Category: Student, Faculty, Alumni Spotlights

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 …

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 …

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 …

Last August, exactly one week after taking the California Licensing Exam (CALE) in Sacramento, I was diagnosed with stage-four lung cancer, secondary to a cancer that started somewhere below my diaphragm. It was a shock to get that diagnosis.

I was so excited to begin my new career as an acupuncturist after being a poor college student for four years. It’s been an incredible journey – incredibly painful and at the same time incredibly healing. I first debated whether or not to go to the emergency room for a pain in my right rib cage. It turned out to be a pleural effusion – the emergency room doctors and nurses thought it was strange that I wanted to take a picture of the fluid they drained …

Chief Strategist at UCSF Benioff Integrative Hospital. Nurse. Doula, Mental Health Researcher/Yoga Teacher, Veterinarian Acupuncturist Assistant These are the diverse positions held by our Summer 2017 students. Now they share a new title: Student of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Here is what our new students say about what made them take this important step in their lives—embarking on the path to become acupuncturists: “Oriental medicine, herbs and acupuncture have healed me more than all other health modalities combined,” said Hali Hanson.

Rahanna Frykberg sees firsthand the benefits of acupuncture at her job at the Holistic Veterinary Care in Oakland: “Time and again I witness the healing, regenerative, rebalancing powers of acupuncture in combination with herbal medicine and the true transformative magic of integrative medicine.”

Yaminah Abdur-Rahim comes from a …

Two semesters ago, UC Berkeley Junior Daiwei Liu was carrying a full course load, working 15 hours a week in Nobel Laureate Randy Schekman’s lab studying Huntington’s Disease and kick-starting a brand new student-initiated class “Traditional Chinese Medicine 101: Know more about your body and yourself”.

Liu organized the class through the De-Cal program at UC Berkeley which lets students innovate their own courses. Liu wanted to share the power of Traditional Chinese Medicine with other students. It was such an exchange of ideas that philosophy professor Joseph Tussman sought to foster through the Democratic Education at Cal program (DeCal), which he founded in 1965.

Nishanga Bliss, Dsc, LAc, demonstrates Qigong at a Winter 2017 De-Cal at UC Berkeley.

Liu’s class joins a wide ranging lineup of De-Cal …

Rebirth of AIMC Berkeley

The origins of modern day Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine College, Berkeley (AIMC) really begin with its current chairman, Dr. Shuji Goto. Goto has provided illustrious leadership to acupuncture colleges both in the U.S. and in Japan. Since 1988, Dr. Goto has served as President and Chairman of the Board at Goto College of Medical Arts and Sciences in Tokyo.

And in 1991, Dr. Goto served as chairman of the American College of Chinese Traditional Medicine (ACTCM) in San Francisco.

He became chairman of ACTCM when bankruptcy was imminent. But Goto was able to raise the necessary funds, save the school, and make reforms to create financial solvency. ACTCM acknowledged Dr. Goto’s powerful impact by renaming their library after him. However, Dr. Goto’s work was …

Alzada Magdalena will speak at a brown bag lunch at AIMC Berkeley on Friday, April 7, 12-1pm

Alzada Magdalena, a 2001 Graduate of AIMC Berkeley (back when it was called Meiji College), has two acupuncture practices—one in Davis, CA and the other in Prineville, Oregon.At her two practices, The Healing Arts, she treats patients, teaches Qi gong, meditation and dietary practices.

Alzada began her acupuncture practice in 2002, merging it with her existing bodywork practice.

Two years later she opened a clinic in a remodeled bungalow in downtown Davis, California, and practiced there until 2011. In 2011 she and her family moved to Bend, Oregon.However, her Davis patients requested she come back to take care of them, and so she has done so.She has returned to …

Our Alumni who are also Doctors & Nurses
Reflect on their Knowledge of Both Systems

First of a two-part series. Our second installment will spotlight our current students who are also nurses.

Katja Zamrik, MD (Germany) & LAc

Studying Traditional Chinese Medicine as a physician, I was fascinated by the ancient knowledge about the connection between certain organ systems. Over the last 100 years, Western Medicine has been able to find proof of these ancient observations on the molecular level (hormones and enzymes) for example, the connection between the kidneys and bone metabolism and the interplay between the cardiovascular system and the kidneys. Having studied Eastern Medicine has broadened my ability to interpret my patients’ signs and symptoms. Often there are no explanations for …