Consciousness is precious because it's what we mostly have and the quality of the consciousness determines whether our life is joyful, full of wonders, or a curse. I prefer the former and have developed ways to make my days lighter and brighter. A simple way is to go down a different road. I am speaking metaphorically but also literally.

In the past couple weeks I treated many cases of coughs and cold. Seems like the flu season is upon us early this season. Fluctuations of warm and cold temperatures are difficult for the body to adapt and weaker immune systems are affected. I have noticed that patients who get acupuncture on a regular basis seldom get colds or the flu. Acupuncture promotes and harmonizes qi and blood functioning regardless of the points used. In other words, acupuncture has the side effect of strengthening the immune system. So, to stay healthy through climatic changes, get acupuncture regularly and protect your wind points on the back of the neck: just keep the neck and shoulders covered and warm.

Just returned from a hiking trip to the Tetons with refreshed body and spirit

I just joined Birthlink, a resource for families that are seeking optimal health and wellness with regard to childbirth and health care. My practice information is listed on its website. Please visit:

Praying mantis egg case 桑螵蛸 is one of the curious items in Chinese medical herbology. That it is sometimes found on the mulberry tree probably earned its name and alerted to its medical significance: 桑 Sang is the mulberry tree and virtually every part of it: from the bark to the branch to the fruit to the leaf and even the silk worm that feeds on it, is important in Chinese herbal medicine. But what imagination would connect the mantis casing with the treatment of spermatorrhea, premature ejaculation, frequent urination or vaginal discharge, conditions that are described as insecurity of kidney essence in Chinese medicine! Exactly that was done as early as the second century and recorded in the Divine Husbandman's Classic of the Materia Medica. What's important is that it does work for those conditions and the mantis egg case is commonly used today in the formulation Sang Piao Xiao San. The casing shown in the pics above is a gift from my friend Paul. It is a live one with developing nymphs inside. I have placed it in my garden and hoping to see many praying mantises this Summer.

The difference between scientific drug therapy and acupuncture is immense. The science behind drugs is usually extremely precise. For example, Amgen, one of the biggest drug development companies, just released Phase 2 trial results of its monoclonal antibody AMG-334 for the prevention of episodic migraine. Amgen's science posits that migraine pain is caused by signals transmitted by the calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) receptor. AMG-334 can inhibit these signals and hence help with migraine. The primary purpose of the study is to find out whether there is a change in monthly migraine days with AMG-334 after 12 weeks. Indeed, a positive, statistically significant result is found: there is a 3.4 days reduction compared with 2.28 days observed in the placebo group. In other words, after 12 weeks, subjects taking the drug have 1.12 more migraine-free days per month than those who did not take the drug.
Now I speak from my standpoint of acupuncture and since I treat half a dozen of migraine patients a month Amgen is in no danger of losing market shares to me. My understanding of migraine is not at the molecular level. I work from a general theory that vascular activities play a key role in migraine and so acupuncture is used to moderate those activities. 90% of my patients start to improve with the first treatment. Within 6 weeks 50% don't experience migraines anymore. Drugs have side-effects. The common ones for AMG 334 include fatigue, flu-like symptom, nasopharyngitis, arthralgia and back pain. The most common side-effect with acupuncture is relaxation.
Although some fellow acupuncturists disagree, acupuncture will never be as scientifically precise as, well, science. However, it can be very effective for many conditions. I study science but I am a clinician and acupuncturist. If it's safe and works I'll use it.