Technological teaching : social networking for natural medicine practitioners and a study update
I’ve been working with Saturday features these last few months. I like the idea of a links post, but they don’t get much traffic and they’re sort of boring to write. I figure it makes more sense to offer something of real value while enjoying the process myself. So, on this cloudy Oregon summer morning, I’d like to try something new. On Saturdays, until I find something that works even better, I’ll offer a technological teaching geared toward the natural medicine crowd. Remember when I wrote about why every healthcare provider should have a blog and the ensuing discussion about the apparent misgivings most natural medicine practitioners seem to have about technology? Well, I have a passion for bringing our profession up to speed - we belong on the Internet - people need us! Every week, I’ll try to think of something new to point out. It will still be links-based, but the links won’t just be stuff I think is interesting. Instead, the links will be part of the teaching.
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Before I continue with the technological teaching, I wanted to refer back to another post I made recently about studying Chinese medicine. As school approaches (my last year!) I find myself being forced to think increasingly of how to get myself back into the mindset for institutional education. I’ve also continued to notice my knowledge deficiencies while in clinic. Not to mention, I’m supposed to be working on the thesis required for my Classical Chinese Medicine degree at NCNM. I find that in the summer, I naturally turn away from intense study and towards other things (like blogging) but now it’s time to turn back. In the article referenced above, I decided to try a new method of studying that would allow me to cycle through topics each day. As usual, I bit off a little more than I could chew. In this case, I simply picked too many topics. I found that it was too difficult to keep the categories discreet, and often because of the natural flow of my weeks I was “into” particular topics on particular days.
To refine the process, I will suggest the following topics be studied each day - with the complete group to be studied at least every two weeks. This allows for a more natural decision making process when I sit down to study, yet still ensures that I actually work on each topic. This last part is important, because I find that sometimes I get a little too obsessed with one topic and my knowledge and skill in the other crucial areas suffers.
Topics:
- Formulas : names, dosages, signs/symptoms (especially pulses) and all associated information
- Points : mostly just location and categories for now
- Diagnostics : working more closely with pulses, tongues and other diagnostic information
- Pathology : six conformations/shang han, 19 lines/5 evils, Zangfu/TCM and Western when desired
- Physiology : working with the information I have to keep diving deeper into the physiology of Chinese medicine organ systems and their interrelationships
- Symbolism : working more explicitly with the information I’ve gleaned from Classical texts and my professors at NCNM
If this succeeds, I’d like to see how it works to share something I’ve learned from each topic each week. I know that some of you students out there have been missing the more basic posts I used to write, and my explicit study in these various areas might bear some fruit as far as sharable content is concerned. Stay tuned.
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Now, what about technology? To keep this post as short as possible, I won’t launch into any diatribes. I hope to just show people how valuable the Internet can be and how crucial it is that we, as healthcare providers, link into this rapidly growing method of connection and communication. Today, I’d like to talk a little bit about…
**Social networking**
Human beings are social animals. Some have lamented the invention of the computer, and then the Internet, claiming that it negatively impacts social relationships between people. Now, of course, I think this is a bit of a chicken-or-the-egg question since for our society to accept such a technology implies that we had already gone far afield. That is, of course, if this lamentation has any basis. I’m not ready to deliver a proclamation on that just yet, but I do believe that any such insinuation is probably overstated. Anyway, the thing has doubtless been improved by the invention of blogging and, most recently, the flourishing of social networking tools.
Both blogging and social networking tools share something in common - they encourage conversation among people. You are all mostly familiar with blogging, I assume. You may be less familiar with the various social networking tools. There are quite a few types, and those who are more detail oriented than myself could probably explain them in encyclopedic fashion. But, to keep it real, I offer these simple categories and definitions:
1. Social networking sites that are more about keeping people updated and sharing more static information: These sites are usually larger and more feature-rich. They invite people to develop a very full profile, often include advertising and other monetization, and frequently connect with other types of content (like static websites containing large amounts of information). Most of these do include aspects of the second type, but most people don’t use them that way. I’m thinking here of sites like Facebook, Linkedin, Myspace, Gaia.com and Rootdown.us (links to these sites that allow you to add me easily as a friend are below).
