Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine Blog

Testicular Varicocele: Differential Pulse Diagnosis & Herbal Treatment by Jimmy Chang

Okay, pop quiz!

If a man has testicular variococele, where would you find it in the pulse & what is the pulse??

It would be a turtle pulse in the chi position!

In this webinar, Dr. Chang shares the pulse signs, herbal treatment, and a few lifestyle recommendations (no bicycle riding & no hot baths!) for varicocele.

But of course, Dr. Chang doesn't stop there. He also talks about hemmorroids. Did you know there are 3 types? Internal, external, and mixed!

Want to know what else he talked about? Find out from the TCMWT recording!

To watch the full recording, click here to watch Dr. Chang's Testicular Varicocele webinar!

~Donna Chow, L.Ac.

For more great and FREE recordings of past 1-hr webinars, click here for the TCM Wisdom Tube!

Wudang Style Tai Chi Chuan by Kedi Pan

This was definitely a different kind of webinar that I'm used to and it took me back to the good old days in TCM school, specifically the Qi Gong/Tai Chi class!

The class started off with Dr. John Chen sharing how he and his family went to China for a month to study at the Wudang Mountain academy - learning qi gong, tai chi chuan, martial arts, and the like. Dr. Chen was so impresed that he invited Master Kedi Pan to come share her invaluable knowledge with the eLotus family and so... here we are now! A webinar with Master Pan!

In this specific class, Master Pan demonstrates a short segment of Tai Chi Chuan for us to follow along. After following along, I realized how long ago Tai Chi class was!! (I still ned more practice!!!)

Now it's your turn to follow Master Pan and master the art of Tai Chi Chuan!

To watch the full recording, click here to watch on our TCM Wisdom Tube!

~Donna Chow, L.Ac.

For more great and FREE recordings of past 1-hr webinars, click here for the TCM Wisdom Tube!

Master Tung’s Acupuncture for Female Disorders (Yeast Infection, Postpartum Depression, and PMS) by Robert Chu

Another great webinar with Robert Chu as he shares his pearls of wisdom on treating yeast infection, postpartum depression, and PMS using Master Tung's acupuncture points and herbs!

 

This class was great as Dr. Chu shared detailed notes on what the condition is, where EXACTLY to find the points (the pictures are really helpful!) as well as some herbal recommendations.

 

If you were not able to join us for the live webinar, catch the TCM Wisdom Tube recording!


To watch the full recording, click here to watch on the TCM Wisdom Tube!

~Donna Chow, L.Ac.

For more great and FREE recordings of past 1-hr webinars, click here for the TCM Wisdom Tube!

Intro to Chronic Pain: Integrative Acupuncture Care by Philip Tan

Great webinar with Philip Tan!!

In the 1 hour webinar, Philip went over how amazing CV12 is and the powerful Liver meridian.

What's the first thing you think of when someone says CV12? Stomach issues right?? CV12 is a great point to tonify post-natal qi so that our essence won't get drained so quickly. Well, did you know it is THE point for treating the spine?!? Kiiko Matsumoto and other Japanese acupuncturists frequently use CV12 for spine issues! And the whole spine - cervical, thoracic, & lumbar!

And why CV12? It's the starting point of the meridian system. The first meridian we learn is Lung and where does the Lung meridian begin? Around CV12! Cool huh?

 

Philip also went over how wonderful and versatile the Liver meridian is because it can treat so many things. I believe the exact words were "Liver is a player" because it can go with other meridians lol. Plus, the Liver meridan is Philip's favorite to treat neck pain and migraines. (Image wise, LR 4 gets the neck!). He says if you follow Dr. Richard Tan, you will also know why the Liver is so great!

And just a quick migraine rx to leave you guys - use LR 2, 3, and proximal LR 3 to treat migraine on the shaoyang side of the headache. You can also use LR 4 too since it gets the neck.

For the full hour of this great intro (and even a quick demo of how to find the points I just listed above), watch the recording.. it's great!

To watch the full recording, click here for the TCM Wisdom Tube!

~Donna Chow, L.Ac.

For more great and FREE recordings of past 1-hr webinars, click here for the TCM Wisdom Tube!

Treating Allergies with Four Constitutional Acupuncture by David Lee

Don't you love how there are so many different ways to treat allergies using acupuncture?!?!

In the 1 hour webinar with David Lee, he talks about Four Constitutional Acupuncture and shares 6 different Four Needle Techniques to treat allergies.

Four Constitutional Acupuncture is really neat because conditions are easily diagnosed, easy to administer, and the results are quick.

Dr. Lee begins with the definition of allergy and its signs/symptoms (the basic stuff), then goes on to talk about treatment based on torso shapes. Torso shapes are related to each of the four constitutions! (Find out which one you are - it's all in the lecture notes!) Dr. Lee then talks about how to measure the torso to figure out the torso type, then how to diagnosis, and finally treatment! It's all very interesting and I've never really heard about this elsewhere so it was really fun to listen in... and now it's your turn! The recording is available on our TCM Wisdom Tube.

To watch the full recording, click here for the TCM Wisdom Tube!

~Donna Chow, L.Ac.

For more great and FREE recordings of past 1-hr webinars, click here for the TCM Wisdom Tube!

What to Do in Acute Cases of Stroke

What to Do in Acute Cases of Stroke

By Prof. Ming Qing Zhu, L.Ac. (The original developer of Zhu's Scalp Acupuncture) and Moyee Siu, L.Ac.:

When someone has a heart attack, call 911 immediately. Put 10 Dan Shen Drop Pills (丹參滴丸)under their tongue right away. Needle Du24 and the area around Du23 gently to help calm the patient and to improve their heart function. If the heart is not beating or the patient is not breathing, lay the patient on floor, and perform CPR immediately. Needle Du 26 and Du 25 if the patient’s eyes roll up and they lose consciousness. Perform CPR continuously!

