Yo San Fertility Clinic Opens May 16

The YSU Community Clinic and the YSU DAOM Program announce the launch of the new Fertility Clinic, which will commence Sundays starting May 16, 2010.

The Yo San University Fertility Clinic will offer Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine support for both female and male Infertility patients who seek the proven techniques of 3000 years of Traditional Chinese Medicine to support their journey to conception. Infertility diagnoses treated include high FSH, advanced maternal age, luteal phase defect, uterine fibroids, endometriosis, recurrent miscarriage, unexplained infertility, and male factor infertility. Consultation and treatment services are provided by licensed acupuncturists who are residents in the nation’s first-ever Traditional Chinese Medicine Doctoral Program in Integrative Reproductive Medicine/Infertility.

All YSU resident practitioners and supervisors consult closely with, and refer regularly to Reproductive Endocrinologists to ensure the implementation of best practices and evidence-based medicine. Among the services offered are acupuncture, herbal formulas, nutritional counseling and lifestyle analysis.

All services are offered at a fraction of the cost charged by most private practice Acupuncture Fertility specialists. The motto of the new Fertility Clinic, “Helping to Create New Lives Naturally,” reflects the health and wellness perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine as it is taught and practiced at the Yo San University.

Appointments for the Yo San University Fertility Clinic can be made by calling: (310) 577-3006.

For more information go to www.yosan.edu/fertilityclinic

President’s Message

by Dr. Larry Ryan

On May 19-21, 2010 Yo San University will host a team of site visitors from the Accreditation Commission of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ACAOM) who will be on campus to evaluate the MATCM program. As a Department of Education authorized accrediting body, ACAOM constitutes the peer review process that assures that Yo San University and all other accredited TCM schools adhere to the rigorous standards of the Commission and engage in processes that assure the continuous improvement of all aspects of our academic, clinical and organizational functions. ACAOM last visited Yo San and reaffirmed our accreditation status in 2006. The 2010 site visit will be structured around fourteen specific standards that range from basic purposes/objectives, governing board and legal structure, through admissions, academic/curricular and faculty issues as well as assessment, student support and publications. The site visit will culminate well over a year’s preparation that included the drafting of the institution’s Self Study Report. The final Self Study report was an effort that involved the entire Yo San University community.

During the three days of the site visit in addition to affirming the content of the Self Study document, the ACAOM team will examine a wide range of documents and will also interview administrators, staff, faculty students and members of the Board of Directors. For the 2010 visit we expect that considerable focus will be placed on how the institution assesses the achievement of its educational objectives. Over the past four years all students, faculty, staff, alumni and even board members and clinic patients have participated in a number of assessment procedures that pertain to our institutional, purpose, educational objectives and many other factors that make Yo San the self-reflective and continuously improving institution that it is today. It is expected that the site visiting team will pay close attention to the data that emerged from those many assessments, and how the institution has utilized that data to make informed and appropriate improvements to the institution and its programs. The visit will result in a report and recommendations to the Commission.

This is a time of self-reflection regarding our strengths and our challenges. Your participation in this process is vital to our success. As you interact with the site visitors, we encourage you to be candid and honest regarding your perspectives. As the site visit dates approach, we also welcome all students, faculty, staff, and others to review the Self Study document that forms the basis of the site visit. The Self Study document can be accessed through the Office of the President.

A Taoist Guide for Enjoying the Spring in your Life

by James Tuggle

In the age of navigation systems, GPS monitoring, etc., it is appropriate to look at a system of finding your direction that goes back thousands of years. These earthly-global systems only help you find your way on the surface of the earth.

What we need to consider is a “heavenly positioning system” that can help us find our true internal or heavenly direction. Let’s call it “becoming aware” of our spiritual guide or compass.

This is not difficult if we pay attention to the changing of the seasons and other natural phenomena occurring daily, seasonally or yearly in our hectic lives. There are essentially 4 cardinal points to any given day, year or lifetime. For each day, midnight, dawn, noon and sundown are the cardinal points for any day. As followers of the integral way or natural energy cycle, this is very easy to observe and we can improve our lives greatly by just following these natural steps: arise with the dawn, work in the morning and afternoon, retire in the evening and sleep in the night. So simple yet so difficult for many of us.

Take a moment and observe how this applies to your life and extend it out to each given year and then over a complete lifetime to observe the same patterns, same energies.

Each year has this same pattern which is the basis for our spiritual compass. We all know the four seasons: winter, spring, summer and fall. The cardinal points for each season are called the winter solstice, spring equinox, summer solstice and the autumnal equinox.

Sunday, March 21 is the Spring equinox. June 22 is the Summer solstice. On the Spring solstice we have equal amounts of daylight and nighttime; or we could say yin and yang are balanced.

For the next three months we have ever increasing amounts of daylight until we reach the Summer solstice. Growth and cultivation are your tools for a bountiful harvest come Autumn. Just as you would trim the dead wood from a tree to expose it to more sunlight, you should trim the dead wood of the liver to allow your “Golden Light” to reach these deeper recesses of your consciousness.

