From a TCM perspective there are a number of patterns that can relate to infertility.

• Kidney Jing Deficiency: Kidney Jing is the life force energy that is stored in the kidneys. Women who easily have babies in their 40′s tend to have good Kidney Jing and tend to live longer in general. As kidney Jing declines with age, egg production begins to decline.
• Kidney Yin Deficiency: Yin pertains to the viscous fluids in the body. Kidney Yin deficiency can be caused by a constitutional deficiency and/or overwork. This is very common for women today who, due to career building, try to conceive a little later in life.

• Kidney Yang Deficiency: This is commonly due to an invasion of external cold into the kidney channel. Cold causes qi obstruction which eventually affects the body’s yang energy. Women who walk around barefoot when it is cold tend to have excess cold enter the Kidney channel through open exposure at Kidney 1. Women who spend a lot of time in the ocean can also have an invasion of cold in the Kidney channel.
• Blood Deficiency: Not enough protein in the diet, a prolonged period of heavy menstrual cycles, and past illnesses can cause blood deficiency.
• Shen Disturbance: Emotional stress can wreak havoc on the reproduction system–especially with inconsistent ovulation cycles. The heart qi is a key factor in maintaining balance between Kidney yin and Kidney yang.  If Kidney yin and yang are not transforming correctly during ovulation there will be problems with ovulation.
• Liver Qi Stagnation: Movement of Liver qi is important to prepare the body for menstruation. The Liver channel runs right though the ovaries. Obstruction in this channel can affect the the fallopian tubes. Liver qi stagnation is a big component in causing blood and phlegm stasis in the uterus and causes problems such as fibroids and cysts.

You can see how important it is to have the organ system in balance when dealing with infertility. When I treat women who are preparing for pregnancy, I ask them to give me two or three months of treatment time to regulate their bodies before they begin trying to conceive. I treat them once a week during this time period. It is important to reiterate to your patient that it will take time to prepare them for having a baby.

Balancing the graph is the first step of each treatment because when the graph is balanced 80% of the disharmonies within the body disappear. Once the needles are inserted to balance the graph, I add in points that are specific to her TCM pattern diagnosis.

It takes some continuing education to be really effective in choosing points for the treatment of infertility and pregnancy. If you want to pursue this path, I recommend the following excellent books.

Treatment of Infertility with Chinese Medicine by Jane Lyttleton

Acupuncture in Pregnancy and Childbirth by Zita West

The Essential  Guide to Acupuncture in Pregnancy and Childbirth by Debra Betts

Once your patient becomes pregnant, you can continue to treat her for an array of symptoms that will occur during and after the pregnancy such as:

Morning Sickness

Heart Burn

Low Back Pain

Preparation for Labor

Breech Babies

Promoting Lactation

Postpartum Depression

AcuGraph is a great tool to use if you want to gain a reputation for helping women to get pregnant. Just remember that the first step in a successful pregnancy is a balanced graph. Once the graph is balanced, everything else will fall into place.

Have a great week!

Kimberly Thompson, L.Ac.

Acupuncture Research Analyst

Miridia Technology Inc.

So, let’s review the results of the survey and consider some information and tools that will help. I asked:  What are the three biggest challenges in my practice?  The following responses demonstrate the seriousness of the situation:  “Reduced income and possible closure if the trend continues,” “New Patients, more referrals, loyal patients,” “Paying overhead, attracting new patients, getting Dr. referrals,” “Keeping my practice afloat, keeping patients and getting paid.”  The three most common responses are ranked as follows:

1.  Attracting New Patients
2.  Patient Retention
3.  Getting Referrals

Today let’s work on #1…everyone’s biggest challenge!

Getting New Patients

Marketing healthcare services can be challenging. Especially since 80% of Acupuncturists have NO marketing budget. The 20% that do are spending, on average, just $250 a month on marketing. The rule of thumb is to dedicate 10% of your monthly gross revenue on marketing. The hard part is generating enough money to be able to pay your overhead and still have 10% to invest in NEXT month’s marketing budget! So let’s focus on a zero cost marketing method called “Expert Marketing!”

Be the Expert in your community!

