Finding a job as a alternative health columnist

Being a writer is tough, finding a job as a writer is even tougher, however, finding a job as an acupuncture columnist is even harder. 

 Basically, the only acupuncture related newspaper or magazine I know is Acupuncture Today and that's all the way in San Diego, CA. I'm all the way here in Washington state, how the heck am I going to apply for a job there? 


It's really frustrating because alternative medicine is rising so quickly but there aren't that many writers that are speaking out about it. For example, on Oahu, the local newspaper do not have a health columnist that has solely dedicated his or her work to alternative medicine. Although I have started my blog that is relative to acupuncture and alternative medicine, it's not quite there. I do not have an acupuncture degree nor have any educational background on it other than the fact that I've worked at an acupuncture clinic. 


I want to become a health columnist that will dedicate all of her work to spreading the knowledge of alternative medicine and make sure that the community will be more familiarized with this practice. I want to get my license, expand my mother's clinic by adding my position there, eventually travel the world to experience and discover other forms of alternative medicine, write about my experiences through my health column/blog/articles and finally, to build my own online magazine or weekly newspaper dedicated to acupuncture and other forms of alternative medicine. 


It's a bit depressing to know that this is a long shot and will take possible all my life to get there. 

From google search engine. Just random pics

Another part of me is saying, screw this. Get my license and become a designated acupuncturist for a MLB team. Preferably the Brewers. 

Speaking of which, here's an article on Haro Ogawa, the designated acupuncturist for the San Francisco Giants. 

Haro Ogawa interview with Acupuncture Today 

http://acupuncturetoday.com/mpacms/at/article.php?id=32011

Damn, if I could get that job, I would have for real lived a good life. 

Anyways, there's still hope for those of us aspiring acupuncturists. Just keeping out heads up.

This is a story covered by Hawaii's KHON2 News on Oahu.
Thought I should share this with you all.

 Protection from the Flu Through Acupunctur

http://www.khon2.com/news/local/story/Protection-from-the-Flu-Through-Acupuncture/_GegbGmKLUaqijth_E5XeQ.cspxe

Protection from the Flu Through Acupuncture

Reported by: Olena Heu Email: oheu@khon2.com Last Update: 11/19/2009 8:07 am

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< Previous Next > Play Video Video 1 of 1 All Video Protection From the Flu Through Acupuncture Protection From the Flu Through Acupuncture Flu season officially began last month and will run until May of next year, but in Hawaii the rate of infection continues year-round. There are many ways to boost your immune system and prevent getting sick...including a method that will poke you into good health. It’s just another visit to the doctor's office…with a steady hand and precise placement, the use of needles, heat and incense, if done right, is said to improve circulation, boost the immune system and offer relief for pain and prevent illness. “Everybody said how you take care is the answer of how you live a healthy longer,” Dr. Jun Ae Ha of Dr. Ha’s Clinic said.(Dr. Jung Ae Ha) In an effort to keep healthy and stay flu free many are seeking out traditional acupuncture. “Just mainly our local patients they tell their friends, their daughters and they come in and they bring their friends in,” Sunnie Kim said. “Maybe the ear acupoint very much good yeah,” Dr. Ha said. Acupuncture is said to have originated in china thousands of years ago and uses needles to stimulate nerves, muscles and connective tissue. “Now number one topic is how we can help and how we can keep or how we can increase immunity,” Dr. Ha said. Dr. Ha's office also recommends an organic all natural way to prevent illness with herbal supplements. “They're grinded, dried, packed herbs that’s actually used for the liquid medicine but Dr. Ha grinds them herself,” Kim said. Dr. Ha says she uses organic herbs to treat almost any ailment including the flu. “We have patients coming in and they freak out and they are coming here “oh I need three hundred pills,” Kim said. At about a dollar a pill the herbal supplements are proving to be very popular...but maybe not as popular as the resident therapy dog Rosie.  People come from all over the island to receive treatment and spend time with their little furry friend.

