A biomedical view of Shang Han Lun

Date:

Tuesday, January 19, 2010 - 19:00 - 20:00

Presenter:

Will Morris

Watch this Webinar:

Click here to enter webinar: it's Free & No registration required

In the biomedical view of Shan Han Lun, we will explore western physiological concepts related to the practice of Shang Han Lun. We discuss concepts such as the peripheral nervous system, the sympathetic-parasympathetic axis and the affects of the neuro-vascular-humeral loop. Western systems theory is woven into the Shang Han Lun Stages.

Acupuncture Improves Quality of Life Among Breast Cancer Patients

Eleanor M. Walker, et al at Henry Ford Hospital (Michigan), determine that “Acupuncture appears to be equivalent to drug therapy in these patients. It is a safe, effective and durable treatment for vasomotor symptoms secondary to long-term antiestrogen hormone use in patients with breast cancer.” 


They studied 50 breast cancer patients, randomized to receive either acupuncture or drug (venlafaxine) treatment for 12 weeks. Both groups experienced a 50% decline in hot flashes and depressive symptoms.  Over time, the acupuncture group  experience minimal hot flashes, while the drug therapy group had a significant increase in hot flashes. The acupuncture group did not experience an increase in the frequency of their hot flashes until three months post-treatment. The group further sated that ”the acupuncture group experienced no negative adverse effects. Acupuncture had the additional benefit of increased sex drive in some women, and most reported an improvement in their energy, clarity of thought, and sense of well-being.”


While 50 is an insufficient number to create the power to generalize, this is a very promising study. It is one more piece of knowledge that demonstrates that acupuncture and Chinese medicine have a place in the American medical systems. 


Go here for a link to the study

AOMA Accreditation - Integrator Blog Top 10

Integrative Medicine and Integrated Healthcare Round-up: December 4, 2009-January 5, 2010

Two Integrator Top 10 lists for integrative care from 2009 ... LA Times article on licensed CAM practices and non-discrimination provision in Harkin's Senate health legislation ... George DeVries' transformation of American Specialty Health into a health and wellness firm ... Academy of Oriental Medicine of Austin becomes first AOM school to gain regional accreditation ...  Adam Perlman, MD, MPH and Ben Kligler, MD, MPH take over as chair, vice chair for CAHCIM ... AOM accrediting agency still seeks comments on "First Professional Doctorate" standard for the field ...  Frank Nicchi, DC, MS honored for strengthening chiropractic-public health ties ... Bravewell, the IOM and the AARP join to found Healthy Nation Partnership; inputs solicited ... American Association for Health Freedom becomes Alliance for Natural Health-USA ... New York Beth Israel creates no-cost, online Prepare for Surgery program ... Seattle-based Alternative Health Access Campaign seeks to meet growing demand among the homeless ... Oregon's largest natural health clinic opened by National College of Natural Medicine ... Chiropractors in campaign to regain recognition as providers by Boy Scouts of America ... Integrative Healthcare Symposium sponsors major conference in New York, February 25-27, 2010 ... North American Research Conference on Complementary and Integrative Medicine set for May 15-18, 2012 in Portland, Oregon ... New American Holistic Medicine Research Institute formed with led venerable Robert Anderson, MD in lead; sets sights on first multicenter project ... Massage accrediting agency seeks public member ...  H1N1 lifts dietary supplement sales ... Michael Cohen re-frames his legal services 

Pulse diagnosis from a 10,000 foot view: Time Space State

Dear All:

Thursday, January 14th 07:00 pm - 08:00 pm PST Pulse diagnosis from a 10,000 foot view: Time Space State. I provide the backbone for my dissertation on Chinese Pulse Diagnosis: Epistemology, Practice and Tradition. It's free, it's cool.

Click here to watch the webinar:

http://healthstream.tv/tv/pulse-diagnosis-10000-foot-view-time-form-and-state

Pulse diagnosis from a 10,000 foot view explores pulse from the perspective of how we build clinical knowledge from the pulse. It structures the information according to time, space and state. Useful methods are discussed, such as the use of the three burners for selecting back shu points. Warmly,


Will

Other topics this month on TCMTV - go to this link and click on the calendar option for access http://tcmtv.net/

Tuesday January 19th 7-8pm PST Biomedical View of Shang Han Lun

In the biomedical view of Shan Han Lun, we will explore western physiological concepts related to the practice of Shang Han Lun. We discuss concepts such as the peripheral nervous system, the sympathetic-parasympathetic axis and the affects of the neuro-vascular-humeral loop. Western systems theory is woven into the Shang Han Lun Stages.

Tuesday January 26th 7-8pm PST Politics of Evidence

Politics of evidence is a discussion that is vital to the evolution of Chinese medicine in the west. With the advent of Evidence Based Medicine, we are quickly defining what constitutes good knowledge. This presentation speaks about the risks, benefits and alternatives to the emerging Evidence Based Medicine standards.

Happy New Year...

Dear People of the AOMA community

Happy New Year...

Here is to wishing you great health, wealth, happiness and harmony. It is such a great privilege to serve where transforming lives and communities is the mission.

In reflection, 2009 was an amazing year for AOMA. We achieved membership in the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools http://sacs.org/. This is a unique honor and it makes AOMA a representative of high quality education in the field of acupuncture and Oriental medicine. Anne Province is who I will name as the prime mover on this extraordinary multi-year effort.

The facilities team timed and performed the build out of a new clinic for AOMA that is sparkly. Smart rooms were implemented, so that the LCD projectors are drop downs from the ceiling. The foot print of the campus was reconstructed around a “back quad” with the Coi pond and turtles in the center. All of the potential chaos was contained and the move happened in a way that people were comfortable, and change management can be a demanding set of efforts. Kudos to the facilities team – Stuart Bailey and Aaron Shafer. Linda Fontaine – the genius negotiator made it possible and Anne Provicnce the genious planner made the timelines spot on!

