Acupuncture

March is National Kidney Awareness Month, and while "kidney" means more than the physiological kidneys in TCM, we want to spotlight one of the most essential and popular kidney formulas in traditional Chinese Medicine: Liu Wei Di Huang Tang. This humble six-ingredient formula to tonify Liver & Kidney Yin, created by Qian Yi and recorded in his “Key to Therapeutics of Children's Diseases" 小儿药证直诀 around 900 years ago, forms the basis of a myriad of modifications. According to the folks at Lanzhou Foci (who make our Plum Flower® version), Liu Wei Di Huang Wan is the most popular classical TCM formula used in China today. Read More

In this 2 hour continuing education distant learning course taught by Michael McCulloch, L.Ac., MPH, PhD Epidemiologist, we will review modern Traditional Chinese Medicine cold and flu research, herbs and the body's efforts to defend against the virus, herbs and foods and preventing the cytokine storm, primary care providers and infection control.

Welcome to the Year of the Rat! Not only is 2020 the start of a new decade, but in Chinese astrology, the Rat is the start of a new twelve year cycle. There are twelve animals in the Chinese Zodiac, thus the twelve years in the cycle, beginning with the Rat. It's an excellent time to plan and set intentions for this next cycle of life. This is the fourth 12-year cycle in the current 60-year cycle which means this is the year of the Metal Rat. Metal is cool, dry, hard, and forceful. Metal also represents justice, or right versus wrong...

Master Tung's Beside Three Miles & Lower Beside Three Miles are primary points for treating one-sided (Shao Yang) migraine headaches, spasm or pain, which often includes TMJ, the sternocleidomastoid muscle, GB20 Feng Chi and GB21 Jian Jing. Because the Gallbladder channel wraps around the ear, Beside Three Miles points are also excellent for otitis media and ear pain...

We are celebrating women's health and the fabulous contributions that women are making in traditional Chinese medicine! Check out our interviews with Yvonne Charles of Charlotte Maxwell Clinic, Valerie Hobbs, L.Ac., specializing in women's health and former midwife, Susan Johnson, L.Ac., respected author and instructor of Master Tung's points, Sally Rappeport, L.Ac., acupuncturist and co-founder of the Shen Nong Society, and Ravyn Stanfield, Executive Director of Acupuncturists Without Borders.

The classic writings I quote are taken from the Zhubing Yuanhuo Lun, the Mawangdui, and Sun Si Miao. They will offer you the ability to contemplate the first three of the ten lunar months of pregnancy, interpreted and practiced by the leading physicians of that time. In studying the ancients on their thoughts regarding pregnancy, we must realize that these teachings came from the astute observations and witnessing of nature in all its glory and violence. The lessons the ancients learned originated from watching the power and influence of the moon, sun and stars, the weather, seasons, elements, the sowing, cultivating, and harvesting of crops, the language of plants and animals, and bottom line, the interdependence of all these factors as they affect everything on earth. These lessons influenced the religion, culture, philosophy, politics, and wars waged during those venerable times.

Fu zhang refers to a sense of fullness, discomfort, blockage or obstruction across the either the upper or lower abdomen, or across the abdomen as a whole. Pi man is distension specifically in the epigastric area. As a general rule, abdominal distension is due to an obstruction to the correct movement of Spleen and Stomach qi. The obstruction itself may be due to the presence of some pathogen, internal or external or due to weakness or stagnation of qi.

Fevers are nature’s way of fighting off organisms that cause sickness by creating an environment that is inhospitable to pathogenic life forms. Fevers are also instrumental in developing and fine-tuning the immune system to deal with future illnesses. Even though seeing a child fever is hard to watch, it is foolish to silence it, because unless the system is challenged, the child will not develop strength and resistance.

Susan presents her needling notes for these important paired points, along with tips on when to use them and combinations to use with different presentations, in this excerpt from her upcoming Master Tung’s Magic Points book.

Insomnia (bù mèi 不寐, shī mián 失眠) is difficulty sleeping. Insomnia includes inability to sleep, difficulty falling asleep, frequent waking, restlessness at night, a disordered sleep cycle and dream disturbed sleep. In Chinese medicine, insomnia is primarily associated with instability or agitation of the anima, the shén and hún.