These sites require some set up to be most functional. You go in, set up a profile and add a picture, add groups and interests, find your friends and colleagues and gradually over time will build a group of people (a network) that is easy to connect with. In my experience, the social aspects of these sites are relatively deemphasized. What I mean is that there’s not much conversation going on and often, particularly among the over-25 set, updates are infrequent. They are still very valuable, however. I have found lots of long-lost friends using these tools, plus the integration of microblogging tools (see below) allow for more conversational interaction. The more robust nature of these tools allows for a wider range of functionality as well. For instance, on Gaia.com - a social networking site for “conscious living” - you can write blog entries, list your favorite books, search for information on a variety of alternative lifestyle topics and be informed of upcoming events you may be interested in.
2. Social networking sites that are more about conversing and sharing developing information : These tools are often grouped under the word “microblogging.” Microblogging is a way of sharing short bits of information (under 150 characters) frequently. Using these sites, you set up a small profile and add friends. You can easily update the services (eventually even using your mobile phone) and read others’ updates and in doing so, you have a good sense for what your contacts are doing in any given day. Lots of news bytes are shared using this service - it can be interesting to watch the unfolding of a given story as percieved by people all over the world in all different socio-political circumstances. It’s also an easy way to share links to your latest blog content or ask people for support for charity causes or for promoting your content on sites like Digg and Stumbleupon (which are also, technically, social media sites - but are very different so I won’t cover them here). Twitter and Plurk are the two most popular microblogging services. See links below.
Why should you get involved?
These sites are a great way to start establishing yourself as a presence on the Internet. The conversations you have with others will gradually introduce you into the online flow - which can be very helpful if you ever plan to promote yourself or your clinic online. It’s also a fantastic way to meet people from all over the world and to begin to see things through eyes other than your own. I also find it a very helpful way to keep up with friends, family and colleagues that I otherwise would need to have an hour-long “catching up” conversation with each time I met up with them. Some may say that this is degrading normal human interaction, but I’ve found it only to enrich the relationships I have with people “in real life.”
Join me in the social media revolution - add me as a friend!
Here are my links for the various social media sites. You can click here to add me to your profile and we will be able to see one another’s updates. If you have any questions or anything to share about social media, go ahead and leave a comment at the end of this post and I’ll answer any and all questions as well as participating in any ensuing conversation. I look forward to seeing you all there. :) Note: Some of these links are not going to lead you to my profile, but to the page where you can sign up for an account. Once you do that, you can add me - sometimes using the links below or just by searching for me by my username or password.
- Facebook (I think I’m found as Eric Grey in this service)
- Myspace (I should note that I don’t use this service as much as the others, I’m pylonian here)
- Gaia.com (I’m pylonian on this service)
- Rootdown.us (I’m deepesthealth on this service)
- Linkedin (I believe I’m just Eric Grey on this service)
- Twitter (I’m pylonian here)
- Plurk (I’m deepesthealth here)
It’s worth noting that there are a variety of social networking sites that are specifically aimed at particular groups of people or particular kinds of content. For instance, there is a social networking site for Muslims, as well as one just for sharing information about Travel. There are also photosharing social networks like Flickr. Rootdown.us (listed above) is one such type of site - geared particularly towards people interested in Chinese medicine. I should note that Rootdown isn’t a social networking site as such, but incorporates some of those elements - a practice becoming increasingly common on the Internet.
If you’re interested, here’s a Wikipedia list of most of the popular social networking websites.
Thanks for reading,
Eric
If you like what you read here, you may want to keep updated by using my RSS feed. Want to know more about RSS/feeds? - read more here. Thanks for visiting!
