Resources: Acupuncture for Dogs in Portland

While browsing through the millions of pages on Facebook, I discovered a wonderful veterinary acupuncture site that many of my peers already knew about- Four Paws Acupuncture in Massachusetts. Jeanie Mossa Kraft, the owner of the site, has fantastic posts on the blog- I love the latest one about stray dogs riding the subway in Russia! She also has a recipe for healthy doggie meatballs, as well as a protective winter wax for dog paws (in case we actually see snow here in Portland again!). Her site is also full of information for feeding dogs appropriate foods (no onions!), acupuncture and other alternative care ideas.

Frontier Veterinary Hospital in Hillsboro offers acupuncture to the patients, and the Veterinary Acupuncturist is Dr. Lisa Yung. Read this great post on the My Life With Dogs Blog - it's a story about a dog named Bruiser who received acupuncture when it was discovered there was a problem with the a disc in his spinal cord. Be sure to read the story, and check out the  list of resources listed:

Becca Seitz, LAc treats pets at her clinic, Thrive Acupuncture, in Northeast Portland

Dr. Brenda Brown at Cedar Hills Vet Clinic now offers acupuncture as well

Dr. Prouty practices in Clackamas, Oregon at NW Vet Specialist

Massage/Integrated Touch:

Animal massage: Heal NW with Ruby Sullivan (I attended one of her seminars at Rose City Veterinary Hospital last year- she was amazing!)

Lauren McCall, The Integrated Animal- Uses TTouch technique to promote healing- read more about it on their informative site.

Other resources:

Dove Lewis – Portland's main emergency veterinary hospital

Animal chiropractors – Dr. Chattigre’ at Cascade Summit Veterinary Hospital in West Linn, Oregon

Portland Veterinary Medical Association: A great resource for pets of all sizes

Pet ramps – include some Web sites: Orvis.com or KVVet.com

If you are interested in learning more about veterinarians in the US and Canada, check out the site for the American Academy of Veterinary Acupuncture.

Acupuncture for children

Pediatric acupuncture is in the news again! Check out this amazing Good Morning America clip - the kids in the video really seem to enjoy acupuncture. The tools that the practitioner is using with the toddler are called Shonishin (sho=little, ni=child, shin-needle), a Japanese acupuncture technique which uses non-penetrating needles and tools to work with children.

It's also great how they discuss teens using acupuncture. Going through puberty can be a struggle both physically and emotionally, and I feel acupuncture would be a good way to calm the mind and allow teens to feel more comfortable with their changing bodies.

TCM school

Photo by seventeenstars

It's all over!

I just finished my last NCCAOM (National Certificatoin Comission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine) board exam (finally!), and now I wait for my license. It's a really great feeling to know that I don't have to study for school any more! Any learning I do now is on my own, and I find myself surrounded by amazing books I've collected these past three years, and instead of wanting to get rid of them, I can't wait to start using them in my own practice! It usually takes about 2-3 months for a license to come through (so I've been told). In the meantime, I have a lot of small business "stuff" to figure out.

OCOM has a great resource in Jason Stein, LAc, who is the head of the Professional Development Center at OCOM. He recommened that we graduates check out SCORE to get some assistance in starting up a new business, which I recently did. They were incredibly helpful, and gave me everything I needed to start an LLC, as well as answered all of my questions (no matter how strange!). I recommend them to anyone starting a new business. Oh- did I mention it's free and that you can use their library of resources?

I also wanted to share a fantastic Australian TCM site! Chinese Medicine Adventures has been up since January, but I didn't discover until today (thanks, Yael!). There are photo essays, a few videos of life in a TCM school in Sydney. For those of you who have graduated, it will be a trip down memory lane. For those of you who are still in, it's definitely something you will be able to relate to. Check it out when you have time (not in class, of course....)