Here’s how it works. First, identify organizations. Second, call and ask to speak with the appropriate person. The following organizations are looking for Experts to address/teach their members and customers.

               Organization – Contact

• Fitness Centers  -  General Manager
• 55+ Communities – Activities Director
• Civic Centers Events & Edutainment – Events Coordinator
• Community Health Fairs – Vendor Coordinator
• Non Profit – Health Screenings – Director
• Parks & Recreation Classes – Event Specialist
• Trade Shows/Featured Edutainment – Talent Manager
• Large Corporations (health screenings) – HR Manager
• Health Food Stores – Store Manager
• Grocery Stores – Store Manager
• Member Warehouses – Store Manager

Simply place the call, ask for the appropriate contact person and introduce yourself. Explain that you are providing free health screenings and educational presentations for their members/residents. Have a list of presentation topics ready to suggest or to fax over from which the contact person can choose. Avoid asking a “Yes” or “No” question like: “Can I come talk to your employees?” Instead, give the contact a quick sample of the health issues you can address…a few suggestions are: “Quickly Correct Back Pain,” “Injury Prevention Starts NOW,” “5 Things You Need to Know to Prevent Falling,” and “Keys to Reducing Your Medications.” The key is to know your audience and use action statements that talk about solving their problems!

They don’t care what you know – only what you can do to make their life easier! I’ve found that when presented in this manner, 8 out of 10 calls result in a scheduled event.

Most events are free; however, some have a nominal fee. For example some Warehouse stores charge a $500 fee to setup a table in the store for a day. But, if you do it right, your AcuGraph will be busy ALL DAY! Be sure to set it to “Screening Mode” and print out the results for the potential patient! Have someone collecting names, numbers and emails before they are tested, and scheduling a FREE consultation in your office before they leave your table. You can expect to schedule 15-50 appointments! The lifetime value of that many new customers is $3k-$15k! Was it worth the investment?!  YES!

Entertain, Educate & Schedule Appointments

You’re probably wondering about what you need for these events to run smoothly. Next week I’ll go over the details and include worksheets that spell it all out for you.  With about an hour of research on the internet you can have a detailed contact list with names and phone numbers. Spend another hour making calls and you can have yourself booked with a speaking/teaching engagement once a week for the next 8 weeks! Sure it’s scary at first…just remember…YOU are the expert! No one there will know more about your topic than you do! If you make it interactive and engaging they will ask you back over and over! Don’t wait until next week to start making these calls! Now is the time to do your research and book your calendar. Spring is a popular time for these events and the speakers are being scheduled NOW!

If you have any questions, or need some clarification, post a comment on the blog and I’ll quickly respond! I’m interested in hearing how successful you are at finding and setting up your events! I look forward to hearing your success stories!

That’s why we included automatic emailing in AcuGraph 4. Whenever you want to print a patient’s graph, you’re actually just a click away from emailing that graph instead. It saves you time, paper, ink, and money! Plus, then your patient has an electronic copy, readily accessible on a smart phone, tablet, or computer.

I know some of you aren’t taking advantage of this useful feature, so let me show you how fast and easy it is. I’ve put together a short video to show you how to email custom reports right from AcuGraph. Here’s the link:

Today, I ask the question to you, not out of frustration like I would with my kids, but with a sincere desire to know how I can continue to serve you through the blog. Right now I’m in planning mode for future blog posts and I need your help. To make it easy for you, I’ve got one very specific question that I’d like you to think about, and respond to with a single sentence. Sound easy enough?

Click on the link below to write your one sentence response.

WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME????

I’m looking forward to hearing what you have to say. Thanks, and have a great week!

Kimberly Thompson, L.Ac.

Acupuncture Research Analyst

Miridia Technology Inc.

WHY DO SO MANY BUSINESSES FAIL? BECAUSE THEY FAIL TO PLAN!

Now, before we jump into the details of planning, let’s talk about the importance of creating a Vision for your practice, a Mission for your staff and Goals to guide your daily actions.

Vision: What is your vision of the practice you want? Do you have it now? Does it lead with inspiration and courage? Does it inspire obsession with future possibilities? It can do all of that and more! A vision statement’s excitement about the future should trump any uncertain apprehension!

