Blog Posts

Will A Robot Be Your Next Acupuncturist? Artificial Intelligence in TCM
Created 10-02-2023 by "ChadD"

The short answer is no..., but, the longer answer is maybe... and soon. There are a host of opportunities in the field of Chinese Medicine for the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning. Robots delivering acupuncture (which is happening) is probably not the best use of these approaches in my opinion. But the same machine learning techniques that are currently being developed en masse in western medicine, have very valid potential in avenues such...
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Sometimes Simple Is Better - Randomized Study Finds Acupressure Improves Cognition
Created 03-24-2023 by "ChadD"

Chinese Medicine, which encompasses acupuncture, is a broad and complex system of medicine. At face value this is neither a good or a bad thing, but the complexity of the diagnostic systems and treatment methods can limit broad usage due to limited numbers of well trained practitioners. Acupressure is often touted as a home remedy. Many practitioners, myself included, will recommend certain acupressure points and techniques to patients. But we are also well aware of...
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How Lymphatic Drainage May Help Long Covid Sufferers
Created 12-28-2022 by "Leslie B"
by Abby Stewart, LMT, MLD/C Long covid syndrome shares many striking similarities with chronic fatigue syndrome (myalgic encephalitis), including fatigue, unrestful sleep, post-exertional malaise, brain fog, headache, and nonspecific pain. In fact, up to 75% of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) cases can be traced back to a viral infection. More research is focusing on the link between these 2 conditions in hopes to find treatments and possibly cures. In the last few years, it has...
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Jing-Well Acupuncture Point Bloodletting Potentially Mediates Covid Induced Cardiac Issues
Created 12-12-2022 by "ChadD"

“No not that bloodletting” is a phrase I use within many articles that discuss this commonly used acupuncture technique. The technique involves pricking an acupuncture point to draw out a few drops of blood. A moderately detailed discussion can be found on our bloodletting section. But suffice it to say the technique is very minimally invasive and for the most part comfortable - eliciting just a slightly stronger response than standard acupuncture needling, but nothing...
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Auricular Acupuncture with TCM Formula Nearly Doubled IVF Conception Rates
Created 10-28-2022 by "ChadD"

Repeated embryo implantation failure (RIF) is “one of the most difficult challenges in the field of in vitro fertilization (IVF)” ( 1 ). A patient is generally considered to have RIF after 3 or more failed embryo transfers. This can be both expensive and psychologically defeating. The overall etiology is not well understood and is likely a combination of factors. Contributing lifestyle factors may be smoking, obesity, and/or an inflammatory diet. From a functional perspective...
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Simple Qigong Exercise Found To Improve Sleep and Mood In Postmenopausal Women
Created 10-03-2022 by "ChadD"

Sleep issues, depression and anxiety are commonly experienced by the roughly 1 billion women around the world who are currently in their postmenopausal years. And while sleep issues are a growing problem in the general population they are particularly heightened in postmenopausal women, with roughly 40-60% being negatively affected by poor sleep. While it has been shown that many forms of exercise will lead to improvements in mood and sleep, qigong is well suited towards...
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Exploring The “How” Of The Protective Effects Electro-Acupuncture Offers To Diabetic Kidney Disease
Created 09-28-2022 by "ChadD"

Publishing in the journal “Zhen Ci Yan Jiu” (“Acupuncture Research”), a team of researchers recently explored the clinical mechanisms behind a simple combination of acupuncture points aiding a complex disease process. Their paper is titled “Protective effect and mechanism of electroacupuncture of “Biao-Ben” acupoints combination for mitochondrial dysfunction in diabetic nephropathy rats”. While it is generally accepted that acupuncture can play a role in both diabetes and in inflammatory diseases generally, the overall “how” is...
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Electro-Acupuncture May Aid Substances To Cross Blood-Brain Barrier
Created 05-30-2022 by "ChadD"

