In this issue you will find:

• Important PCOM Dates
• Pacific College Celebrates World Tai Chi and Qi Gong Day
• Spring and Traditional Chinese Medicine – 5 Elements Theory
• Acupuncture Helps Dental Patients Control Gag Reflex
• Chinese Wisdom: Quote of the Day

Important PCOM Dates

• April 26th: (Saturday)
  New York World Tai Chi and Qi Gong Day

  May 4th: (Sunday)
  San Diego Healing Arts Festival

• May 20th: (Tuesday)
  New York Open House 6:00pm – 8:00pm

Pacific College Celebrates World Tai Chi and Qi Gong Day

Pacific College of Oriental Medicine is one of many institutions around the world to recognize World Tai Chi and Qi Gong Day (WTCQD). Groups around the world will gather at 10:00 am on Saturday April 26 to practice Tai Chi and Qi Gong. World Tai Chi and Qi Gong Day will see people in over 80 countries gather to practice these disciplines and to educate the public about the benefits of such practice. 

World Tai Chi and Qi Gong Day provides teachers, schools, and Tai Chi and Qi Gong associations with many free tools and services to educate communities about the potential benefits of these disciplines.  It is also a day to promote worldwide wellbeing.  

Qi Gong has a long history.  In ancient China, people believed that through controlled body movements and mental concentration, paired with various breathing techniques, they could balance and enhance physical, metabolic and mental functions. Qi Gong exercise relies on the traditional Chinese belief that the body has an energy field, known as qi. “Qi” in Mandarin Chinese means breath or to breathe, and “gong” means work or technique.  The pairing of the two is the basis for the art of Qi Gong.

Tai Chi is also a centuries-old Chinese discipline that aids health, relaxation, balance, flexibility, strength, meditation, self-defense, and self-cultivation.  It is referred to as moving meditation.  The practice began as a martial art and is based on the principles of the Yin Yang symbol, called Tai Chi in Chinese, meaning “grand ultimate.”

Activities at most events include Tai Chi and Qi Gong exercise demonstrations, and many feature prominent masters leading exercises.  Events are free and open to the public. A good way to find events in your area is to check with the nearest Oriental medicine school.  In stressful times such as these, a day such as WTCQD is much needed.  It can bring both relaxation and a sense of community and shared peace. It also brings people together across economic and geopolitical lines to celebrate health and healing.

Spring and Traditional Chinese Medicine – 5 Elements Theory

The Five Element Theory serves as a major diagnostic and treatment tool in traditional Chinese medicine.  It is based on the observation of the natural cycles and interrelationships in the environment and within ourselves.  For example, there are five environmental elements – Fire, Earth, Metal, Water and Wood – each corresponding with certain body organs, such as the heart, spleen, lungs, kidneys, liver, intestines, stomach, urinary bladder, and gull bladder.  The five different elements are associated with different times of the year: Fire with summer, Earth with late summer, Metal with autumn, Water with winter, and Wood with spring. 

The five elements interact with each other (they depend on each other).  For example, the liver, belonging to the Wood element, directly affects the spleen, which belongs to the Earth element.  Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioners try to maintain a balance among the body’s organs.
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Acupuncture Helps Dental Patients Control Gag Reflex

By Michelle Fletcher, B.A., michellefletcher.net

For many Americans, a visit to the dentist causes anxiety, pain, and fear. Many health experts estimate that nearly half of all adults will not seek dental care out of fear of going to the dentist. Some patients are particularly sensitive to dental equipment, which may cause them to gag uncontrollably when an instrument such as a mirror or drill is placed in the mouth. Others are so terrified, either due to a bad prior experience or to stories they've heard about bad dental experiences, that the mere thought of dental treatment causes them to gag even before any work has begun.

“The gagging reflex is a psychological reaction which safeguards the airway from foreign bodies,” said Janice Fisk at the Department of Sedation and Special Care Dentistry in London in a recent article in the British Dental Journal. “In some people, this response is exaggerated to the extent that the acceptance/provision of dental treatment is not possible.”

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been making headlines in the past few years for its contribution to dentistry – namely using acupuncture to treat patients suffering from serious gag reflexes at dental offices. Studies have asserted that acupuncture, when applied to dentistry, is a safe, cheap, quick, and relatively non-invasive technique to control the gag reflex in patients.
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Chinese Wisdom: Quote of the Day

“Forget injuries but never forget a kindness.”

~ Confucius