Mission: We’ve all heard various grandiose mission statements. These aren’t worth the paper they’re written on. A mission statement can inspire, motivate and banish doubt, fear and hesitation. It evokes the feeling that we can do THIS or we are the ones ordained to do THAT! A good Mission statement will ban mediocrity! It should create whispers, chatter, passionate debate and evangelism. Let it be controversial and thought provoking! Create a statement that everyone repeats with pride!

Goals: Goals are your roadmap. Goals hold you accountable and tell you when you’re straying off course. I suggest writing your Goals like a food critic writes a review of a new restaurant. Take everything into account…colors, lighting, design, sounds, lobby, treatment rooms, group rooms, patient flow, patient experience, referrals etc. Goals are the daily steps that lead to accomplishing the Mission and the Vision. In essence, create in your mind the “vision” of your ideal practice. This is the future your Goals will drive you toward.

I won’t be surprised if by now you’re thinking; “I don’t need all of this business nonsense. Just tell me how to bring more patients in the front door!”  That is precisely the reason why so few practitioners make the effort to create a working business plan. Don’t give in to impatience! The exercises I’m suggesting are worth it and WILL pay off!

Last week I sent out a link to a survey. If you missed it, take a minute and fill it out. The results of that survey will tell me what information you need. Next week I’ll discuss the results and we’ll get into the details of filling your clinic with patients!

Survey Link:  http://contact.miridiatech.com/surveys.php?id=14

When I was in college, I had a professor who used to tell me that she was a “lazy” acupuncturist. She had acupuncture points that she used regularly with her patients that worked, and she got really great results. Therefore she didn’t see a need to continue to come up with new and improved acupuncture points. If a particular point works time and time again, why reinvent the wheel—right?

I am a bit of a points nerd and I love to read about the functions and indications of acupuncture points. What I have found over the years is that there are certain individual points and combinations that authors reference time and time again in their text. These points, known as Cardinal or Empirical points, have emerged through the years because they yield excellent clinical results. One of my favorite references for these points is found in our very own AcuGraph reference section.

Simply click on Reference –> Charts –> Cardinal Points.

We have had a lot of discussion lately about balancing the graph as a root treatment and then adding in key points for a branch treatment. Simply balancing the graph takes care of at least 80% of my patients’ complaints. Everything else I take care of as a branch treatment. Here are some examples of how I use Cardinal/Empirical points after I have chosen points to balance their graph:

Arm Pain:  Large Intestine 11 and Triple Energizer 5

• Whenever there is arm pain of any kind, I always find these points to be tender. They are both important big qi moving points on the channel.  I get really good results when using e-stim on this combination of points. You can’t go wrong moving qi and blood in both channels to alleviate arm pain.

Sexual Organs: Spleen 6

• I love Spleen 6. This is a crossing point for the Liver, Kidney, and Spleen channels. I use this as a branch treatment for an array of complaints such as menstrual disorders, low libido, enlarged prostate, etc. It is nice when you can affect three channels with one needle.

Scapula: Small Intestine 11

• ANY – SHOULDER – PAIN. In the chart we  refer to this point pertaining to anything to do with the scapula. I think that any shoulder pain involves the scapula. This is the only point that I am aware of that relieves tension in the subscapularis–that pesky muscle that is under the scapula and causes so much pain. It is also good for someone who has shoulders that are hunched forward and moms with breastfeeding problems.
• Here is another little helpful tidbit. Small Intestine 12, which is just above the scapular spine is a crossing point for the Large Intestine, Small Intestine, Triple Energizer, and Gallbladder channels. I also like to add Small Intestine 12.

Emotions and Anxiety: Heart 7

• Why do you think Heart 7 is so powerful? The Chinese name for Heart 7 is Shen Men–which means “opens the mind’s door.” One of my instructors said that it was the best point to calm the mind when there is great anxiety and worrying under stressful situations. He also said that it can be used for impotence in men and lack of sexual desire in women. This makes sense because usually sexual disorders have an emotional component.
• Heart 7 is the sedation point for the channel but let’s not forget that it is also the source point, which means it can be used to either tonify or sedate because it is self-regulating. Heart 7 is my point of choice for any imbalance in the heart channel.

