News from J.P. O'Hara, YSU Freshly Greaduate, Class of 2013

I am a volunteer and the official team acupuncturist for Santa Monica College football team. My brother coaches the quarterbacks on the team and coincidentally I was coached by the head coach and the defensive coordinator 15 years ago at Whittier college. I really want to get into sports acupuncture so I asked my brother if I could come and do his team. I came once and the kids ate it up! It was a no-brainer from that point on. I'm getting valid experience and they're getting free treatments. I treat there Tuesday and Thursday for two and a half hours at a time and treat about 15 kids a week. I am treating things I've never treated before like 'turf toe', shin splints, 'stingers' (this is what the players call it when they hit someone and neuralgia occurs down the arm).
The team trainers and doctor have been surprisingly welcoming. They tell kids that are injured to come see me all the time. I'm having a blast and seeing a lot of results.

News from a Yo San Alum : Claire Williams Class of 2011

Hello Fellow Yo Sanners!!

Thinking about running away to a tropical island after you graduate to escape the chaos of LA?! Or maybe I was the only one..
Well, if not, here is the guide to Tropical Island Acupuncture Practices..
1. Make sure you translate all of your paperwork into the language before you move.. otherwise, 4 months later, your tan is in great shape, but your intake form is still in English..

2. Make sure you have internet at your office.. for that moment when someone tells you their homoplats hurt... only you have no clue what or where a homoplat is..(it's your shoulderblade.)

3. Make sure you meet a fellow acupuncturist as soon as you arrive, for when you run out of needles and have no where to purchase them and shipment from the US takes 2 months.. you might need them to front you some..

4. Make sure when you choose a tropical island, you ensure that it is in fact TROPICAL.. not sub tropical... sub tropical has a winter rainy season that lasts for 5 months and reminds you of Rainy LA...

5. Be prepared to make some hefty language mistakes... like telling your patients to put on their chicken when it is cold outside so they don't get sick, reminding them it is normal to want to hide in their cucumber... or even encouraging them to embrace their inner dildo... yeah.. whoops!!

Ok, Ok, enough of the list, but in reality, it has been one helluva adventure!! I arrived last August, after 3 frustrating yet enlightening months in China/Hong Kong, and got a job as a tour guide.. Slowly but surely, I bought a massage table and sharps container, found an office space and made a business card..et voila; Invoke Wellness was born! (Like my page on FB!)

Now, legally, things are tricky here, but as long as I stay under the radar, no one should bother me. There is a loophole, and that is how non MD acupuncturists are allowed to practice. As long as they don't take away too much business from the MD's! I didn't run any ads, but being in a city of 150,000, you don't need to run ads, word of mouth works wonders! And so, bit by bit, patients are coming through the door.. at 9 months of official operation I am seeing 15 patients a week.. Hey, it could be worse! I do a decent amount of trade (right now about 20% trade, but in the beginning I was doing 60%!) My idea is, the more people that know about me, the faster the word gets round! And it has worked. I trade with a few different Osteopaths, a few massage therapists, yoga teachers, and I even trade for my haircuts, nails, and jewelry! No, I don't need my nails done every month, but I work next door to a beauty salon, and I get quite a few patients from them. I give the gals ear seeds, and their clients inquire and BAM, Presto, New Patient for me!!
As far as treatments go, I get a lot of pain issues, Lv/Kd yin xu, Lv Qi stag, a few odd cases including generalized feet neuropathy (that western medecine has found absolutely no explanation for), Meige's Dystonia, and of course, our favorite friend, damp and sp qi xu..
People here think a breakfast consists of bread with butter and jam. And don't forget the pound of sugar with that coffee. Water? You mean that clear stuff to which you add Flavored Sugar Syrup? Not to mention the fact that fresh veggies here include potatoes.. cabbage...carrots.. and more potatoes and giant yams, (not the good sweet potato kind,) Non-Nutritional Texas sized yams. Yams that could kill a man. If you want real veggies you go frozen or broke.. broke because everything is imported and a small box of fresh spinach, if you can find it, will cost you $10, and you want a tomato? That will cost you $7 a kilo. Persimmons you say?! Only $15 a kilo! and no, they don't have Kale here, and their beets have no greens... and their avocados have seeds throughout that taste like cardboard! And the other day, at the supermarket, they didn't have any ONIONS!! WHO RUNS OUT OF ONIONS!!! oh yeah.. we do.. But at least the fish is good here! And not too expensive... unless of course you eat fish from the lagoon that happens to have high levels of Ciguatera toxin, which means that you can't eat fish for at least 6 months.. or nuts, or chocolate, or too much meat, and no alcohol either. And did I mention that this toxin causes your hands and feet to feel like they are burning hot after touching anything cold?! And you itch... all over.. and the slightest gust of wind is like frozen ice cubes being chucked at your naked body. Fake tabacco tree leaves apparently help detox the body from the toxin..I found it tastes almost as bad as any chinese herb, and only helps diminish the symptoms. And yes, Huang Liang Jie Du Tang is the correct formula to treat this. Ok, Enough of the food rant! 

