Blog entries

JCM Online Archive Now Available! A whole new way of subscribing

Gail Vogt — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 20:14:35 +0100

The Journal of Chinese Medicine has been the foremost English language journal dedicated to professional and student level information on the entire field of Chinese medicine for over 30 years. Pacific College of Oriental Medicine is pleased to be a partner with the prestigious Journal of Chinese Medicine as a co-publisher and U.S. distributor of the publication.

The Journal of Chinese Medicine was founded in 1979 at a time when information on acupuncture and traditional Chinese medic...

Transplanting Oriental Medicine to the Mayan Altiplano By George Chachis

Gail Vogt — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:55:51 +0100

Volunteer Oriental medicine practitioners and students are increasingly joining traditional health delivery assistance programs, reaching out to people around the world who have little or no available health care. Like the Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) that have gone before them, the ultimate goal of these new outreach health volunteers is to engage local groups as proactive health care participants, not as mere passive patients. However, such commendable goals don’t always work as ex...

The Kidney’s Involvement in Breathing: A Possible Origin of the Concept by Vladislav ...

Gail Vogt — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:52:48 +0100

Ever since I first found out that the kidneys take part in the breathing process, I couldn’t help but wondering: How did the ancient Chinese figure that out? Whenever I could, I ran various experiments with breathing on myself, and I came across several rather curious observations that may shine some light on the kidneys’ part in the breathing process. Of course, there is no way of knowing whether or not my experiments resemble the ones that contributed to the theory of traditional Chinese me...

The Magic of Cupping Therapy By Serra Reid, LAc, Dipl.O.M.

Gail Vogt — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:50:57 +0100

Cupping is a very effective but under-utilized healing technique. It is quick and simple to administer (once you get the hang of it), promotes detoxification, invigorates qi and blood, clears wind/damp/cold/heat stagnation in local skin and muscle tissue, regulates various aspects of the autonomic nervous system…and patients usually enjoy the experience of tension melting away under warm cups!

BENEFITS OF CUPPING THERAPY

Promotes deep relaxation of muscles and...

PCOM-NY Labor and Delivery Externship Report by Melanie J. Sage, MPH

Gail Vogt — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:48:18 +0100

ACUPUNCTURE IN LABOR AND DELIVERY: TWO EXPERIENCES, TWO BENEFITS

Acupuncture is finding its place in complementary medicine working closely with Western providers in many healthcare settings. Acupuncture during Labor and Delivery has found its place in the birthing room, side-by-side nurses, residents, and Obstetricians.

The Pacific College of Oriental Medicine – New York Acupuncture in Labor and Delivery Externship Program offers laboring women free acupuncture servi...

Traditional Chinese Medicine for Facial Rejuvenation by Lance Li

Gail Vogt — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:46:45 +0100

The practice of facial rejuvenation, also known as Cosmetic Acupuncture, enjoys a long history in China. Numerous medical classics have included a wide variety of herbal formulas for beauty purposes.

Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic(Huang Di Nei Jing) set up the solid medicinal and theoretical base for the formation and development of cosmetology with Traditional Chinese Medicine.

The Divine Husbandman's Classics of Materia Medica(Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing) ha...

Massage as Social Touch by Matthew Rondeau

Gail Vogt — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:40:59 +0100

When most people think of massage, they most likely picture a quiet setting with white linens in which muscular pains are worked out and general relaxation is achieved. Some may know of the sports benefits or acupressure techniques or other specialties. However, people in general people may not recognize some of the larger social implications of massage. But today there may be more need than ever for massage to be incorporated as a healing mode of “social touch.” Through social touch, massage...

A History of Chinese Medicine in the United States by Yvonne Scarlett

Gail Vogt — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:38:45 +0100

“At first people refuse to believe that a strange new thing can be done, then they begin to hope it can be done, then they see it can be done, then it is done and all the world wonders why it was not done centuries ago.” −Frances Hodgson Burnett (1849−1924)

Chinese Medicine has been in existence for over 2,000 years long before written texts began, and has been an integral part of Chinese culture. “For Centuries, if not Millennia, it was transmitted as an oral tradition, and the fir...

Healer, Know Thyself...Heal Thyself by Mario Figueroa

Gail Vogt — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:36:58 +0100

Here we are, 7 weeks into the first trimester of our initiation into the world of Chinese medicine. It is amazing to see how much has transpired in such a short period of time, both in and out of the classroom. The experience is reminiscent of an ancient ritual trial or rite of passage.

Viewed through the mists of antiquity, the path towards becoming a healer has always been remarkably difficult. Those considered for this special role were seen to exhibit certain characteristics that ...

4 Herb Formula by Stacy Kluck

Gail Vogt — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:34:52 +0100

In recent years, Western science has demonstrated increasing interest in researching the pharmacologic effects of traditional Chinese herbs. Many studies have been done on individual herbs, evidencing a wide array of therapeutic effects including but not limited to: lowering blood pressure, decreasing serum cholesterol and lipid levels, reducing blood sugar, decreasing inflammation, enhancing immunity, reducing and preventing tumor formation and metastasis, and promoting repair and generatio...

