Category: Uncategorized

We interviewed Steffany Moonaz, Ph.D., RYT 500, winner of MUIH’s first Excellence in Research and Scholarship Award, for her research on the effects of yoga practice for people with rheumatic diseases.

We interviewed Celeste Homan, M.S., M.Ac., L.Ac., winner of the Faculty Research Poster Award at MUIH’s first Research Symposium, for her study using acupuncture as an alternative treatment for cystic acne. The study not only demonstrates successful symptom treatment, but also explores critical thinking around patient healing and focuses on treating the whole person, not just a particular symptom.

We interviewed Heather Walker, winner of the President’s Award at MUIH’s first Research Symposium, for her research design exploring STW-5 as a treatment for gastrointestinal disorder in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Bring integrative medicine into your daily life by easily incorporating these five warming, nurturing herbs into your meals or tea. Learn how, when, and why to incorporate these plants for greater balance during these colder, lethargic winter months.
Infographic based off article by MUIH alumna Courtney Fischer.

Watermelon is closely related to cucumber family. It is low in sugar, half the sugar of an apple, and has high water content, thus it is excellent to stay hydrated during the summer month. The seeds can be toasted and enjoyed like pumpkin seeds. Watermelon is high in Vitamin C, A and potassium. It is an excellent cooling food.

Boost your immunity by cooking up some tasty treats for the coming holidays using common culinary herbs and spices. Claudia Joy Wingo, herbalist and chef, shares some of her favorite recipes featuring everyday kitchen seasonings with healing qualities.

Some recent career, practice, and life accomplishments from alumni of our acupuncture and Oriental medicine programs. To share your own updates, click here.

1970s

Peter Eckman, Acupuncture (UK Sept. 1973)
Published “The Compleat Acupuncturist” via Singing Dragon Press, 2014. Presented on Western Acupuncture History via Skype, Kunming, China, 2014. Addressed BAcC Annual Symposium, 2014.

1980s

Clayton Spivey, Acupuncture (May 1989)
Married to Edna Brandt, L.Ac., May 2012.

1990s

Elaine Komarow Wolf, Acupuncture (Sept. 1992)
Publishes a blog, The Acupuncture Observer, focusing on professional news, healthcare policy, regulation and ethics. Hopes to do more teaching on ethics once her service to the Advisory Board on Acupuncture in Virginia is complete.

Susan Berman Schonberger, Acupuncture (Sept. 1997)
Recently left her co-founded practice, Blue Heron Wellness, and is honored to be working at Crossings: A Center for the Healing Traditions in downtown Silver Spring, Md.

2000s

Lauren Richter, Acupuncture (Jan. 2001)
Recently became certified by American Board of Integrative Holistic Medicine and became an Institute for Functional Medicine Certified Practitioner.

Michelle Gellis, Acupuncture (Jan. 2002)
Became a Certified Trainer for Acupuncture Facial Rejuvenation.

Ludwig Kragler, Acupuncture, Chinese Herbs (Sept. 2003)
Current acupuncturist and herbalist with Frederick Memorial Hospital and its Wellness Center.

Rachel Kriger, Acupuncture (Sept. 2006)
Recently moved to Philadelphia with her husband, Nick Corso, where they are slowly growing their respective businesses, acupuncture and pottery. Alumni and their friends and family in the area are encouraged to contact them and introduce themselves.

Kara Grandea, Oriental Medicine (Jan. 2008)
Practices Classical Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine in Owings Mills and Columbia, Md., and is an in-network provider for Carefirst BlueCross BlueShield of Maryland. 

This past weekend (Nov. 6 – 10), six of MUIH’s herbal medicine faculty and two alumni were invited to speak at the American Herbalists Guild (AHG) Annual Symposium in Pine Mountain, Georgia.

Our first yoga therapy student interns are now scheduling appointments to see clients at the MUIH Natural Care Center. Yoga therapy is a rapidly growing healing discipline that is effective for a wide range of physical and emotional challenges. You likely know how effective a yoga practice can be – imagine the possibilities of using yoga therapy to heal!

We’re so excited to welcome our new students! As MUIH continues to grow, so too does the diversity of our student population.

Sometimes I sense we yearn for the day when all of life’s challenges magically melt away. However, what I have learned along my journey thus far in life is that while we’ll never be able to completely avoid life’s challenges, we can look at the situation from a new perspective, or in coaching terms, learn to “reframe” our experiences.

Worsley Five Element Clearing Protocols in the Treatment of PTSD

Research Design by Janice Campbell and Hunter Thompson, Acupuncture Professors

Abstract:

OBJECTIVE: To study the treatment effect of Worsley five element acupuncture clearing protocols on post-traumatic stress disorder.