The hardest parts of sub-tropical island life have been the lack of fresh vegetables, the language barriers, not having my colleagues around.. and the lack of TCM herbs. We have access to some western herbs, but no TCM, and so I feel like I am only doing half my job.. The last two reasons are why I will probably be headed back to the states next year. But until then, I will continue learning my lessons which include:

1. I can create a quick rapport with anyone, even in a different language.

2. Pain is a great way to get people in the door and get the word out on the street.

3. A budget is a must!

4. I know enough from school to make a difference in people's lives.

5. People love one on one attention! Spending too much time asking them questions during their first intake is maybe a “waste” of time for you, but it helps make them feel comfortable and separates you from the old Vietnamese acupuncturist down the street.

6. The Vietnemese acupuncturist down the street is your best friend because he makes you look AWESOME! He gives the needles to his patients when done, so they bring them back for the next tx. He doesn't explain a thing to anyone about what he is doing, or how they can make changes in their daily life. He treats 35 people at once (or so that's what they tell me) and he has told at least one person that 2-3 treatments and their problems are resolved otherwise they have no hope......

7. Acupuncture, even without herbs, can still work wonders.

8. I Love TCM.. and I Love Yo San.. and I miss all my teachers and colleagues.

9. and Frozen Spinach is better than no spinach.


All kidding aside, I do love it here.. and the bad is not soo bad. It's more for comic relief. Life is tranquil, we are coming into summer, the sun is shinning, the water is almost warm enough to swim in, people are easy going and no one honks their car horns. Organic here may be pricey and very difficult to find, but life is organic here
And if you have any questions or would like any more random details about my life here, feel free to drop an email, skype, FB, Viber, Snapchat, or hell, even a smoke signal! I miss speaking English too!!!

Dr. Ming Dong Li and his new book!

"It is my pleasure to announce that the English textbook "Chinese Internal Medicine" will be coming soon. As an author, I am very excited. Our team spent for four years, worked very hard and we did it finally! The book covers the theory and practice of Chinese Internal Medicine in greater depth than any English language textbook available today.

Best wishes,  

Ming-Dong Li, Ph.D., D.Ac."

President’s Message: First Professional Doctorate Degree Will Upgrade the TCM Profession

It was just about two months ago that our accrediting agency, the Accrediting Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ACAOM), released its guidelines for programs seeking accreditation for the first professional doctorate (FPD) degree.   At least some of the motivation for the initiation of transition of TCM education to the FPD is to facilitate an overall upgrade of the TCM profession, a move that will open the door for acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine to achieve enhanced parity with other healthcare professions whose practitioners’ degrees and titles are at the doctoral level.  Among those practitioners for which parity is sought includ allopathic & osteopathic physicians (MDs and DOs), homeopathic practitioners, chiropractors, physical therapists and clinical psychologists. The upgrade is also likely aimed at expanding participation in third party payment for health care services rendered by TCM practitioners including possibility of the participation of the TCM profession in the national healthcare plan.   Shortly after ACAOM made its announcement regarding the FPD guidelines, the Yo San University administration appointed a study group to explore the feasibility of offering the FPD program at Yo San University.  That study group headed by MATCM Dean Dr. Lawrence Lau has engaged the task diligently, exploring all possible formats and implications of Yo San University offering the First Professional Doctorate Program.

Here is what we know:

·         There are some differences between the current ACAOM standards and the new FPD standards.   However, because of the thoroughness, rigor and length (a minimum of four academic years) of our current YSU MATCM Program, we will require only minor additions in content and clinical hours to upgrade to a PFD Program.

·         Because of the likely complexities of regulatory approval, the transition to the First Professional Doctorate as the required entry level degree for the TCM Profession is likely to take a number of years (at least three to five years).

·         As per ACAOM’s current guidelines, practitioners who have earned MATCM degrees and who want to upgrade to a FPD degree will likely have to be enrolled in an approved FPD program for at least two years.

