Around clinic. 1st year and 2nd year

Here we are in clinic taking some pics. The new generation of students coming through and eventually helping the people will be graduating in no time. Good luck  guys and may the force be with you.

Mooncake and Michael in the break room.

 
Front desk styling: Dennis, Shane and Jonathon:

Thanks guys :)

Subtle Energies and Energy Medicine

I have to write an annotated bibliography for one of my last assignments (read giant literature review). I decided to go to the library and check out the journals. To my surprise I discovered a whole new level of the library, one week before I can never use it again! The call numbers for the journals are the same for the books in the category of Chinese medicine. But the journals are on another level, level 5. I had made the presumption that they where all in the same area. Before I had only looked up journals online through the library website. The new level I discovered has a wall of information! And level 5 itself is the top of the library, is a strict quiet zone and is flooded with natural light and space (the other levels being a bit dark). Dash I would have spent some time up there! 

Here's a look at some of the journals...

 More informations:

Flying to China Soon

Flying to China soon. Beijing baby! I will be commencing an internship placement in the Sino-Japanese Friendship Hospital and rotating around 6 departments: gynaecology, diabetes, oncology and more. This is my ticket to get there. Flying out on economy. Coming back on thrift class...

Fire Needle Technique: Revisited

James had fire needle technique on a small cyst on his back around March 2009. Here he shows off the result of what happened to the area where he had it done, a year and a half later.  Probably he picked the scar, so a small dimple has occurred but usually there would be no mark

Here's when it was done in 2009:

The Chinese Medicine Society: The Holistic Dentistry Talk Review

Dr Christine May came in to do a talk on holistic and natural concepts around dentistry and threw in some Chinese medicine ideas too as not only is she a qualified dentist but also about to graduate from a Bachelor in Health Science and Traditional Chinese Medicine at the University of Technology, Sydney.

The talk was very knowledgeable, confident and engaging, with everybody asking questions!

Some main points she covered were types of fillings, fluoride and what you can do to help teeth health care. I have since purchased floss again…

Mercury fillings: According to Chris there is more of an issue for the dentist than the client in these types of procedures. The vapour given off during these procedures is the most dangerous part. With the example made of dentists breathing this over a number of patients being treated, but the effect for the client is just about zero. Chris went on to state that the mental health of dentists has never been  documented as an issue from mercury. Even when they used to have the practice of mixing the mercury with the filling material by hand. Further on she mentioned the mercury is set in an amalgam that seals and even if it is close to the root there is no problem. The main issue is placing and removing these types of fillings due to vapour release in the process, which is minimal at the most, with the dentist being at greatest risk, if any.

Another subject mentioned was fluoride! I recall Chris saying that for an overdose to occur an individual would have to drink 9 litres of treated water for any kind of small effect. The main problem of overdose occurred in rural areas where fluoride tablets were given with incorrect dosing. This lead to patchy whitening of teeth and pitting and even discoloring of teeth, but apparently it is an issue that doesn’t occur in this current time frame. Further more in her opinion the Healing with Whole Foods book by Paul Pitchford book is dramatically incorrect in its fluoride information, using the wrong chemical analysis for the fluoride in water systems.

Chris also came up with some anecdotal stories of treating friends with tooth extraction and using acupuncture techniques. In one case extraction was done on one side of a client using acupuncture and standard anaesthetizing of area and the other side was also treated with the same procedure, but without acupuncture. The client reported good recovery and markedly reduced pain relief for the acupuncture treated side.  

These are just some of the highlights I recalled from this very interesting talk.

Chris here in the talk

 Snap shot of the audience

 Here's a funny toothbrush drawing someone did on the poster!

 

Interesting journal article and well controlled small statistical trial on Electro–acupuncture efficacy on pain control after mandibular third molar surgery

http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?pid=S0103-64402007000200014&script=sci_arttext

Tai Chi

Here's a demonstration of George doing some awesome Tai Chi moves during a break at the UTS TCM Clinic. Good work!

