Morning

9:00 am

Transforming your Oriental Medicine Practice to an Integrative Medical Model - Belinda Anderson

Tremendous amounts of research are now available to practitioners verifying the efficacy and benefits of acupuncture and Oriental medicine. This one hour talk will present you with the big picture of integrative medicine, point you to the research relevant to acupuncturists and help you develop strategies to use this research to build your acupuncture practice. Since the future of healthcare globally is integrative medicine, exciting new opportunities for an expanded practice base are now available. OM practitioners wishing to be part of the integrative medical movement need to adapt their skills, knowledge and practice to capitalize on this opportunity.

10:00 am

Skillful Acupuncture - Techniques (Part 1) - Yuan Wang

Dr. Wang will review how important acupuncture techniques affect our practice, using her own clinical stories and video.  She will help practitioners understand the ancient saying “Acupuncture First”, and how acupuncture can be used not just for chronic disease, but also for early intervention in acute or emerging pathologies.  By analyzing the concept of Qi, through both traditional and modern theories she will give insight on the “de qi” sensation, teach how to measure it and how to determine its intensity for best results.

Dr. Wang will also cover ancient needling techniques for generating “de qi”.  She will share suggestions, based on her years of clinical experience, on how practitioners can improve their needling techniques. 

11:00 am

Harnessing the Engine of Life to Engender Full Spectrum Living - John Stan

Many practitioners are attracted to Oriental medicine as it offers a profoundly rich system of healing that integrates body, mind and spirit. The ultimate goal in healing is to enable ourselves and our patients to thrive by living each day with abundance of love, trust and creativity. We know that when Qi is flowing, health is expressed. The big question for the majority of our patient’s is how to unleash the flow of Qi? With study after study confirming that stress and lifestyle are the leading causes of illness, we are ideally positioned to offer our patients a new model of wellness, with real tools that engender positive health change. This talk will provide practitioners with an overview of strategies and terminology for inspiring positive lifestyle changes rooted in TCM. 

Afternoon

2:00 pm – 5:30 pm – Breakout Sessions

Session 1

Acupuncture and IVF: How to Understand the Research and Effectively Treat Your Patients - Belinda Anderson

Fertility enhancement using acupuncture offers a tremendous practice building opportunity. In particular, acupuncture done in conjunction with in vitro fertilization (IVF) has become very popular. This workshop will educate attendees about the most effective Oriental medicine strategies for treating women undergoing in vitro fertilization. The process and procedures associated with IVF will be examined along with common side effects. Chinese medicine approaches to treating infertility will be reviewed. Acupuncture treatment approaches that integrate with western medical IVF procedures will be covered in detail. Acupuncture treatment strategies utilized in recent clinical trials assessing the effectiveness of acupuncture during IVF will be examined for effectiveness and use in clinical practice.

Session 2

Skillful Acupuncture - Techniques Part 2 - Yuan Wang

Continuing on from her morning lecture on needling, Dr. Wang will instruct on specific needling techniques. This mini workshop will include needling for different body parts, long needle usage, and short needle techniques. Each of the techniques discussed will include video demonstrations and live practice sessions.

Session 3

Empowering Patients with Qi Cultivation Techniques -
The Great Jewel of TCM - John Stan

As acupuncturists and TCM practitioners we have the unique opportunity to introduce our patients to tools that can produce profound changes in their lives. We offer patients a radically different process of healing from the mechanistic model of health, to one in which their health condition is a powerful ally in helping the patient find their way on their journey to greater and greater levels of integrated health.  Qi Gong has hundreds of varieties which may involve sitting, standing, and moving forms, but despite all its variations it relies on two basic mechanisms, those being the breath and thought. This talk will introduce practitioners to an overview of techniques for teaching patients Qi cultivation tools during treatment sessions. As the saying goes, if you feed a person fish, she/he will have food for a day, if you teach a person to fish, they have food for life. The same can be said for teaching patients to cultivate their own wellness during treatment sessions, you not only have used acupuncture and TCM to resolve their immediate complaint but you have also generated a continual stream of referrals from satisfied and empowered patients.