Webster’s dictionary defines professions as “a: a calling requiring specialized knowledge and often long and intensive academic preparation b: a principal calling, vocation, or employment c: the whole body of persons engaged in a calling.” Professions define themselves in part by excluding…

It is the rare to meet a person these days that doesn’t have a concern about cancer. Between the constant headlines, to pink ribbons on everything from planes to phones, to hearing that Aunt Stacy was just diagnosed, it is impossible to not be aware of cancer’s presence. The question…

Spring is the time to revitalize and get moving, but also a time to improve our immune systems so that we can avoid wind-caused health conditions that often proliferate during this season. One way to start is to begin each day with a congee to tonify digestion and thereby help…

Are you treating health conditions related to or affected by love? This past November I taught at the Pacific Symposium, a large educational conference put on for our industry by the Pacific College in San Diego, Calif. I presented an evening keynote titled “The Capacity and Function of Loving” during…

To the acupuncture community, Dr. Shi Xue-Min is known as a distinguished acupuncturist and academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and a supervisor of doctoral candidates in China. Dr. Shi Xue-Min is particularly known for his creation of the stroke acupuncture technique Xing Nao Kai Qiao (XNKQ), which is…

Recently, I have been receiving inquiries about the new codes for ICD10. When do they begin and how much of a change will they be? There has been a lot of misinformation passing through the acupuncture ranks regarding the ICD10 coding update. The most common misunderstanding of this coding change…

The decision by AAAOM to postpone its annual membership conference for one year was a difficult one. But, the Board believes that it will better serve the profession to instead convene leadership member groups in Spring 2012 that will focus on the short and long-term health of the association. It’s…

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Jing

There are lots of applications and devices out there for the acupuncturist-on-the-go. From general phone apps to help you get organized, to more specific apps made for acupuncturists and students of TCM, we’ll take a look at some that can help make your job a little easier. Please note: a…

While going through a pile of papers on my desk I came across a marketing newsletter for publishers from 1999! Although now a relic from the pre-digital age, I had marked up one article on direct mail advertising with a highlighter and copious scribbled notes, so it obviously held some…

Performance enhancement depends upon creating an optimal environment for training to occur. Here we are addressing going beyond the physiological factors of training into the synergistic variables that are considered part of a dynamic relationship with our environment. Career longevity in most sports is dependent upon preventing chronic injuries. Currently,…

In my previous column, I presented two case studies using modification of Golden Chamber ( Jin Gui Yao Lue ) formulas to assuage physical pain. I will continue this exploration of classical formula modifications by using a Golden Chamber formula modification to treat emotional/psychological “pain.” The unique feature of both…