·         The FPD program will ultimately raise the cost of an education in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

·         The DAOM will continue to be an advanced specialized degree program.

Here is what we do not know:

·         Will the State of California be ready for the change to the First Professional  Doctorate?  The California Acupuncture Board will have to change or amend its laws to allow for individuals to enter the profession with the FPD.

·         Current state regulations make it difficult to obtain approval for doctoral level programs, and thereby could inhibit the eligibility of students in such program to participate in Federal financial aid programs to fund their education in FPD programs.

What should you do?

·         Keep moving and complete the MATCM program in which you are currently enrolled – you are on a positive and productive path, and you are in a program that provides you with the knowledge and skills that you will need to qualify for licensure and thereby enter the TCM profession as a competent practitioner.

·         If and when a FPD is fully authorized by the state of California as the entry level requirement for the TCM profession, you will likely be finished with your MATCM Program, licensed and well into your practice.   There will be options for you to either ’upgrade’ your degree qualification, or to undertake a DAOM program that will include significant advanced and specialized training, practice and research.

Larry Ryan, President

Dance to Wellness: A Star Studded and Spectacular Evening!

Debbie Allen Moves Audience With More Than Dance, and Legendary Singers, James Ingram and Freda Payne, Serenade Their Long-time Friend

Daoshing Ni, Larry Ryan, Freda Payne, Debbie Allen, James Ingram and Mao Shing Ni

The theme of the evening was “Dance to Wellness,” and that theme was carried through with considerable panache, as the energetic ensemble of 19 dancers from the Debbie Allen Dance Academy took to the floor and impressed an enthusiastic audience of 125 Yo San University supporters at the Pacific Design Center (PDC) on Saturday May 18, 2013. With their flowing, gymnastic and emotionally metaphoric rendition of the “Earth Dance” the youthful troupe set the stage for the conferral of the Yo San University 2013 Robert Graham Visionary Award. The dancers epitomized the positive energy and healthy spirit cultivated by choreographer, producer and director, Debbie Allen. These young people represented the thousands of others who have been the benefactors of instruction at the Debbie Allen Dance Academy, an institution which has facilitated the health and wellness of young Southern Californians for the past twelve years It was precisely that work in founding and developing the Debbie Allen Dance Academy and her dedicated advocacy to Traditional Chinese Medicine that motivated the Yo San University Board of Trustees to name Debbie Allen as the recipient of the 2013 Robert Graham Visionary Award.

"Earth Dance" by Debbie Allen Dance Academy (DADA) dancers

The gala evening opened with cocktails and hors’ dourves in Wolfgang Puck’s Spectra Room on the third level of the impressive PDC Blue Building, the original structure in a complex of five architecturally significant buildings that include a branch of the Museum of Contemporary Art, and which constitute the largest collection of interior design and art studios and showrooms in the country. As the Yo San University guests gathered, the iconic YSU logo provided the backdrop for “red carpet” photo ops with the variety of celebrities who came out to honor Debbie at the evening’s festivities.

Debbie Allen, Daoshing Ni and Brenda Strong

After a delicious buffet dinner, Yo San University President, Dr. Larry Ryan, opened the program by welcoming and thanking all in attendance for their support of Yo San University and its mission to educate exceptional TCM healers/practitioners and for the enormous difference that the University makes with its Community Clinic and outreach services that provide more than 21,000 treatments each year. Ryan introduced the evening’s mistress of ceremonies, television star, Brenda Strong (Desperate Housewives, Dallas) whose warmth, personality and humor extended further welcome to all. Yo San University Founder Dr. Daoshing Ni highlighted the history of the Robert Graham Visionary Award, which is named for the late artist and sculptor, Board Member and University supporter, who was also the late spouse of actress Anjelica Huston. Prior award winners have included, Danny DeVito, Rhea Perlman, Sela Ward, and Robert Downey, Jr.

Debbie Allen urged the members of audience to "follow your passions."

