Daily, in my acupuncture clinic, I have new patients who come to me and ask, "Can acupuncture help my condition?" In my experience as a practicing acupuncturist, whatever the presented condition, I can almost always answer, "yes" with confidence. From that initial question, we go on to converse about what has been done before for their health. Inevitably, it seems that I am their last resort. Many of my patients, for better or worse, have run through the gamut of Western Medicine. They have undergone all the right diagnostic tests, taken the correct medications, and done the procedures that were recommended. At the end of their line, they begin to consider alternatives to Western Medicine, hear of acupuncture, and come to me with hope and questions.
When I explain to my patients that it may take the application of more than one system of acupuncture to address their issue, most of my patients are surpised to learn that there are multiple styles of acupuncture. They say to me, "I thought that Acupuncture was just Acupuncture!" Furthermore, when told that some systems of acupuncture directly work on the spirit and the emotions, they are incredulous. "I thought acupuncture just worked on body pain!" The truth is that acupuncture can be used for almost any medical or psychological problem - it is truly a remedy for body, mind, and spirit. Today, we'll briefly discuss one of the systems that is commonly used to treat the mind and the spirit, "5 Element Acupuncture."
This weekend, I spent a few hours at the local junkyard, pulling parts off of an old VW Vanagon. The tranquility gave me a chance to reflect on the utility of combining the old and the new for the benefit of the weekend auto mechanic, or in the case of medicine, for the benefit of the patient.
Many of us desire to be remembered for something that we've accomplished over our lifetime when we pass from this world. We'd like to make a significant difference in someone else's life, whether it's a loved one, a member of our social network, or an even larger group of individuals. Towards these ends, while we may strive for fame or fortune, academic achievement or humanitarian goals, most of us are actually striving to achieve something that we can pass on to future generations. Of all of these achievements, the most desired, yet most difficult gift to pass on, is health. Almost everyone in my practice wants their friends and family to be healthy, but many feel that improving the health of these individuals is something that is beyond their immediate control. Luckily, recent research shows us that we may have more effect
A few nights ago I made a house call to a patient who hadn't seen a doctor in quite some time. The words that she spoke to me were unfortunately words that i hear quite often these days:
This weekend I worked as medical support for a convention full of talented fire performers. Some of the world's best talents were there, pushing the radical edge of their performance media. In the world of fire performance, we call these extremely talented people the "rockstars".
"How strong is your love?" is a question coined by Volkswagen guru Robert S. Hoover to ask vintage Volkswagen owners about their dedication to their vehicle (beetle/bug, transporter/bus, etc). His point is that it takes quite a bit of effort to maintain a roadworthy vintage vehicle which is more than 30 years old, and that the willingness to put in this amount of effort can only come from something akin to "love". Unfortunately, the lack of "love" and of course, the expense and time required for the upkeep of these vintage vehicles explains their infrequent presence on our roads today.