Pulse/Blood Vessels: Lung 9

• Heart 9 is right next to the radial artery. The radial artery hooks up with the brachial artery and is the main artery which supplies blood to the arm. Deadman states that that Lung 9 “regulates and harmonizes the one hundred vessels.” Whenever I have a patient that has a really weak/sluggish pulse, I like to add Lung 9 to his/her treatment. Sometimes you can simply press on lung 9 and feel the strength and quality of  the pulse immediately increase. Lung 9 becomes the icing on the cake during treatment if I am struggling with a sluggish pulse.

If you have a particular day where you are feeling a little nerdy like me, then take some time to dig out your text books and read about Cardinal/Empirical points. There is a ton of interesting reading. But, if you are really busy and don’t have time to bring out your nerd glasses, then you can have faith that we have gathered this information for you and made it easy to access in the reference section of your AcuGraph program.

I’d love to hear what your favorite acupuncture points are and how you are incorporating them. I don’t consider myself a “lazy acupuncturist” but I have found that if others are using great points and getting good results then I might as well follow suit.

I hope that your week is fabulous and, as always, I love to hear your feedback.

Kimberly Thompson, L.Ac.

Acupuncture Research Analyst

Miridia Technology Inc.

Whether you opt for just a few of the modules or all 12, we can offer you CE credits for license renewal in California. (And of course, we still also offer NCCAOM PDA points as well.)

Why should you take this course? Because you’ll get:

• Greater confidence with an in-depth education into the history, practical applications, and clinical considerations of meridian analysis
• Wisdom to apply your TCM knowledge to graph interpretation and treatment choices
• Accuracy in proper graphing techniques
• Enhanced ability to help your patients with emotional considerations in the graph
• Practice Growth with effective marketing techniques
• Practice Bonus: Make any practice more effective by adding auricular acupuncture

And all the courses are

• Easy: Choose DVD or internet streaming courses to fit your learning style
• Convenient: Take a single module, several, or all 12. It’s your choice
• Complete: All modules include printed notes and a written exam for credit

Are you ready to take your practice effectiveness to the next level and get the CE credits you need?

 Click here to see how easy it is.

Examining your Practice

The first nine years of my life were spent on a farm in Northwest Montana. This is where I learned to work hard! It has also provided me with a storehouse of sayings that still ring true today: “If you want something done right, you’d better do it yourself!” and “The animals can sense uncertainty…act like you know what you’re doing!” Good advice; even in the Healthcare Profession.

Let’s focus on asking the right questions before we discuss some of the potential solutions. It’s important to write down each question so we can formulate a plan to solve them. At the bottom of my post today, I’ve got another survey for you to fill out.  It’ll only take two minutes and will give me the information I need to tackle the challenges all of you face every day!  Here are some questions to get you thinking.

             1. What are your three biggest challenges?

             2. What are your three biggest opportunities?

             3. What about your practice keeps you up at night?

             4. Where is your business headed next month, 6 months from now or next year?

When I meet with a practitioner, there are three areas I look at first:  Front =  Marketing, PR, bringing the patients in. Middle = Patient experience, education, operations, billing, accounting etc.  Back:  Patient improvement, compliance, referrals, retention.

I have seen practices that are great at marketing, yet patients leave out the back as fast as they come in the front! Other practices have extremely loyal patients, but only acquire one or two new patients each month! Lastly, I’ve seen what, at first, looks like a perfectly balanced practice; but, due to operational inefficiencies, never seems to have enough money!

This week, break your practice up into the three components mentioned above and write two paragraphs about each. Paragraph #1 should discuss what is working well and paragraph #2 should discuss what is wrong. You’ll be writing a total of six (6) paragraphs. (Sounds like a school assignment! Lol)  I’ve included a Consultation Worksheet in .pdf file format if you’d prefer to print it out and and use it as your working document.

Now, let me warn you…DO NOT…let your mind wander into possible solutions YET! Correcting an ailing business is a lot like treating a patient. A THOROUGH exam needs to be done before treatment can begin! Once we’ve identified the problems in each area, we can go to work and make changes to get your business healthy. Together, we will work on the Root of the problem as well as immediately addressing some of the painful Branches.

