Ancient acupuncture with modern tools.
There are some things in life that I tend to learn the hard way. This last week I was fighting a cold, my husband was in the hospital, and I was scheduled to teach a cooking class in my home for 20-30 people. Several people offered to help out by bringing in meals. Did I accept their offers? NO! Any sensible person would have cancelled the cooking class. Did I? NO! Instead of slowing down,... Read more
We have talked a lot about branch treatments over the last several weeks. A Practical Dictionary of Chinese Medicine uses the terminology ‘root and tip’ as the primary and secondary aspects of disease. The root is the primary condition and the tip is the resulting secondary condition which presents as clinically observable changes in the body. It is the damage to the root system which ultimately brings demise to the entire tree. One cannot necessarily... Read more
This a part of a 4-series blog, if you haven’t read the previous part yet, take a look at it here. Thanks for sharing in the journey of “I am Convinced.” I believe that it is our obligation, as healers, to teach what we learn so that the world can be a better place. Let’s review what we have learned in our series to this point: Part 1–Meridian Therapy: We discussed the training I received... Read more
Hello Friends, I’ve been back a week from the isams 2011 conference. Wondering what “isams” stands for? It’s the International Scientific Acupuncture and Meridian Symposium. It was an excellent scientific conference, with notable presenters from all over the world, presenting the latest scientific research in acupuncture. Part of the symposium is the presentation of the annual AMS awards for Acupuncture and Meridian Studies. Several awards are given in recognition of outstanding published research, with the... Read more
Remember This? Or This? If you don’t remember, these pictures are from Dr. Dennis Baker’s clinic after it was hit by a tornado. The building was a complete loss, but I’m pleased to report construction has begun on a new building, to be completed in the next three months. Now I know what you’re thinking: What happened to Dr. Baker’s AcuGraph system? Did it survive? I’m glad you asked. Dr. Baker’s AcuGraph spent some... Read more
This a part of a 4-series blog, if you haven’t read the previous part yet, take a look at it here. I have been using the AcuGraph for nearly two years. I do not doubt the evidence that electrical conductance in the acupuncture meridians is a valid basis for analyzing Qi flow. Of course, they didn’t teach me this in school. (I wonder why? Anyone know and care to share?) I was trained in Traditional... Read more
By Chris K. H. Teo & Ch’ng Beng Im-Teo TS is a 53-year-old male from Singapore. He had been having severe back pain since the past three years, but did not go for any medical treatment. A CT scan indicated a 4.1 x 3.3 x 2.9 cm well-circumscribed rounded solid-appearing mass at the inferior pole of his left kidney. He refused surgery. After five days on the herbs and two sessions of the e-Therapy, all his... Read more
This a part of a 4-series blog, if you haven’t read the first part yet, take a look at it here. After I got home from Dr. Jake Fratkin’s seminar, I pulled Meridian Therapy off of the shelf and began devouring it from cover to cover. Stephen Brown autographed the book and wrote these words in the front cover: “Yin Leads, Yang Follows.” The essence of the entire book is the fact that disease starts... Read more
I have a massive library packed full of books on Chinese Medicine—many that I used in college, and many more that I picked up along the way—with a plan to someday study them in more detail. I’m sure that you can relate. This summer I took the opportunity to force myself back into learning mode by signing up for a weekend seminar with Dr. Jake Fratkin. The subject was Meridian Balancing—using Japanese style acupuncture; and... Read more
Last week, I put needles into my patient and she began to cry. This is not the first time that this has happened in my office. In fact, I keep a box of tissue nearby for those who cry after the needles are inserted. When you are an acupuncturist, it may not be a good idea to have a reputation of making patients cry—but sometimes there are exceptions to the rule. Case History: The patient... Read more
I just returned from a whirlwind trip to Tampa, Florida for the FSOMA (Florida State Oriental Medicine Association) conference. I’ll have to admit that I pouted a little bit about going on this trip… I’ve always wanted to go to Florida so that I could lounge on the beautiful white sandy beaches, visit the Florida Keys, and go to Disney World. I had two big obstacles in the way of enjoying my dream vacation. #1:... Read more
Hello Friends, There’s a great article up at Acupuncture Today about Digital Meridian Imaging. Monique Smith, LAc, talks about her journey from skepticism of acupuncture software to understanding, and ultimately embracing AcuGraph in her practice. Check it out here: Acupuncture Today Article When you get there, don’t forget to hit the “Plus 1” button in the upper right corner to let others know you liked the article. Then let me know what you think in... Read more
Every now and then you receive exactly the message you need to hear. That happened to me today, and I hope it happens to you as well. I know that for some of you, this is EXACTLY the message you need to hear. About three years ago, when economic conditions took a turn for the worse, I made the conscious decision NOT to participate in this recession. I know from my business education that Economics... Read more
I’ll come right on out and say it: I hate waiting. Whether stuck in a line at the grocery store, sitting at a red light in traffic, or holding on the phone line to speak with a real human when I call my bank – waiting always feels like a waste of my valuable time. However, even though I dislike waiting, I’ve found that some waiting is much more difficult to endure. Here’s a personal... Read more
Don’t you just love those days when everything runs smoothly in your practice? – Your office is organized – Patients are on time – Patients are happy to see you – You have a waiting list – Your practice is so full – Paperwork is all filed – Emails are answered ..AND everyone you treat hugs you when they leave because you get great results! Sounds magical, right? The truth of the matter is that... Read more