Acupuncture and Athletic Performance by Nancy Cohn Morgan

Gail Vogt — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:32:54 +0100

Acupuncture, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), is one of the oldest forms of medicine on the planet dating back to 200 BCE. Chinese Warriors are thought to be one of the first practitioners of acupuncture. They used acupuncture to stay strong, balanced and to help heal their wounds from battle. For years in the United States acupuncture has been viewed as an alternative treatment for pain. November 1997 the National Institute for Health (NIH) recognized acupuncture as a viable therapy f...

How the Practice of Herbs and Botanicals Can Enhance Integrative Medicine by Sarah Poulin

Gail Vogt — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:30:37 +0100

How can acupuncturists successfully bring the practice of herbal medicine and the use of botanicals into the growing field of integrative medicine?

In order to successfully make the practice of herbal medicine and the use of botanicals an essential part of integrative medicine, we as acupuncturists and practitioners of Oriental medicine must be willing to act as advocates for and educators of the history, effectiveness, and safety of these medicinals. The impetus for this integ...

Finding Your Medicine by Nanci Simari, LAc

Gail Vogt — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:29:21 +0100

Finding your medicine in your own backyard is easy and FUN, whether you’re a city dweller, a suburbanite, or plain country folk. Nearly anywhere I’ve been in the past 11 years, I could look down and around from practically the same spot (including right at this moment- from precisely where I am now standing), and see a fantastic handful of herbs!

For example, from my present position, I see dandelion, sweet violet, clover, plantain, a magnolia tree, a ginkgo tree, and I know right ove...

Digital Meridian Imaging in Acupuncture Practice by Kimberly Thompson, LAc, MSTOM

Gail Vogt — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:27:46 +0100

What is Digital Meridian Imaging?

Like most acupuncturists, I gained the foundation of my education in acupuncture school, and learned what I needed to pass the boards and become licensed. But my real learning began when I opened my mind and my practice to some of the recent scientific advances in acupuncture.

It all started when I came across an acupuncture technology tool I had never heard of before. Known as Digital Meridian Imaging™ (DMI), this technique integrates ...

Issues in the Use of Antiviral Medicinals for the Treatment of Gan Mao by Jason Blalack, M.S., LAc

Gail Vogt — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:23:30 +0100

Introduction

There is a growing trend among Chinese herbalists to prescribe medicinals based on their Western function. For example, modern research demonstrates that da qing ye (Isatidis Folium) and ban lan gen (Isatidis/Baphicacanthis Radix) have antiviral properties. Consequently, there are those in both Asia and the West that recommend their use for the treatment and prevention of gan mao (common cold and flu), regardless of the pattern. For example,

My Path to Alternative Medicine by Teodora Karaivanova

Gail Vogt — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:21:14 +0100

My first encounter with alternative medicine was during my freshman year in college.

I had just arrived in France to study “Foreign Applied Languages” and the pressure of being in a foreign country, being away from my family and trying to prepare for exams was starting to affect my concentration and peace of mind.

The local bookstore was my next stop. In the self-help section, I found a flow of information on meditation, yoga, acupressure and herbal remedies. I discovered a ...

My Touch History by Yesenia Flores

Gail Vogt — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:20:05 +0100

My oldest memory of touch goes back to when I was four years old taking a warm bath in a clean, white tub, my grandmother is sitting on a chair bathing me and caring for me during my long warm bath. She took care of me while my mother was at work and my brother and sisters were at school. She cared for us even when my mother was home sometimes. When I started going to school, I spent weekends with her and grandpa as well as any school breaks I had, it was my choice to go. She was everythin...

Acupuncture for Children by Esther Hornstein, LAc, Dipl.

Gail Vogt — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:16:29 +0100

You have probably heard about the use of Oriental medicine, such as acupuncture, gaining popularity in the U.S. Millions of Americans are using acupuncture to improve their health, treating ailments ranging from the common cold to autoimmune disorders to orthopedic issues. Acupuncture is also gaining momentum as an effective and safe way to treat childhood issues too.

Acupuncture helps childhood development through all phases of infancy, toddlerhood, childhood, and puberty by helping ...

The Shamanistic Shang: At the Roots of Chinese Medicine by Rob Vena

Gail Vogt — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:12:22 +0100

Settling throughout the lands of northern China in what is often referred to as the birthplace or cradle of Chinese civilization, the Shang peoples built and organized their cities and towns around the flooding stages of the eastern Yellow River. From around 1800 B.C.E. on, this ‘Yellow River Civilization’ was organized enough to be referred to as a culture.

The Shang were a people whose shamanic religion was characterized by ancestor worship, sacrifice, and divination. They worship...

Finding My “Way”: Healing Myself by Choosing Eastern Medicine by Amy Wolf

Gail Vogt — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:10:10 +0100

When I would get sick each year at the start of January, I thought it was due to stress. However, after my first semester at PCOM, I now understand there were many more causes or etiologies that led to my sickness each year. Before I made the decision to change careers into Eastern medicine (EM), I was a CPA in the area of Tax Real Estate. I hoped that this career would bring me the satisfaction and fulfillment I sought in my professional and personal life, but it didn’t. I knew that tax was ...