AIMC Berkeley wishes President Emeritus Yasuo Tanaka well in his retirement & has begun the search for a new President for the College.

While we celebrate Black Acupuncturists & local Black innovators, activists, creators, entrepreneurs, scholars, teachers, caregivers, and community members year round, we’re excited to share some opportunities for our community to celebrate Black History Month this year. You can use the links in this article to educate yourself about the radical Black history of Acupuncture, find Black Acupuncturists near you, and support local Black owned businesses.

One of the gifts of becoming an Acupuncturist is the capacity to build your dream practice, and in Erin Langley’s case, she’s done that quite literally. Dreams, the spirits of the body and the lands, and ancestral connections are all fundamental pieces of how she practices and connects with East Asian medicine.

Did you know that one branch of East Asian Medicine is the ancient art of Astrology? It’s a complex tradition rich with mythology and metaphor. We’re lucky to rely on experts who can carry the torch of interpreting the astrological tidings for us, as it’s not something we’re able to cover in the rigorous medical canon of modern East Asian Medicine school.

Here in the Northern Hemisphere where we’re still in the depths of winter, the only Resolutions we could get behind this time of year are ones related to sleep, rest, taking it easy, cultivating stillness, & faith. Let’s call them New Year’s Restolutions.

Meet Dr. Kim Peirano, DACM, LAc., an Alumni of AIMC Berkeley. She has a thriving practice in Marin focused on Facial Acupuncture & spiritual development. She recently founded the Integrative Healing Institute, a non-profit focused on providing high-quality continuing education courses.

This Zine serves as a bridge that connects East Asian Medicine traditions with your daily life practices – so that we may all find the way to health and happiness[…]May the offerings within these pages enrich and inspire you to align yourself with the nature and medicine that we hold so dear.

Read this interactive zine to be more informed about discrimination & racism in healthcare. Learn how the Black Panther Party and other activists fought for public health initiatives in the 1960’s and 1970’s and what that has to do with the history of Acupuncture in the U.S.

Join AIMC Berkeley’s Herb Pharmacy Manager, Le Jiang, to learn how to make a nourishing pear paste for the Autumn. Pears are known for their moistening and cooling properties in East Asian Medicine. With the addition of other yin-nourishing herbs and the tonifying properties of honey, this delicious paste is the perfect salve for fall’s dryness.

Qiu Li Gao (Autumn Pear Paste)

Ingredients:

The raw herbs are available through the AIMC Pharmacy; ask your practitioner for a “prescription” of them next time you visit our in-person or telehealth clinic!

Pears ———————————– 2000g
Luo Han Guo (Monk Fruit) ——– 1 piece
Sheng Jiang (Ginger) ————– 70g
Chuan Bei Mu (Fritillaria Bulb) — 15g
Fu Ling (Poria) ———————– 25g
Bai He (Lily Bulb) ——————– 15g
Mai Dong (Ophiopogon Tuber) — 15g
Ge Gen (Kudzu Root) ————— 30g
Hong …

Students, Supervisors, Teachers, Administrators, Friends, Families & pups all gathered in mid-October for a fun day of BBQing and friendly competition.

A Day of Fun

One day in October of 2021, we founded a new AIMC Tradition: The Annual Community BBQ & Intern Olympics. Students, friends, family, and all of our staff & faculty members were invited to join us for a day of fun, food, and friendly competition in Tilden Regional Park.

The Intern Olympics

The Intern Olympics started with an opening Wuji posture ceremony, followed by balloon needling, blind herb taste testing, point location bingo, and a Jeopardy grand finale. Spirits and excitement were high as our competitors stood to win a consortium of herbal goodies, CBD products, some amazing Shen Nong t-shirts, fancy acupuncture …