Park Slope Acupuncture & Chinese Herbs/Sarah E. Rivkin, DAHM, LAc, Dipl. OM

Orangutan in the wild applied medicinal plant to heal its own injury, biologists say It is "the first known case of active wound treatment in a wild animal with a medical plant," biologist Isabelle Laumer told NPR. She says the orangutan, called Rakus, is now thriving.

A few pics from my talk on Friday at University of Maryland as part of the Kang Lecture Series on East Asia with Pierce Salguero.

A cartoon by Jared Nangle.
See more from this week’s issue: http://nyer.cm/AZWjPHG

Chinese medicine has been practiced in the United States since the beginning of its colonial era. A recent article focuses on the earliest traditional Chinese medicine practitioners in the country. Until 1970s, Chinese doctors in the United States primarily specialized in herbalism. Chinese medicines such as teas, herbs, and Appalachian ginseng had started becoming available across various regions of the world well before Chinese had started emigrating to the United States.

Chinese immigrants began arriving in the country in the 1850s, bringing with them their traditional medical practices. Gradually, Chinese doctors started selling their services as “nature’s remedies,” using herbs to attract non-Chinese patients.

Read more in Chinese Medicine and Culture:
https://ow.ly/sfPP50Refxn

Is it spring yet?

Perfect I-ate-too-much-on-Thanksgiving recovery food:

Turkey Jook This comforting, savory rice porridge is the ideal day-after-Thanksgiving dish.

People often ask what the music is that I'm playing in the office. A recent addition to my playlist is this exquisite movement from a piece by Herschel Garfein, composer. Check it out here or you can stream it on all major platforms (Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, etc.).

The Layers: II. when the moon was covered, by Herschel Garfein, feat. Sophie Shao The Layers: II. when the moon was coveredMusic by Herschel Garfein. Sophie Shao, cello | John Blacklow, pianoAVAILABLE NOW: bit.ly/3L6xSYPProduced by Kabir ...

Trying again in a more algorithm-friendly format! For anyone who's heard me talk about my research on case studies in East Asian medicine and their connection to storytelling, learning, and cultivating clinical skills, here's a discussion I had with Max on . Hope you enjoy! Link in first comment.

My doctoral research on case studies in East Asian medicine included thee interviews with leading scholar-practitioners, which have now been published in the new journal Convergent Points. It's open-access, so you can read them here: https://www.convergentpoints.com/article/view/7

The Essence of Chinese Medicine: Teaching and Learning from Cases | Convergent Points: An East-West Case Report Journal The Essence of Chinese Medicine: Teaching and Learning from Cases Interviews with Dr. Yu Guo-Jun, Sharon Weizenbaum, and Valerie Hobbs Authors Sarah E. Rivkin, DAHM, LAc Park Slope Acupuncture & Chinese Herbs Keywords: acupuncture, case reports, case studies, interview, Chinese herbal medicine, clin...

https://news.ubc.ca/2021/10/07/planned-home-birth-presents-little-risk-where-midwifery-is-well-integrated/?fbclid=IwAR3Mspe1-1xljICEMPUE4zc6ws_W64cFOGoVuK_kk_oDgRejbhFL_5gEajY

Planned home birth presents little risk where midwifery is well-integrated In the state of Washington, a planned home birth with a licensed midwife is just as safe as a birth at a licensed birth centre.

Freed from the paywall, my little article from last year in the journal Medical Acupuncture on boosting resilience during the pandemic using self moxibustion (scroll down past the first article on acupuncture): https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/acu.2020.29146.cpl?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_term=&utm_content=ReadNow9&utm_campaign=ACU+Welcome+Journey+2

How Do You Boost Resilience During the Current COVID-19 Pandemic in Your Practice? | Medical Acupuncture Medical Acupuncture

A little refresh for the container garden. Ahh!

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/21/well/move/exercise-icing-sore-muscles.html?fbclid=IwAR2541qE1v4-lKToFZe2j2OOYDyTOpyUmr2tyFwgu5TX_xtx_f_mFJLAoUw

Ice for Sore Muscles? Think Again. Icing muscles after strenuous exercise is not just ineffective, it could be counterproductive, a new study in mice suggests.

Finally!

