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If your Chinese medical school business-management course was anything like mine, the main focuses were your clinic name, location and business-card font. Sure, presentations and networking were mentioned for a few seconds; then it was back to the business-card design obsession. Or maybe your class went on and on about…

“There is at work within all biological systems a path of interchangeability to standardize unique vibratory levels. Our galactic body of creation controls its renewing functions through meridian axiatonal lines which are the equivalent of acupuncture lines that can connect with resonating star systems.” 1

A situation common to American herbalist/acupuncturists is the arrival of a new patient reporting multiple complaints. Although a single chief complaint might be written on their intake form, when one gets to interviewing them, there could be a lot of concurrent complaints: digestive problems (discomfort or irregular stool), menstrual problems…

Dayan Qigong Program Now Offered at ACTCM Starting this summer, the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine (ACTCM) in San Francisco will offer an 18-week dayan qigong program. This program will be available to current students, as well as to the public.

One of our most basic sacred contracts with our clients is confidentiality. It seems simple and straightforward enough: We keep confidences by not speaking about our clients to anyone outside of the treatment room. We don’t tell their stories. We don’t mention names. We don’t even say, “Oh, so-and-so is…

During the past year, I was introduced to a rather obscure herb by some local village elders while traveling up in the mountains. It’s the tender, dark-green sprouting leaf of the eucommiae tree. This is the same tree that yields du zhong pi /eucommiae bark.

In 1981, I opened my acupuncture office in San Francisco. Acupuncture was such a foreign form of medicine at the time and people were so frightened of needles that marketing was virtually impossible. In the same office building, a chiropractor was successfully treating professional athletes by combining chiropractic adjustments with…

In this second installment in my series of financial articles, let’s pretend I’m Jesse James or John Dillinger. No, I’m not really going to rob a bank, but I will show you how banks are stealing from you. I’ll also show you how you can play the same game they…

Hyperventilation is the cause of asthma and many other chronic conditions. This is the hypothesis of the late Konstantin Buteyko, the Russian physician who questioned long-held concepts of respiration. He created a training method that teaches people how to breathe in a way that improves health. It took many years,…

We are so appreciative of all the e-mail questions we receive as a result of our column. Your interest in public health, access to care, specialty populations and health center integration warms our nonprofit hearts and further inspires us in our work.

Members of our profession have been talking for a long time about being recognized as doctors of Oriental medicine and acupuncture. Chiropractors, naturopaths, even physical therapists, have the “Doctor” title, and our medical practices are at least at their level. Many health care professions, from nursing to audiology, have achieved…

You never know how sex is going to infiltrate your office, but you have to be ready for it nonetheless. Your response can eliminate potential lawsuits from patients who blame you for their actions or embarrassment. Or you can become the practitioner who rectifies a lifelong problem no one else…

The most successful practitioners I know are the ones who have ongoing referral relationships with several other health professionals. While many practice-management seminars teach you all about getting referrals from patients (and that’s a good thing), you will do even better setting up referral relationships with doctors. The following are…

This article is a follow-up to my last article in the May issue about systemic microcurrent and light techniques for treatment of neuromuscular degenerative diseases. The method detailed in this article has been used to support and heal patients presenting with multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s, ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease), fibromyalgia and…

I am sure many of you have heard the common saying, “A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.” This saying is applicable to many aspects of your life in which there are others around you, and together you all are working together for a common goal.

Evidence-based medicine or best practices are phrases used regularly within the acupuncture and Oriental medicine profession. Some might even say they are the Holy Grail for AOM and other alternative medicines to gain legitimacy. However, it can be time-consuming to sort through all the data and compare treatments for efficacy,…

With the growing concern over a possible link between childhood vaccinations and autism, any good news for practitioners and parents regarding this mysterious disorder certainly is welcome. A group of Egyptian researchers published findings in the March 2008 issue of The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine that suggest the…

In mid-May, the Ohio state senate passed S.B.245, allowing the state medical board to issue certificates to practice acupuncture rather than the previously accepted certificates of registration. This change in the language now permits an acupuncturist holding the board’s certificate to use the title “Licensed Acupuncturist.”

Massage therapy and naturopathic medicine are among the alternative health care services available to certain low-income or other disadvantaged residents of British Columbia. As of April 1, 2008, they can add acupuncture to that menu of covered services. Residents will now qualify for 10 acupuncture visits per year at a…

I suggest using nei wei qi as the term for the immune system in traditional Chinese medicine. Nei wei qi is a part of the body’s zheng qi . It comes from yuan qi and is nourished by acquired nutrition. It belongs to qi and yin . It is located…