Essence & Qi

We won!! Pacific College of Oriental Medicine won the CCAOM...

Mon, 20 May 2013 10:01:16 -0700

We won!! Pacific College of Oriental Medicine won the CCAOM award for Best School Clinic Video! Check out our winning video here.

It's the Friday Wrap-Up!

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:01:16 -0700

OM in the news this week. Check it out!

8 Natural Remedies Every Traveler Should Carry - from Mind, Body, Green. Check out these OM centered remedies to keep you healthy on your next trip!
Sea Turtles Get Acupuncture Too! - from CBS Boston. Ever wonder how those couple of sea turtles got Captain Jack Sparrow off the island?? They got acupuncture first of course! Check it out!
5 Tips for Choosing the Right Acupuncturist - from Veg News. What special qualities to look for in an acupuncturist, from a vegan perspective.
16 Ways to Detox Every Day - from Mind, Body, Green. Don’t wait til your body is calling for a detox, try these simple tips every day. Massage therapy is one!
Wounded Athletes Recover with Massage - from Headquarters Marine Corps. Numerous vets benefited from massage therapy during this year’s 2013 Warrior Games.

DIY Mini Greenhouse! As Chinese medicine teaches and Hippocrates...

Thu, 16 May 2013 10:01:10 -0700

DIY Mini Greenhouse! As Chinese medicine teaches and Hippocrates said best: Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.

Self Care Tips for Massage Therapists: You Take Care of Others’ Pain, Be Sure to Prevent Your Own

Wed, 15 May 2013 10:01:18 -0700

Massage therapists are naturally nurturing, intuitive individuals. They dedicate their careers to helping others release pain and get their bodies back into balance. However, if a massage therapist doesn’t take great care to avoid it, they may be on a path toward the opposite effect on their own health.

Remember, you best serve your clients by putting yourself first. It’s hard to give a great treatment if you feel run down or have aches of your own. Hours of performing massage therapy can take a toll on the body. Prevent injury or weariness by following these simple steps:

(It’s a great idea to practice these tips with a fellow practitioner before using with patients.)

It’s common to work with a client lying prone (lying face down) or supine (lying face up) on the table. However, these positions mean that the therapist must bend over the client (the angle can vary further depending on the height of the table). If sustained for long periods of time, this bent position can lead to back problems. Don’t be afraid to switch it up. Change your patient’s position so you’re not in one position for the duration of each massage. For example, you can try positioning the patient in the side-line position, which will allow you to remain upright. Depending on what technique you use, you can also have the client sit in a chair in front of you for a Tui Na Asian bodywork treatment.

Also, feel free to alter your position in relation to your client’s (even if their position remains the same). It’s common to place yourself at the client’s head so that you’re able to provide long strokes down the back. However, the longer your reach the more you are bending at a ninety degree angle. Try a variation on your own position so that sometimes you are at the patient’s side.

An electric massage table can work wonders. It will allow you to easily adjust table height per client (and prevent you from bending over lower than necessary).

Remember to keep your wrists straight as you massage. This will prevent carpal tunnel and loss of sensation in the hands as you apply pressure (which can lead to nerve damage).

While working, avoid lifting your shoulders up to your ears as this might cause pain in your neck and upper shoulders after a long day.

Stretching is your friend! Stretch your hands, wrists, neck and shoulders before and after each treatment.

Listen to your own advice to patients: drink plenty of water.

Pay attention to where your pressure comes from. Don’t apply the majority of your pressure from your hands alone, the more of your shoulder and back that you can put into your applied pressure, the better.

Brace your patient. When you apply pressure, it can relieve the amount of force you need to put into a point or stroke if your client is braced against yourself or the table.

Your legs should tire first. If you feel more strain in your upper body before your legs, something is not right in your body mechanics. Be conscious of how you stand and that you are supporting yourself properly with your lower body.

Using hand tools is a fabulous way to prevent hand strain and thumb injury. A hand tool requires much less applied pressure than using your hands alone.

We know it’s your first instinct to put others first. You are a caretaker daily. Keep your batteries charged by keeping your personal time your time. Remember, as Deb Reuss, Dean of Asian Holistic Health and Massage at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine, San Diego, suggests, “Breathing is your best friend. Return to it in all your troubles and you will find comfort and guidance.” It can also help to be part of a solid group within your industry. Connect with other practitioners and swap success stories and tips.

