Some of the earliest Chinese


medical writings date from the 3rd century B.C. Through the centuries thousands of works were written and compiled in China, with different theories and schools of thought adding to the knowledge. Around the year A.D. 800, Chinese medicine went to Japan with Buddhist monks who traveled there. Both acupuncture and herbal medicine grew and thrived in Japan, with the Japanese developing their own approach to both. Even before reaching Japan, Chinese medicine had spread to Korea, where today, as in Japan, there is a great deal of research into the effects of acupuncture and herbal medicine. Hundreds of herbal formulas have been approved for medicinal use by the Japanese government. It is also practiced in Vietnam and other countries of Asia. Early European missionaries and explorers brought knowledge of Chinese medicine back to Europe and then to America. There was some use of it in the United States as far back as the early 1800s. Today, acupuncture is widely practiced and well researched in Germany and England and other European countries. Studies from Germany and England, where there has been national health insurance for some time, have found acupuncture to be a cost- effective treatment for conditions such as headache and back pain. Because of the national health-insurance systems, these countries have been able to conduct studies with thousands of patients to find these positive and cost-saving effects. In the United States there has been tremendous growth in the practice of acupuncture. California has the most acupuncturists, but almost all states now have acupuncture licensure. Hospitals are now adding acupuncture clinics and sometimes even inpatient treatment. Here in Chico, at Enloe Medical Center, I was involved in setting up inpatient treatment for cardiac surgery patients eight years ago,


Therapeutic Massage – $


and an outpatient, low-cost clinic at the Enloe Cancer Center. This was Chico’s first “community-style” acupuncture clinic. Grant funding for the inpatient treatments ran out, but the low-cost clinic is ongoing. During my 30-plus–year career as a licensed acupuncturist, I have seen the growing acceptance of acupuncture


firsthand. When I practiced in Berkeley, California, 25 years ago, the hospital there would not even answer an inquiry from me about any form of privileges there. Now Enloe Medical Center offers acupuncture! The


famous Cleveland Clinic now has a Chinese herbal clinic. And even more dramatically, the general public has come to accept acupuncture as a valuable tool for both health maintenance and treatment of disease.


Integrative medicine aims to incorporate the best of a number of medical practices, allowing use of and access to a variety of beneficial treatments. A great example of this is the use of acupuncture to help alleviate the side effects of modern medical treatments for cancer. Many, if not most, conditions might benefit from combining different types of treatments. But it is important that both practitioners and patients use critical thinking. In other words, the treatments used should have


1/minute (Walk-In or by Appointment)


Jennifer Conlin, L. Ac Bill Nichols, L. Ac.


Low Cost Acupuncture – Walk In – Sliding Scale – Group Setting Private Acupuncture – Most Insurance Accepted


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evidence of efficacy. Some in the field of integrative medicine would say that the lower the risk from a treatment, the less rigorous the evidence of efficacy needs to be. This is part of weighing the cost/benefit ratio of an intervention. Critical thinking is important because we are all constantly inundated with claims and recommendations, many of which contradict each other, and many of which are profit driven and simply too good to be true. Not that many years


ago, when I would read letters to medical journals after an article about acupuncture that would call it only a placebo response, or a hypnotic effect, I would have to chuckle at the hubris of those letter writers. Traditional Chinese medicine has withstood the test of time, having been practiced continuously for thousands of years. The aim and effect of restoring the healthy flow of Qi in the human body/mind continues to resonate with many people. We also see this in the growing numbers of people practicing yoga, tai ji quan, and qi gong, all of which are ways to achieve this harmonious flow of Qi and blood. In the next issue of Lotus Guide I will discuss Chinese herbal medicine.


Higgy Lerner is a licensed acupuncturist, herbalist, and teacher of tai ji quan and qi gong. For more information visit www.higgylerneracupuncture.com.


ACUPUNCTURE Chinese Herbal Medicine 244 W. 9th


St. (at Salem) (530) 343-8932


James Higgy Lerner, RN, LAC Licensed Acupuncturist,


Tai Ji Quan & Qi Gong Instructor


Over 30 years experience Insurance Accepted


www.HiggyLerner.com TAI J I QUAN & QI GONG


Instruction at YOGA CENTER OF CHICO Classes on Saturdays 11am-12:30pm


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