Tags: Blogging, education, fun, internet, links, student, study, studying, Technology, websitesRelated posts
7 Reasons why cool people don’t blog
One of the greatest benefits of blogging is the many relationships you build with other bloggers and blog readers. I believe this is the especially case in a small niche like Chinese medicine. There simply aren’t many active blogs (or even, really, non-blog websites) out there. This creates a pretty small pond in which for fishes of any size to swim. It’s a positive thing in some ways - it’s easy to get to know the folks in the field and the relationships built are pretty intimate. But, having more folks as part of the conversation makes for a more robust conversation! Further, when there are a lot of folks working in a given niche a kind of ecosystem evolves that allows for lots of fruitful cross-pollination, traffic building and ultimately more potential profit for everyone.
I’ve done a lot of thinking about why there aren’t more active bloggers in the world of Chinese medicine. In my research, I’ve discovered that there are a number of niches in the general category of “conscious living” that are bizarrely unfilled or under filled. While there are plenty of people searching for information about more “alternative” topics (like veganism, meditation and Eastern spirituality, simplicity, naturopathic medicine, homeopathy, eco-consciousness, local food, etc…) there aren’t that many people having robust and interesting conversations about these topics. In talking with my friends and reading through some forum and email exchanges, I think I have at least one (mildly tongue in cheek) reason why this phenomenon is occurring.
Simply - consciously living folks who are knowledgeable about these topics are too cool for blogging. :) What can I possibly mean by that? I’m obviously joking a bit, but I do encounter a quite perplexing attitude when I talk about blogging to people in the Chinese medicine and naturopathic community. They look at me as if I’m a creature from another planet, a traitor to my kind or some hybrid of both. After some long thinking, I think I’ve discovered some reasons that these wise, conscious and unbelievably cool people haven’t yet discovered the power of blogging.
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1. They don’t want to spend so much time with computers : I think this is the most crucial item on the list. There is a perception that, in order to be a blogger, you have to be married to your computer. Seeing me blogging probably doesn’t help that perception much. But many people have managed to create active, exciting and profitable blogs on around two hours of active work per day. Further, even creating a blog and posting your thoughts just a couple of times a week can do a lot to counter the weak and outright bad information out there about all the topics I’ve listed above. My point is simple - you don’t have to have your computer glued to your hands in order to be a successful blogger!
I think behind this is the latent idea in the natural medicine community that computer technology is inherently bad. I meet and greet this misperception nearly every day. I understand where it comes from. Many people who use computers frequently don’t lead very healthful lifestyles - long hours of sitting, staring, eating whatever is at hand, terrible posture, etc… it can be a detriment to balance, to be sure. It doesn’t have to be that way. I’d argue that it isn’t that way in the majority of cases. In my time blogging, my lifestyle has become MORE healthful - not less. I don’t believe that I am being invisibly eviscerated by rays of death emanating from my machine. I simply haven’t seen or felt any evidence that this is the case. I think it’s high time that we as natural medicine practitioners and supporters of all kinds of alternative lifestyles take another look at our perceptions of computers and computer technology. Let’s find a way to make it a boon, not a bane.
2. They don’t have time because they’re doing cooler things : A lot of us are very busy. I’m very busy. Oh man, you don’t even know. So very busy. A quick glance at my active project lists shows over sixty currently active projects pulling at my attention. I’m not exaggerating. I have an eleven year old daughter (going on sixteen), I’m in my intern year, I’m student body president at NCNM, active in a number of other organizations, working on projects for both of my main mentors, I’m starting a business and trying to keep up in a number of fields by self-educating. That’s just for starters and doesn’t include my personal projects. What keeps me alive? Self cultivation and the power of the relationships I cultivate both online and offline.
Regardless - this “reason” is related to the first — that blogging has to take a lot of time. It doesn’t. To be truthful, at first it does take some time to get set up and to get used to the work flow. After that, things get easier and only have to get time consuming if you decide to change or expand something. At the most basic level, it can easily be 5 hours or less of your working week. Easily!