Clinic Survival Guide

My friend and recent OCOM graduate Andrew Schlabach, LAc, just finished printing an amazing acupuncture reference book called the "Clinic Survival Guide."  It's a complete book full of amazing acupuncture diagrams, and the information is compliled in a way that it's easy to find and carry around with you. Andrew did an amazing job of putting the information together, and I recommend you check it out (www.alloneplanet.com)- click on "What's Inside" for a peek at the graphic design talent. Andrew is also one of the founders of the Acupuncture Relief Project, which is getting underway very soon!

My apologies about the delay in postings! Apparently graduating, applying for licensing, and re-connecting with friends and family (long ignored due to the intense masters program!) took a little longer than planned. Look back for more postings this week! I'm hoping to connect with my classmates in China (who leave Friday!) who are planning to blog about what's going on in the hospitals there, an eventually with the grads in Nepal in the fall.

PanAfrican Acupuncture Project

I recently found out that my classmate Malaika Lumen is working with a great organization called the Pan African Acupuncture Project (PAAP). The Project is similar to the Barefoot Doctor program in China, and a large portion of the focus is on HIV/AIDS care.

"The PanAfrican Acupuncture Project (PAAP) is a non-profit organization that was established in 2003 to empower the people of Uganda with acupuncture techniques. Since 2003 they have conducted several training programs, expanded into Kenya and are currently expanding into Malawi."

On July 31st Academy Theater on Stark street (7818 SE Stark St) has will donate 10% of all concession sales from open until close to PAAP Malawi. So come down, check out a great movie at a classic 1940's building, and be sure to grab something from concessions to help out a great organization!

For more information, you can contact the PAAP:

The PanAfrican Acupuncture Project 113 Summit Avenue Brookline, MA 02446 USA info@panafricanacupuncture.org Tel/fax: 617-277-7444

Herbs to Try: Gou Qi Zi

Photo By * Beezy *Gou Qi Zi (Wolfberry)

Gou Qi Zi, also known as Chinese wolfberry, goji berry, or lycium fruit, is easily available in Portland at Asian food stores, New Seasons, and even Trader Joe's has a goji berry trail mix. While there seems to be some controversy over the "best" kind of Gou Qi Zi, in my opinion (as with any herb), organic is the way to go until we are able to grow them locally. Which isn't too far away - check out what groups such as High Falls Garden are doing (more on the subject of local, organic, and sustainable Chinese herbs in a later post)!

According to the Materia Medica Gou Qi Zi is a sweet fruit that is often used in herbal formulas to nourish and warm the body, and also assist the yin in the Kidney and Lungs. This means that it's a great mild herb to help with fatigue, low sex drive, eye problems as well as a general all around nourishing herb. It's often referred to as the "longevity herb," and is thought to help those who consume it on a regular basis live a longer life.

A combination of this tasty herb with chrysanthemum flowers is a great way to clear excess heat out of the body and help your vision. So whenever those promised hot days start making their way here, put a small handful of gou qi zi and a few dried chrysanthemum flowers (Ju Hua) into a glass and let it steep in hot water for a few minutes. You can even add some ice cubes to make a refreshing iced  tea. Eat the berries when you're done- they're surprisingly sweet!

Veterinary Acupuncture in Portland

When you think of veterinary medicine, acupuncture may not be on the top of your list. But it should be, as veterinary acupuncture is a wonderful alternative or complement to veterinary treatment. As pets age, they often become prone to arthritis and hip problems, which can lead to pain and suffering in both the pet and the owner.

Acupuncture is a drug-free alternative to animals who may not be able to handle all of the prescriptions, and to the pet owners who may not be able to afford it the expensive medications or surgeries. For animals, acupuncture is used as a preventative remedy as well as a healing medicine, just as it is for humans.

Check out this video to see veterinary acupuncture in action.

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There are several veterinarians in Portland who will treat animals with acupuncture. Laurelhurst Veterinary Hospital, Powell Boulevard Veterinary, and Hawthorne Veterinary Clinic have all been recommended to me by animal-loving classmates.

Search acufinder.com (yet another great search site!) to find more acupuncturists and to see if they treat animals. Or check the American Academy of Veterinary Acupuncture to see if there are any vets in your area who will treat animals with acupuncture.

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