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Have you ever had a case that felt so big you weren’t sure how to wrap your brain around it? The challenge may have been diagnosis oriented: a progressed and debilitating autoimmune disorder, a degenerative neurological disease or metastatic cancer.

The practice of acupuncture offers a variety of scenarios, which make it different from other types of medicine. One strikingly unique setting is in the veterinary clinic. My first experience with animal acupuncture was typical. In acupuncture school, we were informed that acupuncture is effective for animals as well as…

In traditional Chinese medicine, the first reference to infectious disease appeared in Huang Di Nei Jing ( Yellow Emperor’s Inner Classic ) compiled in the first or second century C.E. This text discussed the presence of Re Bing (hot disease), which according to our understanding today, refers to the various…

Christie

Harvey

The film “9000 Needles” has been creating buzz about acupuncture since it was introduced at many film festivals last year. It is now being shown all over the country and at many of the acupuncture schools such at the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine and the Southern California University…

In 1982, the National Council of Schools & Colleges of Acupuncture (NCSCA, now CCAOM) was established by former members of the education committee of the American Association of Acupuncture (AAA, now AAAOM). In early meetings and discussions, colleges offered portraits of what they were teaching: acupuncture, Oriental bodywork (anma, tuina,…

I once visited an acupuncturist friend of mine in the South. His family and I went out for Southern food night after night - twice it was “fried this” and “gravy covered” that. I learned that in the South, macaroni and cheese is considered a vegetable and green beans often…

Doing this work is a constant tension and relief experience. The only way I have found to remain relatively unscathed by the milieu, the possibility of overwhelming doubt and by the prospect of guilt when things don’t turn out as expected, is to keep rules for myself and my clients.…

The following is an interview with Lori Knutson, RN, BSN, HNB-BC, executive director of the Penny George Institute for Health and Healing. The Minneapolis, MN-based Institute is the largest hospital-based program of its kind in the country, blending complementary therapies, integrative medicine and conventional Western medicine.

The massive epidemic of chronic disease, most notably diabetes, heart disease and hypertension which can be collectively referred to as metabolic disorder, parallels the rise in sugar availability over the past 150 years. On top of that there has also been an exponential rise in availability of cheap, poor quality…

Acupuncture combined with frequent physical activity is key to reducing hormonal imbalances in women suffering from polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), according to a recent report from the University of Gothenberg, Sweden. The common disorder - marked by irregular or no ovulation/menstruation and ovaries full of immature eggs - is known…

I am sure this does not come as a big surprise to you. Drive down any street and see how many homes have “for sale” signs are stuck in the lawn. This is just one sign of what’s going on nationwide. I don’t think we will see the bottom for…

I have been making alcohol-extracted Chinese herbal formulas since 1988. I was introduced to the percolation method in New Mexico by Western herbalists Charlie Jordan and Mitch Coven. Later, Clarissa Smith of Portland, Ore. helped me fine-tune the process. I have continued to use this method for the following reasons:…

In the latest film version of Alice in Wonderland , director Tim Burton captivated author Lewis Carroll’s hallucinatory imagery believed to reflect Carroll’s migraine experiences. The Cheshire cat, described by Alice as “a grin without a cat” looms both large and small and can only be seen by her, in…

I have recently been recruiting an associate to join my practice. This has been an enlightening process, to say the least. With help from the practice management teacher from a well-known acupuncture program, I have done a thorough job of analyzing my business finances, making projections, and developing a clear…

Most of my patients walk into my clinic either seeking acupuncture and are excited to receive treatment, or they are apprehensive about what they have heard about acupuncture and are hesitant to try it. What is welcoming to see from both of these scenarios is that almost every patient I…

The Boston marathon takes place this month. One of the race’s most infamous stretches is Heartbreak Hill. The relatively modest, half-mile incline can feel impossibly steep to runners after they’ve already logged 20 miles. But no one hates Heartbreak more than participants suffering from runner’s knee, a common injury that’s…

To accommodate a rapidly growing student population, officials at one of the leading graduate schools of acupuncture and Chinese medicine opened the doors of a larger state-of-the-art campus this month. The Academy of Oriental Medicine at Austin (AOMA) is now operating at its new 20,000-square-foot campus located in the southern…

Recently, I found myself dancing in China’s Yunnan province in a pristine forest beside a turquoise lake at high elevation. The sun warmed my face and body, as my feet spun, my hips flowed, and my arms and hands extended outward and upward to the mountains and sky. I was…