3. They’re not self absorbed : As I discussed in a recent article, many people have the perception that you have to be very into yourself in order to project your thoughts to the universe online. I don’t think this is the case. When you’re blogging about a topic that you care about, even if you blog in very personal terms, your focus is the topic - not yourself. Even if you do a little self-promotion (like in promoting your private practice, or a lecture series or a product you just released) the focus is really on informing people about something that might be of interest to them. Further, if we keep in mind that the desire should be to get great information about natural medicine (or whatever topic) out there for people to find - you can have a very giving mindset and be somewhat ego-less in the whole process.
4. They communicate in other, cooler, ways : Some people don’t understand the blogging format and feel that their thoughts are better projected in other, more traditional, ways. Perhaps they have a mailed newsletter or publish articles in industry journals. Perhaps they are fortunate enough to have book deals or a regular newspaper or magazine column. All of these types of people can benefit from blogging. By leveraging this simple and powerful communication medium, they can help magnify the positive educational effects of their print media offerings. My friend and colleague, Abdallah B Stickley, provides a good example of this method with his blogging about his Chinese Medicine Times article.
5. They know it doesn’t make any difference what people say on the Internet: I have been on the Internet since the Internet was born. That’s just a simple truth that, I think, explains why I believe so much in the power of this medium of communication. From the very beginning, I saw how it was changing how people talked to one another (in good and bad ways) and when blogging first began, I rejoiced at how it might allow ordinary people to discuss their experience of life and how they live it. There is something very powerful in sharing one’s take on the world with others and something even more powerful about stumbling upon the works of someone from a very different background with whom you have some resonance. This is made more possible, in my opinion, by the Internet and blogging in particular. I have been changed by the things I read on blogs, and I know people have been changed by what I’ve written here. If that doesn’t matter, I don’t know what does.
6. They’re not techno-savvy because of number one and two above : I think the first two things I mentioned on this list keep people from becoming acquainted with the technology involved in blogging. At my school, NCNM, I would say about 50% of the student population gets confused by simply checking their email. Though it puts me at risk of offending them, I want to say that I feel like this is a kind of feigned helplessness. Because many have this ideological stance against technology (as I’ve said, I think its an erroneous stance) and because they believe themselves to be too busy - they do not learn the requisite skills needed to blog.
What are those requisite skills? Well, checking email is a good start. The ability to navigate a basic word processor is necessary - since most blogging software has similarities to basic word processors. You have to have some familiarity with how the Internet works and how to find information using search engines. From there, you can learn the rest as you go. As I mentioned in my article yesterday, there are training programs available for people who would like to learn to blog - and I can highly recommend Yaro Starak’s Blog Mastermind program. Please read those above linked articles if you want to learn more about the program.
7. Secretly, they don’t think they have much to say : I think the majority of people, at least in the United States, have been trained to think of themselves and their thoughts as fundamentally meaningless. The vast majority of public education in this country kills creativity, makes people question their ability to think and generally tries to produce a buzzing hive of listless worker bees. To put it mildly. Because of this, most people grow up thinking that OTHER people have important things to say and that noone could possibly want to hear what they are thinking or what they believe. It may be that you don’t have much to offer in the way of blogging content - but I doubt it.
Have you faced a major illness, whether in yourself or in someone else? Have you started a business? Do you specialize in something within your field? Have you travelled to a foreign country? Learned another language? Do you have a garden? Do you have any hobbies? Do you have strong political beliefs? Are you an avid researcher of one topic or another? Do you have a family with a strong tradition in something? Do you have allergies or particular food preferences that other people don’t have? Do you excel at finding interesting photographs or stories? The list of questions could go on - if you can answer yes to any of these and similar questions - you can be a blogger. In fact, you SHOULD be. Your adoring public awaits. :)
Note: I should mention that a subset of this last point is the group of people who may have something to say, but don’t think they can write. Yaro actually goes into some detail about the “but I can’t write” objection - but let me assure you - you don’t need to write the next Great American Novel. If you can get your point across, you can blog.
Thanks for reading,
Eric
PS: If you’re interested in blogging and even making some money at it, feel free to download the Blog Profits blueprint written by Yaro Starak, my blog mentor. Also, please check out the articles that I linked to above if you haven’t already. Finally, I’m always happy to talk with folks some more about my experience with Blog Mastermind - just email me at d e e p e s t h e a l t h @ g m a i l . c o m, with no spaces between the letters. Also, as always, feel free to share your thoughts and questions in the comments!
