Traditional Chinese medicine brings to mind acupuncture and the use of natural herbs as healing remedies. Cupping is a lesser-known treatment that is also part of Oriental medicine, one that can provide an especially pleasant experience. One of the earliest documentations of cupping can be found in the work titled A Handbook of Prescriptions for Emergencies, which was written by a Taoist herbalist by the name of Ge Hong and which dates all the way back to 300 AD.

The lymphatic system is a complex network of ducts and vessels that transfer white blood cells and antibodies to your organs and tissues. These cells and antibodies arm your immune system and help your body combat infections. Unlike the circulatory system, which uses the heart to pump blood to vital organs and tissues, the lymph system must rely on hundreds of muscular units, your body movements, and water intake to move the lymph through the vessels. Normal lymph movement in the body can be reduced by stress, fatigue, inactivity, cold temperatures, infection, chemical or food additives, even one's age and heredity.

The cost of college no longer needs to hold students back from pursuing a new career. Pacific College can help you become a healer today with our new Financial Aid options for many of our degree programs. Due to our recent ACCSCT accreditation, eligible, enrolling students can now apply for financial aid for our MSTOM, MSAc, Bachelor, Associate and Massage certificate programs. With new financial options available, Pacific College presents the perfect opportunity for students to start a new career and achieve their next level of success.

Pacific College of Oriental Medicine has always been known for its Master's of Traditional Oriental Medicine and Oriental medicine degrees. The recent accreditation by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT) to Pacific College's MSTOM, Bachelor's, Associate's, and massage certificate programs is a great honor. This accreditation is testament to the commitment of PCOM's Board of Education, the knowledge of its faculty, the competence of the administration and staff, and the amazing results achieved by its students and graduates. Accreditation is a voluntary, private, non-governmental, peer-review process that sets standards of educational quality.

The acronym ‘CAM' stands for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. CAM is a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that include treatments such as herbal remedies, naturopathy, acupuncture, and meditation. CAM is currently not considered to be a part of conventional medicine, and because of this, it is not covered by all health care providers.  However, CAM is becoming increasingly popular and accepted by the medical community and many hospitals are beginning to include these alternative services. Helping the public to become more aware of the benefits CAM can offer is the first step to improving its availability for patients in need.

Though it is often a comedic topic, snoring can actually cause real problems in a person's sleep patterns. Whether it is the snorer him or herself, or a partner or roommate that is awakened by the snoring, night time breathing problems can disrupt sleep patterns, oxygen intake, REM sleep, and can even lead to more serious conditions like sleep apnea. Nose strips and antihistamines are a good start to clearing the nasal passages, but there are several different causes behind snoring, and some natural remedies may be better suited to solving these causes.

Sinusitis is a condition that is commonly a cause for snoring, and is a direct result of allergies. Sinusitis can cause nasal passages to become obstructed, resulting in noisy breathing. Chronic nasal congestion due to allergies is very common and can be relieved and sometimes reversed with acupuncture. Edema is the term used for the by-product of inflammation, and this is what usually clogs the nostrils. Acupuncture can help dilate blood vessels and allow oxygen and nutrients in to support the nostril tissue and eventually remove edema. This reduces congestion and clears the airways, often solving snoring.

Traditional Chinese Medicine, other alternative practitioners, and even traditional Western practices have had proven success using auricular acupuncture in the healing of addictions and addictive behaviors.

Auricular acupuncture is a specialized treatment based on a protocol of the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association, using points in the ears that relate to organs involved in detoxification or addiction treatment-specifically the liver, kidneys, lungs, and nervous system. Some of the benefits reported by patients and clinicians include  improved program retention, a more optimistic and cooperative attitude toward the process of recovery as well as reductions in cravings, anxiety, sleep disturbance and need for pharmaceuticals.

by Alex A. Kecskes

The lymphatic system is a complex network of ducts and vessels that transfer white blood cells and antibodies to your organs and tissues. These cells and antibodies arm your immune system and help your body combat infections. Unlike the circulatory system, which uses the heart to pump blood to vital organs and tissues, the lymph system must rely on hundreds of muscular units, your body movements, and water intake to move the lymph through the vessels. Normal lymph movement in the body can be reduced by stress, fatigue, inactivity, cold temperatures, infection, chemical or food additives, even one's age and heredity.

Posture is often overlooked as a health concern, but a person's posture has a direct effect on his or her breathing, organ function, and muscle integrity. With the majority of American adults confined to desk and chair for 40 hours of the week, attention to posture is crucial for optimum health. In Chinese medicine, correct posture is considered necessary for the proper flow of qi (the life force that traverses each living thing). TCM practitioners believe that good posture provides for not only the proper flow of qi, but of blood as well (leading to better brain and organ performance).

Poor posture is related to several TCM problems (such as back pain and other forms of musculoskeletal imbalance), and is sometimes believed to cause them. Consequently, practicing good posture can enhance a TCM treatment (such as acupuncture), while poor posture can inhibit results. Due to the active lifestyle common in their patients, ancient Chinese medical practitioners did not have to deal with patients' poor posture nearly as often as practitioners do today. Similarly, Liver Qi Stagnation was also not as common a problem in ancient China as it is today; it is believed to be closely related to posture. Liver Qi Stagnation refers to a pattern of disharmony in a person that is characterized by pain in the chest, the abdomen, the head, or along the Liver channel.  Also associated with this disharmony are feelings of stress, agitation, or anxiety. Liver Qi Stagnation directly coincides with posture problems, and helping the latter can greatly improve the Liver channel - alleviating muscle pain as well as mental tension.

Electro-acupuncture is the term used to refer to the application of a pulsating electrical current to acupuncture needles, or even without needles, to acupuncture points on the body. This Oriental medicine technique was developed in China in the 1930's, and though it is a fairly recent development in the ancient method of acupuncture, the idea behind it corresponds directly with long-held beliefs. Acupuncture operates on the idea that a person's qi, or life force, runs through body along certain meridians, and that specific points on the body correspond with these meridians. When these points are ‘activated' or stimulated by touch, specific complaints of chronic pain or illnesses can be alleviated. Using a gentle electrical current in conjunction with, or instead of, acupuncture needles, is an alternative way to stimulate the point and enhance the qi.

The procedure for electro-acupuncture usually involves the needles inserted as in a traditional treatment, but a small electrode is attached to them. This electrode provides a gentle vibration that stimulates the qi running through these points. It is often very soothing to the patient, providing a soft humming and, essentially, a more fluid treatment. The electrode substitutes the practitioners' hand maneuvering of the needle to activate the acupuncture point. This avoids any tiring of the practitioner, and ensures that the patient receives the proper amount of stimulation needed. Also, electro-acupuncture treatments are often shorter than regular acupuncture treatments due to the continued, and often stronger, stimulus.

Steve Goodman

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is as ancient, and in some ways as mysterious as China itself. Today with a major increase in interest, acceptance, and proven efficacy of so called complementary and alternative medical practices (CAM), TCM is not only far less esoteric, it is becoming a promising career path. Today many health insurance companies provide coverage for not only acupuncture, but for Qi Gong and other modalities of TCM. In many parts of the country Traditional Chinese Medicine is already a well- respected and well-established health profession.