The blood-brain barrier is a defense mechanism in our body to protect our brain. It works to protect us from harmful substances, while allowing substances required by the brain such as water and oxygen. There are a range of potential therapeutics that may aid, for example, central nervous system disorders, however the blood-brain barrier can be an impediment to successful delivery of such agents. Debilitating conditions such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and ALS are prime examples...
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Swedish Massage Lowers Anxiety
Created 05-10-2022 by "Leslie B"

by Abby Stewart, LMT Anxiety is an increasingly prevalent phenomenon in humans across the globe. Children, adults, and the elderly alike are feeling the effects of living in a modern fast-paced world. Many of those with anxiety disorders seek out alternative therapies instead of, or as a complement to, medication and psychotherapy. Acupuncture and massage therapy are two of the most common types of healing practices that anxiety sufferers turn to. There is not a...
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Xiao Yao Wan Becomes A Legally Registered TCM Formula in the European Union - But TCM Regulations Vary
Created 04-26-2022 by "ChadD"

EU member states arguably have better healthcare systems, cost controls and outcomes over countries such as the United States (general source). Along those lines, the EU has made tremendous strides in broad ranges of consumer and data protections and workers rights, among other advances. Within the realm of Chinese Medicine, however, they have not performed as well in proper regulation, usage and general acceptance. Chinese Medicine usage and regulations vary wildly across the EU. In...
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Meta-Analysis Finds “Navel Therapy” Effective For Menstrual Pain
Created 04-19-2022 by "ChadD"

Primary dysmenorrhea, pain associated with menstruation, affects many women during their reproductive years. Prevalence estimates range from around 40% to upwards of 90%, so it can be easily stated as common. For around 10-20% of women the menstrual pain can be debilitating for several days or longer each month. Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine have long been used for a range of women’s health issues, with dysmenorrhea being a commonly treated issue. For many, a...
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Visualization Meditation - A Tibetan Technique From Kalu Rinpoche
Created 03-09-2022 by "ChadD"

There are numerous meditation and mindfulness based techniques and approaches. Some are more tied to certain religious/spiritual traditions such as Vipassana, TM, and Metta Meditation, others are from modern therapeutic approaches such as the many variations of mindfulness techniques and aspects of cognitive behavioral therapy. On a basic level, techniques can be categorized by active (visualization, body scanning, etc.) and passive (zazen, etc.). Then, of course, some are a mix of techniques or even a...
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“Hemp Seed Formula” Found Beneficial for Constipation in Cancer Patients
Created 03-07-2022 by "ChadD"

Chinese Medicine provides for a broad range of potential applications within the realm of cancer, both in conjunction with western approaches or entirely on its own. In cases, Chinese Medicine can be a good balancing point to western medicine, so to speak, as on average it is well tolerated and doesn’t add to the load of the person in the way that stacking medication on top of medication may do in a pure western approach....
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“Restrain the Liver” Herbal Formula Helpful In Children With Tourette’s Syndrome
Created 03-01-2022 by "ChadD"

Yi Gan Wan is one of any number of formulas with potential usages for anxiety and related symptomology. Yi Gan Wan was originally designed for children (with issues such as fright, insomnia, anxiety, etc.), and now in modern times is used on all ages of patients due to our stressful lifestyle as well as more complicated issues such as elderly patients with psychological and cognitive issues from dementia. Yi Gan Wan has potential implications (and...
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Anxiety Improved By Acupuncture And Electroacupuncture - With or Without Pharmaceuticals
Created 02-21-2022 by "ChadD"

Globally, mental disorders, notably anxiety and depression, are a massive problem with hundreds of millions of people suffering, many with little or no access to treatment. The situation appears to be worsened by all of the experiences and changes related to the current pandemic (source). Even in developed countries, access to western health care options (therapy, medications) are limited for a number of reasons and that access is less and even non-existent in many parts...
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Diabetes, Brain Health, and the role of Astragalus
Created 02-19-2022 by "ChadD"

Diabetes Global Outlook Over 450 million people in the world (over 6% of the global population) are affected by type 2 diabetes. It is the 9th leading cause of mortality (up from the 18th leading cause in 1990 (source). The long-term individual and societal costs are very high. Global Cognitive Impairment Rates One of the potential implications of living with type 2 diabetes is a range of cognitive impairment issues. Issues such as Alzheimer’s disease...
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Acupuncture For Female Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis Helps Avoid Endometriosis
Created 03-16-2021 by "ChadD"