The Growth of Acupuncture

[My mom's acupuncture clinic. Rosie, therapy dog with Dr. Ha]

I can recall when people used to think that Acupuncture was a "fake" medical practice and was frowned upon because it was different. probably it's because the theory and philosophy of Acupuncture is hard to understand and to accept. If someone who has never experienced or heard of Oriental Medicine will have a hard time understanding Qi and meridian channels used in Acupuncture studies.


What's really great is that now a days, Acupuncture is more frequently searched for as a means of medical practice. Acupuncture is not the only medical practice that's rapidly growing, Naturopathic Medicine, Chiropractors and other alternative medicines are growing throughout the nation. Dr. Oz from the Dr. Oz Show and Oprah Winfrey Show graduated with a Ph. D in Naturopathic Medicine at Bastyr University last year.  The fact that Naturopathic Medicine and Alternative Medicine is being accepted in society is a big step up from the types of social label these practices had in the past.

The number of Acupuncture schools are growing also along with the number of medical health insurances that are covering for Acupuncture and Chiropractors. What really surprised me is that Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine degrees are being offered at universities that are not specifically focused on alternative medicine. For example, So Cal University of Health Sciences, Southern Cross University, and University of Bridgeport.

I personally like University of Bridgeport because you can get your Acupuncture Degree and play sport and be part of a bigger community. Usually universities that are merely focused on alternative health sciences do not have any extracurricular activities or NCAA sports. UB has the degree that you want and you can have a real college experience.

You see, Acupuncture has grown a lot and is slowly making it's way to state schools. Hoping that one day it'll be even more well recognized by the society.

My Experience with Acupuncture

So.. This whole misconception of Acupuncture being this painful method of crazy medical practice is stupid. Basically Acupuncture is an oriental medical practice that's been around for thousands of years and it's not painful at all. 

As a patient, I feel that it's relaxing and surprisingly pleasant. The moment the needles are in my body I feel my body just letting go of all the stress and falling straight to sleep. 

Crazy Fact 1: Acupuncturists can tell if you are pregnant and determine the sex of the baby by checking your pulse. 

I know it's totally unbelievable but I swear, I've seen it. My mom is an Acupuncturists and with the help of her needles and medicine a lot of women have gotten pregnant, better yet she told them the sex of the baby also. Not all on the same day but couple months later she did.

Crazy Fact 2: I'm a bit tired so I'm just going to stick with number 1. 

This is MY experience with Acupuncture so I've decided to make this blog extremely casual. It's  was a long weekend; first week of school and my brain just decided to crash right now. 

I've heard horror stories about fake Acupuncturists that have their own clinic but do not have a License. My high school counselor told me that her husband had terrible back problems and when she went to an Acupuncturist in downtown of Hawaii, the Acupuncturist placed needled in his back while he was sitting down! How crazy is that? What kind of Acupuncturist would do that? Um obviously a fake one? So please be careful when it comes to picking which Acupuncturist to go to. Check yelp or other search engines for review sites because not all Acupuncture clinics are legit. One particular clinic, so far as I've heard, used bottles of tylenol in their herbal medicine. The patients have reported terrible and severe side effects like vomiting and headache. 

Once again, be extremely careful. Usually the best clinic to go to is one that's been spread by word of mouth. 

Happy choosing!

Acupuncture and Sleep Apnea

There are many people who suffer from sleep apnea, "a common disorder in which you have one or more pauses in breathing or shallow breaths while you sleep" (www.nhlbi.nih.gov).

Such extremities like jaw surgeries are required to tame sleep apnea and most people do not know if they have the disorder because there aren't overwhelming symptoms. 

My boyfriend snores a lot, every time he sleeps so that made me think about sleep apnea. I've done some research for a previous community college newspaper last year which lead me to suspect that he is suffering from sleep apnea.

