If you’ve been thinking about studying with Zach Parsons in the Boston area this year, this is your last chance for 2011!
In this weekend of lecture and exploration Zach will not only discuss the “Nine Ancient Needles” of the Ling Shu; you will experience how they were, are, and might be used according to each needle’s inherent characteristics. You will learn the vibration of different types of metals and how it, along with needle gauge and size, affects the body with each insertion. Join Zach as he demonstrates how to unlock and develop your own unique abilities to feel, understand, and guide Qi with the use of any needle and how harnessing these abilities can greatly improve the efficacy of your acupuncture treatments.
The skills you learn in this class can be used with any style of acupuncture, and applied with great success in healing your patients. No previous experience with “The Evolving Art of Acupuncture” necessary, all practitioners are welcome!
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Monday, September 19, 2011
Free Talk on Thursday, September 22nd
This Thursday, I will be giving a talk at NESA in response to the question, "How does one approach needle technique as a path for acupuncturists?" We will be gathered in Classroom 2 from 7:00 to 9:00 PM. I was asked to be a guest lecturer by my friend and colleague, Par Scott, whose regular class meets at that time. Par has generously offered his own translational work on part of Ling Shu to accompany my musings on the 'Nine Ancient Needles' and their relevance in modern day acupuncture. Because some practitioners not enrolled at NESA have expressed interest in attending, Par has opened up the class to as many people as will fit into the room.
In addition to talking about the historical development of the 'Nine Needles' and the many different ways to use acupuncture tools, I will be sharing my own personal journey to become more proficient in acupuncture skills. Come and hear about the practitioners who inspired me to become better at my work, and learn some of the foundational exercises that will help you develop your own acupuncture techniques and help you go beyond what you can do with a needle today.
Since there is limited seating available, it will be on a first-come-first-served basis. So come early, bring some good questions and maybe your dinner. I hope to see you there!
In addition to talking about the historical development of the 'Nine Needles' and the many different ways to use acupuncture tools, I will be sharing my own personal journey to become more proficient in acupuncture skills. Come and hear about the practitioners who inspired me to become better at my work, and learn some of the foundational exercises that will help you develop your own acupuncture techniques and help you go beyond what you can do with a needle today.
Since there is limited seating available, it will be on a first-come-first-served basis. So come early, bring some good questions and maybe your dinner. I hope to see you there!
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Energy Signature and Vibration Techniques
NEW DATE: September 24-25, 2011
Come join Zach as he shares how to discern the type, strength, and chronicity of each pathogen by recognizing what he terms its unique “energy signature”. When pathogens invade the body, they initially lodge in the exterior, blocking Qi flow, creating Stasis, and setting in motion a cascade of events that can lead to many diseases – and leaving a palpable marker in its wake. You will learn each pathogen’s unique signature, and how it will feel under your finger when you palpate the point. We’ll spend time practicing the diagnosis of points, as well as the needle techniques best for effectively ridding the body of each pathogen
This information can be taken right into the clinic on Monday and applied with great success in healing your patients! No previous experience with “The Evolving Art of Acupuncture” necessary, and practitioners of all styles are welcome.
Come join Zach as he shares how to discern the type, strength, and chronicity of each pathogen by recognizing what he terms its unique “energy signature”. When pathogens invade the body, they initially lodge in the exterior, blocking Qi flow, creating Stasis, and setting in motion a cascade of events that can lead to many diseases – and leaving a palpable marker in its wake. You will learn each pathogen’s unique signature, and how it will feel under your finger when you palpate the point. We’ll spend time practicing the diagnosis of points, as well as the needle techniques best for effectively ridding the body of each pathogen
This information can be taken right into the clinic on Monday and applied with great success in healing your patients! No previous experience with “The Evolving Art of Acupuncture” necessary, and practitioners of all styles are welcome.