Rheumatoid Arthritis alone can be an incredibly difficult condition to live with. Unfortunately the underlying processes contributing to RA and the systemic effects of having RA may also lead to the development of a host of other conditions and issues. For example, women with RA are 40% more likely to develop endometriosis than women without RA. Besides issues such as painful menstrual cycles (dysmenorrhea) and excessive bleeding, endometriosis can also contribute to infertility, accordingly it...
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Tai Chi Instruction Videos - Yang Style 12 Large Frame
Created 06-24-2020 by "ChadD"

The following set of videos (which will be updated weekly until we finish) covers a Yang Style Tai Chi Form known as the 12 Movement Large Frame Form. It is very good for improving broader waist movements and power delivery from the legs through the upper body via the waist. We haven't been able to have our regular Tai Chi classes in person due to the covid-19 pandemic. To aid my students as well as...
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Tai Chi Instruction Videos - Yang Style 42 Big Circle Form
Created 06-14-2020 by "ChadD"

We haven't been able to have our regular Tai Chi classes in person due to the covid-19 pandemic. To aid my students as well as others, I've been putting together a series of instructional videos that are broken out in roughly the same segements that we teach in the class. Tai Chi is notoriously difficult to learn period, but from videos even more so. My hope with these videos is that you start to appreciate...
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Basic Mineral and Vitamin Supplements Could Limit Covid-19 Progression (Study)
Created 06-02-2020 by "ChadD"

At this point there is a lot of unknowns about the proper direction treatment should head in covid-19 patients. A couple months ago I wrote in "Chinese Medicine Lifestyle And Herbal Approaches To The Coronavirus" about general TCM approaches that have been shown in cases to be helpful when properly tailored to the individual. There are a host of western treatments being worked on and utilized but none are conclusively rising to the top due...
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Chinese Medicine Lifestyle And Herbal Approaches To The Coronavirus
Created 03-17-2020 by "ChadD"

The coronavirus is currently appearing in the US and has spread well throughout large parts of the world. As time has passed since the first cases in China, we are starting to see the viability and effectiveness of a variety of western and eastern treatment options. As with many diseases and imbalances, the primary treatment is to not get sick to begin with. Along with all of the items such as social distancing and self...
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Study Explores Anti-Asthmatic Effects Of Moxibustion
Created 03-11-2020 by "ChadD"

Moxibustion, or "moxa", is a widely utlizied adjunctive technique in Chinese Medicine. It involves the burning of an herb, ai ye ("mugwort") on or near the skin at certain points or above certain areas based on symptoms. A general introduction can be found in my "What Is Moxibustion?" article. Moxa is most often used for strengthening the body and/or resolving what we term stagnation in Chinese Medicine theory. A simple case would be a acute...
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The Inner Workings of Herb-Partitioned Moxibustion For Crohn's Disease
Created 02-19-2020 by "ChadD"

Crohn's disease is one of a number of inflammatory bowel diseases. Generally symptoms involve inflammation modulated abdominal pain, diarrhea, weight loss and malnutrition. The prevalence of the condition is higher in smokers and in those who overuse NSAID's and/or antibiotics, but this range of conditions is increasing generally with strong relations to diet and other environmental factors (related study). Being inflammatory modulated, functionally an autoimmune condition, the general key to treatment is to stop the...
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Tai Chi Found To Slow Early Parkinson's Progression Delaying Need For Levodopa
Created 02-18-2020 by "ChadD"

There are nearly endless volumes of Tai Chi research and the health benefits that arise from the practice of it. Some studies are exclusive to understanding the mechanisms of Tai Chi and others attempt to see the differences between it and standard exercise regimins. With particular regards to Parkinson's, exercise therapy has shown numerous benefits in slowing the progression of the disease in many cases. Researchers from the Gaomi People's Hospital recently conducted a study...
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Study Finds Red Yeast Rice Lowers Risk Of Developing Diabetes
Created 02-12-2020 by "ChadD"

Red yeast rice, known as "hong qu" in Chinese Medicine, is a very commonly used herb to aid in lowering cholesterol levels. Besides cholesterol levels, studies on hong qu are seeing a range of positive effects on inflammation/autoimmune activity, diabetes, and other related conditions. Red yeast rice is created by fermenting various strains of the yeast Monascus purpureus on rice. Studies such as this one have found a number of active chemistry, one of which...
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