In this issue you will find:

• Important PCOM Dates
• Herbs for Longevity: Herbs, Remedies, and Elixirs
• Great American Smokeout 2007:
  Let Acupuncture Help You to Quit
• Pomegranate Juice Fights Heart Disease
• Chinese Wisdom: Quote of the Day

Important PCOM Dates

• November 8-11 (Thursday through Sunday): 
  PCOM Symposium

• November 10th (Saturday):
  Symposium Open House

• November 7th (Wednesday):
  Chicago Open House

• November 15th (Thursday):
  Great American SmokeOut

• November 19th (Monday):
  New York Open House

Secrets of Longevity: Herbs, Remedies and Elixirs

As the quest for the elusive fountain of youth continues, it is good to know that there are some herbs and remedies that are quite remarkable in supporting a long and vigorous life.  Using herbs can help to sustain a long life as well as aid in keeping one healthy. There are some herbs that are beneficial in our search for longevity.

Gynostemma has a reputation as an anti-aging herb that has a long reign as the leading herb on herb charts across Asia. Often called the ‘miracle herb’, gynostemma is adaptogenic. Adaptogenic plants have an almost miraculous quality of being able to balance situations in the body. If the central nervous system is stressed and over stimulated, gynostemma will have a calming effect. If a person is in a depressed state, it will work as a stimulant. It is an anti-inflammatory and immune system booster. It protects the liver, lowers fat in the blood and helps to maintain a healthy metabolism. Bodybuilders are enjoying the benefits of gynostemma, saying that they are able to workout longer with less fatigue.
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Great American Smokeout 2007: Let Acupuncture Help You to Quit

More than 400,000 deaths in the U.S. per year are smoking related. About one out of three young smokers will eventually die from a tobacco related disease. According to current research, an estimated 45 million Americans smoke.  Continual use of tobacco can cause lung cancer, as well as heart disease and lung disease.  Smoking is responsible for one in three cancer deaths. Another 8.6 million people are living with serious illnesses caused by smoking.
 
In an effort to help smokers who want to kick the habit, Pacific College’s San Diego Clinic is offering a $10 acupuncture treatment to new patients and $10 off a treatment for current patients with the mention or presentation of this offer on Thursday, November 15, 2007. 

On that same day, Pacific’s New York Campus is offering a free auricular acupuncture treatment to be used towards quitting smoking.  Please bring in this ad to redeem for treatment.  All future auricular treatments are $10 per visit.

The Chicago clinic of PCOM will be hosting a free community auricular acupuncture clinic from 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm on Thursday, November 15. It is free and open to the public with no appointment necessary.

One of the most effective methods of Oriental medicine to help quit smoking is acupuncture. These treatments help to curb cravings and ease the stress of quitting by utilizing auricular (ear) acupuncture, where four to five very small needles are inserted into points corresponding to the lung, kidney and nervous system. It is thought that these needles increase the flow of endorphins, morphine-like hormones that induce a deep state of relaxation. This state is prolonged and leads to a lessening of cravings for nicotine and other drugs.

Pomegranate Juice Fights Heart Disease

Courtesy of www.acufinder.com

In China, the pomegranate fruit symbolized longevity. Now there is scientific evidence for the fruit's restorative powers. Scientists have tested the juice in mice and found that it combats hardening of the arteries (atherogenesis) and related diseases, such as heart attacks and strokes. According to results published in the August 2006 issue of Atherosclerosis, subjects who drank 180 ml (6 oz.) of pomegranate juice per day for three months experienced a reduced risk for atherosclerosis, a condition that leads to arterial wall thickening and hardening.

Scientists have long known about health benefits of pomegranates. The latest studies have shown that the juice limits the genetic tendency of the hardening of the arteries.
"We have established that polyphenols [antioxidant chemicals] and other natural compounds contained in the pomegranate juice may retard atherogenesis," said Claudio Napoli, a professor of medicine and clinical pathology at the University of Naples, Italy. He also stated that, "The protective effects of pomegranate juice were higher than previously assumed,” making pomegranate juice appear to have even more value than was previously realized. 
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