In this issue you will find:

• Important PCOM Dates
• Appreciation for PCOM Fire Volunteers
• Hospitals Increase CAM Services
• Tea For Weight Loss
• Chinese Wisdom: Quote of the Day

Important PCOM Dates

• February 2nd (Saturday):
  New York Open House 10:00am-12:00pm
  (Chinese New Year 12:00pm-3:00pm)

• February 9th (Saturday):
  San Diego Chinese New Year Celebration/ Open House 10:00am-3:00pm

• February 16th (Saturday):
  Chicago Chinese New Year (all programs)

Appreciation for PCOM Fire Volunteers

We would like to thank all of the Pacific College alumni, faculty, and staff that volunteered to help San Diego fire victims. The recent disaster in Southern California has been termed the worst firestorm San Diego County has ever seen by the San Diego Fire Department, with nearly 500,000 acres burned. This was the largest evacuation in California’s history, and considered a national disaster that warranted visits from the state’s governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, as well as President Bush.

Local residents that did not lose their homes still suffered from extreme levels of anxiety and poor air quality. Evacuees that had to spend days at local refugee center Qualcomm stadium found one source of care and diversion with Pacifc College of Oriental Medicine. PCOM’s San Diego campus came together in an effort to aid all ailments with a combination of acupuncture and massage. PCOM donated supplies, and its students, alumni, and faculty volunteered their services at Qualcomm Stadium. PCOM faculty member Bob Johnson worked to organize practitioners and graduates to provide acupuncture treatments for fatigue on the sites of the firefighting. Helio Medical Supply helped PCOM in this effort by donating needles and other supplies, while PCOM alumni Ryan Altman’s non-profit organization, the Alternative Healing Network, helped organize and execute the volunteer effort at Qualcomm.
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Hospitals Increase CAM Services

The American Hospital Association conducted a survey in 2006 that revealed that more than one out of every four hospitals in the U.S. now offer some “alternative” therapies, including acupuncture, traditional Chinese medicine, homeopathy, and massage therapy, among other types of non-Western treatment. According to the survey, which is conducted every year by the AHA, the percentage of hospitals offering “complementary and alternative medicine” (CAM) therapies grew from 8 percent in 1998 to 27 percent in 2005.

More Americans are finding relief through alternative forms of health care.  Hospitals have increasingly expanded programs in order to attract this patient base as well as to optimize care options.  CAM (Complementary and Alternative Medicine) inpatient programs nearly doubled between 1998 and 2001, as attitudes and perceptions toward alternative medicine change.  The Journal of the American Medical Association states that 42 percent of U.S. adults receive at least one of sixteen alternative therapies surveyed. 
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Tea for Weight Loss

Many Americans are putting down the double-espresso mocha latte and exploring the extraordinary world of tea. Asian cultures realized its value centuries ago, and U.S. consumers are now finally catching on. Tea is being rediscovered as the miracle drink that others have revered for years.
As the healthiest beverage in the world after water, tea offers numerous benefits that can significantly contribute to a change in your lifestyle and consciousness, resulting in a healthier way of life. This affects the way you eat and the foods you consume. People who drink four to six cups of tea a day are unlikely to continue consuming foods high in fat and calories.

How does drinking tea, especially green tea, contribute to a change in lifestyle, awareness and diet? There is nothing you have to do or think about. Within 30 days or so of starting a green tea regimen of four to six cups a day, you’ll start to experience a change in attitude and behavior, based on the empowering belief that you’re the source of all your own answers.
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Chinese Wisdom: Quote of the Day

A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.

~ Laozi