Pacific College offers networking groups, an alumni community, and don’t forget to join our alumni Google group to find support from fellow massage therapists who understand just what your day-to-day looks like. Massage therapy is a rewarding career, but don’t forget to take great care of what you bring to the table—you!

See how acupuncture, massage therapy, and Oriental medicine can...

Tue, 14 May 2013 15:59:00 -0700

See how acupuncture, massage therapy, and Oriental medicine can benefit you! Pacific College of Oriental Medicine’s fully integrative clinics in San Diego, Chicago, and NYC offer affordable, holistic treatment plans personally tailored to fit your needs. Check out our video!

"Breast Cancer Boot Camp" Just Released!

Tue, 14 May 2013 10:01:32 -0700

Check out “Breast Cancer Boot Camp” Dr. Hobbins’s Breast Thermography Revolution, by William B. Hobbins M.D. and Pacific College Alumna Wendy Sellens L.Ac. Discover how you can arm yourself in the fight against breast cancer.

Wendy says, “If around 80% of breast cancers are “fed” by estrogens, why do doctors and “wellness centers” continue to prescribe them? Why is the answer to every female issue more estrogen?

The answers can be found in breast thermography, a safe screening procedure that begins in the twenties which monitors blood circulation in the breasts and determines individual risk for early detection.”

Check out Breast Cancer Boot Camp HERE.

Also, check out our video featuring Wendy!

"What a man thinks of himself, that it is which determines, or rather indicates, his fate."

Mon, 13 May 2013 10:01:23 -0700

“What a man thinks of himself, that it is which determines, or rather indicates, his fate.”

-
Henry David Thoreau

It's the Friday Wrap-Up!

Fri, 10 May 2013 10:01:37 -0700

OM in the news this week. Check it out!

Sitting is Killing You and Massage Therapy Can Help - from Care2.com. Massage combats the negative side effects of shutting off leg muscle electricity, which happens from sitting for extended amounts of time.
5 Reasons Why Holistic Nursing is Important - from EducationCareerArticles.com. Check out these added benefits of holistic nursing that set holistic nurses apart from the rest!
Ways to Strengthen Your Spine - from Fox News. Yoga and meditation are just two of the ways to help keep back pain away.
7 Best Spices For Healing - from Mind, Body, Green. Not only do these herbs taste good, they’re great for your health!
New App Brings Massage Therapist to Your Home - from ABC New York. The new app from Zeel.com makes it possible to get a massage on demand, right from your phone. Check it out!

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Thu, 09 May 2013 10:01:24 -0700

Looking for a career in nursing? National Nurses Week is the...

Wed, 08 May 2013 10:01:10 -0700

Looking for a career in nursing? National Nurses Week is the perfect time to check out these stats! Also, check out the benefits of holistic nursing HERE.

Holistic Nursing: More Opportunities to Heal

Mon, 06 May 2013 16:44:00 -0700

Florence Nightingale was born nearly two hundred years ago, and her nursing insights are still in use today. In addition to her contribution of “environmental nursing”, in which she drove significant hygienic reform in hospitals, Nightingale was ahead of her time in her connection of the mind and body. One of the founders of what’s known today as a holistic approach to medicine, Nightingale recognized the importance of caring for the whole person. She was one of the first in Western medicine to encourage a patient’s preventative and self-care.

These principles carry over today as Western healthcare increasingly incorporates a holistic viewpoint. More than ever before, doctors acknowledge that preventative care is paramount. The importance of exercise, nutrition, and even stress-busting practices like yoga, meditation, and massage is now a mainstream concept. Holistic nursing brings this awareness to the next level.

Perhaps the American Holistic Nurses Association describes it best, “A holistic nurse is a legally licensed nurse who takes a holistic (mind-body-spirit-emotion) approach to the practice of traditional nursing. Holistic nursing is based on a body of knowledge, evidence-based research, sophisticated skill sets, defined standards of practice, and a philosophy of living and being that is grounded in caring, relationship, and interconnectedness.”

Today, the practice of holistic nursing is recognized by the American Nurses Association as a nursing specialty with a defined scope and standards of practice. A distinct specialty in nursing at the bachelor’s and master’s levels, holistic nurses are licensed RNs with extra tools on their belts. In addition to traditional Western nursing training, a holistic nurse may be educated in areas of Eastern massage, known as Asian Bodywork, Chinese herbology, acupoints (the points used in the ancient practice of acupuncture), and nutrition.

