Ah choo!  It’s not a Chinese phrase, but it may mean that you’re coming down with a cold.  We’ve all had them.  You’re miserable, but not sick enough to stay home from work.  You think your runny nose is finally getting better, but then the whole thing sinks into your chest or you lose your voice.  You’re achy, your throat hurts, and you can’t sleep.  Life really bites when you have a cold. So what does Chinese medicine have to offer in the way of cold relief?  Well, it really is true that there is no cure for the common cold.  But the Chinese do have some tools up their sleeve in...

There was a great article on acupuncture in the New York Times last week.  Acupuncture and Chinese medicine is on its way to becoming mainstream in this country.  However, don’t count of your health insurance to foot the bill, which was the point of the article. The reality is that some health insurance plans do cover acupuncture, but most do not.  Another reality is that many acupuncture practitioners have chosen not to accept health insurance payments for their services.  And for good reasons, too, such as wanting to get paid for their time, not spending their office hours mired in paperwork,...

Several years ago, Tony, a businessman in his early 50’s came to me to be treated for stress and weight issues.  In some ways, Tony was larger than life.  He was a large man with a commanding presence and a strong voice.  He shared with me that in his younger days, he put in his full measure of time on the party circuit.  In his past, he struggled with alcohol abuse, but had quit drinking many years ago.     During his first appointment, Tony told me that he frequently felt like he was trying to fight his way out of a wet paper bag.  Wow!  In that one sentence, Tony divulged more about the...

A couple of weeks ago, I got a call at home from a fundraiser asking for money for the school where I received my master’s degree in Oriental Medicine.  I politely told the woman that I would not support the school and I told her why. You see, the school I attended also trains chiropractors.  This is not a problem.  The school trains chiropractors to perform acupuncture.  This is also not a problem.  However, the school trains chiropractors to perform “acupuncture” in 105 hours over seven weekends while at the same time they train acupuncturists in a three-year, 3,000 hour...

I have the best job in the world. As an acupuncturist, I have a parade of lovely, interesting people who come through my clinic looking for help and healing. As an acupuncturist, I get to use the tools of an ancient healing tradition called Chinese medicine. These tools include acupuncture, Chinese herbs, body work, food therapy, and healthy lifestyle traditions. One of the best parts of what I do is that I learn a little something from each and every patient who comes in through my door. Some of those lessons are uneventful, but some are profound. Here is a short list of some of the incredible things...