METHODS: Individuals diagnosed with PTSD by a Western medical professional will be treated with the Worsley five element acupuncture clearing protocols of all three possession treatments and aggressive energy treatment. The treatments would be done in a private setting on a weekly basis over the course of 6 weeks. The first week would be an intake only and each subsequent week would be only one of the five clearing treatments. The assessment tool to be used for assessment of PTSD symptom would be given at the initial intake and again at the beginning of each treatment to assess the changes over the previous week. The control group would consist of individuals diagnosed with PTSD by a Western medical professional who would fill out the assessment tool on a weekly basis for the total of the 6 week of the trial. Individuals would be randomly assigned to each of the groups.

EXPECTED OUTCOME: The hypothesis is that the Worsley five element acupuncture clearing protocols would provide improvement in the symptoms of PTSD as evaluated on the assessment tool. These symptoms include: quality of sleep, anger outbursts, flashbacks, muscle tension, startle response and general outlook about life.

Assessment tool: Weiss, D.S. (2007). The Impact of Event Scale: Revised. In J.P. Wilson & C.S. Tang (Eds.), Cross-cultural assessment of psychological trauma and PTSD (pp. 219-238). New York: Springer.

Parts Making a Whole: Components of a Clinical Herbalism Education

Original Research by Bevin Clare, Herbal Medicine Professor

Abstract:

Clinical herbalism as practiced by contemporary medical herbalists is a diverse, adaptable, and changing field. Fundamentally, the training has altered little in centuries and stays true to its roots with components involving people, plants, and their interactions. From a content perspective, the clinical education of herbalists has adapted along with clinical medicine itself. Through the examination of the many components of training necessary for a contemporary clinical herbalist, this poster will answer the question “What are the components of clinical herbalist training?” while staying true to the roots of herbal medicine as practiced for centuries.

Nanomechanics and sodium permeability of endothelial surface layer modulated by hawthorn extract WS 1442

A Research Report by Camille Freeman, Integrated Sciences Professor

Abstract:

Preliminary evidence suggests that hawthorn extract may support cardiovascular health via its effects on the endothelial glycocalyx, a negatively-charged mesh lining our blood vessels. This poster will introduce viewers to the glycocalyx and present the findings of Peters et al (2012).

Reference:

Peters, W., Drueppel, V., Kusche-Vihrog, K., Schubert, C., & Oberleithner, H. (2012). Nanomechanics and sodium permeability of endothelial surface layer modulated by hawthorn extract WS 1442. PloS One, 7(1), e29972. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0029972

Can Worsley Treatments Be Understood From a Chinese Medical Perspective?

Research Design by Celeste Homan, Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Professor

Abstract:

Treatment protocols from the Worsley tradition, also known as Leamington acupuncture, adhere to fundamental principles of Chinese medicine when viewed from a channel perspective. Designed to rely on verifiable phenomena, these practices support a beginning acupuncturist by providing safe and effective clinical experiences that can be integrated with the practitioner’s developing medical model and clinical skills. Because the Worsley tradition emphasizes supporting the patient’s constitutional factor or CF, it lends itself to treatment of the spirit and to the practice of Chinese medicine as applied Chinese philosophy; a perspective with unlimited potential.

Using Herbarium Specimens as a Teaching Tool in Herbal Education

Research Design led by Andrew Pengelly, Herbal Medicine Professor, working with Laurie Dohmen, Herbal Medicine Student, and Kathleen Bennett, Herbal Medicine Alumni

Abstract:

A herbarium is a collection of preserved plants. It may be a large facility such as the Smithsonian or New York Botanical Gardens, which hold millions of species. A much smaller collection is held in the Sherman Cohn Library at MUIH. Herbarium voucher specimens are now required to validate the identity of species being used in clinical and experimental research involving medicinal plants. This poster will highlight the value of herbarium specimens as teaching tools with examples taken from courses conducted in the herbal medicine program at MUIH.

Acupoints Initiate The Healing Process

A Research Review by Heming Zhu, Integrated Sciences Professor

Abstract:

As one of the six major modalities of Traditional Chinese Medicine, acupuncture has been widely accepted by the western world in the past four decades because of its efficacy and safety. A vast amount of acupuncture research has been done. But the mechanisms of acupuncture actions are still elusive. It is believed that the effects of acupuncture treatment begin from the moment of needle insertion. Thus this review focuses on the acupuncture points and the three major reactions at the acupuncture points when needling. These initial reactions may be the beginning of the healing process and would help us understand downstream effects induced by needling. In addition to physical reactions, this text also discusses the importance of the effects of acupuncture on the mind and emotions in the healing process.