The Real Full Moon

 

Here's a picture of the moon yesterday to prove it was full!

The Moon is Full!

At the moment it is the celebration of the full moon festival in Asian countries. It is tied in with Northern hemisphere autumnal equinox. Here in Australia it is still celebrated due to the date and tradition in Asian communities and the fact , of course, that it is still a full moon! Mooncakes are a big part of this tradition. Seek out the ones made of lotus bean paste. They are the best and the yummiest: I had one earlier.

Here James models some freshly purchased mooncake brought into clinic the other day. Oh yeah!

Hai Piao Xiao

The cuttlefish is one of my favorite animals. Outstandingly it has the ability to change colour in beautiful ways at a moments notice as a form of communication. It is quick and majestic in the water and has numerous other amazing features such as: “w” shaped eyes, 3 hearts to pump green blue blood around, a large brain and a cuttlebone. The cuttlebone is a calcium structure that is filled with gas to change it's buoyancy. Hai Piao Xiao is cuttlebone.

In TCM it’s used to stabilise and bind.

It enters KD, LR and ST and is salty, astringent and slightly warm

Stops bleeding, secures essence and dries dampness

Used for many bleeding patterns, especially from deficiency and it can also be used to stop traumatic bleeding externally. Drying and inhibiting in its characteristics it enters blood level of the Liver channel and restrains bleed, dries vaginal discharge. It enters the Kidney channel and secures essence, and enters Stomach and controls acidity, stops epigastric pain and treat diarrhea and dysentery disorders.

Bensky et al, 2004, Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica 3rd Edition, Eastland Press, USA

Really great video of cuttlefish:

Massage and Science: Massageolgy...

An "ology" suffix is a combining form used in the names of science or bodies of knowledge. For example theology. Here we have a book on tuinalogy I found recently. It's the same idea transposed on to tuina (Chinese massage style). Massageology. I respect the art and science of the body of knowledge which is massage. Don't know if I can handle tuinology though... :P

Visit to the Genki Centre

I met with a friend of mine practicing acupuncture in the suburb of Glebe, Sydney. Kaitlin was a couple years ahead of me in graduating and now she is practicing in this delightful healing centre called the Genki centre. The centre describes itself as "a centre for meridian therapy, Japanese acupuncture and East Asian medicine".

It has four rooms, a space big enough for a comfortable yoga class and (amazingly) a very cute brick courtyard with a tree in the middle.
It's a great spot and Kaitlin was kind enough to show me around after a busy day, thanks!

This is Kaitlin's room. It's a great size, very comfortable and homely. I'm sure lots of people have been happy getting treatments here.

UTS Clinic Snap shots

I have four more patients to treat in clinic and then my clinic hours are complete. That's a total of 120 treatments on a Monday afternoon over 7 months.


I should reminisce more, but unfortunately I have to study for a statistics test... A proper overview will be done in a few days, but just to say that I really have developed and learnt a lot. It would be great to do more hours there to be honest! In the meantime here are some random shots of the clinic to keep you photo happy.

George in the Clinic

This is George.

He's studying the TCM course in the year below me. He's always great value and has an idea about everything. Being from China he's got some experience of how TCM works out there too. Once he showed me a scar on on his back at Bladder 13. This is where (in China) they made a cut and placed a small piece of chicken's gut in the incision when he was a child. It's a treatment for Asthma. True story.

Final Year Intern Clinic "Super"visor

The final year intern clinic supervisors are super helpful, super kind and put up with a super a lot. Imagine year after year of talking to newbies and listening to their opinions of what's wrong and right in a diagnosis and having to explain it back to them the right way!

I spoke to Chunlin and asked her how she did it? And her answer was a love of clinic. She loves being there helping patients, learning new things.

Thanks for all your help and kindness Chunlin.

Here is Chunlin Zhou helping Alice in clinic

Blood Pressure Test

Here I am getting my blood pressure measured in clinic by Zena. Thanks Zena and you'll be glad to know my blood pressure was normal, the rest of me is getting further tests...

Badde Manors Gelato Sign for Sale!

