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Chemotherapy and radiation are standard treatments for cancer in Western medicine. However, they are very toxic and affect numerous parts of the body. Many herbal formulas have been used with great success to alleviate the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation.

American Academy of Medical Acupuncture Hosts Annual Symposium The American Academy of Medical Acupuncture (AAMA) will be holding its 20 th annual symposium on April 10-13, 2008 at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C. The conference is geared toward both the acupuncturist and the physician (MDs and DOs)…

Specialties: A Not-So-Quiet Storm I read with great interest and mounting passion Will Morris’ article on specialization and the proximal ad by the American Board of Oriental Reproductive Medicine (ABORM) in the November 2007 issue of Acupuncture Today .

Acupuncture and CranioSacral Therapy (CST) are two wonderfully effective modalities of healing that utilize the body’s wisdom to heal itself. Both of them use cycles of energy flow rhythms.

Candidiasis deserves recognition as it may already have perpetuated into epidemic proportions. Candidiasis is an infection of the Candida within the mucus membrane, which usually occurs in the skin, respiratory tract, genital region, gastrointestinal tract, mouth or bloodstream. Some physicians only suspect Candidiasis in severely immunocompromised patients. This, coupled with…

In a recent interview for an article that appeared in the December 2007 “Style” section of the New York Times , the reporter repeatedly asked me when facial acupuncture had “come of age.” When did I, one of the pioneers in this field, notice a change in the level of…

John Weeks has been involved as an organizer/writer in the emerging fields of complementary and integrative medicine since 1983, when he spent 10 years as a management team member at Bastyr University and then as executive director of the national naturopathic professional association. He has since consulted, organized and presented…

There is great power in simplicity. It is said that the most masterful acupuncturists can effectively treat patients using only a few needles. The purpose of this article is to detail a simple, but remarkably powerful, microcurrent pain-control method I call the auricular micro-macro technique. This simple technique can provide…

This year, the U.S. can take pride in an accomplishment. Hundreds of years after importing Africans, enslaving them, freeing them and then slowly giving them rights, an African American is a viable candidate for the presidency. The point is that sometimes, integration can take longer than it should. I find…

One of the core concepts of TCM is yin and yang . The beauty of the yin and yang philosophy is that one can use these basic concepts to explain or elucidate all sorts of aspects of our health, lives and the universe in general. Today, we will apply yin…

The initial consultation is where it all begins. It provides us with an opportunity to learn who our patient is and what they need in order to be whole and healthy in body, mind and spirit. Every area we explore, even the most seemingly simple such as, “Where do you…

Stories are wonderful teachers. They have been used throughout the life of Oriental medicine to pass on information, history, values, traditions and skills. Our medical practices are filled with rich, humorous and poignant stories. They blend together to form the rich history of our careers, our lessons and our lives.…

It was a Tuesday afternoon and I was returning from teaching the class in practice management at Pacific College in San Diego. I was fortunate to be riding the train to avoid the traffic between there and Los Angeles. The compartment was empty except for me.

While the majority of research on Chinese medicine treatments for osteoarthritis has focused specifically on acupuncture, a recent study published in the March 2008 issue of Chinese Medicine found that an herbal treatment was effective in reducing symptoms of pain and stiffness and increasing physical functioning.

A new Web site, www.localherbs.org , is taking orders from members of the acupuncture and Oriental medicine profession for domestically and ecologically grown Chinese medicinal herbs. Announced last November at the Pacific Symposium, the Web site was launched by a national group of farmers working together since 2000 as the…

Patients often wonder what is so inspiring about the healing benefits and therapy that acupuncturists provide their patients. It’s a combination of qi , the practitioner’s determination, the patient’s recovery and the theory which forms the basis of traditional Chinese medicine. However, another important aspect to remember is the high…

One of the potential casualties of an expedited process to offset a California state budget shortfall of $3.3 billion may very well be state Medicare (Medi-Cal) payments for acupuncture treatment. This is particularly troubling, as California currently is the only state to offer Medicaid coverage for acupuncture treatments.

“If I were ever to run a school, I would require all new students to take at least three pulses per day for their entire time there. In fact, I want you to do this - take three pulses a day. You won’t know what you’re feeling, let alone being…

It often is said that traditional Chinese medicine is easy to learn but hard to practice. Novice clinicians and students know this adage all too well, often encountering patients who never respond to by-the-book treatment protocols. These approaches typically portray patients with single pattern disorders. This type of presentation, while…

In our society, we thrive on convenience and technology for instant gratification. Products are put on the market to assist our “quality of life,” thus increasing what is considered to be convenient. Cell phones have made it more convenient to communicate, work and live. To no surprise, our society has…