Doing some light reading, I came across this website called sleepdisordersguide.com where there was an article about sleep apnea and acupuncture. 

http://www.sleepdisordersguide.com/blog/sleepdisorders/acupuncture-an-alternative-treatment-for-sleep-apnea-that-works/

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Sleep apnea is a disorder that can seriously affect your health and quality of life.
Have you tired trying with all the treatments for sleep apnea?
Acupuncture is one of the best treatments for sleep apnea.
Acupuncture is one of the oldest alternative treatments for the treatment of many medical problems including sleep apnea.
Alternative treatment is preferred for sleep apnea treatment due to various advantages over conventional treatment. Acupuncture is well accepted because it avoids the risk of side effects as it includes natural treatment.
According to the assumption made in traditional Chinese medicine, your body is supposed to function properly. When all are in harmony, body will function properly.
You have to in certain way to make your body work properly. You have to consider diet, exercise, mental and spiritual well-being that contributes to harmony.
When something is out of order, there is a definite reason. It is the search of underlying cause rather than concentration on symptoms that make acupuncture recommended treatment for sleep apnea.
Acupuncture involves application of fine needles into the human body into one or more of the 2,000 acupuncture points.
These points link twelve main and eight secondary pathways. The channels or pathways are called meridians. The meridians conduct energy between the body’s skin and internal organs.
The energy conducted by meridians coordinate the balance between one’s spiritual, mental, physical and emotional state.
Acupuncture body parts have been identified that are related to sleep issues to such a point that a method known as acupressure is used to induce sleep. Acupressure is nothing but applying light pressure to the acupuncture body point.
This can be done by pinching the point mildly between the thumb and finger. Both acupuncture and acupressure reduce tension, increase circulation, brings down levels of stress and regulate breath so that the body is enabled and relaxes deeply.
Using acupuncture for sleep apnea can over time correct whatever imbalances are causing sleep apnea, minus any side effects. Apart from improved sleep, people who have used acupuncture for sleep apnea obtained a greater feeling of well-being and improvement in health.
Once you start use acupuncture, your sleep improves slowly. During the treatment, do not consume caffeine, stress hormones should be decreased, daily routines and diet should be modified.
After several sessions, there is no need of any treatments to help in getting sleep. Each type of acupuncture for sleep apnea treatment consists of a different combination of meridians or points. Treatment with acupuncture differs for specific needs of individuals to fit that person.

Utah soldier killed trying to save comrade in Afghanistan

This is an article that was emailed to me from my sister, he was her friend and trained with her. I just wanted to dedicate this article to those who had lost someone.

 

 

Utah soldier killed trying to save comrade in Afghanistan

Slideshow

Jordan Byrd

Written by: Dan Metcalf Jr.

Reported by: Kelli O'Hara
Reported by: Annie Cutler

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Published: 10/14 2:51 pm

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Updated: 10/15 3:21 am

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - A soldier from Utah has been killed in Afghanistan.

ABC 4 News has learned that 19-year-old Jordan Byrd was killed while trying to save a fallen comrade during a gun battle, according to family members.

Byrd's family says Jordan joined the U.S. Army and became a medic in order to pay for medical school.

According to Byrd's family, Jordan was trying to assist a soldier who had been shot by a sniper, and used his body as a shield to protect a member of his unit.

Byrd's wife recently gave birth to the couple's son. A month ago, doctors induced labor only two days before Jordan deployed to Afghanistan.

Byrd spent some of his childhood in Dugway, Utah.

He is the fourth Utah soldier to die in Afghanistan since August 2010.

Capt. Ellery R. Wallace  was killed August 29th, Sgt. Aaron K. Kramer was killed on September 16th, Chief Warrant Officer Matthew G. Wagstaff was killed on September 21st.

The Governor sent his condolences through a statement that says, "We are saddened to learn of the death of another young Utah soldier serving his country overseas. Private First Class Byrd has paid the ultimate sacrifice to defend our country and our American way of life, and for that he will never be forgotten.”

Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Acupuncture

How can it help?

