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The long-standing debate over who can and should be allowed to practice acupuncture has spanned decades and continents. Many vehemently oppose the practice of acupuncture by clinicians who have not received formal acupuncture training, based on reasons of professional integrity, standards of care and the authenticity of diagnostic traditions. The…

I began getting migraines about 20 years ago. Neurologists, ENT specialists or allergists have not been able to impress upon me anything more than Extra Strength Tylenol for relief. I have been resigned to sleep off the excruciating head pain in a dark room, free from sound and all other…

“Tell the doctor what you feel,” says the parent. The child, seated on the examination table, shrugs and remains silent. “Go ahead,” urges the mother. “Tell him what you told me.” The shirtless child squirms and mumbles something unintelligible. He is nervous about describing his discomfort to an authority figure…

It has dawned with blue sky, white puffy clouds and sunshine in Jacksonville, Fla. You might be asking yourself, “What is happening in Jacksonville?” It is the new home of the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM).

Offering a seaside oasis of relaxation right before the busy holiday season, the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine will be hosting its 19th annual Pacific Symposium 2007, Nov. 8-11, at the Catamaran Resort, located at Mission Bay in San Diego. Attendees can earn up to a maximum of 50 CEUs…

The Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ACAOM) has placed South Baylo University on probationary accreditation through Feb. 4, 2008. According to the official ACAOM statement, the probationary action was based on a determination of the University’s noncompliance with the following policies: “Sections 3.11.6 and 3.11.8(7) Notification and ACAOM…

According to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, more than 50 million Americans suffer from some sort of allergy. Allergies are the sixth leading chronic disease, costing the U.S. health care system more than $18 billion annually. A study from National Yang Ming University in Taipei published in…

In an effort to show that the acupuncture and Oriental medicine (AOM) profession is mindful of the global environment that provides the ingredients for so many herbal treatments, leaders in the AOM community have come out strongly against a recent proposal that would allow China to lift its 14-year ban…

Life is simple ... essentially. This is what the ancients have taught us: For every end, a beginning; for every beginning, an end. In the life and destiny of a student, these polarities are lived repetitively with each class, with each year and finally with graduation. What contributes to the…

Southern California University of Health Sciences (SCU), in Whittier, Calif., is launching a daytime acupuncture and Oriental medicine (AOM) program in September 2007. This new daytime program is offered in addition to the current evening program, enabling SCU to better serve students through expanded options for taking classes.

I am writing this article to share my research and understanding of hyperlipidemia. The statin drugs that are used to lower cholesterol are, by far, the most profitable drugs produced by the pharmaceutical companies. These drugs generate nearly $20 billion in annual revenues.

In a perfect world, after a patient visits a TCM clinic, a prescription (if formulated) and acupuncture and/or herbal medicine are administered, resulting in the amelioration of the patient’s presenting complaint. Unfortunately, this is not often the case in the West. In my clinical experience, the average Western patient brings…

This is the second article in a four-part series on xiao chai hu tang . Part one , with a complete list of references, appeared in the July 2007 issue.

Stress is one of the most prevalent influences in our lives today. In Australia, for example, neurotic, stress-related and somatoform disorders resulted in 49,415 hospitalizations in 2001-2002, while 95 percent of hospital consultant episodes were a consequence of adjustment disorders and reactions to severe stress. 1 Our daily lives are…

The revised CMS 1500 (8/05) form was put into mandatory use as of July 2, 2007.

As soon as I got to read and review Lorie Eve Dechar’s book, Five Spirits , I knew I wanted to interview her for this column. In addition to acupuncture and TCM, Lorie is trained in Jungian archetypal psychology and is a serious practitioner of Zen. She maintains a practice…

A couple of months ago, I received a series of phone calls from a woman out East whose mother had suffered a stroke and was in a care center near here (Iowa). The daughter was a recipient of acupuncture and thought acupuncture might help her mother recover faster and more…

Chinese medicine is more (and less!) than the symptom-sign complexes used to identify imbalances of the zangfu (vital and hollow organs). Current clinical doctrines arise from several themes of modernization that cloud the eyes of most contemporary people to the magical possibilities for healing discussed during the history of Chinese…

Where is your practice now? Did you just graduate? Are you thinking about starting your practice? Have you already started your practice? No matter the developmental stage of your practice of traditional medicine, you may need a jump start. What does that mean to you? For the purpose of discussion…