When someone has an aneurysm that ruptures, it results in a hemorrhagic stroke. The patient usually drops to the floor immediately, paralyzed. The patient may complain of severe headache, may experience projectile vomiting, and usually loses consciousness quickly. This is an emergency. Call 911. While waiting for the paramedics, bleed the 10 jing well points (fingers).

Ischemic stroke is caused by a clot, for example, if someone has an atrial fibrillation or heart valve problem, an embolus can travel from the heart to the brain and cause a stroke. Typically, an ischemic stroke does not result in a coma unless it affects a massive area or is near the brainstem. In ischemic stroke, the patient becomes weak and is paralyzed. In this case, needle Du24 and Du20. The patient should try to move their mouth, eyes, and limbs, even when they are placed on a bed. Prompt and proper acupuncture treatment can speed up functional recovery significantly.

Both a heart attack and stroke are horrible situations. Heart attack is often fatal. Hemorrhagic stroke can also be fatal. If a patient passes the first week during which the brain edema peaks, then the patient is likely to survive but will suffer from the sequelae of a stroke. Stroke is an event that will change the life of the person forever and the people around him/her.

Helping More People with Better Outcomes by Curry Chaudoir

Another great webinar with Curry Chaudoir on how to maximize your practice to help more people!

Curry starts off talking about 3 formidable barriers: communication, diagnosis, and point/herb selection. In order to help more people, you will need to have an organized and efficient practice.

First off are the two crucial communication steps – the first contact and education over the first several visits. To be able to obtain an effective diagnosis and point/herb prescription, Curry goes over a few steps. The first one is during the patient’s initial visit where you, as the practitioner, cover the question, “Can acupuncture help?” Then, in the initial exam, the goal is to determine the underlying cause of the whole body’s trouble. It is important to disease patterns first, then symptoms. To be able to see the body change functionally, give it at least 3 treatments.

When focusing on treatment, always come up with a base diagnosis for the patient. The MOST IMPORTANT fact to tell the patient is that acupuncture does not treat the symptoms. Acupuncture helps to restore the body to get rid of the symptoms! And don’t forget to treat the “spirit” points too aka calm the shen because we all know how stressed out everyone is. Plus, it wouldn’t hurt to calm the patient emotionally anyways.

Varicose Veins: Differential Pulse Diagnosis & Herbal Treatment by Jimmy Chang

Varicose veins can be found in legs, digestive system (intestines), and testicles. For varicose veins in the legs, the main pulse position is in the left chi.

Dr. Chang said there are 5 types of varicose veins:
Type 1: Blockage
Type 2: Blood Stagnation
Type 3: Qi & Blood Deficiency
Type 4: Heat Inflammation
Type 5: Damp-Heat

For each type, Dr. Chang goes over what you would typically feel in the pulse and the herbal treatment. So for example, the first type is blockage and in this case, you would feel a turtle pulse in the chi area. Blockage can also be back injury, tumor/fibroid in the uterus area, and inflammation for women. Basically, the veins in the legs have either a circulation or valve problem and can also be due to cholesterol (muddy/sticky blood).The appropriate herbal formula for varicose veins in the legs would be Shao Fu Zhu Yu Tang and Resolve (Lower).


To catch the full recording of this webinar weekday and learn about the other types of varicose veins, click here for the TCM Wisdom Tube!

 

Clinical Application of Yin Yang Theory by M.M. Van Benschoten, OMD

Clinical Application of Yin Yang Theory by M.M. Van Benschoten, OMD

Yin Yang theory may be translated into clinical practice through observing common patterns of disease in our patients.  We can find the roots of illness by taking a careful history and paying close attention to every symptom as it points to the source of pathology.  Complex cases will have a mixture of both yin and yang imbalances requiring herbal prescriptions that include elements of multiple classical formulas.

 

Location of pathogenic factors

YIN/lower body - gastrointestinal/urogenital systems

YANG/upper body - cardiorespiratory/neurohormonal systems

Source of pathogenic factors

YIN/internal source - intestinal flora/diet/emotions

YANG/external source - infectious diseases/environmental toxins

 

Immune dysfunction

YIN/immune deficiency - failure of macrophage clearance of pathogenic factors

YANG/autoimmunity - inflammation due to cross reactive antibody and T cell responses

 

Therapeutic intervention

YIN - immune system tonification to enhance clearance of pathogenic factors

YANG - antimicrobials and antiinflammatories for growth inhibition and symptom relief

Two Cases of Tourette’s Syndrome by M.M. Van Benschoten, OMD

Two Cases of Tourette’s Syndrome by M.M. Van Benschoten, OMD

Tourette’s syndrome is a neurological disorder characterized by motor and/or vocal tics.  The condition is 4 times more prevalent in boys than girls.  Recent research indicates immune dysfunction as a major component of this multifactorial disease.  Hyperactivation of T and B cells with impaired antibody responses create persistent infections, and decreased numbers of regulatory T cells indicate an autoimmune component. 

In our clinical experience, low grade bacterial, viral, and fungal infections induce immune system cross reactivity and inflammation targeting the blood brain barrier, neurohormones, and their receptor sites in susceptible children. Streptococcal and viral infections may induce inflammation of the brain, especially the basal ganglia. Herbal prescriptions should be changed at each visit to avoid resistance due to mutation of microbial pathogens and autoantibodies to herbal medicines.

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