The Student Association leadership under Cynthia Clark has flourished with learning activities and participation in national professional association activities. AOMA is truly fortunate to have such a committed and active group of students. It is often times difficult to raise one’s head above the demands of building the knowledge, skills and abilities of a new profession. This group of people has a vision and I believe will make a difference in the field.

It is AOMA’s faculty who are the resource that these efforts are built to ensure

There are new developments in clinics, the Southwest Symposium and other updates regularly refreshed by the awesome Sarah Bentley - http://www.aoma.edu/.

Brenda Thompson is doing a spectacular job assisting us in getting our message out http://www.brendathompson.com/.

Thank you all - much love and happiness in the New Year!

Warmly - Will

AOMA accredited by SACS

On Monday, December 7^th at 5:00pm, AOMA (Academy of Oriental Medicine at Austin) achieved membership in SACS (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools).

Dear AOMA Community,

Anne Province and I are here at the SACS Conference in Atlanta Georgia.  We have great news.  The Academy of Oriental Medicine at Austin was granted full membership in the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).

Thanks to each and every one of you for the efforts you have placed in this endeavor. It is a sign of the excellence this community brings to the table, not just in our field but in the field of higher education.  We are transforming lives and communities.

Thank you!

Will and Anne

Accreditation is a voluntary process whereby academic institutions seek recognition for meeting academic standards. AOMA maintains both programmatic and regional accreditation. Accreditation is typically conducted by private not-for-profit agencies, which receive recognition from the USDE (United States Department of Education).

For learners in the AOMA community, accreditation gives a particular sheen of quality to the degree. On a practical level, a regional accredited degree allows for transfer of credits into other university programs when appropriate. Similarly, graduates of AOMA’s master degree program may qualify to enter PhD and other doctoral programs with master degree requirements for admissions. A regionally accredited master degree also makes it possible for AOMA graduates to teach in college settings.  

Regional accreditation is AOMA’s most recent land mark accomplishment. It is a high level of quality recognition for the AOMA community including students, faculty, staff, patients, partners, alumni and board of governors. Most well-known colleges or universities participate in regional accreditation. As AOMA’s president, I sit next to presidents of schools ranging from Texas A&M to Pearl River Community College in Poplarville, Mississippi to Georgia Tech.  It is inspiring and it is a new day for the AOMA community.

 

AOMA has experience in programmatic accreditation via ACAOM (Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine) since 1996. Programmatic is a specialized accreditation for educational programs that prepare people for specific professions.  Schools of medicine, psychotherapy, chiropractic and physical therapy all have programmatic accreditors. ACAOM does this for acupuncture and Oriental medical education.

AOMA is the first single purpose school of AOM (acupuncture and Oriental medicine) to achieve regional accreditation. Other schools have accomplished regional accreditation with multiple programs. AOMA is also the first school of AOM in the SACS (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools). Further, SACS is the last regional accreditor to recognize a school with an AOM program. We save the best for last!

Here is my official communication to the AOMA community when we discovered that we were invited to the official reception for new SACS member schools:

Interlude from Guangzhou - Book Deal in Beijing

During my recent visit to Guangzhou, I took a couple of days to meet with the team at People’s Medical Publishing House. The flight was only a few hours, and I took a cab to the multi-story facility in downtown Beijing.

My project, a book on pulse diagnosis, focuses upon the works of one of China’s great compilers, a man named Li Zhishen. Author of one of the great herbal compendiums, Li has also published two works on pulse diagnosis, one is the Lakeside Master and the other is the Mysteries of the Extraordinary Vessels.

In order to realize a quality work, the team involves two authors, two editor/project managers and two translators. The individuals involved are: Walter Liu (Líu Shuĭ, 刘水), Vice-Director of International Publications Department and head of Department of Clinical Chinese Medicine and Integrative Medicine; Harry F. Lardner, Department of Clinical Chinese Medicine and Integrative Medicine; Amber Huang (Huáng Lĕi黄蕾), Department of Acupuncture and Tui Na; Mark Mondot, Department of Patient Education. 


This "golden bridge" of international collaboration in the development of Chinese medical knowledge is significant news for the profession. Each section of the team involves an American and a Chinese person. This type of collaboration allows for a rich representation and accurately portrays the source material while maintaining sensitivity to the needs of the user.

Pulse diagnosis is my area of academic specialty. I have spent 28 years on the topic. My latest efforts are in an area that I call medical epistemology – that is – how we build knowledge in medicine. Pulse diagnosis is an area of practice that is often dismissed as subjective. It is. And that is the advantage. We, in this world of high tech and looming global chaos need a personal touch. Pulse diagnosis provides a direct and immediate non-verbal contact between the physician and the patient.

People’s Medical Publishing House is the largest and most influential book maker in China. I felt privileged to participate with the group on a project that fit exactly with my values with respect to translation and the building of knowledge across the cultural and language bounds. I had an opportunity to see the galleys for Understanding the Jin Gui Yao Lue - A Practical Textbook. This is one of the most important historical texts in Chinese medicine, one that is still used in core curriculum for Chinese medicine programs at the major universities in China. The core text of the Essential Prescriptions of the Golden Cabinet (Jīn Guì Yào Lüè) has been praised by Chinese physicians as "the book that saves lives" and "the ancestor of all formula books".

I believe that PMPH is doing very important work and it is a privilege to participate with them on the development of Chinese medicine in the West.