How to Explain Chinese Medicine
Most new patients at the hospital, regularly ask for an explanation of Chinese medicine, so that they understand how the treatment works. In the United States, the religious, or those with a background in science are often very suspicious of a system that is being frequently advertised as the product of vague eastern practices, or is surrounded by mystery and/or encompassing near occult methods.
Many of my acupuncture students, sometimes also find it difficult to come up with a clear definition that doesn’t include the keywords: qi, energies, yin and yang, five elements, and 5000 years of TCM history. An attempt to explain it as a method of using needles to stimulate “channels and meridians”, or using herbs to access the internal organs according to ancient experiences of the Chinese people, again doesn’t sound scientifically convincing.
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Historical Traumatology and Making Wooden Splints at the Hospital
It was back in 2018, and I was still working at the Sports Trauma Hospital in Guangzhou, China. That day, a young gentleman comes to the clinic with a martial arts injury.
Physical examination/palpation of the limb and also an x-ray revealed a fractured ulna. Typically, in these types of situations, the standard of care at the hospital, required that the patient moves to the inpatient department for further evaluation, processing and to await surgery.
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Supervising students at the Level II Neuro-Acupuncture training in Albuquerque
I have recently been appointed as member of the Governing Board and Secretary of the Neuro-Acupuncture Institute.
This weekend, therefore, I find myself in Albuquerque, helping iconic Professors Jason and Linda Hao to supervise students at the Level II Neuro-Acupuncture training.
Neuro-acupuncture is an advanced clinical method which integrates cutting-edge applied clinical neuroscience with traditional needling techniques.
The Neuro-Acupuncture Institute is non-profit organization that studies, teaches and researches the effects of neuro-acupuncture in acute and chronic central nervous system disorders.
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Associate Editor for the peer reviewed journal "Chinese Medicine and Culture"
Early in 2021, I was appointed Associate Editor for the “Chinese Medicine and Culture”, one of the better-known Academic Publications of the Shanghai TCM University, the only peer-reviewed TCM Medical Humanities publication in the academic world.
I have been peer-reviewing for them for a while, and also have contributed an article or two over the years. But in 2020 they approached me to serve in the Editorial Board, and also appointed me Associate Editor. However, the official certificates only reached me in November 2022.
Over the last year, they invited me together with Prof. Charles Buck to guest edit a special issue on “The global cross-cultural integration of TCM in the mainstream healthcare, medical education and the practice of medicine”
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