From Awareness to Action: Removing Barriers in Acupuncture Practice to Care for Diverse Populations

This course will evaluate pharmaceuticals through the lens of Chinese medicine. Many of our patients are taking pharmaceutical preparations. Understanding how to determine the Chinese medicine pathophysiology mechanisms and energetics of those preparations can lead to more effective diagnosis and treatment plans. Integrating an understanding of the pathophysiology being treated as well as a drug’s intended function and its potential side effects in both Western and Chinese medicine allows a more complex approach that treats the root condition, the branch symptoms, and the effects of biomedical treatments.

Light therapy is one of the fastest growing fields in medicine. Recent published research abounds and understanding of the mechanisms and therapeutic uses of light are evolving at a rapid pace both in the Chinese medicine field and in healthcare overall. Proven effects of light therapies at the cellular level beget exciting possibilities and greater understanding of how this modality can be best used to optimize health for our patients and ourselves. In this course, we will dive into discussion, examples and application of how known cellular effects influence larger tissues and organ function, and how that translates to potential neurological and systemic responses. We will address questions of whether and how laser therapy is appropriate for health challenges including musculoskeletal injury, neurological symptoms, kidney and liver related conditions, and autoimmune conditions like Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. This class will address how the interlay of Chinese medicine theories relates to light therapy, and how the micro-understanding and macro-understanding of light therapies integrate in clinical practice for the most effective and efficient healing.

Sound healing is integral to traditional Chinese medicine.The Chinese word for 'medicine ' -藥 (yao) is derived from the character for music -樂 (yue), by adding the upper part 草, which refers to 'herbs'. In the Nei Jing, each element is assigned a key. The energy and physiology of both the mind and body can be impacted by sound. In recent years, advancements in neuroscience and in the technology of the fMRI have brought scientific rigor into gaining a greater understanding of the impact of sound. Even more recently, discoveries have been made regarding the specific importance of 40Hz gamma waves. Neurons of the brain communicate at 40Hz. A diminishment of 40Hz activity in the brain has been identified in cases of cognitive decline, such as dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

Join Shana Green, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Strategist, as she shares how to integrate and prioritize diversity, inclusion, and equity in a practice to ensure that all communities can benefit from our work. This course will provide strategies to tackle inequalities that affect representation and relationships in the wellness industry, with a focus on patient care, advocacy, trauma-informed care, cultural humility, and congruent care. Students will gain practical tools and techniques to address these issues and provide equitable and inclusive care to patients.

The ability to combine multiple treatment methods into one session with effective synergy is not always as easy to implement as it sounds. In fact, the most common request is for more details and examples of how to blend multiple techniques into one concise comprehensive treatment. This course is for those who are interested in laser therapy for their practice--and for those who are not. It will explore clinical applications of laser therapy and other modalities and how to incorporate them into the clinical setting. Students will have the opportunity to experience the applications as both practitioners and clients, exploring when and how to integrate laser therapy into treatment planning and protocols with needles, cupping, gua-sha, and corrective exercise. Protocols will be developed for common musculoskeletal conditions like neck and shoulder pain, as well neurological and immune complaints such as insomnia, ADD/ADHD, autism, and post-stroke, digestive problems, and more, so that students will be ready to implement multiple techniques in a turn-key fashion in practice.

This class will expand upon the concept and practice of sound healing in Chinese medicine from both academic and experiential perspectives. We will cover the physiology of hearing, cognitive decline, and brain entrainment, and strategies for decreasing and/or preventing decline as well as restoration of 40Hz brain activity and layering of sound, and different types of beats. Case studies will be reviewed including sound healing for pain, pulse changes with traditional six healing sounds of Chinese medicine, and sounds related to plants and herbal formulas. Students will be required to bring headphones and a listening device (mobile phone, tablet, or laptop) to which they have downloaded material from a provided link to most fully experience the class.

With a growing global acceptance of the mystery of life, people are seeking ways to heal on the soul/spirit level. Chinese shamanism offers powerful transformational tools with which to address physical and emotional imbalances. In this dynamic, practical course, students discover and experience the magic of the spirit animals associated with the five directions and how they can be used in drumming, diagnosis, and treatment. CT Holman will explain how to incorporate Chinese shamanic-based symbolism into classical and traditional Chinese medicine treatment, sharing diagnostic and treatment techniques from his decade-long training with Chinese teacher Master Zhongxian Wu.

This course will explore how to evaluate and interpret Western laboratory test results through the lens of Chinese medical energetics including eight principles, four substances, and so on. Energetics of common laboratory analysis patterns in hematology, metabolics, electrolyte and function tests, and organ function panels will be examined. Communication with other healthcare professionals regarding lab testing will be addressed. Lewis’ approach allows practitioners to remain true to core Chinese principles while utilizing all modern information sources as well as traditional intake and Chinese medicine evaluation tools to develop the most effective treatment plans.