Tags: Blogging, Business, community, content, creativity, education, fun, internet, Technology, websitesRelated posts
Learning acupuncture : Master points of the Extraordinary vessels
Early in the life of this blog, I wrote a lot of basic “what is this” posts about Chinese medicine. I did that because I saw that there was a need for basic information, and since I was learning it, it seemed like a natural progression. I realize that there are a lot of readers who don’t “need” this basic information, but other folks new to the medicine might. I hope everyone can enjoy this basic article.
For what seems like the hundredth time, we were taught about the master points of the extraordinary vessels recently. It’s interesting how much you can learn about something if the lesson is just repeated again and again. I have struggled to find my way with regards to acupuncture. The road to a Classical Chinese herbal practice has been clear ever since I came to NCNM. On the acupuncture side, things have been much less clear. We have learned a lot of Jing Luo theory, which has helped us to understand the complexity and interconnectedness of the Qi pathways in our body. We have learned all the standard categories, and have focused a lot on point prescriptions laid out in various Classical texts. Recently, I’ve begun to study how to apply Shang Han Lun style thinking to acupuncture practice. I’m also learning a lot about Five element acupuncture. Through all of this, one thing has always captured my interest - the extraordinary vessels and their master points.
Note: Throughout I may use the word vessel and channel interchangeably as is my custom. Forgive me if this offends your sensibility - I have heard them used in this way so many times I fear I can’t find a reason to do otherwise.
The Eight Extraordinary Vessels : 奇Qi 经Jing 八Ba 脉Mai : neglected powerhouses
From what I understand, these eight channels were not discussed as a group in the Neijing (Suwen or Lingshu) though they were mentioned separately. They were first gathered together in the Nanjing. They are called 奇, Qi, which can be translated as strange, rare, or even marvelous. You can also call them the “extra” channels, insofar that they exist outside the normal 12. They differ significantly from those 12 channels in the following ways:
- They don’t have regular starting and ending points
- They don’t go to the arms at all and barely exist on the legs
- Apart from the Ren Mai and Du Mai, they don’t have points of their own (instead sharing points with the regular channels)
- They are not associated with the 12 Zangfu organ systems, but are sometimes associated with the Extraordinary Fu organs
- They are not paired in a way similar to the 12 regular channels
Many times I have been taught that the Qi Jing Ba Mai act as reservoirs for Qi and Blood that overflows from the regular channels. As such, when accessed, they can mobilize great reserves of Qi and Blood for use in healing disease. Peter Deadman in his Manual of Acupuncture states:
“The Nanjing compares the extraordinary channels to reservoirs which are able to absorb excessive qi and blood from the primary channels in the same way that reservoirs take excess water from canals and ditches at times of heavy rain” (17).
They are also said to link up the rest of the channels in various ways, and thus can act as a way to access many channels at once. The rest of the functionality of the channels depends on the character of the channel itself. I will not be going deeply into this right now, as it would make the article impossibly long. The important thing for this article is to note the functional pairings of the Extraordinary channels and their control points, as well as providing some guidelines for usage as it has been described to me. Below, I will list the channels, some brief information about each and their control points.
One more important note: I was taught two ways to pair the extraordinary vessels. The first is structural - this is a more familiar type of pairing analogous to the way that Triple Burner (TB) and Pericardium (PC) in the regular channel series are paried. They are on similar parts of the body, but one is Yin and one is Yang. The second, and I think more powerful, pairing is functional. Here, the channels are bound by a shared range of influence - similar to the way that Shaoyang Gall Bladder (GB) and Shaoyang TB are paired. Most of my understanding of these pairings come from my first acupuncture teacher, Dr. Jim Cleaver.