Here’s one way to enjoy, celebrate and reset your spiritual compass. Each season has a corresponding energy center in our body and one of the five elemental energies. The energy center for Spring is the liver center and the corresponding element is wood or vegetation. Green is the dominant color; look for it internally. Also each season has a direction: Spring is the east. For those of us always looking for the esoteric or subtle energy, think of the “Green Dragon of the East.”

This is really simple, here is all you need to do: sit quietly facing the East, ideal time would be around 6 am or sunrise; Feel the springtime energy, concentrate on your liver or liver channel, where all the vegetation, ie wood, is being reborn or rejuvenated; let go of any negative emotion associated with the liver, petty resentments, anger, etc. A simple mental refrain would be to “forgive and forget”. Embrace the subtle essence of your wood energy.

An old Chinese proverb states: “As you walk, pay attention to your feet”. As acupuncturists you will understand to take this one step further and pay particular attention to your big toes. Just as you cultivate your garden by regular watering, drink lots of water which feeds the wood energy. Also lots of walking or chi gong is extremely beneficial during this season. We can all use a little extra “spring” in our step and our lives in general.

Ask Julie

by Julie Chambers

Question : How can Chinese medicine help us while we are on vacation?

Answer:
There are several common problems that come up when we are traveling. If you don’t wish to hear about bodily functions, read no further!

One of the most common problems is constipation, euphemistically referred to as “irregularity.” There are many reasons this problem occurs: changes in schedule, rushing to catch a plane, lack of privacy, etc. I have often recommended that travelers use Peach Kernel Pills (also known as Run Chang Wan and Tao Ren Wan). Several suppliers sell this formula under various names. The important ingredients in this formula are Tao Ren (peach kernel) and Hou Ma Ren (Cannabis seed), both of which are high in fatty acids. These pills will not cause cramping or severe results, but will be mildly moistening. I recommend travelers start taking them two days before their trip, to get a softening effect going ahead of time, and also to gauge the results before the actual travel date. Start with 8 pills at night, see what the results are in the morning, and if this dose is not adequate, take 8 pills three times a day. You can increase the dosage incrementally as needed.

Another common problem for travelers is insomnia. I have had exceedingly good results with Suan Zao Ren Tang from several suppliers. Always, the chief ingredient is Suan Zao Ren. Do not follow the directions on the box (to take 3 pills 3 times a day), but take them just at bedtime, and again if awake at 2, 3 or 4 am (not later). Used this way, these will not cause drowsiness in the morning. The pills are mild, and certainly nothing like Ambien or other such drugs, but they work well to relax the body and mind and allow sleep to arrive.

Another problem that could occur on vacation is “hangover,” that feeling of malaise after too much alcohol consumption. Symptoms can include headache, fatigue, lack of mental clarity and nausea. I have two remedies for this. One is “Curing Pills” (sold by many suppliers under several names). The ingredients come from several herbal categories, including aromatic damp resolvers, Qi regulators, digestives and heat clearing herbs. These pills are excellent for anything that plagues the digestive tract, from heartburn to bloating to nausea and even diarrhea. A second herbal solution to hangover is Ge Gen (Pueraria root) and Ge Hua (its flower). John Chen[1] states that Ge Hua “increases the metabolism of alcohol, relieves hangover and promotes the process of regaining sobriety.” He adds that “the root and flower [of Pueraria] are believed to have the same property for treatment of alcoholism, hangover, and liver-related disorders caused by alcohol.”

Enjoy your break, and be sure to pack some of these common remedies in your bags.

Please direct any questions you may have to Julie Chambers, L.Ac. at info@juliechamberslac.com

[1] Chen, John and Tina Chen, Chinese Medical Herbology and Pharmacology, AOM Press, 2004, p. 83

What's up, Doc?

by Ed Shaheen

Red Flag : The Painful Scrotal Mass

Even though there are TCM treatments for "the painful scrotal mass", this is a red flag that needs immediate referral.

In ancient times there was no method to differentiate between the various causes, which include orchitis (inflammation of the testicle due to viral, bacterial or tuberculous infection), and epididymitis (inflammation of the epididymitis which often occurs with orchitis). Both are usually treated initially with antibiotics and observation over a week or two, unless the patient has clinical mumps, which is the most common viral cause.
The real reason, however, for the red flag is the possibility of incarcerated hernia or testicular torsion.