Miridia Technology has brought me on to help YOU succeed.  So I can address specific problems you’re experiencing, please take 10 minutes and complete the following survey.  I look forward to providing some answers next time!  Have a great week!

Survey: Click Here to view the Survey now

Consultation Worksheet: Click here to download the Consultation Worksheet

PS  When you fill out the survey listed above, that information comes back to me.  The Worksheet is for you to keep and fill out.  I will refer back to this in future blogs.

Just a quick question. What would you like to see in the next version of Auriculo? 

As you know, we get our best suggestions and ideas from our customers, and we always try to be most responsive to market needs. So this is your chance to make a wish! Tell us what new features, ideas, improvements, and changes you’d like to see…And you may well see them soon!

Leave your comments below!

Thanks!

–Dr. Adrian

Continue learning:

Ask me a year from now what I think. A year ago I thought differently.

If someone wrote it in a book 500 years ago—it doesn’t mean it’s true!

The best acupuncturists are those that keep learning and keep questioning themselves. What could I have done differently? With continued needle technique and qi gong training—there is no end to your potential.

Dr. Fratkin has been a practitioner for more than 30 years. It gave me comfort to know that a year ago he would have one answer, but because he continues to evolve from experience, he would  come up with a better answer a year later. I found that he really has changed some of his thoughts from the training that I had with him a year ago. Why did he change his approach? Because he came up with better strategies.

How often to treat patients:

For new or chronic patients treat once a week for four weeks. Then treat once every two weeks for 4 weeks. Then once a month. Everyone should get treatment once a month.

This is a question that is asked by every patient who walks in the door. Often I would tell my patient that it depended on how well they responded to treatment and I would then give  examples of the best and worst case scenarios. The problem with my approach is that often patients would expect the best case scenario and then become disappointed if they didn’t fit that mold. I love Jake’s approach. Now my patients are immediately booking their first four visits and not expecting to receive a miracle first time treatment. I let them know right from the beginning that it is going to take time. Jake was very insistent that it takes a good four treatments to stabilize a graph.

How long to leave needles in:

Leave needles in for a minimum of 10 minutes after the last needle goes in.

I have heard so many recommendations over the years–anywhere from 5 minutes to even an hour. The problem is that the recommendations that I have heard were based on multiple theories of acupuncture. Dr. Fratkin’s  method uses the same system of treatment that I do. He gets results in 10 minutes. That’s good enough for me.

Root versus Branch:

Root treatments are enough for internal problems. (i.e. stress, anxiety, digestive disorders, hormone imbalances, menstrual cycle regulation, etc.)

If they are suffering you must do root treatment first (balance the graph) and then a branch treatment. Ear acupuncture is a great branch treatment.

I can’t tell you how many times someone at the seminar would ask this question: “But what if I’m treating _____________. How would I treat then?” You can fill in the blank with anything you want. The answer is still the same. Balance the graph FIRST—no matter what you are treating. If the problem is internal then your root treatment is enough. If you are treating pain or related symptoms, then AFTER you balance the graph–add in points for symptomatic relief.

Pulses:

What if pulses are different than the AcuGraph? I go with the AcuGraph. It is more reliable than the pulses.

I loved this statement. Dr. Fratkin has been doing pulse diagnosis for more than 30 years. It goes back to his original statement that stuck with me from his first seminar. “There is no pulse diagnosis in the world that is better than computer diagnosis.”

Painless Needling:

It is good to massage a point before you needle it.

Pinching points before needling helps to relieve pain.

I had pretty much given up on needling several points on my patients because Dr. Fratkin had convinced me that if I was causing pain, it was impossible to tonify a channel. During this seminar, I learned the “pinching” technique. If you pinch the skin for points like Pericardium 6, Lung 7, and Spleen 2 or 3 you can needle without any pain whatsoever. I did it the day after the seminar and it works! Now my patients don’t cringe when it is time to put a needle into a sensitive point.

I hope that you enjoyed my notes. If you attended Dr. Fratkin’s seminar and have some helpful tidbits that you learned, please post a comment on this blog with your thoughts. We want to hear what you have to say. Have a great week!

Kimberly Thompson, L.Ac.

Acupuncture Research Analyst

Miridia Technology Inc.