任脉 Conception vessel (Ren Mai) : Ren Mai is one of the more well known of the extraordinary vessels, learned in most acupuncture schools. It arises in the uterus or lower abdomen and emerges from the body at the perenium then rises to just below the lips. It exerts a powerful influence over the Yin of the entire body. As such, treating CV points often gives direct access to the Zang organs. Consider that many of the Front-mu points of the organs are located on the CV channel. While front-mu points are often used for acute disorders of an excess nature, CV points - particularly those on the lower abdomen - are quite nourishing and tonifying and thus can be used for chronic diseases of a deficient nature. The master point of Ren Mai is LU-7, Lie Que. Ren Mai is functionally paired with the Yin Qiao Mai.
督脈 Governing vessel (Du Mai) : The Du Mai is a structural pair with Ren Mai - which is to say that they are similarly placed on the body. Ren Mai covers the front of the body and runs up the anterior midline. Du Mai covers the back of the body and runs up the posterior midline. There are many important points on the Du Mai including GV-14/Da Zhui, a popular point for releasing heat and wind pathogens from the body and GV-4.Ming Men, a popular point for strengthening the basic energy of the body and dispelling cold. The Du mai is especially good at treating back pain, headaches, dizziness, fevers and all manner of musculoskeletal issues along the back of the body. The master point of Du Mai is SI-3, Hou Xi. It is functionally paired with the Yang Qiao Mai and treated together, these channels excel at treating all manner of musculoskeletal complaints as well as various brain disorders.
陰跷脉 Yin Motility vessel (Yin Qiao Mai) : The Yin/Yang Qiao and Yin/Yang Wei are less familiar to most folks. The Qiao vessels are sometimes referred to as “motility” vessels as they deal with motion and lack thereof, but they are also referred to as the “heel” vessels as that is where they originate on the body. It originates on the inside of the foot and exerts its influence along the medial leg, through the lower abdomen and up to the mouth and eyes. Its master point is KD-6, Zhao Hai - the Shining Sea. It is functionally paired with the Ren Mai and used together these points can have a great therapeutic effect on the chest, lungs and throat as that is part of their shared range of influence.
陽跷脉 Yang Motility vessel (Yang Qiao Mai) : The Yang Qiao Mai is structurally paired with the Yin Qiao Mai. They treat similar conditions, but on different parts of the body. The Yang Qiao is associated with the outside of the leg, but can also treat conditions like epilepsy, insomnia, and various disorders of the eye and eyelid. It is functionally paired with Du Mai and its master point is BL-62, Shen Mai.
衝脉 Penetrating/Surging vessel (Chong Mai) : The Chong Mai is said to link up the 12 regular channels’ blood and Qi to a greater degree than the other extraordinary channels. The Chong runs through the core of the body and has a great influence on the menstruation of female bodied people, storing the blood as the cycle progresses towards the monthly flow. It is sometimes called the “Sea of Blood.” Sometimes I have heard that whenever we see a point with “Chong” in the name (like ST-42 - Chong Yang) the Chong Mai is somehow involved. The control point of Chong Mai is SP-4, Gong Sun. It is linked with the Yin Linking Channel (Yin Wei Mai).
带脉 Girdling/Belt vessel (Dai Mai) : The Dai Mai is one of the more interesting extraordinary vessels, in my opinion. It’s short, encircling the body approximately at the waistline. It is structurally paired with the Chong Mai, so is often discussed when considering women’s disorders. It can easily be associated with the point called Dai Mai, GB-26 - a point primarily used for transforming damp heat, particularly when there is a problem of discharge from the lower jiao. However, the master point of the Dai Mai is further down the Gall Bladder channel, at GB-41, Zu Lin Qi. The Dai Mai treats the lateral side of the torso, but also can treat problems in the shoulders and lateral side of the neck. The Dai Mai is functionally paired with the Yang Wei Mai, and treated together these channels can work with a lot of classic Shaoyang symptoms like alternating chills and fever and flank pain or fullness.