Just before conferring the 2013 Robert Graham Visionary Award, University Co-Founder Dr. Mao Shing Ni recounted the numerous accomplishments of Debbie Allen ‘s impressive professional and philanthropic careers. Allen has risen to the top in the arts and performing, producing and directing communities, and has simultaneously given back generously to the greater community to promote the health and wellness of others. As Dr. Mao stated in his conferral of the award, “Debbie Allen is the epitome of what the Robert Graham Visionary Award is about.” In her acceptance address, Debbie Allen was gracious, eloquent and impassioned. She humorously recalled her first encounters with Traditional Chinese Medicine during an episode of sciatica, which left the famous dancer completely immobilized. When she experienced quick relief from the insertion of the shinny steel acupuncture needles, Allen remembered that she stated “I’ll gladly wear those as jewelry!” Allen gratefully reflected on her husband, former Laker and Clippers hoopster, Norm Nixon, her own children and her extended family of the thousands of dancers for who she has served as an instructor and role model. As she expressed appreciation for the award, Debbie Allen urged the members of audience to "follow your passions." A well deserved standing ovation honored the star, the TCM advocate and the person—Debbie Allen. Immediately after the conferral of the award, legendary singer James Ingram serenaded Debbie with an the smooth tones of his hit song, Find One Hundred Ways. The awed audience again rose to their feet in honor of both Allen and Ingram.

James Ingrams sure knows more than One Hundred Ways to dance!

As the program progressed, Emcee, Brenda Strong appealed to the audience to support the Yo San University cause by bidding on the four unique auction items, which included a Goodyear Blimp adventure, a private basketball lesson with veteran NBA start Norm Nixon, a directorial shadowing experience with Debbie Allen and a unique bronze “Freedom” sculpture by Danielle Anjou. The audience was most generous, and each item sold quickly to discerning bidders. At the end of the basketball lesson auction, Norm Nixon rose to his feet and whispered in the ear of auctioneer Brenda Strong. Brenda revealed that Nixon would provide four private lessons for each of the bidding parties thus increasing the funds generated to support the outreach services of Yo San University.

Norm Nixon rose to his feet and whispered in the ear of auctioneer Brenda Strong...

The energy and professionalism that Freda Payne invests in the art of singing proved to be infectious.

With the auction completed and dessert being served, the sensational Freda Payne took the stage and performed a set of songs. Among the numbers rendered by Freda were the powerful and deeply emotional Here’s to Life as well as her spirited and feisty two million record seller, Band of Gold. Freda’s numbers were punctuated by stories she told of the first time that she saw Debbie Allen perform as a chorus line dancer in a New York Broadway production many years ago. Freda shared that she knew that this young women who so eloquently manifested the language of dance in her performance would surely be a success. How right Freda Payne was! The energy and professionalism that Freda Payne invests in the art of singing proved to be infectious. By the time Payne finished her set, the entire room was swaying and clapping to the familiar melodies that emanated from deep in the performer’s soul. Without a doubt the 2013 Yo San University Robert Graham Visionary Award gala was a most entertaining and inspiring event.

“Freedom” sculpture by Danielle Anjou

Special Thanks to Yo San University Student Volunteers

Swiss Interns 2013

Yo San University (YSU) hosted three graduate TCM students from Tao Chi Schulungszentrum Zürich during the Spring 2013 trimester. The Swiss interns spent 4 weeks in YSU attending a variety of classes in acupuncture, TCM internal medicine, Chinese medical herbology, TCM nutrition as well as courses in YSU’s unique Qi-cultivation program. They also spent time observing YSU interns and clinicians in the YSU Clinic, the YSU herbal dispensary and at several of our clinical externship programs.

The Swiss visitors were very impressed with our academic programs here at YSU and unanimously found their 4-week experience at YSU ‘meaningful and enriching’. ‘I wish I could spend more time at Yo San and learn the medicine deeper ’ was the common sentiment shared by these Swiss interns. ’ I would certainly recommend the YSU internship program to other students in Zurich’, they added.

By Lawrence Lau

Virginia House Externship brings Yo San Clinical Services to the Valley

For the first time in the nearly 25 year history of Yo San University the services of the Yo San University Clinic are being offered in the Los Angeles suburban area of the San Fernando Valley.  Starting in February 2013, acupuncture, acupressure and nutritional advisement services have been offered one shift per week to residents of Virginia House, a care facility in Tarzana. The facility is designed for seniors who need assistance with the activities of daily living.  Virginia House provides spacious and beautiful homelike accommodations set among lush gardens.  The facility has as its objective the enhancement of the physical and psychological well being of each resident. The program at Virginia House is oriented toward bringing individuals who have encountered mobility limitations and other age related illnesses to a higher level of wellness and fullness of life.  According to Virginia House Manager, Jonathan Dela Paz, the Traditional Chinese Medicine services offered by  Yo San University DAOM candidate, Rochan Olson, have already made a significant contribution to the wellness and health of the residents.  The externship experience of Ms. Olson, who is a licensed acupuncturist and a 23011 graduate of Yo San University, is framed so that specialized learning will be engaged regarding the services, regulations and functions pertaining to the operation of care facilities.