Monday, September 12, 2011
All Moved In
Back in... um... January? February? A follower of the blog informed me that it was getting a little "stale." And, indeed, I have completely slacked off writing posts since the baby was born. My wife, Rachel, has informed me that since I am now feeling rested enough to play a good deal of Microsoft Hearts in my spare time, that it is an indication that I now HAVE some spare time and that it would be better spent talking with you lot. And she is absolutely right. As I come out of the year-one haze of having a baby (oh yes, there is a year-one haze) I am looking forward to posting more and more in the days ahead.
Here is what is planned for the near future:
I have recently been asked to give a talk about needle technique as a path for acupuncturists. We are settling on a date for that, but I am hoping it will be in a few weeks. The request came at just the right time for me. I have been musing for some time now about how best to lay the foundation for more expert needle technique in first-year acupuncture students, and have developed a series of exercises which both prepare a new student for the process of needling, improve an established practitioner's needle handling, and facilitate learning several intermediate and advanced concepts of needling. In addition to this upcoming talk, I will be putting those up on the blog over the next few weeks.
There are two more classes in this year's class series. In two weeks, on September 24-25, I will be teaching Energy Signatures and Vibration Techniques. And on October 22-23, I will be teaching Non-Insertive Needle Techniques. I am excited to be teaching these classes again. Energy Signatures and Vibration Techniques has always been a well-received class that is chock-full of useful material for practitioners of any style. Non-Insertive Needle Techniques will show you just how easy it can be to harness your Qi more directly during treatment, and how much more wonderful all your needle technique will be because of it.
In late October, I will be starting a new project that will be closely tied to this blog. Stay tuned for more on that. Trust me when I say that this will be something that you do not want to miss!
It feels good to be back!
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Class Postponed
The upcoming August 27-28 class Energy Signature and Vibration Techniques has been postponed. I will be in the process of moving my house at the end of August, and taking that weekend for teaching will just not be possible. The class will instead be held September 24-25. Those are the second and third days of Autumn proper. Since Autumn is often a difficult time for clients, as the weather and pathogens change, I can think of no better time for us to get together to talk about the specific seasonal pathogens, the signature they provide when they are lodged in specific acupuncture points, and the best techiques to rid the point of the pathogen that has taken up residence there. I look forward to seeing you at the class.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Point Release and Appropriate Insertion
July 30-31, 2011
Join Zach as we refine our needle technique. This class will cover all parts of the actual needling process, from your mental approach, stance and posture, the ways you direct Qi, physical movements of the fingers, your reasons for selecting needles, and your goals for every point you treat.
We will explore the ways in which different practitioners experience and process Qi, and how the way you process Qi can inform and improve your treatment results. Advanced needle manipulations from many styles of acupuncture have been deconstructed to provide foundational templates from which to work. Methods for adjusting these templates to respond to your clinical needs will be discussed in detail.
This class is an opportunity for students and practitioners of any style and any level of expertise to deepen their personal understanding of the needle techniques they practice.
All are welcome. No prior experience with the Art of Acupuncture classes is required. A selection of needles will be supplied, and you are also free to bring your own.
Join Zach as we refine our needle technique. This class will cover all parts of the actual needling process, from your mental approach, stance and posture, the ways you direct Qi, physical movements of the fingers, your reasons for selecting needles, and your goals for every point you treat.
We will explore the ways in which different practitioners experience and process Qi, and how the way you process Qi can inform and improve your treatment results. Advanced needle manipulations from many styles of acupuncture have been deconstructed to provide foundational templates from which to work. Methods for adjusting these templates to respond to your clinical needs will be discussed in detail.
This class is an opportunity for students and practitioners of any style and any level of expertise to deepen their personal understanding of the needle techniques they practice.
All are welcome. No prior experience with the Art of Acupuncture classes is required. A selection of needles will be supplied, and you are also free to bring your own.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Understanding Points and Vectors
June 11-12, 2011
Come join us and take a new and deeper look at acupuncture points. This class will show you new ways to locate active points, feel the characteristics that define how best to treat the points, and allow you to receive constant feedback on your treatment while you are working.