Most hernias are not painful. They can be uncomfortable if they are large, but they are not red, angry looking and extremely tender to touch. We are speaking of inguinal hernias here, a condition where the inguinal canal is open to the abdomen and allows bowel to descend into the scrotum. Most inguinal hernias slide back into the abdomen spontaneously when the patient lies down. Incarceration is a "pinching" off of the intestine somewhere between the abdomen and the scrotum. This causes a strangulation of the intestinal tissue and its supporting blood vessels. In this case the hernia does not go back into the abdomen, but instead becomes more swollen and can become necrotic (gangrenous) within a few hours. If not corrected surgically in a timely manner, the patient can develop sepsis (a blood infection) or the necrosis (dead tissue) that can spread to the attached bowel within the abdomen and cause peritonitis (a bacterial infection of the lining of the abdomen), both of which can result in death.

The other significant cause for immediate referral is the possibility of testicular torsion. As you probably remember, the fetal testicles descend from the abdomen through the inguinal canal and into the scrotum. They bring along with them their own circulation, both artery and vein. Sometimes in boys and young men the testicle twists, cutting off this blood supply and creating a very painful and swollen mass. If not corrected in few hours, the patient can lose the testicle. Although a person only needs one testicle to function, you do not want to be the health care provider that misses this. Not only is it highly litigious (keeping many lawyers in business), it is also just bad medical practice to miss it. Examination is difficult even for experienced professionals because of the associated pain. Often special tests must be done, such as ultrasound or nuclear scan to determine the exact cause of the pain. Again, an immediate referral might prevent loss of the testicle.

Finally, there is one painless mass that needs immediate referral, and that is testicular carcinoma. This is a cancerous nodule of the testicle that usually occurs in young men, and is often discovered by accident. Any nodule or asymmetrical growth of the testicle should be referred for evaluation.

Yo San Scores BIG at the February CA Board Exam

by Steven A. Carter

Twelve Yo San grads made the trek to Ontario, California in February for the winter California Board Exam and at first, there was much confusion. Amtrak and Metrolink trains ran past the hotels all night long, waking many of the test-takers every two hours the night before the test.

The Ontario Convention Center, hosting the exam for the first time, didn’t seem well-prepared for the onslaught of nearly 600 test-takers, changing their security policies throughout the day as they tried to deal with their miscalculations.

Food was hard to find because students were barred from the concession stands in the Convention Center (thank you Marilyn Allen for providing baked potatoes and soup for those in need!).

And the exam had a number of proctoring glitches which were slightly crazy-making for a group that had arrived with enough of their own anxiety and certainly didn’t need any extra. So, by the end of a very long day – a day that started at 8:00am and ended at 5:30pm – morale at the Convention Center was low. But this is when we have to remember that our students have completed a Yo San education, an education that prepares them for highs and lows, twists and turns, and serious academic rigor.

On Saturday March 13th, just one day prior to graduation, exam results suddenly arrived in the mail. Imagine how proud our twelve test-takers were to discover just moments before graduation day that they had all passed the exam. Yes, all twelve. 100%. Another one for the Yo San record books.

Congratulations to all of our test-takers who proved once again that whether they are testing in Ontario, testing in Sacramento, or quietly studying at 13315 W. Washington Boulevard, Yo San students stand head and shoulders above the crowd.

Chinese New Year Story

by Bita Yadidi

February 14th is always a special day for those of us who enjoy any opportunity to celebrate romance. But this year, February 14th was an extra special day for the Yo San University community, and my entire family knew this from the moment we woke that morning and hurried to get to the school.

As we arrived on the 3rd floor of the university building, the Yo San student volunteers warmly welcomed us, and invited us into the shrine room. We sat down on our cushions and looked around, observing many faces of people I knew and many of people I did not know; a warm feeling of community grew in my heart; so many families peacefully sitting with their friends, significant others and children, patiently awaiting the start of the event. I was just thinking and appreciating one simple fact: How wonderful that we have the opportunity as a community to gather around once a year and celebrate the beginning of a New Year--the Chinese New Year at Yo San University. How fortunate we are to be able to participate in such a beautiful and joyous event!

The room was filling up quickly; I continued to recognize more faces, while noticing just as many that were new to me. This is one of the lovely things about being part of a growing, thriving community. I could see the university President sitting comfortably amidst the students, and many of my favorite instructors. The feeling of belonging was palpable. Like most others in the room, I was eagerly anticipating the moment Dr. Mao would come out and speak to us about what to expect for the Year of the Tiger, and Dr. Dao would gracefully lead us in the new year renewal ceremony. And I knew that Dr. Dao and Dr. Mao would be followed by professor Ed Sullivan presenting his delightful, whimsical, witty skit about the year of the Tiger! (My children’s favorite part of the event, of course!).

When the clock hit 10:00, Karen Gordon the President of YSUSA came out and introduced herself. I was touched by the personal story she shared with us about how she discovered Yo San university. Also, Karen having a passion for singing -- especially Korean opera -- had arranged a special guest appearance by Hunjeong Seo, who performed beautiful Traditional Korean Opera with her accompanist, Jungwon Oh. She was dressed in a precious and sweet pink baby doll like dress, holding an Asian paper fan, with beautiful white skin and rosy cheeks—for a second, I thought she was a porcelain doll.