For on-site conference registration, please click here
For live streaming registration, please click here
The objective of this course is to teach the physical mechanics necessary to successfully use nine different needling techniques in a clinical situation. Attendees will learn how to integrate body mechanics, hand positioning, and posture to effect obvious changes in the qi while treating a patient. Each technique is explained individually and demonstrated to ensure a thorough understanding of the material taught.
A needle is not meant to be inserted into a point, but to manipulate the qi of a patient. The point is only a location, and its actions only happen reliably with correct manipulation of the needle. Understanding how to change the motion and intensity of our needling and supporting hands as well as our body weight is critical...
Students of Chek Life Process Alchemy (CLPA) will learn the key principles of physiological, psychological, and spiritual alchemy, and how CLPA can be used to identify the etiology of psychophysical imbalances. An understanding of how elemental forces, physiological regulatory systems, and the psyche (mind and soul) influence each other will be gained. Students will learn CLPA methods of assessment, how to identify the etiology patient symptoms, and how to guide patients through CLPA stages of healing, awakening, and greater freedom in their lives.
Chinese medicine, like alchemy, emerged from observations of the principles and functions of nature. Chek Life Process Alchemy (CLPA) is the product of 32 years of clinical experience and...
Hua To’s “Frolic of the Five Animals” Crane Frolic qigong provides the practitioner with qigong methods for increasing their qi sensitivity and strength. The breathing and movement exercises of the Crane Frolic increase the circulation of qi through the cardiovascular system and help to improve balance in movement.
Hua To was a famous Chinese medical practitioner who created a system of qigong health exercises based upon the movements and spirits of five animals: tiger, crane, deer, bear, and monkey.
In the workshop we will learn the Crane Frolic which emulates the movement patterns of the crane.
These movements are graceful and flowing, integrating the breath with stepping and standing postures. They increase the circulation...
The focus of this lecture is to reveal that ancient Chinese sages and medical practitioners understood what conventional science is realizing now—thousands of years later. Taiji and qigong activate basic physiological mechanisms that are associated with the reduction of pathology through self-regulatory mechanisms that neutralize the negative effects of oxidative and inflammatory process. In the ancient world, these were associated with longevity: the capacity to extend the duration of wellbeing, and of immortality: the process of sustaining a relationship with the quantum aspect of being wherein one is intimately connected with the aspect of oneself that is eternal.
Ancient Chinese sages and medical innovators understood what...
The three main objectives of this one-hour introductory lecture into the topic are to:
1. Explore the difference between an ordinary treatment and an exceptional treatment experience.
2. Learn at least two things you can do immediately to create an exceptional experience for your patients.
3. Become aware that incorporating either of these two adjunctive modalities into your treatments has been clinically proven to improve patient outcomes and increase patient satisfaction.
Instead of providing everyday, ordinary treatments you can create exceptional treatment experiences for your patients. By doing so, you have an opportunity to enjoy your work more fully and make your treatments more effective and valuable.
Join Dr. East for...
Guohui Liu will present the theory and treatment of tai yin disease in the Shang Han Lun. Symposium attendees will learn to identify the early stage of tai yin disease, which has not been discussed in contemporary textbooks. Furthermore, the disorders of the channel and the disorders of the organ in tai yin disease will be classified and discussed in detail. Attendees will learn how to identify them from the perspective of qi transformation and, based on case studies, learn how to treat them.
Tai yin disease in the Shang Han Lun is frequently related to digestive disorders. As early as the 3rd century, Zhang Ji recorded many diagnostic skills and formulas to treat tai yin disease which are applicable today. This presentation will...
The five main objectives of this three-hour workshop are to:
1. Explore the difference between an ordinary treatment and an exceptional treatment experience.
2. Learn tools, techniques, and a variety of adjunctive modalities that you can implement immediately to create an exceptional experience for your patients.
3. Become aware that incorporating many of these modalities into your treatments has been clinically proven to improve patient outcomes and increase patient satisfaction.
4. Gain valuable ways to objectively measure treatment progress and approach patient care with a collective mindfulness.
5. Have an exceptional experience during the lecture through demonstration, practice, and group discussion.
Join Dr. East Haradin...