Come join us and take a new and deeper look at acupuncture points. This class will show you new ways to locate active points, feel the characteristics that define how best to treat the points, and allow you to receive constant feedback on your treatment while you are working.
Every point has one or more angles for optimal insertion, which are called vectors. We will define different depths and qualities of these vectors, and present the methods used to locate them. In addition, detailed topography of acupuncture points will be discussed, and special pulse skills will be shown to help you confirm you point location and treatment choices.
This class is intended for students and practitioners of any style who are interested in developing their palpation skills. There will be considerable practice time allotted in this class, to allow you to integrate the new material being presented.
All are welcome. No prior experience with the Art of Acupuncture classes is required.
Friday, April 29, 2011
How to Improve your Pulse Skills, Part Two
As I mentioned in my last post, there are two things that spring to mind in answer to the question, “how can I improve my pulse skills right now?” Last time I talked about how a pulse journal can help you review and evaluate how useful your pulse diagnosis actually is for you in your work. This time, I want to talk to you about taking stock of how you actually treat people.
During our schooling and through our continuing education work, we are usually exposed to more than one conceptual framework or acupuncture style. There are so many styles of acupuncture out there, I hesitate to even try to make a list. I think it is important when considering styles of acupuncture to keep three things in mind:
1: Most acupuncture styles are based on the same source materials – virtually everyone traces their styles back to one or more of the acupuncture classics.
2: Most acupuncture styles are describing the same things – whatever terminology people use, we tend to all be describing an imbalance in the body, and we are trying to bring the body back into a state of better balance.
3: Most acupuncture styles work well – despite strong opinions that may arise during your career about the relative merits of different styles, if a style does not work it does not survive. Anyone who has been in business for any length of time is doing something right.
You may be a purist in a single style, or you may pick and choose from the different methods to which you have been exposed over the years. Whatever you do is ok. What I want you to consider for the purposes of this exercise is what exactly do you do? So I want you to take stock of what treatments you do on a regular basis. And when I say “take stock” I really mean just that – make a big list of every treatment you can remember doing in recent history. Go over your past files, or just sit down at the end of each day or each week and remember what you did for each client. And write everything down.
Once you have this list of treatments, I want you to think about how you take the pulse. I want you to ask yourself if the information you get from the pulse is enough to allow you to make a clear distinction between each of the treatments you have on your list. If the answer is “no,” ask yourself the following questions:
1: Where do I get the information that helps me make a choice between all these treatment patterns? Is it from asking? Abdominal palpation? Facial diagnosis? Smells? Voice patterns?... and so on.
2: Would I like to be able to diagnose all these patterns using the pulse as my primary method of gathering information?
3: What would I need to be able to read in the pulse about the Qi of the body to make this happen?
Once you have your answers, you have several options available for moving forward. Go to your pulse books and your notes from your classes to see if such information is there. Talk with colleagues and teachers to see if anyone can advise you on how to move forward. Necessity is the mother of innovation. Identifying what you are missing and what you WANT to be able to feel in the pulse is a great first step in finding it there.
For those of you coming to the pulse class weekend, I highly recommend keeping a pulse journal for a couple weeks and taking stock of how you actually treat (or think about treatment). One of the goals in Simplifying the Pulse is to help every participant tailor this pulse method to fit his or her unique and authentic way of seeing and treating clients. The pulse CAN be your primary diagnostic method, and you CAN quickly and easily differentiate among all the patterns you commonly treat using the pulse. Many people over the years have told me that they only use their pulse diagnosis to confirm broad-stroke aspects of their diagnosis. If you choose to work this way, that is completely fine. If you distrust your pulse-taking skills and feel that you cannot use the pulse reliably to determine how the balance of Qi in the body is out of harmony, I encourage you to take control, take stock of how you work and think right now, and make changes that help you feel like you are doing the best and most joyful work you can.