Double Masking Can Get Tricky. Here’s an Easy Way to Do It Right. Two masks can increase your protection against the coronavirus. Just make sure you know the dos and don’ts.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/25/parenting/postpartum-food-traditions.html?referringSource=articleShare&fbclid=IwAR1t5tfurIcfnpn8lOkLu0yNXWssZbIbrOJ7gvVjA5eLIC-GH1LoeWQoUnc

How Food Traditions Nourish New Moms Parents still turn to old recipes and customs for postpartum recovery.

Fully vaccinated!

Thanks, !

Study finds promising results using acupuncture to treat inflammation Acupuncture activates inflammation-regulating pathways, tames cytokine storm in mice.

Just got my copy of The Lantern with my book review essay in it!

How do you boost resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic? See the latest issue of Medical Acupuncture for my essay in response. https://www.facebook.com/AAMAmedicalacupuncture/

https://www.moxafrica.org/post/the-vitamin-that-is-not-a-vitamin-in-the-time-of-covid

The Vitamin (that is not a vitamin) in the time of COVID Please note: because we feel that the contents of this blog may be so important, we have decided to republish it including some small editing of the original, along with some additional text. All such text is shown in italics. In the last couple of weeks, several sources have suggested that levels o...

Not a scientific study, but this is promising that masks work. https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/a-small-data-point-about-masks?fbclid=IwAR3IX5fg1zWyARUD2RgrXe_FG4RQfli9Ewhx4ZikdEGBzNRhsfXWeANAKuM

A Small Data Point about Masks I’ve been talking about the question of the effectiveness of masking for many weeks now. So I wanted to share...

Many household cleaning products can be harmful to human health, especially when not used correctly. There are safe and effective alternatives out there, like thymol and hydrogen peroxide-based cleaners. If you feel you must use conventional cleaning products, please take precautions. Opening your windows and wearing gloves and a mask are great places to start! https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/05/health/bleach-americans-cleaning-covid-trnd/index.html?fbclid=IwAR1zyqhnqYhI9cgTaj-qa06xanx02bG2myV1H9HRR6NMAwPuExoJZ9o4SyM

A third of Americans surveyed engaged in risky cleaning behaviors during the Covid-19 pandemic. Some have even gargled with bleach. Americans are putting their health at risk while trying to protect it.

Generally good advice, although I quibble with her conclusion about Vitamin D. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/25/well/live/to-fight-covid-19-dont-neglect-immunity-and-inflammation.html?fbclid=IwAR0BXeNLwHeF_Dg0CpCQrTdJxmmEDB6v1kX4aQfS-SPlmukB79btwUNn1MU

To Fight Covid-19, Don’t Neglect Immunity and Inflammation After seeing who is most likely to become infected and die, immunity and inflammation warrant further discussion and public attention.

"Churning windmills of need" ... yup, that about sums it up. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/24/opinion/coronavirus-parents-work-from-home.html?smid=em-share&fbclid=IwAR0EdQlOD4twtABWaIJgEzxDVkhETIyeHa02qJBAu0vWCvCSPHPCYqHKFCE

Opinion | Camp Is Canceled. Three More Months of Family Time. Help. We’re homemakers, stay-at-home parents and paid workers. All at the same time.

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/05/23/861325631/from-camping-to-dining-out-heres-how-experts-rate-the-risks-of-14-summer-activit?sc=18&f=1001

From Camping To Dining Out: Here's How Experts Rate The Risks Of 14 Summer Activities

Vitamin D: A Low-Hanging Fruit in COVID-19? Vitamin D in patients with COVID-19 has been the topic of a glut of recent research papers, but data are observational and RCTs are lacking. Still, supplementation is not a bad idea, say experts.

Try these traditional Chinese medicine practices for self-care during quarantine From qi gong to acupressure and herbal remedies, practitioners say these ancient wellness routines can provide stress relief at home during the pandemic.

Let's talk about supplements, virtual visits, and more! - https://mailchi.mp/eb5e39c1e5f7/lets-talk-about-supplements-virtual-visits-and-more

Let's talk about supplements, virtual visits, and more! In addition to doing virtual consultations, I've been busy teaching, writing, and thinking about East Asian Medicine. Here's the link to a continuing education class I taught last week for practitioners. You can replay my Facebook live lecture on moxibustion here, and I'm excited to be launching ...