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As the health care debate rages on, so much of it hinges on the diagnosis of “chronic” illness. The label, the stigma and the prophesy it foretells can often cause more problems that whatever was being diagnosed. Attention shifts the present uncomfortableness to a future of doom. While we would…

A recent article in the New Yorker caught my attention. “Nightmare Scenario” by Margaret Talbot, discusses the most recent theories on nightmares and how to treat them. Nightmares and their effects on our lives is a subset of sleep hygiene that gets little attention. Nightmares are often thought of as…

The accomplishments of Acupuncturists Without Borders (AWB) inspire and challenge our community to rise to the highest levels of service in promoting access to acupuncture care. Diana Fried, MAc, LAc, MA, the executive director and founder of AWB, spoke with us this month to provide a history and discuss next…

News in Brief: ACTCM Receives DAOM Program Candidacy. OCOM Awarded grant from Kaiser Permanente. ACTCM Announces New Qi Gong Program. NCCAOM Announces Results Of Nationwide AOM Job Task Analysis. Five Branches Graduates First DAOMs in Chinese.

I was approached to write this article series based upon my experience with the current discourse and leadership within the field over the last two decades. Though truth be told, I was also chosen because of a willingness to take time to write about the “hot topics” that we all…

From a Chinese medicine standpoint, the most important step toward looking younger by using some sort of facial or cosmetic acupuncture technique is balancing the overall (internal) energy in your patient’s body before you do a cosmetic or facial treatment. Really, one of the best things about getting your patients…

The focus of the present discussion is to increase understanding of the mechanisms in play during the various stages of injury and to help bridge the gap between Western and Eastern models. TCM treatment strategies are informed by and explained with biomedical insights. A special emphasis is given to the…

It’s time to clean house and dump some insurance. Time to save a few bucks and make your overall insurance program leaner and meaner. So let’s get to work. A good place to start is with your automobile insurance. Lots of dead weight there that we can get rid of…

Successful treatment of insomnia can be an elusive goal, especially in patients who have a chronic condition (more then five years) or in later life (after age 50). The difficult cases tend to be those based in deficiency, rather than excess. Cases of excess respond quite quickly with herbal intervention.

We have all had treatment days during which our pain, be it emotional, physical, mental or circumstantial, felt so severe to us that our patients ranked a distant second. As a result, we may feel alone, overburdened and/or overwhelmed. Days like that require fortitude, tenacity and ingenuity. Feeling lousy while…

Facebook is now the second most popular Web site on the Internet, with more than 300 million active users. The increasing popularity of social media is revolutionizing the ways that business owners market to, and connect with, their audience. Because of sites like Facebook, it has never been so easy…

Current trends have involved the integration of CAM modalities (i.e., acupuncture, reiki, yoga) into standard Western treatments and protocols. This is evident in prenatal care where acupuncture has been integrated into a group model approach called Centering Pregnancy. This program abolishes routine prenatal care by bringing women out of examination…

I periodically check my alumni forum, and one heated debate often arises; the medical doctor issue. The general sentiment seems to be “We don’t want medical doctors regulating or controlling our profession, and we especially don’t want medical doctors encroaching on our territory via abbreviated training or no training at…

If you visit Portland, Ore., in the next few months, be sure to see the city-wide public art installation by local artist Adam Kuby. His exhibit explores the connection between art, regional planning, traditional Chinese medicine and having a healthy city. From May 2010 to October 2010, fifteen 35-foot acupuncture…

Nausea and vomiting are two of the most common postoperative complications. While they may seem to be moderate problems, they can be very dangerous, particularly for children. Severe postoperative nausea and vomiting may lead to aspiration of stomach contents, wound re-opening, bleeding, dehydration and electrolyte imbalance. In order to address…

The old saying “Healer, heal thyself” is so very important for acupuncturists. You may have some very difficult cases. Sometimes people seek out acupuncture as a last attempt when other options have failed them. We must take care of ourselves as we help others to do the same. Here are…

In June 2009, three volunteer acupuncturists joined the PanAfrican Acupuncture Project (PAAP) and traveled to Lyantonde, Uganda, to conduct the first of three trainings of 32 health care providers. The trainings took place at the Lyantonde Hospital, Kabula Health Subdistrict, and brought together nurses, nursing assistants, and midwives from the…

A young woman came to my office last week, troubled by dreams of being in the emergency room. She has a rare form of hemophilia, most of the time dormant. However, under extreme duress or stress, it is activated and her blood won’t clot. She was thrown from her horse…

Chantelle

Cynthia