Considerations of diet and food preparation, which are having a direct impact on your patients' health and your treatment outcomes, are presented in this workshop. Sarica goes beyond the standard advice of eating organic, gluten-free, and so on, into the role of modern agriculture and food production methods. She will explore more deeply how simple, often overlooked techniques of ancestral food preparation such as soaking, culturing, and making broths can help to overcome many common digestive complaints in the clinic by introducing the use of predigestion.
Is nutritional guidance part of your care for your patients? It is a powerful way to help your patients help themselves, and support the good you do for them in the treatment room....
Attendees will learn the differences between interstitial cystitis and urinary tract infection in terms of Chinese medicine. Based on analysis of case studies, attendees will learn how to differentiate and treat interstitial cystitis from the perspective of qi transformation in the
Interstitial cystitis is a common yet difficult disease for middle-aged women. It is easily confused with urinary tract infection and treated as damp-heat alone in clinic. After studying the Shang Han Lun for more than four decades, Guohui Liu has found that the qi transformation theory related to the tai yang, tai yin, and jue yin diseases are quite useful in dealing with this disease. Based on analysis of his own case studies, Guohui Liu will lay out...
Explore, learn, and practice simple, accessible methods of medical qigong that practitioners can use for themselves and their patients. The foundations are the classical Chinese Three Treasures concept of body-jing, heartmind-qi, spirit-shen, and the four baskets of practice: body practice, breath practice, mind practice, and self-applied massage.
Long before acupuncture, and as a part of the methods for discovering herbal medicine and acupuncture, there was self-observation and self-cultivation: qigong. The insight and awareness cultivated by ancient sages created Chinese medicine. Today’s clinical practitioners of Chinese medicine can still cultivate the wisdom and insight of the ancients through the practice of qigong in modern...
This course will discuss combining modern neuroscience and ancient practices for the achievement and assessment of peak states of consciousness. Attendees will explore the neurophysiological components of peak states, what they look like in the brain, different components of state awareness, and tools used to assess, support, and train these states.
This course will focus on the neuroscience of peak states and inherent trait changes, including what happens on a neurophysiological level while in peak states. Explore EEG assisted meditation, attention and state awareness, where “state” refers to the cognitive, sensory integration and self referential aspects that can arise during a peak experience: the loss of self-consciousness and...
Chinese medicine constantly refers back to its sources in order to initiate the new”. Its source code is in the Han dynasty medical classics. In this lecture, Z’ev Rosenberg shares the knowledge from his study of these these texts, explaining how these inform his methodology of diagnosis and treatment. He advises how biomedical disorders can be retranslated into sophisticated Chinese medical diagnoses, address the great clinical challenges of our time, and rebalance the body/mind landscape and circadian rhythms that are so essential to health.
What will practitioners learn:
• How to work with recreational and professional athletes of all ages.
• How TCM herbs and formulas and pattern differentiation helps patients and practitioners.
• Alternatives to performance-enhancing drugs and pain medications, and treatment protocols for anxiety, altitude sickness, anemia, blood sugar imbalance, muscle soreness, injury prevention, digestive disorders, sleep disorders, and overtraining.
• How to differentiate topical treatments.
• Why quality control is important in herbal dispensing and formulation.
• Guidelines for best practices in herbal dispensing (AHPA white paper).
• Case study of amateur and professional athletes.
• Tips on treating athletes of all...
This lecture will introduce the history of cannabis use in China. The major therapeutic directions of the plant correlated with TCM patterns will be discussed. The endocannabinoid system will be explained followed by a discussion of the biochemical constituents of the plant. A review of the known contraindications of cannabis will be presented. The lecture will finish with a discussion of extraction methods, quality assurance testing, and legal issues in the United States and worldwide.
This workshop will cover the challenges of integrating cannabis into the practice of TCM. It begins with a review of the TCM actions of cannabis flowers in the traditional materia medica literature. The physiological effects of cannabis will be discussed, with an emphasis on the importance of cannabinoid ratios and terpene profiles in personalized cannabis medicine. A framework for personalized cannabis medicine based on the classification of cannabis cultivars on a yin/yang continuum will be presented. Lastly, this course will present case studies to illustrate the personalization of cannabis medicine from a TCM perspective.