During our schooling and through our continuing education work, we are usually exposed to more than one conceptual framework or acupuncture style. There are so many styles of acupuncture out there, I hesitate to even try to make a list. I think it is important when considering styles of acupuncture to keep three things in mind:
1: Most acupuncture styles are based on the same source materials – virtually everyone traces their styles back to one or more of the acupuncture classics.
2: Most acupuncture styles are describing the same things – whatever terminology people use, we tend to all be describing an imbalance in the body, and we are trying to bring the body back into a state of better balance.
3: Most acupuncture styles work well – despite strong opinions that may arise during your career about the relative merits of different styles, if a style does not work it does not survive. Anyone who has been in business for any length of time is doing something right.
You may be a purist in a single style, or you may pick and choose from the different methods to which you have been exposed over the years. Whatever you do is ok. What I want you to consider for the purposes of this exercise is what exactly do you do? So I want you to take stock of what treatments you do on a regular basis. And when I say “take stock” I really mean just that – make a big list of every treatment you can remember doing in recent history. Go over your past files, or just sit down at the end of each day or each week and remember what you did for each client. And write everything down.
Once you have this list of treatments, I want you to think about how you take the pulse. I want you to ask yourself if the information you get from the pulse is enough to allow you to make a clear distinction between each of the treatments you have on your list. If the answer is “no,” ask yourself the following questions:
1: Where do I get the information that helps me make a choice between all these treatment patterns? Is it from asking? Abdominal palpation? Facial diagnosis? Smells? Voice patterns?... and so on.
2: Would I like to be able to diagnose all these patterns using the pulse as my primary method of gathering information?
3: What would I need to be able to read in the pulse about the Qi of the body to make this happen?
Once you have your answers, you have several options available for moving forward. Go to your pulse books and your notes from your classes to see if such information is there. Talk with colleagues and teachers to see if anyone can advise you on how to move forward. Necessity is the mother of innovation. Identifying what you are missing and what you WANT to be able to feel in the pulse is a great first step in finding it there.
For those of you coming to the pulse class weekend, I highly recommend keeping a pulse journal for a couple weeks and taking stock of how you actually treat (or think about treatment). One of the goals in Simplifying the Pulse is to help every participant tailor this pulse method to fit his or her unique and authentic way of seeing and treating clients. The pulse CAN be your primary diagnostic method, and you CAN quickly and easily differentiate among all the patterns you commonly treat using the pulse. Many people over the years have told me that they only use their pulse diagnosis to confirm broad-stroke aspects of their diagnosis. If you choose to work this way, that is completely fine. If you distrust your pulse-taking skills and feel that you cannot use the pulse reliably to determine how the balance of Qi in the body is out of harmony, I encourage you to take control, take stock of how you work and think right now, and make changes that help you feel like you are doing the best and most joyful work you can.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
How to Improve your Pulse Skills, Part One
The pulse weekend approaches! And some of you out there are probably itching for something to do right now to improve your pulse skills! There are two things that spring to mind as things that you can do on your own to really improve your pulse-taking ability – either in preparation for the class weekend, or just because there’s nothing on TV and you need a new hobby.
The first thing is to keep a pulse journal for a set amount of time. A month is great, but even two weeks will do very nicely as well. In order to journal pulses in a useful fashion, the key is to be regular and thorough. If you are seeing clients, do this independently of your clinical work. When you are working you have other things on your mind besides pure appreciation of the pulse. I recommend that you actually use a physical journal which is earmarked for this purpose only as well, so you will have all your pulse logs in one place.
You should aim to take at least 3 pulses a day, each with the sole purpose of recording everything you can feel going on in the pulse vessel. Note who's pulse you are feeling, the date, the time, the location, what is going on around you, what the person ate or did recently, any emotions that are up for the person at the time, as well as any other environmental factors that seem relevant. Then feel the pulse as fully as you can, and make note of everything you find. If you have trained in different systems of pulse diagnosis, indulge each of them separately and chart the whole of what you find.
