Points Newsletter - December 2004

The holiday season is just around the corner. But don't forget this is flu season as well. Generally, most flu activity in the US occurs from November through March. In an average year, more than 100,000 Americans are hospitalized, and more than 20,000 deaths are related to the flu. More...

A two-part series by Maoshing Ni, D.O.M.,L.Ac. and Gary S. Smolker, Esq. which illuminates health and practical environmental considerations on the subject matter.

In Part One of this article, I discussed the problems of mold infestation and its potential impact to one’s health. I pointed out that in Chinese Medicine, dampness is considered to be the cause of many illnesses such as high cholesterol, cancer, metabolic disorders, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, allergies, environmental illness and as a progenitor of mold which may lead to diseases such as candidiasis and in extreme cases, mycotoxic syndrome, which in some cases can be fatal. This article will focus on prevention and treatment options. More...

An Introduction To Medical Qigong

By Yuqiu Guo, Dr. Ac.

Qigong (pronounced chee goong) is a system of Chinese health care that combines physical training, preventive and therapeutic medicine, with Eastern philosophy. The word “qi” (or chi) means air, breath of life, or vital essence. “Gong” means work, self-discipline, achievement, or mastery. Qigong is said to be “the cultivation and deliberate control of a higher form of vital energy,” (Dong & Esser1990:xi), as well as “ an ancient philosophical system of harmonious integration of the human body with the universe,” (Yan Xin (1991:i). Qigong challenges the foundations of Western biomedical thought by rejecting the idea that the human species is unaffected by nature. More...