WHO/WHAT:
Pacific College of Oriental Medicine will be exhibiting and providing free massage and acupuncture diagnosis at this year's Gay Pride Fest. In its 27th year, Gay Pride expects to draw as many as 50,000 people this year. With over 200 exhibitors, live music, food, and a rally, this event proves to be one of the largest and most colorful in San Diego each year..

WHEN:
July 28 - 29, 2001

Pacific College of Oriental Medicine is proud to announce the accreditation of its Chicago campus by the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. Students of this campus are now eligible for federal financial aid, and graduates of the program are eligible for state licensure and national certification. The college is located at 3646 N. Broadway in Chicago.

Pacific College of Oriental Medicine was founded in 1986 and has additional campuses in San Diego and New York. It is the largest college of Oriental Medicine in the nation, and has received numerous prestigious honors including being the recipient of a National Institutes of Health research grant, and being named one of the best colleges of Traditional Chinese Medicine in the country by TCM World Newspaper.

In one of the largest studies of its kind to date, a team of investigators in Italy examined the effectiveness of acupuncture versus a variety of pharmacological therapies in treating migraines. Their results, published in a recent issue of the Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, revealed that patients given acupuncture experienced fewer migraine episodes, missed fewer days from work, and suffered no side effects compared to patients on conventional drug therapy. They also found acupuncture to be more cost-efficient, estimating a savings of hundreds of millions of dollars in private and social health expenditures if it were used to treat headaches alone instead of drugs.

According to the National Headache Foundation, as many as 28 million Americans suffer from migraine headaches each year. Migraines can be caused by a variety of physical and environmental factors including diet, stress, allergens, menstruation, and changes in the weather. They can last from a few minutes to several days, which in some cases may completely incapacitate the person suffering an attack.

Pacific College of Oriental Medicine has been selected as one of the "Best of the West" colleges of traditional Chinese medicine in the U.S. by Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) World newspaper. The college is one of four winners to take honors in the clinical training category, as well as one of three winners in the curriculum category. The newspaper's survey was designed to identify institutions that preserve and protect the essence, philosophy and culture of traditional Chinese medicine in the West. The study, which looked at a school's faculty, curriculum, and clinical training, was open to all 68 colleges of Oriental and traditional Chinese medicine in the United States. Clinical training winners were selected for their outstanding, knowledgeable clinical directors and their ability to offer excellent learning opportunities in supervised clinical settings. Curriculum winners were selected for their outstanding course design, which incorporates intensive learning in the philosophy, principles, and theories of TCM and helps preserve authentic Chinese medicine and training in the West.

WHO/WHAT:
Pacific College of Oriental Medicine will be providing free acupuncture consultations at Earth Fair 2001. Free acupuncture treatment certificates redeemable at the college's clinic will be available to first time patients. Admissions counselors from the college will also be on site to provide information on the college's acupuncture and massage programs.

WHEN:
10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

The battle with cancer can be daunting and traumatic. Family members, caregivers and patients are asked to endure the difficulty and uncertainty of treatment and recovery. For many patients, added physical pain may develop from the cancer or from treatments.

Cancer pain is complicated because it can arise from a variety of sources. It can come directly from a tumor that destroys or presses on tissues, bones, and nerves. Muscle aches can result from the physical inactivity a patient may experience during or after drug treatments or surgery. Pain unrelated to cancer, such as headache, backache and arthritis, can significantly increase the discomfort of the patient. A massage-licensed therapist can relieve these types of pain, greatly improving the wellbeing of the patient.

Pacific College is proud to welcome Tai Chi Master, Herman Kauz, to the college's adjunct teaching staff. Mr. Kauz started teaching Tai Chi Push-Hands to Pacific College students in February 2000. Mr. Kauz's classes are offered at no cost to Pacific College students as part of the college's mission to provide an environment conducive to both academic and personal growth.

Mr. Kauz's class offers an opportunity for students to open up, relax, and center themselves. Tai Chi Push-Hands acts as a mild form of relaxation exercise that can help concentration, strengthen the legs, reduce mental stress, and increase awareness of Qi in oneself and others. As a meditative training, Herman believes Tai Chi Push-Hands can help students to see themselves and others more clearly, as well as live more completely in each moment.

In a study published in the current issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, Yale researchers have found that acupuncture is an effective treatment for those addicted to cocaine. "The results are indisputable. We've been doing it here for years and it works. The results are fantastic. Some of our most difficult cases have turned their lives around because of it," said Daniel Iead, clinical coordinator for the Grant Street Partnership, a New Haven addiction services agency.

Because traditional treatment centers often have high relapse and dropout rates for cocaine users, the study's findings are encouraging. Acupuncture is now being used in substance abuse programs in hospitals, jails, homeless and battered woman's shelters, neighborhood community centers, and medical clinics across the nation. It is an effective complement to traditional methods of treatment because it has fewer side effects and is relatively low-cost. In addition to cocaine, acupuncture has also been used during the past 20 years to treat addictions to opiates, tobacco and alcohol.

WHO/WHAT:
Pacific College of Oriental Medicine will be sponsoring a free clinic day devoted to the education and treatment of those who suffer from asthma. Featured lectures will include: the treatment of asthma with acupuncture and Chinese herbs, asthma self-care and Western Medicine, nutrition and asthma, and the use of Qi Gong (gentle Chinese exercise) in the treatment of asthma.

WHEN:
Sunday, March 19, 2000
1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

WHO/WHAT:
Pacific College of Oriental Medicine will be exhibiting at the San Diego Fall Fest ‘99. An admissions counselor will be available to provide information about health care alternatives at its community clinic as well as provide information on the school and field of Oriental medicine. Student interns will also be prepared to give free tongue and pulse diagnosis as well as mini acupressure and massage treatments. Complimentary coupons good for one acupuncture treatment in Pacific College's clinic will also be available (first time clients only).

WHEN:
Sunday, October 3, 1999
10:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.