1. Learn to identify the patients with liver disease.
2. Learn which lab tests are used to diagnose liver disease and fatty liver.
3. Identify Chinese diagnoses and herbal formulas used for liver support and fatty liver.
4. Understand Western and Eastern management of fatty liver disease.
Chances are good that you are treating people with chronic liver disease, including fatty liver, but may not know it. Chronic liver disease affects more 50 million people worldwide yet the vast majority of people with liver disease have not been diagnosed and often feel well until the last stages of disease. The fastest growing chronic liver disease is fatty liver disease and, very soon, will become the primary reason for liver transplant in the...
What will practitioners learn:
• How to work with recreational and professional athletes of all ages.
• How TCM herbs and formulas pattern differentiation helps patients and practitioners.
• Alternatives to performance-enhancing drugs and pain medications, treatment protocols for anxiety, altitude sickness, anemia, blood sugar imbalance, muscle soreness, injury prevention, digestive disorders, sleep disorders, and overtraining.
• How to differentiate topical treatments.
• Why quality control is important in herbal dispensing and formulation.
• Guidelines for best practices in herbal dispensing (AHPA white paper).
• Case study discussion with amateur and professional athletes.
• Tips on treating athletes of all...
Attendees will learn to differentiate most major shoulder, hip, and SI joint pathologies. With this information, the workshop will then present specific protocols for treatment of these pathologies. Included will be a demonstration of needle techniques and myofascial massage techniques to better treat these pain syndromes. There will also be a demonstration of the use of electro-stimulation in treating these disorders.
Attendees will learn to differentiate most major shoulder, hip, and SI joint pathologies. With this information, the workshop will then present specific protocols for treatment of these pathologies. Included will be a demonstration of needle techniques and myofascial massage techniques to better treat these pain...
Practitioners will learn the tripartite organization of the Shen Nong Ben Cao (SNBC) and how it defines the application of herbs for preventing illness, treating symptoms or affecting disease. Practitioners will also learn how the tripartite organization defines the dosage of herbs and will discuss examples from each category of upper, middle, and lower herbs along with clinical applications.
Qing dynasty practitioner Chen Xiuyuan said that the study of Chinese medicine was actually quite easy, yet today, herbal medicine is seen as either incredibly academic or encourages the use of set formulas without modification. In this workshop, JulieAnn Nugent-Head outlines how the Shen Nong Ben Cao (SNBC) provides clear guidance to application...
Practitioners will learn the 4-Doctor approach created by Paul Chek, and how to use this to create balance and structure in patients' programs and therapy. Understand that the 6 Foundation Principles and the 4 Doctors: Dr. Happiness, Dr. Movement, Dr. Quiet, and Dr. Diet, are essential to long-term success for all people, and are the bedrock of any living philosophy. Step 1 is to start by clearly defining a dream, goal, or objective to direct your client’s intention, awareness, and energy. Step 2 is to help your patient define their 4-Doctor habits from the perspective of yin/yang balance. Step 3 is to establish goal-affirmative 4-Doctor core values to guide effective choices, so patients feel healthier, become stronger, recover from...
Wu Wei Zi, the dried fruit of the Schizandra vine, has a long history of use, primarily as a treatment for lung disorders and as an astringent, but modern research has uncovered other applications that point to enhancement of mental and physical function. This presentation will explore the development of Wu Wei Zi arising from research efforts during the past sixty years and its new clinical applications.
The original applications of Wu Wei Zi, as recorded in ancient texts, mostly point to its inclusion as a minor ingredient in formulas for lung diseases and for astringent effects. This early work led to Wu Wei Zi as a frequently used herb, but one which did not generate much interest in further development. Perhaps the most...
Sleep serves many purposes according to TCM, yet modern science is still discovering new facts that practitioners should know, some of which confirm what TCM has been espousing for generations. Learn how to merge TCM’s philosophical and physiological understanding of sleep with the newest research, with emphasis on practical strategies for enhancing patient care. Dr. Dunas will address the role of sleep, how much is needed, and how it affects peak performance and recovery.
