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As practitioners, we have inherited a wonderful medical tradition from the East that, as Americans, we naturally seek to make our own. In our culture, we are rarely ready to accept without question the complete package of any practice. It is my goal in this article to ask a question…

For those of us in the healing arts, it is useful to take a step back from day-to-day practice and ask ourselves what “healing” is really all about. When a patient has a very positive, long-lasting response to your treatments, what really has taken place? Or if patients don’t get…

The new year brings opportunities to increase our impact upon the world and enhance our revenue generation. In this article, I will introduce one of these opportunities. A year ago, I was the Saturday evening keynote speaker at the Pacific Symposium, and I taught that corporate America was a desperately…

The theme of the annual American Public Health Association (APHA) conference was “Public Health Without Borders.” Held in San Diego Oct. 25-29, the meeting attracted more than 13,000 attendees from throughout the country and signaled the APHA’s desire and willingness to expand the paradigm of community and global health to…

It had been just over a year since my first submission to Dynamic Chiropractic (which I also write for) when I noticed a letter to the editor in DC from a chiropractor in the Netherlands. He seriously disputed the need for orthopedic testing in the assessment of the patient, suggesting…

As January 2009 makes its debut, it reminds us that another year has passed and many new challenges face the Oriental medicine profession in the United States during this coming year. One of the more important issues facing the profession is that of the Good Manufacturing Procedures (known as GMP)…

Acupuncture and Oriental medicine practitioners and students, as well as providers representing various other health care disciplines, flocked to San Diego’s Catamaran Resort Hotel to attend the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine (PCOM) Annual Symposium in November. The symposium, the 20th such event organized by the college, featured a wide…

When areas of Iowa and the Midwest experienced severe flooding in 2008, those of us at Acupuncturists Without Borders (AWB) were hearing stories like this: “Our city and community has been struck by tragedy and destruction. We each carry the dampness of the past week in our lungs and in…

If your patients happen to suffer from chronic headaches, they should know that they are not alone. Chronic headache affects approximately one-third of the global population. Furthermore, an estimated 10 million people in the United States visit general practitioners for chronic headache every year. Now, a group of researchers, writing…

Acupuncture and complementary and alternative medicine were front and center at the World Health Organization (WHO) Congress on Traditional Medicine, which also featured a Symposium on Manual Methods of Health Care organized by the World Federation of Chiropractic (WFC). The congress, held in Beijing Nov. 7-9, 2008, highlighted the need…

I was delighted to read Dr. Andrew Rader’s article about cell phones in the October issue of Acupuncture Today . As a licensed acupuncturist, massage therapist and feng shui practitioner, I also consider the client’s environment. I am concerned about the electromagnetic influences that can have a toll on the…

News In Brief titles: Schwarzenegger May Cut Acupuncture from Medi-Cal, CCAOM Backs Move to Entry-Level Doctorate, Oregon Acupuncture Associations Unify, PCOM ProvideS Care at Public Health Conference and Back to Community-Style Acupuncture.

Recently, a patient told me that she did not want to continue with the Rolfer to whom I had referred her. I believe this patient needs Rolfing, as she is developing her third case of frozen shoulder. I want to be sure that we use all the modalities that will…

For our book, my colleague, Debra Duncan Persinger, PhD, and I interviewed Maryanne Travaglione, LAc, who teaches at Touro College of New York and runs offsite clinics at New York’s multilingual Lutheran Medical Center in Brooklyn. Because Maryanne speaks Italian, she was the only person who could help explain the…

We are healers and physicians. Now more than ever, it is important to remember who we are and that what we have to offer is greatly needed during this realignment of our world in these crazy and difficult times. We come from an ancient tradition that has survived, adapted and…

Ayurvedic medicine originated in India and has spread around the world. Its use in the West, including the United States, has been increasing, especially in alternative medicine circles. Ayurvedic medicines are herbal-based and fall into two general categories - 100 percent herbs and herbs processed with various metals or minerals,…

Usually, they give it away quickly, the shen -disturbed. Like the woman who told me during the intake that her name wasn’t really Clara, as it said on her medical card, but Cleopatra. She went on to tell me she might have to leave early because Dwight Eisenhower was picking…

About three years ago, I was feeling restless in my practice and decided to substitute for practitioners who went on vacation. I visited about six busy practices a year and followed the practitioners’ protocols very carefully so that patients would feel comfortable in my hands. Although there were many differences…

Now that the Beijing Olympics are over and the hype has subsided, athletes have gone on to professional teams, returned home or back to school, or moved on to other pursuits. For some, it is back to training for 2012, while for others it may be time for retirement.

Oct. 10, 2008, in the Sierra Nevada foothills: I walked out the front door of my house this morning, and saw a doe with her young fawn grazing for pine nuts and other tasty morsels in my yard. The sun was warm this morning, with a hint of the impending…