I have been to a few festivals, but never to one this big, and never to one occurring during a total solar eclipse. All I knew about the Symbiosis festival was from a friend—a farmer in Oregon and an SF native, who called it a mini burning man and a sanctuary of the mind. After finishing my first term of acupuncture and Chinese medicine school, I felt myself moving forward on a path leading toward complete connected-ness with the earth, life and being, and with the universe, death and knowing.

I was thinking in terms of Yin and Yang, everything was becoming Yin or Yang. So I knew seeing the eclipse in totality would be the ultimate Yin Yang experience and I needed to be there. …

Teishin is a unique Japanese contact needling technique. Our students were able to learn more at this AIMC workshop with Funamizu Sensei. Check out other upcoming events and workshops on our calendar.

I recently had the opportunity to represent the Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine College (AIMC), Berkeley at the UCLA Center for East-West Medicine’s “Symposium on the Potential of Chinese Medicine in the U.S. Healthcare System”.

The purpose of the Symposium—I believe UCLA’s first on the subject—held on Sunday, July 16th, 2017 was to bring together professionals in Chinese medicine, integrative medicine, and public health to discuss the potential and challenges of Chinese medicine in the United States.

Dr. Qi Zhang, head of the traditional medicine unit at the World Health Organization (WHO) gave the keynote speech addressing his organization’s role in “strengthening integrated, people-centered health services” in 2017 and beyond. He also discussed the WHO’s current work in developing a traditional medicine chapter in the ICD-11, the eleventh …

New developments in the acupuncture field and how they will affect our students were topics covered at AIMC Berkeley’s Community Tea July 12, 2017. About two dozen students attended to share how they would like to shape the curriculum, particularly the herbal program, and learn relevant news.

Nishanga Bliss, Academic Chair at AIMC Berkeley, said the school needs to create integrative medical practitioners who can speak with pharmacists around the world.

Herbal Pharmacy Manager Jordan Wheeler, concurred: “If you tell someone that this herb calms the shen, they’re going to look at you like you have a plant growing out of your head.”

Wheeler said he is attending a symposium at UCLA’s Center for East West Medicine where many Oriental Medicine schools will convene to look at ways …

Among the multiple study abroad opportunities at AIMC Berkeley, the Japan trip that took place mid-April 2017 appeared to have exceeded student expectations. Aside from depth of practice in traditional Japanese technique, the trip was defined by a satisfying immersion into Japanese culture provided by the instructors and the community of Shikoku Medical College.

On the very first day, prior to beginning the five-day intensive course, an assembly of the president, faculty, and students of the college warmly welcomed our AIMC visiting class. In his welcoming statement, the president informed us we had missed the blooming of cherry blossom trees, but as we quickly learned, this would not detract from our experience of the beautiful harmony and subtlety that characterizes Japanese culture.

In the same day, the …

Study Abroad: China 2018

We will start out in the cities of Beijing and Tianjin. In Beijing we will explore some of the most amazing cultural sites in China. In Tianjin we will observe Chinese medicine practiced in an integrated model in a hospital setting at The First Teaching Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Southern China

In Southern China we will meet Dr. Eric Brand, author of “A Clinician’s Guide to Granule Extracts.” Eric will give us a tour of Chinese medicine universities, traditional herbal markets and a botanical garden that specializes in Chinese medicinal herbs.

Guilin & Yangshou

The Guilin and Yangshuo visit will allow you to see the greener, more natural side of China, dotted by limestone karsts and terraced rice fields. As you will discover, China …

The weekend of May 27-May 28 about 25 students from AIMC Berkeley and other Bay Area Traditional Chinese Medicine schools and licensed acupuncturists turned out at AIMC Berkeley to learn from an expert in moxibustion, Jinju Mizutani. In his class “Mizutani’s Japanese Moxibustion Seminar: Gynecological Disorders” students had the opportunity to learn hands-on with individual coaching from the teacher.

“After practicing 15 years, this is one of the better CEUs I’ve done,” said Dennis Von Elgg, LAc, and both an instructor at AIMC Berkeley and a practitioner of the professional clinic. “It’s extremely applicable to a majority of our patients who are experiencing adrenal imbalances”.

A little bit about Mizutani: Born and raised in Japan, Mizutani is a graduate of Japan Central Acupuncture College in Tokyo from …

Senior AIMC Berkeley Student Carleen Cotter taught a hands-on Salve Making Workshop on Saturday, June 10th.

More than 15 AIMC Berkeley students and a clinical supervisor came to learn the art of medicine making. At the end of the class, everyone got to take away their own salve made with three yellow herbs—Philodendron root, rhubarb root and skullcap flower. The project was funded through AIMC Berkeley’s student council and the student activities fee.

“Carleen’s salve making class was hands-on and fun!” said Joyce Kwok, L.Ac, PT, an AIMC Berkeley Clinical Supervisor. “I learned great techniques and infromation that I’ll add to my practice.”

Students ground the herbs in the AIMC Berkeley pharmacy and cooked and strained them to make a flowery essence. At one point after squeezing the …

Graduation is such a special day for all those who have given the last many years of their lives to studying Asian medicine. A sweet celebration of all the triumphs over the challenges, the many hours of dedication to the medicine, the deep bonds between peers, mentors and the web of support that all students need to make it through the gauntlet of graduate school.

Many came out to commemorate the accomplishment at this year’s graduation ceremony at the Grandview Pavilion in Alameda on Sunday, June 4, 2017. The ceremony told the story of what it is like to conquer the masters’ program, the love story with the medicine and the growth that is necessary to step into the role of practitioner. As needed with any …

Learn more about setting up your own acupuncture practice with tips from Alyssa Dazet, author of “Building a 6-Figure Acupuncture Practice”.