The current therapy for stroke patients is repeated stimulation to damaged neurons, and the extent of recovery is linked to the frequency of these stimulations. Over the years, knowledge of brain structure, development, and function has dramatically increased. This new knowledge has led to proposals that new neuronal connections can be forged within brain tissue damaged by cerebrovascular accidents (CVA) or trauma. This session will describe the combined use of three rehabilitative therapies for stroke patients: Yamamoto New Scalp Acupuncture (YNSA), physical therapy, and guided imagery. Bomzon and Amir will also cover the outcome of this combined therapy in patients who have experienced a CVA or who suffer from chronic pain.
The...
Attendees will learn about the Japanese method called Shonishin, translated as “children’s needles”, used for the treatment of children ages 0-7. Shonishin is a method of enhancing children’s health that can be used both for supplementing the immune system and recovery from certain children’s ailments. The material will be given in lecture and demonstration. This course will also include use of TCM herbal remedies and treatment strategies.
When the people you know have children, it is great to be able to help from babyhood on. Shonishin, first popularized in southern Japan, is used to enhance childrens’ immunity, diagnose their constitutions, and get them through many common ailments. The main methods do not insert...
Attendees will learn background of Yamamoto New Scalp Acupuncture (YNSA), and how to use it to treat patients with acute or chronic pain and neurological diseases, including:
1. The needling points of YNSA.
2. The diagnostic areas of YNSA and how to use them to select the correct needling point.
3. How YNSA is applied to a patient with neurological disease and pain.
4. How to apply YNSA to treat any energy imbalance in the body.
5. How to combine YNSA with any TCM treatment.
Yamamoto New Scalp Acupuncture (YNSA) is named after the Japanese physician, Dr. Toshikatsu Yamamoto, who developed this acupuncture system in 1973. YNSA is used to treat neurological conditions, and is effective in stroke patients with pain and/or...
The objective of this course is to focus practitioner attention on the three stages of injury recovery and the associated TCM therapies for each stage, relying particularly on use of herbal medicine. The presentation will elaborate upon the approach applied in the English-Chinese Encyclopedia of Practical Traditional Chinese Medicine volume on Orthopedics and Traumatology, with updated information since its publication in 1989.
Treatment of injury is one of the foundations of acupuncture practice, but the herbal component of therapy is often given little attention, relying primarily on a single therapeutic principle—vitalizing blood—and use of some well known topical oils, liniments, and plasters. However, TCM has a richly...
This workshop will include discussion of the behavioral symptoms of illness, psychology as expressions of energetic syndromes, and TCM sexual energy and breath healing techniques, or qigong. The workshop will include exercises for in-office treatments or take-home protocols for patients, with an emphasis on how to teach patients to become familiar with feeling and moving qi. Familiarity with this material broadens treatment room conversations to include emotion and behavior as viewed from a TCM perspective, and helps patients understand how the condition of their qi is responsible for their behavior, interpersonal interaction patterns, and love relationships, as well as physical health.
This workshop will include discussion of 1) the...
Attendees will learn clinically applicable treatments for various disorders. These will include unique uses and external applications of herbs and self-massage techniques. Attendees will gain an understanding of the process of passing clinical and theoretical information from generation to generation and how this is reflected in the way that Chinese medicine develops through the ages.
Andy Ellis has had the great fortune in the last 40 years to study with excellent practitioners of Chinese medicine. His goal for this workshop is to pass on some of the techniques, formulas, and life advice he has received from his teachers. He will select noteworthy lessons, particularly effective treatments, and sage advice to pass on to upcoming...
What is the fundamental difference between “causality” as defi ned in biomedicine and East Asian medicine? What is “evidence” in the two systems? The difference will be examined by contrasting the biomedical idea of placebo effects and the concept of the “penetrating divine illumination”. Professor Kaptchuk will present a history of the “penetrating divine illumination” from the Nei Jing to early 19th century and why it disappears from Asian medical texts. Clinical implications will be discussed, which will form the foundation for the afternoon talk on how the soul and physical body are inextricably linked
The skillful use of acupuncture, Chinese herbs, and nutrition provides benefits to athletes at a time when they are searching for any and all means of performance enhancement. What has been learned from this specialized application of Chinese medicine can be applied to anyone seeking optimal performance to achieve their personal goals. This lecture will focus on enhancing human performance beyond the sporting world. Whitfield Reaves will discuss the integration of acupuncture and the principles of Chinese medicine used in sports medicine, both for the athlete and the active person. Attendees will gain new skills and confidence in the care of the athlete and the active patient.