If possible, try to regularly chart the pulse of one or more person repeatedly - every day or often over the time span. Taking your own pulse is a valid and excellent choice for one of the 3+ people. You will be able to watch how changes in daily life affect you or the other person over time. This honest assessment of how mood, travel, life rhythms, food, etc. affects a person will be of great value to you in helping you recognize pulses in the your clinical work.
Also if possible, ask someone who you respect or who is a teacher for you to take a look at your pulse journal after you have filled it out a bit. What you are ideally looking for as feedback is habits or trends that the other person sees in how you are taking the pulse, and whether the person sees any bias in your work that appears unbalanced to him or her. Examples of such bias might be noticing that you find a pulse to be slippery and wiry in almost every case, or that your 6-positional diagnosis comes up liver 90% of the time. While such things are possible, they are unlikely. Another set of eyes can help you see areas where you might be misreading the pulse. Likely causes for misreading the pulse are imprecise use of pulse definitions (in which case you can review those used in whatever pulse system you have studies) or uneven tension in the fingers (in which case, you can be more mindful of this in the future).
Even if you do this exercise on your own, you will find it of great benefit, as it will help you clarify exactly what you look for in the pulse. If you know what information you are getting from the pulse on a daily basis in your work, you can think about how completely this information fills your diagnostic needs, and whether you might want to search for something else in the pulse vessel to make your choice of treatment strategy easier.
The first thing is to keep a pulse journal for a set amount of time. A month is great, but even two weeks will do very nicely as well. In order to journal pulses in a useful fashion, the key is to be regular and thorough. If you are seeing clients, do this independently of your clinical work. When you are working you have other things on your mind besides pure appreciation of the pulse. I recommend that you actually use a physical journal which is earmarked for this purpose only as well, so you will have all your pulse logs in one place.
You should aim to take at least 3 pulses a day, each with the sole purpose of recording everything you can feel going on in the pulse vessel. Note who's pulse you are feeling, the date, the time, the location, what is going on around you, what the person ate or did recently, any emotions that are up for the person at the time, as well as any other environmental factors that seem relevant. Then feel the pulse as fully as you can, and make note of everything you find. If you have trained in different systems of pulse diagnosis, indulge each of them separately and chart the whole of what you find.
If possible, try to regularly chart the pulse of one or more person repeatedly - every day or often over the time span. Taking your own pulse is a valid and excellent choice for one of the 3+ people. You will be able to watch how changes in daily life affect you or the other person over time. This honest assessment of how mood, travel, life rhythms, food, etc. affects a person will be of great value to you in helping you recognize pulses in the your clinical work.
Also if possible, ask someone who you respect or who is a teacher for you to take a look at your pulse journal after you have filled it out a bit. What you are ideally looking for as feedback is habits or trends that the other person sees in how you are taking the pulse, and whether the person sees any bias in your work that appears unbalanced to him or her. Examples of such bias might be noticing that you find a pulse to be slippery and wiry in almost every case, or that your 6-positional diagnosis comes up liver 90% of the time. While such things are possible, they are unlikely. Another set of eyes can help you see areas where you might be misreading the pulse. Likely causes for misreading the pulse are imprecise use of pulse definitions (in which case you can review those used in whatever pulse system you have studies) or uneven tension in the fingers (in which case, you can be more mindful of this in the future).