Acupuncture is a part of traditional Chinese medicine. It works to restore the flow and balance to the qi (energy) in the body. Tiny needles are inserted along meridian lines to help achieve this. Acupuncture is believed by some to be effective in treating the symptoms of STDs and improving  immunity. Results of a recent research trial show that acupuncture can help to heal herpes lesions and reduce recurrence of the infection.

Here's the link:

http://www.wdxcyber.com/alternative-therapy-STDs.html

This is a sensitive topic and I thought it was interesting how Acupuncture can help the STD symptoms. Above is a bit of info on STDs and Acupuncture.

Here's an interesting article on Acupuncture and HIV, could it be that Acupuncture and naturopathic medicine will be the next big thing?

How TCM Works for the HIV Patient

So it works great. But how does it work? Chinese medicine can appear to be mystery. Behind the needles, smoking moxa sticks, and funky-smelling herbs that comprise the typical TCM experience is a complex philosophy that explains relationships between organs, blood, and Qi flow. All theories and diagnoses in this medical tradition, however, follow a very simple premise: that health is a balance or harmony of forces and properties in the body, and ill health a disharmony.

Disharmony can be caused by outside forces, such as cold or wind, and inside forces, such as emotions. But ancient texts also describe the existence of pestilences, called li qi or yi qi. These are diseases from the outside world, but they different from the usual suspects; they’re the external “evils” of wind, cold, heat, dampness, and dryness.

A pestilence is highly infectious and can bring about an epidemic. Since TCM understands epidemics, that knowledge and protocol can be brought to bear on one of the most devastating pandemics of our time, AIDS.

TCM vs. HIV

A small number of acupuncturists have been studying the AIDS virus and developing a TCM diagnosis for the disease since the health crisis first began. Misha Cohen, O.M.D., L.Ac, describes the specific diagnosis of HIV/AIDS as invasion by toxic heat pestilence, which eventually causes spleen/stomach deficiency inside the body. Once the body is depleted by the disease’s attack on the spleen and stomach, the disease can progress to cause additional disharmonies, such as liver Qi stagnation and blood deficiency.

Each individual will have a unique response to the AIDS virus, and different disharmonies will develop in each person. One AIDS patient might develop Kaposi’s sarcoma, for instance, while another might experience anemia or peripheral neuropathy. The versatility built into treatments — there are hundreds of acupuncture points to choose from and endless point combinations possible — ensures a targeted treatment that is tailored to each patient’s health needs.

How do Western HIV/AIDS doctors view the role of acupuncturists in treating AIDS patients? Charles describes his Western doctor as being very open to acupuncture — in fact, his doctor was the one that referred him to an acupuncturist. Andre’s doctor doesn’ comment when Andre describes his TCM involvement, and Andre senses that his doctor might not value TCM. However, both men find it easy to work both East and West into their lives. They regularly check in with their Western doctors to monitor the virus, and their acupuncturists are well versed in Western medicines and protocol for HIV/AIDS. In the view of many in the forefront of the fight against HIV and AIDS, Western and TCM doctors working in collaboration provide the best care to patients battling one of the most devastating health problems in recent history.

It is thought that more than 1 million people are living with HIV in the United States. Acupuncture has the potential to enrich the health and quality of life of their lives. 

Acupuncture and HIV: The "new" weapon in the fight against HIV/AIDS 

 Society have been studying this disease for decades and resulted unsuccessful in finding a cure to date. Now that Acupuncture is such a rapidly growing medical practice, it's getting some attention in the STD and AIDS/HIV department. This oriental medical practice was mocked and judged as a trickery for a very long time but is now a respected form of medicine and medical practice. Why is that so? I personally believe that it was because of the malpractice cases of western medicine and the deadly side effects of prescription drugs. 

Surprisingly, Acupuncture has started to join forces with the western medicine in hospitals across the country. Who knows? Maybe in the future, there will be Acupuncture hospitals and pharmacies dedicated to herbal medicines. All I know is, that's why I'm in college and that, my friend, will come true one day. Just watch me.