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Low-level laser therapy is having a moment in acupuncture circles for good reason. With a growing body of research supporting its role in reducing inflammation, enhancing circulation and stimulating mitochondrial activity, more practitioners are exploring its application in fertility care. But in the nearly 20 years I’ve used laser therapy…

Jennifer

Korina

The recently published white paper “The State of 21 st Century Acupuncture in the United States” represents a landmark effort to synthesize decades of disparate information into a unified, evidence-based reference that defines who we are as a profession, what we do and where we’re headed. This installment highlights one…

Rosaleen

The Society for Acupuncture Research Special Interest Group in Education has been developing resources AHM schools can use to strengthen their research curricula. We created a model acupuncture research curriculum, which was vetted by subject-matter experts and published it in the peer-reviewed journal PLoS One. In addition, we conducted surveys…

Our face is an outward manifestation of our inner world. According to the traditional concept of biao li , everything we see on the outside is a representation of what is happening on the inside. The character biao (表) represents the outer appearance of a garment; li (裏) refers to…

Eric

As integrative health practitioners, we’re trained to see the body as a dynamic web of interconnected systems, where balance is the key to health and well-being. Functional nutrition takes this philosophy a step further, offering a framework to decode the body’s signals and address root causes of complex conditions like…

Acupuncture can be highly effective in cases of nasal congestion so common in allergy presentations; so much so that I often treat such issues using acupuncture protocols alone. In cases of seasonal allergies with highly predictable causes such as obvious elevations of environmental allergens, I use a skeleton acupuncture prescription…

Website hosting for acupuncturists is becoming more complicated. The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is closely watching how healthcare providers use technology on their websites. This includes tools that track visitors, such as pixels and cookies. As an acupuncturist, it’s crucial to understand these changes to avoid any legal issues.

Vanessa

Chinese medical theory details each meridian’s functions and associations, which can be extrapolated for metaphorical significance. For example, the Large Intestine (LI) meridian expels physical and emotional waste, supporting systemic purification and renewal. Its anatomical trajectory, which traverses the index finger, upper extremity, shoulder, neck, and terminates at the contralateral…

An anxious part of the self can be very persistent. It is a self-contained story with a pattern of somatic repercussions based on beliefs and coping strategies from life experiences that often start in childhood. The good news is that since anxiety presents with a repeatable pattern, we can start…

Although often overlooked, the reflexes required to maintain proper eye alignment during head movements while walking or running involve highly intricate processes. Enhancing balance in older adults with cognitive impairment is particularly important, as research indicates these individuals are five times more likely to experience falls compared to cognitively healthy…

Education is the currency of access. It determines which practitioners are trusted in hospital credentialing, which programs qualify for federal loan forgiveness, which providers are recognized by insurers, and which voices shape policy. As the healthcare system expands coverage for nonpharmacologic therapies, acupuncturists must be ready to step into those…

Bradley

Why mercury and metal? To start, both mercury and metal are minerals, but the associations go deeper in function and include the planet as well. The metal element and mercurial energy dissolve and release, helping us to communicate with spirit to free the body-mind-soul – transforming and evolving into the…

Diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D) causes chronic diarrhea and abdominal discomfort that significantly impacts quality of life. Current pharmaceutical treatments have limited efficacy. Recent research highlights the role of gut microbiota in IBS-D development and recovery. This study compared how acupuncture and moxibustion at a single acupoint perform against pharmaceutical…

Ann