The skillful use of acupuncture, Chinese herbs, and...
Gain inspiration from a broad overview of the 2500-year-old yangsheng (nourishment of life) teachings on how to live longer and be healthier, happier, and wiser in doing so. Attendees will learn how best to care for their own wellbeing and serve as models and teachers for their patients. Gain inspiration from a broad overview of the 2500-year-old yangsheng (nourishment of life) teachings on how to live longer and be healthier, happier, and wiser in doing so. Attendees will learn how best to care for their own wellbeing and serve as models and teachers for their patients.
Chinese health cultivation teachings usually start with the mind and emotions. This workshop will delve into the harm caused by unregulated emotions and explain, using both yangsheng (nourishment of life) teachings and modern research, how how practitioners and patients can transform them into positive mental states.
In many cases, mental and emotional states play a greater role in health and wellbeing than any other factor, because without a level of emotional integration, it is impossible to truly care for ourselves.
This workshop will delve into the harm caused by unregulated emotions and explain, using both yangsheng (nourishment of life) teachings and modern research, how practitioners and patients can transform them into...
The skillful use of acupuncture, Chinese herbs, and nutrition provides benefits to athletes at a time when they are searching for any and all means of performance enhancement. What has been learned from this specialized application of Chinese medicine can be applied to anyone seeking optimal performance to achieve their personal goals. This lecture will focus on enhancing human performance beyond the sporting world. Whitfield Reaves will discuss his favorite techniques, formulas, and acupuncture points, used in the athletic community since before the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, where Whit supported American athletes. Included will be the importance of proper zang-fu diagnosis, mental preparation, and postural stability. Attendees will...
This workshop will describe the nature of the "soul" (ling-hun) in Chinese medicine. Far from being marginal, it is central to the Nei Jing and many other early Chinese medical texts. The talk will review the five components of the soul—hun, po, yi, zhi and shen—on existential, moral, and spiritual levels, and their intrinsic relationship to the physical body. After describing these five components, Dr. Kaptchuk will examine the unifying foundational Chinese medicine concept of "the ladder of the soul” and its relevance to herbal and acupuncture practice.
This workshop will serve as an overview of Kiiko Matsumoto's latest innovations in the treatment of musculoskeletal and vascular disorders, focusing upon the use of diode rings, a non-insertive adjunct adjunct therapy that can be combined with many modalities of acupuncture treatments. Diode rings are similar to magnets, and have the same general uses. The rings deliver a microcurrent through the skin into the underlying tissues. Unlike the usual distal approach of the KMS style, diode rings can be used directly over a place of pain or numbness, promoting the healing of stressed, inflamed, or injured tissues. Through lecture and demonstration, the attendee will learn how to incorporate diode rings into their treatments to achieve...
This workshop will focus on the diagnosis and treatment of vascular system problems, such as cardiovascular disease, neuropathies, painful varicose veins, and edema. Attendees will learn the most common abdominal patterns related to these conditions in order to help them make differential diagnoses through palpation. The most common applicable root and condition-specific treatments will be covered. Significant attention will be paid to the use of diode rings, a non-insertive, magnet-like device that delivers microsimulation through the skin, as an adjunct therapy for those conditions that present with noticeable signs of pain or numbness.
Vascular system disorders are common, painful, and deadly. As an acupuncturist, it can be...
Learn how to integrate Chinese acupuncture practices with an understanding of anatomy, orthopedics, and sports medicine. Each attendee will improve their skills and gain confidence in the diagnosis, assessment, and treatment of many common joint injuries seen in the acupuncture clinic. Treatment of joint pain, injury, and dysfunction is a daily need in the acupuncture clinic, but effective treatment includes more than is typically described in the classic and modern acupuncture texts. A clear understanding of anatomy and the movement pattern of the joint results in a better treatment plan and choice of points. Whitfield Reaves will teach attendees how to effectively use acupuncture, electrical stimulation, and other techniques for common...
View the 2018 conference schedule at a glance. The full 2018 program brochure is coming soon.