There’s been an increase in demand in alternative medicine and complementary care in recent years, paving the way for holistic nurses to thrive in the workforce. According to a recent survey by the American Hospital Association and the Samueli Institute, a nonprofit research group focusing on complementary medicine, 42 percent of the 714 hospitals that responded offered at least one such therapy in 2010, a significant jump from just five years earlier, when 27 percent of hospitals offered such treatments.

Holistic nurses work in hospitals, universities, and private practices. Some holistic nurses specialize in one or more specific modalities, such as Asian Bodywork and massage. In addition to the Western care they provide patients, a nurse with an expertise in massage can soothe pain and give exceptional care to patients in chronic conditions. Holistic nurses are particularly welcome in hospice care, as they are able to provide complementary healthcare in addition to standard medication treatments.

As it becomes more prevalent in modern healthcare, integrative medicine is showing people a new path to health. Holistic nursing provides a new avenue for healers to make a difference.

"I think one’s feelings waste themselves in words; they ought all to be distilled into actions..."

Mon, 06 May 2013 10:22:36 -0700

“I think one’s feelings waste themselves in words; they ought all to be distilled into actions which bring results.”

-
Florence Nightingale

Today marks the first day of National Nurses Week. Get inspired by Holistic Nurse Florence Nightingale and put your feelings into actions this week!

It's the Friday Wrap-Up!

Fri, 03 May 2013 10:01:15 -0700

OM in the news this week. Check it out!

Holistic Nursing Interventions Prove Effective - from CancerNetwork.com. A pilot study shows how holistic nursing is beneficial for reducing anxiety, nausea, pain, and more!
10 Things You Might Not Know About Chinese Medicine - from Yahoo! Check out this slideshow of interesting tidbits about Chinese medicine.
Acupuncturists Spill: 12 Health Tips They Wish Everyone Would Remember - from Huffington Post. These tips are DIY, quick, and easy too!
Monday Minute Self-Massage - from Competitor.com. A cheap alternative to a deep tissue massage, check out this 60-second calf muscle massage!

Seymore Bones wishes to welcome all the wonderful PCOM students...

Thu, 02 May 2013 10:01:29 -0700

Seymore Bones wishes to welcome all the wonderful PCOM students back to school! He was getting a little lonely with no ‘body’ around…so he decided to decorate the new building, using the artwork of PCOM Alumna Laurie Morse, LAc, and guess what?! It’s all for sale! Be sure to come check it out; 90% of proceeds go directly to Laurie and 10% go to a PCOM student scholarship fund. Visit Laurie at: www.LaurieMorse.com

Have a happy start to the semester and be sure to say hi to Seymore in class!

"I believe that health is more than merely the absence of disease. It is a total state of physical,..."

Wed, 01 May 2013 10:01:12 -0700

“I believe that health is more than merely the absence of disease. It is a total state of physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and social well-being.”

-
Dr. Frank Lipman

Click here for an a sweet surprise!

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 14:09:59 -0700

Click here for an a sweet surprise!

What are you doing when you’re “just being...

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 10:01:33 -0700

What are you doing when you’re “just being you”?

It's the Friday Wrap-Up!

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 10:01:00 -0700

OM in the news this week. Check it out!

Spring Allergy and Detox Remedies - from Goop.com. Gwyneth Paltrow shares spring recommendations from Pacific College Alumna Adele Reising, LAc. Check it out!
Try a Sleeping Ritual - from Mind, Body, Green. Feeling a little depressed transitioning out of Winter into Spring? Check out this Ayurveda sleep remedy.
Managing Your Pain Through Posture - from Fox News. Good posture effects your entire body, so help your body out with these simple exercises.
7 Ways to Lift Your Spirits with Chinese Medicine - from Yahoo! Stress, anxiety, tiredness and moodiness are all symptoms that can be treated effectively with Chinese medicine, check it out!
5 Natural Ways to Balance Your Hormones - from Mind, Body, Green. Using Chinese herbs to support your liver is just one way…
Facial Massage as an Alternative to Botox - from NYMag.com. See what this unique type of massage can do for you!

"Don’t let yourself use up too much of the day."

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 10:01:11 -0700

“Don’t let yourself use up too much of the day.”

-
Cherokee Proverb

Pacific College Alumna Jane Tsuchiyama is doing exciting things...

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 10:01:22 -0700

Pacific College Alumna Jane Tsuchiyama is doing exciting things in acupuncture, all the way in Hawaii! Did you know she was granted the Susan G. Komen grant for her dedication to treating low income women diagnosed with breast cancer?