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One of the challenges many practitioners face is that of effectively communicating with patients. Bedside manner is not a skill that is taught in school, although it should be. People have indicated time and again that they would rather return to a practitioner they felt may not be highly proficient,…

Contrary to what you might have heard, there is beauty in the kitchen. Just as Chinese herbs promote health, beauty, healing and rejuvenation for our face and body, Chinese texts laud the healing and beautifying effects of many foods. Food therapy, as effective as the other traditional Chinese medicine techniques…

Usually, within 24 to 48 hours of performing a strenuous activity, the individual is so sore that it is hard to move or function normally. When DOMS takes effect, the body will overcompensate, such as walking up and down a flight of stairs gingerly or using the entire body to…

There has been a lot of discussion, research, sales hype and promotion of tea ( cha ) for weight loss in the media, as Asian cha culture is gaining popularity in the Western world. This is particularly true with regard to lu cha (green tea).

Cardiovascular disease is our number one killer. One-third of Americans have one or more forms of it. Cardiovascular disease is a condition that is broadly defined, including anything affecting the heart or blood vessels. According to one estimate, our average life expectancy would increase by seven years if cardiovascular disease…

Chinese medicine arose, developed and flourished in a pre-modern society with decidedly pre-modern ideas and concepts. Early beliefs regarding pathogenesis focused on ghosts and other spiritual entities. The recording of Neijing was a pivotal step in the first modernization of Chinese medicine.

With spring just around the corner, we look at the awakening of the earth with fresh and expectant eyes. Nature is coming into full bloom with rain-washed, vibrant colors. Our hearts begin to sing, so to speak, as everything revives from the long, cold days of winter. All things in…

esearch continues to show that complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use, particularly by older adults, is on the rise. More people are using it, but how many discuss CAM use with their physician(s)? A recent report from the American Association of Retired Persons (now known only as the AARP) and…

The Academic Consortium for Complementary and Alternative Health Care (ACCAHC) has spread its wings, becoming an independent, dues-based nonprofit organization, rather than a branch of the Integrated Healthcare Policy Consortium (IHPC).

Various studies have placed the lifetime prevalence of neck pain at anywhere from 26 percent to 71 percent. In one study, 10 percent of men and 17 percent of women reported neck pain lasting up to six months. Another study found that 22 percent of people experienced some sort of…

“We’re witnessing the globalization of medicine.” With those simple words, Dr. Mehmet Oz may have brought acupuncture and Oriental medicine one step closer to worldwide public acceptance. The setting: “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” Feb. 13, 2007. The context: a demonstration of acupuncture by Daniel Hsu, LAc, MSTOM. Oprah herself received…

As most acupuncturists are well-aware, Oriental medicine is facing a crisis, caught between meager insurance reimbursements on the one hand and the efforts of some legislators and certain groups of physiatrists and other physicians to marginalize the TCM profession on the other. New graduates of TCM colleges across America are…

Patient: “Jane,” female, age 32 Chief Complaint: Seasonal pollen allergies Symptoms: Each year, around the first week of May, Jane gets dry skin; bilateral sinus pain and pressure; a clear, runny and stuffy nose; and red, itchy eyes. The worst of it lasts about two weeks. She is lactose-intolerant, but…

Several years ago, I saw Nancy Reagan, the wife of former President Ronald Reagan, on television. She was very sad and lonely. Her husband, in the final phase of Alzheimer’s disease, had lost much of his memory. A man known for remembering small facts and long-ago acquaintances, now did not…

If you are a practitioner who bills insurance or plans to in the future, there are some changes you need to be aware of which take effect in a couple of months. Remember that old, pink CMS-1500 (HCFA) form you had to use to bill insurance companies for your services?…

Just as the metal element gives value to the earth in the form of minerals and trace elements, as well as providing the pure life-giving qi that we breathe, metal gives the inner sense of self-worth to each individual. The Officials of Metal (the Lungs and Colon) are called, respectively,…

A recent study of high-achieving women explored the private and professional lives of highly educated, high-earning women. The Center for Work-Life Policy in New York targeted the top 10 percent of women in the workplace (measured in terms of earning power) to learn what motivated them, how they lived and…

We all have needling stories that endure as “remarkable” over the history of our careers. When I was newly licensed, I had a patient who was face down, with 20 needles in place from head to ankles. He was paying me to stick them in and leave them for awhile.…