Even if you do this exercise on your own, you will find it of great benefit, as it will help you clarify exactly what you look for in the pulse. If you know what information you are getting from the pulse on a daily basis in your work, you can think about how completely this information fills your diagnostic needs, and whether you might want to search for something else in the pulse vessel to make your choice of treatment strategy easier.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Pulse and Herbal Diagnosis
I remember when I was just starting out in my studies of acupuncture, I visited an herbal pharmacy in Boston's Chinatown. In the back, an older gentleman sat at a card table and took pulses. He spoke no English, and just took my pulse for a few minutes. Then he jotted down an herbal pharmacy in Chinese characters and handed it to me. I took the paper over to the several people who were busily measuring out raw herbs and handed it over the counter to them. They quickly made me up an herbal remedy, handed it over to me, I paid them, and I left. And the herbs worked quite well for me!
At the time, this seemed like magic. How on EARTH could someone just take a pulse, and from that alone come up with an herbal formula - without asking any questions?!? Now, many years later, I understand how such a thing is possible. It requires only 3 things, and the most elusive of them for many practitioners is a reliable system of pulse diagnosis that expands with the needs you place on it so that you can get as much or as little information as you NEED for clients presenting with patterns of greater or lesser complexity. The system presented in Simplifying the Pulse will do just that, and can be used equally well with herbal diagnosis as with acupuncture diagnosis.
By request, I will be covering the basics of how to use the pulse this way during the upcoming class. The principles discussed can be applied to different styles of practice so that you may set up a patent, powder, or raw herb formulary to complement the work you are already doing, with the pulse being the central diagnostic method. One common difficulty faced by practitioners who are trained in both TCM and meridian-therapy styles is how to easily use herbs in their meridian-therapy style practices without having to shift mental gears and do a full TCM-style intake. I will discuss ways to overcome this problem and how meridian therapists can set up a pharmacy to complement the patterns they see and treat in their practice. However you think about your acupuncture work, you will learn how to feel the qualities in the pulse that will allow you bring herbal medicine, dietary supplements, and food prescriptions seamlessly into your existing practice.
For meridian therapists who have special interest in this facet of pulse diagnosis, I suggest picking up a copy of the book The Practice of Japanese Acupuncture and Moxibustion, by Ikeda Masakazu, as recommended reading before the coming weekend. While I do not find everything in this book applicable to my own practice or suitable for my clients, it is one of the best sources for expanding what is usually taught as meridian therpay in this country and understanding how to translate between traditional acupuncture meridian patterns and more modern herbal categories of treatment.
At the time, this seemed like magic. How on EARTH could someone just take a pulse, and from that alone come up with an herbal formula - without asking any questions?!? Now, many years later, I understand how such a thing is possible. It requires only 3 things, and the most elusive of them for many practitioners is a reliable system of pulse diagnosis that expands with the needs you place on it so that you can get as much or as little information as you NEED for clients presenting with patterns of greater or lesser complexity. The system presented in Simplifying the Pulse will do just that, and can be used equally well with herbal diagnosis as with acupuncture diagnosis.
By request, I will be covering the basics of how to use the pulse this way during the upcoming class. The principles discussed can be applied to different styles of practice so that you may set up a patent, powder, or raw herb formulary to complement the work you are already doing, with the pulse being the central diagnostic method. One common difficulty faced by practitioners who are trained in both TCM and meridian-therapy styles is how to easily use herbs in their meridian-therapy style practices without having to shift mental gears and do a full TCM-style intake. I will discuss ways to overcome this problem and how meridian therapists can set up a pharmacy to complement the patterns they see and treat in their practice. However you think about your acupuncture work, you will learn how to feel the qualities in the pulse that will allow you bring herbal medicine, dietary supplements, and food prescriptions seamlessly into your existing practice.
For meridian therapists who have special interest in this facet of pulse diagnosis, I suggest picking up a copy of the book The Practice of Japanese Acupuncture and Moxibustion, by Ikeda Masakazu, as recommended reading before the coming weekend. While I do not find everything in this book applicable to my own practice or suitable for my clients, it is one of the best sources for expanding what is usually taught as meridian therpay in this country and understanding how to translate between traditional acupuncture meridian patterns and more modern herbal categories of treatment.