陰维脉 Yin Linking vessel (Yin Wei Mai) : The Yin Wei Mai runs along the inside of the leg, taking its point from the Kidney, Spleen and Liver channels as well as the Ren Mai conception channel. It is sometimes discussed as controlling the tendons and muscles on the inside of the leg as well as influencing the chest and abdomen. Pathological symptoms include heart pain, stomach pain and fullness in the center of the diaphragm. The control point of Yin Wei Mai is PC-6, Nei Guan. It is functionally paired with the Chong Mai (penetrating/surging vessel). Treated together, Chong and Yin Wei will have a powerful effect on reproductive health, abdominal and chest pains, as well as problems with the Heart and Stomach organs.
陽维脉 Yang Linking vessel (Yang Wei Mai) : Finally, we come to the Yang Wei Mai. The Yang Wei Mai runs along the outside of the leg, but more posterior to the Yang Qiao Mai. It is particularly good at treating epilepsy and eye diseases, but as the other Wei and Qiao, it treats musculoskeletal disorders along its track. It is functionally paired with the Dai Mai, as discussed previously. Its master point is TB-5, Wai Guan - which should be familiar to most of you. This helps us to understand more completely the shared range of influence on Shaoyang syndromes.
This is obviously just an overview of the Extraordinary vessels - intended to provide some basic information. I would like to continue my exploration of these important channels, but first would like to open it up to you, Deepest Health readers. What have you learned about the Extraordinary vessels? How have you used them in clinic? Do they interest you as much as they interest me?
I should say that the only Maciocia book I can recommend is his recent study of the Extraordinary Vessels. It’s a good overview.
Tags: Acupuncture, Classical Texts (general), classical-chinese-medicine, education, LearningRelated posts
Taking it all in: Buddhist practice and Chinese medicine school
I’ve been struggling for the past couple of weeks. I’ve gone through the range of responses to my difficulty, mostly hovering in the realm of “just keep moving” which seems to work for me. The fact is that since I began Chinese medicine school at National College of Natural Medicine (NCNM) I’ve gone through periods of difficulty. Some of them come with warning - I am asked to interact directly with something challenging for me - but mostly they sneak up and don’t give much explanation as to their origins. This time has been one of those latter types. Finals week was hard. I mean, medical school is supposed to be hard, right? True, this finals week was particularly difficult. It reached deep and it wouldn’t let go, even with a very relaxing Spring break. But, somehow, this isn’t enough of an explanation for the kind of existential weirdness I’ve been experiencing.
Well, most of these things come on quickly and without much fanfare and leave much the same way. This time it broke open gently, slowly, and not all at once. In fact, there are some stubborn bits that refuse to go. But the breaking open has released some articles that I’m going to write all in one sitting and release over the week. They may represent something of a departure from my regular musings, but I hope they will be helpful to you nonetheless. The first, this one, is probably the most important for me to get out. So pay attention, will you? And let me know how it goes.
A short time ago, I was reading the Shambhala Sun,a wonderful Buddhist publication for anyone (not just Buddhists), and was struck by an article by noted Buddhist author Sylvia Boorstein. The article discusses the Divine Abodes, an element of the Buddhist explanation of reality that centers on particular states of consciousness that are (in part) an antidote to some pretty common negative emotional states of human beings. The Divine Abodes can be translated as (1) equanimity (2) impartial goodwill (3) spontaneous compassion and (4) genuine appreciation. The article discusses these states of consciousness in a very approachable manner and I learned a lot from it, but that wasn’t really moved me.
I was particularly interested in the simple explanation Boorstein gives of one of the primary insights of Buddhism. That is that situations, in and of themselves, have no inherent nature. My sitting in this coffee shop writing an article cannot, in a sense, MAKE me feel one way or another. I may have various reactions to being here (the basics being positive, negative and neutral) and those reactions are ok, but they can cause problems. For instance, if I enjoy it very much my clinging mind may start scheming to find a way to retain the experience and, knowing that I have to be somewhere in 45 minutes, I may begin to suffer the negative effects of knowing that this, too, shall pass. Boorstein talks in easy prose about her lived experience as a person observing her own reactions to various stimuli and finding equanimity within these situations. Equanimity allows us to experience all situations in such a way that we do not suffer from them, though we may still (of course) feel pain, pleasure or indifference in response to particular stimuli.