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290471959936&ssPageName=STRK%3AMESELX%3AIT

Badde Manors Cafe, Glebe, Gelato Finger Sign!

This famous Sydney sign can be yours! It's in great condition and still has the link chains from when it was suspended from the street awning!

This artist painted picture by Kath Ellis, from the Alpha House Artist Co-operative, on wood of an arm with a hand holding a gelato and pointing to the cafe with the words "Gelato", "La Dolce Vita" and "Badde Manors" in a ribbon on a heart is now available with the cafe's and artist's permission.

This sign is Sydney famous and is great piece of artwork. Painted in ice cream colours on both sides that look great, with one side themed green and the other side in blue. It features beautiful writing and the name of the cafe on the sign. It's fun, beautiful and instantly recognisable!
All proceeds of the sale are going to Mahboba's Promise orphans in Afghanistan charity. http://www.mahbobaspromise.org/content.cfm?id=1610
"Hi Damien, That is as great idea to raise funds for us. Please let me know how the auction goes. Kind regards, Mahboba"13/07/2010

The sign is being auctioned by Bondi Traditional Chinese Medicine. Search and join Bondi Traditional Chinese Medicine on facebook to find out more!

Talking of Tongue Analysis...

Found this the day after the previous post. Now that is a tongue diagnosis!

Tongue Analysis

Ever looked at your own tongue in regards to health?

This video shows some tongues we had to analyse for a comparative study for a statistics class. We are doing a science based degree at UTS, so they love to throw statistics in there. It's very painful and awful! I've heard they put it in the last year of the course as everybody would drop out if it was in first year..!

Anyway in Chinese medicine looking at the tongue is part of the diagnosis of how you are.

Consider the tongue coat and tongue body. The coat can be thick, moist or dry, peeled and have different textures. All meaning certain things for diagnosis.
The body can have different shapes and colour. The shape can be indented, or not, enlarged or thin, have red raised spots (papillae) or have cracks on the surface.

More later :)

The UTS Chinese Medicine Final Year Internship Clinic

https://sites.google.com/site/utstcmclinic/home

Soon my time practicing in the clinic will be over. The quota of 120 hours worth of treatment will be fulfilled and I will be a visitor instead of a practitioner. I can't wait!

I am looking forward to graduating and treating Sydney!

Ji Guan Hua

This herb looked pretty so I took a picture :)

This is Coxcomb flower
(also pictured in it native environment courtesy of this blog: http://jguz.blogspot.com/2008/05/hawaiian-flowers-part-2-red-velvety.html )

Sweet, Astringent and Cool
Comes under the stabilising and binding category
Enters Liver and Large Intestine
Good for cooling blood, restraining bleed and vaginal discharge
Used for bleeding hemorrhoids, dysentery, vomiting or coughing up blood, painful urinary dribbling, incessant uterine bleeding and red and white vaginal discharge.

As you can see in the first picture there are a mix of red and white flowers. Red are considered good for blood level and white for Qi level treatment.

Bensky et al, 2004, Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica 3rd Edition, Eastland Press, USA

The power of Coxcomb: "the world is so pale next to you"

Patient with Eczema and Dysmenorrhea

Here we have herbs for a patient with eczema and Dysmenorrhea (painful period).

The patient has experienced eczema since very young and has a dry itchy skin on the right elbow crease and behind the left knee, which is sometimes exudes puss.

The diagnosis was

Blood Heat, Wind Damp with underlying Yin and Blood Deficiency

We used:

Shen Di Huang 15 g

Chi Shao 15g

Chuan Xiong 12g

He Shou Wu 15g

Bai Ji Li 15g

Bai Xian Pi 15g

Jin Jie 12g

Ku Shen 12g

Xi Xian Cao 15g

Xuan Shen 15g

Yin Chai Hu 15g

Zhi Mu 12g

Gan Cao 6g

The following week I caught up with the individual. Due to Spring developing (more heat) and an increase in consumption of spicy foods that week there was a little bit of improvement but only a little bit.