Monday, April 11, 2011
The Evolving Art of Acupuncture
This groundbreaking system will guide you through a progression of deepening connections to the energy physiology of the body and help you uncover YOUR unique gifts as a healer!
Join us as we take an entirely new and nuanced look at the acupuncture system of medicine. First, we’ll break down the pulse to make diagnosis effortless with our clear, comprehensible system. We will explore the topography of the body and elucidate proven methods to find the best points for optimal treatment. We’ll discuss the angles called vectors at each acupuncture point, and how harnessing their intrinsic potential can multiply the efficacy of treatment. And we will enter a world of needle techniques that will enhance your practice way beyond just “tapping” insertion to an elegantly simple, gloriously effective skill. Upon completion, you will appreciate Qi not just academically, but through your direct connection and embodied experience.
With plenty of opportunities for Q & A, as well as considerable practice time, you will be amazed at how easy it is to integrate this material into any style of acupuncture you use.
“A system that we can use right now in our practice…simple and very user-friendly! I highly recommend taking a class with Zach. He is extremely knowledgeable and presents the information in clear, precise, and fun ways. Thanks Zach!”
-Adrienne Martin, Lic. Ac.
Click links below for class descriptions:
Simplifying Pulse Diagnosis: Saturday, 5/14 & Sunday, 5/15
Understanding Points and Vectors: Saturday, 6/11 & Sunday, 6/12
Point Release and Appropriate Insertion: Saturday, 7/30 & Sunday, 7/31
Energy Signature and Vibration Technique: NEW DATE: Saturday, 9/24 & Sunday, 9/25
Non-Inserted Needle Techniques: Saturday, 10/22 & Sunday, 10/23
Your tax-deductible investment: $295 practitioners/$250 students
+ 12 CEU/PDA points for each weekend
** Attend four classes and get the fifth one FREE!! You save $295 and learn a whole lotta good stuff in a joyful, supportive atmosphere **
All classes will be held from 9:00 - 4:30 at 62 Massachusetts Avenue, Lexington, MA
To register, email: thesilverneedle@gmail.com, or phone: 781-860-8808
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Formatting Difficulties
Sorry, folks. I am having some formatting difficulties with the blog tonight. I hope to have it fixed by tomorrow.
Simplifying Pulse Diagnosis
May 14-15, 2011
Join us this weekend to boost your pulse taking skills and remove the guesswork from your diagnosis. The material in this class will enhance your ability to diagnose with the pulse, and bring you greater ease in recognizing individual pulse qualities and combinations of multiple qualities.
A clear and well-defined system will be presented, allowing you to break down any pulse in the clinic to find as much or as little information as you need to treat your client. You will learn how to think about the pulse in determining a treatment strategy, suitable stances for best results, and correct hand pressure skills. We will talk about how to deconstruct the 27 classical pulses so that you may more easily learn to apply them in your work, and will also discuss the basics of how to use herbs in your practice with the pulse as your primary diagnostic tool. You will leave feeling confident that you can recognize any pattern in the pulse.
This class is an opportunity for students and practitioners to integrate all the pulse teachings they have had in the past, and make sense of any inconsistencies or difficulties they encounter taking the pulse in their clinical practice.
From beginning students to experienced practitioners, all are welcome.
Join us this weekend to boost your pulse taking skills and remove the guesswork from your diagnosis. The material in this class will enhance your ability to diagnose with the pulse, and bring you greater ease in recognizing individual pulse qualities and combinations of multiple qualities.
A clear and well-defined system will be presented, allowing you to break down any pulse in the clinic to find as much or as little information as you need to treat your client. You will learn how to think about the pulse in determining a treatment strategy, suitable stances for best results, and correct hand pressure skills. We will talk about how to deconstruct the 27 classical pulses so that you may more easily learn to apply them in your work, and will also discuss the basics of how to use herbs in your practice with the pulse as your primary diagnostic tool. You will leave feeling confident that you can recognize any pattern in the pulse.
