We use acupuncture to help treat a variety of issues in our clinic, but the one most often cited by our patients remains pain relief. Not coincidentally, most good research supports the use of acupuncture in the treatment of both acute and chronic pain conditions. One meta-analysis, which included 39 studies and 20,827 patients, had… Continue reading Acupuncture & Pain Relief
Blog
Quarantine Tai Chi
Across the country and around the world, many of us are staying at home to slow the spread of SARS-CoV-2. As a result, I decided to shoot and upload to YouTube some videos on how to do a simple Tai Chi form, as well as some warm up and standing exercises. As of this writing,… Continue reading Quarantine Tai Chi
My decision to specialize
While I have written elsewhere about physical activity and the important role it plays in my life, I want to return to it now, if only to explain my decision to specialize in a particular field of acupuncture and Chinese medicine treatment. As I age, and my body inevitably starts to break down—like they all… Continue reading My decision to specialize
Tao of Wellness Online Talks
During the almost 4 years that I worked at the Tao of Wellness, I had many opportunities to speak in front of others and share what Chinese medicine has to offer. This was sometimes in person, and sometimes in front of a computer doing a live Facebook talk. I had the great privilege to work… Continue reading Tao of Wellness Online Talks
IBS Part 4: Placebo
To further illustrate just how interconnected the mind is with our guts, we should take a minute to look at a remarkable study done by a man named Ted J. Kaptchuk. A scholar of East Asian medicine, Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical school and Director of the Harvard-wide Program in Placebo Studies and the… Continue reading IBS Part 4: Placebo
IBS Part 3: Pain
Another key aspect of IBS that was mentioned earlier is the fact that its principle distinguishing feature is pain. As such, it only seems appropriate to take a closer look at the nature of this sensation—particularly because it differs from all other sensations that we experience as a species. Normally, when we experience a sensation,… Continue reading IBS Part 3: Pain
IBS Part 2: Neurogastroenterology
While IBS is not considered to be as severe a condition as inflammatory bowel disease, it certainly remains a complex one. If we dive into the medical history books from the 20th Century alone, we find that the thinking of gastrointestinal doctors and scientists went through quite an evolution. Their observations of digestive function started… Continue reading IBS Part 2: Neurogastroenterology
IBS Part 1: Introduction to a Syndrome
Chances are, if you picked up this book, then you already have a basic understanding about irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS, and how it manifests. Or, at the very least, you have a general idea of what it is because your doctor diagnosed you with IBS, and you’ve taken advantage of the fact that there’s… Continue reading IBS Part 1: Introduction to a Syndrome
Unfinished Book on IBS & IBD
In the final months of working with Tao of Wellness, I was working on a book that was eventually going to be something of a collaboration with Dr. Dao about both Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Inflammatory Bowel Disease. I did a whole lot of research, which was synthesized and processed in the computer upstairs to… Continue reading Unfinished Book on IBS & IBD
Meditation
These are the hypothetical questions that are posed for myself during and because of meditation: Can you stand to be alone? Not just physically by yourself, but away from the noisy voices in your phone, on social media or on the web? Can your stand to be alone with your thoughts? Can you stand to… Continue reading Meditation