What does this have to do with Chinese medicine? Well, plenty. As I mulled over this article, I realized how important its insights are for students. In every educational program, we have classes that move us tremendously, others that we don’t really care one way or another about, and others that we actively dislike. When I am in a class that I love, I feel inspired and excited and I’m so reluctant to leave! This is particularly the case if I have a class that I don’t prefer soon afterwards. In fact, wonderful classes negatively impact my experience of classes that are less interesting to me. When I’m in a class I don’t prefer, I find myself not really taking in the information and - indeed - not even really being IN the class. I disconnect. I suffer in response to considering having to go to that class in the future. All of this dramatic running towards and running away serves no purpose but the stroking of my own ego - my steadfast resolve that I know what is good or valuable and what is bad or worthless. It detaches me from my lived experience and probably robs me of a great education.
So, I’ve begun trying to cultivate equanimity in class. When I say “try” I really just mean that whenever I notice my state moving in the direction of overt negativity, overt positivity or obvious indifference, I try to come back to being in that moment. What’s going on around me? What is my body sensing? What is the professor saying? Where is my breath? In this way, I had the best pharmacology class EVER today. The danger, of course, is that I become so interested in so many things that I don’t know what to focus on! :D But, there’s no rush and no aching need to spend every waking moment in pursuit of knowledge when my state is one of equanimity - so hopefully no danger there.
I realize I may not be communicating this absolutely clearly, but I hope the essence is coming across. I think this kind of state might be quite helpful in a clinical situation as well. It’s really just a variation on the old exclamation, “BE HERE NOW!” I’d be interested in hearing others’ thoughts in the comments.
Eric
Tags: buddhism, Cultivation, education, Learning, ncnm, Personal Development, Student Life, students, studyRelated posts
The development of first professional doctorate degrees in Chinese medicine
I must confess that the issue of accreditation of programs, levels of education within the acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine profession(s) and all related issues sometimes evade my understanding. While the degree that I will get at the end of my training is a Masters of Science in Oriental Medicine, I will obtain a certification that will give me the title of Licensed Acupuncturists (LAc). At this point, further education is possible in accredited DAOM (Doctorate in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine) but it brings with it no further licensure benefits. At this point, all Doctorate programs require the student to have their Masters degree and have some amount of clinical experience before they are considered for entry. The standards vary as to how much clinical experience is required. The Doctorate is clinically based and generally requires some amount of clinical research to be done.
NCNM, the school I attend in Portland, OR, has been working to create a first professional doctoral degree that focuses on Classical Chinese Medicine. I’m unclear as to whether other schools are seeking something similar. It’s been a long road, one that was started down long before I came to the school. Students, faculty, staff and community practitioners have been involved in the creation and refinement of the program. Most of the students currently in the MSOM program had high hopes that ACAOM (the Chinese medicine accreditation organization) would create a set of standards for first professional doctorates in time for us to complete our “first professional doctorates.” To that end, we have been taking the extra coursework necessary for our proposed Doctorate program. Some of us have been quite active in the process, attending committee meetings and submitting comments to the ACAOM in support of a certain set of standards.
On February 8, ACAOM released their recommendation - which is essentially that they feel they can make no recommendation because of lack of consensus in the community. If you would like to read the official document, read it at ACAOM’s website. I’m unclear what, exactly, this means for our program at NCNM. Almost certainly those of us in our third or fourth year that were hoping to graduate on time with our Doctorate will not be able to do so. That’s not my biggest concern - I’m simply interested in understanding what the essential disagreement is in the community.
So, I would like to hear from my readers. What is your stance on First Professional Doctorates? What do you feel needs to be in place before a program like that goes through? Do you have other thoughts about how education and licensing works in the Chinese medicine profession in the United States? Let us know in the comments.
Eric
Tags: acaom, Acupuncture, chinese-herb, classical-chinese-medicine, doctorate program, education, licensed acupuncturists, licensing, ncnm, organization, professional doctorates, students
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