This class is an opportunity for students and practitioners to integrate all the pulse teachings they have had in the past, and make sense of any inconsistencies or difficulties they encounter taking the pulse in their clinical practice.
From beginning students to experienced practitioners, all are welcome.
2011 Class Schedule
The class schdule for 2011 is ready, and will be posted as soon as I have time to put in the hyperlinks to class descriptions. Look for it by tomorrow (Monday)!
Monday, March 7, 2011
Learning the One-Handed Needle Turn?
To those of you who have come here looking for the video tutorial on the One-Handed Needle Turn, welcome! The links to the two videos can be found on the right side of the page, if you scroll down a little. I have been told that the links are sometimes working and sometimes not, so if you are having trouble loading the video here, just copy and paste the following address into your web browser:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1ix-C1HJKk
There are two videos uploaded about turning the needle: the Parallel Variation and the Side Variation. If you are learning this technique for the first time, I recommend you start with the Parallel Variation. The link above will take you to that video. When you get that down, your acupuncture skill will benefit greatly from taking the time to learn the Side Variation as well:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LH3xMKKoKgY
HOW will you benefit? The One-Handed Needle Turn is one of the single most beneficial foundation skills you can practice to improve overall needle technique and the ability to feel and manipulate Qi with your hands. Look over these past posts for nine things you can expect from just practicing this one movement:
http://thesilverneedle.blogspot.com/search/label/One%20Handed%20Needle%20Turn
The key word with the One-Handed Needle Turn is “practice.” The Turn is a foundational skill, and as such, you can think about it like scales if you play the piano. Even concert pianists do scales every day, and you will see the best results if you practice your Turn every day. When I started learning the Turn I practiced with each hand whenever I had a break in my schedule. I also got into the habit of doing this technique before inserting every needle during an actual treatment. I have performed a One-Handed Needle Turn with virtually every needle I have used in the past 10+ years. It has helped me learn a great deal about where I hold tension in my body, how Qi flows through my hands, the ability of different needles to conduct Qi to and from the point, and changes that occur at acupuncture points in different clients. It is, truly, a marvelous technique.
I hope that you will enjoy using the One-Handed Turn in your own work as much as I do. Please read the past posts, watch the videos, and practice, practice, and practice. If you have any specific questions, please comment below! I would love to hear from you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1ix-C1HJKk
There are two videos uploaded about turning the needle: the Parallel Variation and the Side Variation. If you are learning this technique for the first time, I recommend you start with the Parallel Variation. The link above will take you to that video. When you get that down, your acupuncture skill will benefit greatly from taking the time to learn the Side Variation as well:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LH3xMKKoKgY
HOW will you benefit? The One-Handed Needle Turn is one of the single most beneficial foundation skills you can practice to improve overall needle technique and the ability to feel and manipulate Qi with your hands. Look over these past posts for nine things you can expect from just practicing this one movement:
http://thesilverneedle.blogspot.com/search/label/One%20Handed%20Needle%20Turn
The key word with the One-Handed Needle Turn is “practice.” The Turn is a foundational skill, and as such, you can think about it like scales if you play the piano. Even concert pianists do scales every day, and you will see the best results if you practice your Turn every day. When I started learning the Turn I practiced with each hand whenever I had a break in my schedule. I also got into the habit of doing this technique before inserting every needle during an actual treatment. I have performed a One-Handed Needle Turn with virtually every needle I have used in the past 10+ years. It has helped me learn a great deal about where I hold tension in my body, how Qi flows through my hands, the ability of different needles to conduct Qi to and from the point, and changes that occur at acupuncture points in different clients. It is, truly, a marvelous technique.
I hope that you will enjoy using the One-Handed Turn in your own work as much as I do. Please read the past posts, watch the videos, and practice, practice, and practice. If you have any specific questions, please comment below! I would love to hear from you.
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