Sometimes patients don't listen to or comply with a single thing the acupuncturist says. I expect my acupuncturist to improve my health despite my noncompliance; I believe most patients do.

Violence and Stereotypes
It had been a long time and was always unnerving. Two counselors and I had our lives threatened. Actually, the person we were dealing with threatened to "take out" anyone who got in his way, staff or client. As he put it, "We all gonna be on the news."

Rib Pain "Can't Get No Respect"
The legendary comedian Rodney Dangerfield coined the phrase "can't get no respect." After careful consideration, I think the same thing could be said of rib pain. It is amazing how little attention or appreciation rib pain receives in the massage therapy community.

News in Brief
News In Brief: SCU Launches Smoking-Cessation Program Using Acupuncture. Well-Known Integrative Medicine Doctor Was "Unconventional". OCOM Accepting Trustees Scholarship Applications.

Evaluating Neurological Symptoms
In massage therapy, the tendency is to focus on the role of muscles in pain or injury, sometimes to the exclusion of other soft tissues. Nerves are one of these often forgotten tissues, yet they play a critical role in many pain complaints.

Treating Complex Multilayered Cases, Part 2
In the October 2009 issue of Acupuncture Today, I wrote on how to use pulse diagnosis to distinguish patterns as excess, deficiency or complex excess with deficiency. I ended that article by saying that most complex layered cases that enter the clinic will show excess/deficiency patterns affecting the liver, stomach and spleen. Our job, as herbalists, is to evaluate the various stagnation and deficiency patterns and to apply the appropriate herbal formula.

Planting Our Feet
I have just returned from a visit to Taiwan and the interior of mainland China. There was a saying that I discovered in the SuHo Paper Museum in Taipei, Taiwan. It reads: "We understand we have to plant our feet on solid ground to practice our dreams, little by little, to make them last for good." Of course, this made me think about acupuncture and Oriental medicine, both through it's connection to the past and where it is going in the future.

Treatment Planning: Good Clinical and Public Health Practice

Working with new and returning patients not only provides us with the opportunity to use training and diagnostic expertise, but also offers "teachable moments," during which we can be involved with health and wellness promotion and education.

Massage Tables Are Like Elegant Desserts
It's true, massage tables really are like elegant desserts. The best ones have the perfect balance of sumptuous and delicious layers. Go enjoy a delicious gourmet dinner. Chances are the dessert tray will be filled with items sporting layer after layer of sheer decadence. More layers really equals more luxury and more indulgence.

Ultimate Low Back Pain Acupuncture Formula
Low back (lumbar) pain has been reported to be one of the most common conditions for which millions of sufferers worldwide seek medical attention. It has numerous causes and can never be lumped into one specific category. The same is true for treatment.

Double-Helix Water For Migraine, Diabetes and Brain Tumor
What do a 25-year-old male with migraines, an 80-year-old lady with diabetes and a doctor with a brain tumor have in common? To answer this question, let's look at a little experiment that was done recently. We asked each of these three subjects to drink our medical water, which we now called double-helix water because it had stable water clusters shaped like a double helix (see last article for more details).

Uterine Fibroids
The encouraging news about uterine fibroid tumors is that they are almost always benign, especially for women in their 30s and 40s. However, they can cause a multitude of discomforts, including heavy menstrual bleeding (menorrhagia), painful menstruation (dysmenorrhea), backaches, and/or abdominal or pelvic bloating and heaviness.

Take a Nap
What do Winston Churchill, Napoleon Bonaparte, Albert Einstein, Leonardo Da Vinci and John F. Kennedy all have in common, other than that they are all men? They all took regular afternoon naps. Our culture has a problem with sleep in general and napping specifically.

The Silent Progression of Kidney Infections and Stone Formation, Part 2
This article will add more depth and breadth to your comprehension of kidney stone formation and chronic kidney infections disorders and how we may encourage our clients to seek appropriate medical testing.

Registration Open for 2010 World Massage Festival
The 2010 World Massage Festival, "A Massage Reunion," will be held June 17 through June 21 at Berea College in Berea, Kentucky. The World Massage Festival is a continuing-education event where massage professionals can register for up to 24 NCBTMB-approved continuing education hours of workshops.

The Corruptibility of Facts
The German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche had an interesting prediction where secondary knowledge, which is what we learn from books, the media, what we are told and taught, would replace experience as our basis for judgment. It appears his prediction has come true.

Getting to the Core of the Matter
Now is a great time to really look at our lives. Only we can value our life (our body) and make it the best (healthiest) it can be. As we do, looking our best will be a bonus since outer beauty is a reflection of our inner health and all change comes from within.

Professional Organization Membership and You
I was recently named chair of the American Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (AAAOM) Membership Committee. I know why I joined the AAAOM and my state association, but I want to know why you have or have not joined yours. If you are not a member, what can we do to show that membership and participation in your national professional organization is a value and a benefit to you? Please go to www.aaaomonline.org/2010membershipsurvey to complete a short survey form.

First Professional Doctorate: Revolution or Schism?
As a senior acupuncturist, I often ask the question, "What is the benefit of the first professional doctorate (FPD) and, in truth, who will benefit from this degree?" Or for that matter who needs it? I know that I don't need it; I need insurance companies to handle my charges more than I need a FPD.

Trigger Points in the Fibularis Tertius Muscle
This article will review the anatomy of the fibularis tertius muscle and discuss the trigger points that cause lateral ankle and heel pain, as well as treatment techniques and ways to educate your patients about the causes of their pain.

Billing for Cupping and Moxibustion
Cupping and moxibustion are common services provided by acupuncture professionals to aid in the treatment of disease and promote healing. Cupping therapy commonly utilizes glass or plastic cups to create localized vacuum pressure.

AOM Turns Night Into Day in Tibet
As a follow up to Qi and Light in Burma, we embarked on a similar project in Raktrul, Eastern Tibet. The medical/solar team accomplished a great deal in a short amount of time.

Creating a Marketing Blueprint for Your Acupuncture Practice

What I see happen to far too many acupuncturists is that they lack an organized, methodical and systematic approach to building their practice. If you want to recession-proof your practice and create long-term stability, what I am about to share with you should prove to be very helpful.

Stop Eczema Itch With Acupuncture
An estimated 15 million people in the United States suffer from eczema, which usually looks like dry, scaly red skin patches accompanied by intense itching. Standard treatment to reduce inflammation and itchiness can include corticosteroids, which have some serious side effects, including cataracts, glaucoma, gastrointestinal effects, hypertension, osteoporosis and weight gain.

Shoulder Pain: The Supraspinatous Muscle
As a practitioner of acupuncture for more than 25 years, there is no single injury I find more rewarding to treat than shoulder pain due to supraspinatous tendonitis. I was fortunate enough to have studied trigger points with Dr. Janet Travell early in my career.

SIOM Approved for Public Health Degree
The Seattle Institute of Oriental Medicine (SIOM) recently received approval from the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ACAOM) and the state of Washington to offer a master of acupuncture degree (MAOM) with an emphasis in public health.

Moxibustion and Indoor Air Quality
In April 2009, the Tri-State College of Acupuncture (TSCA), hired a private contractor who specializes in environmental air-quality testing, to perform an assessment in the TSCA clinic training room to determine the environmental effects of burning moxa.

Communicating With Stroke Survivors: What Matters Most?
It is likely that at some point, someone you know - a grandparent, parent, sibling, friend, neighbor or client - will suffer a stroke. It is one leading cause of long-term disability in the United States.

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