Category Archives: General Health Topics

Ancestors of TCM in the West, Drs. Nieters & Rozenn

March 1 2009, Five Branches University held its first graduation ceremony conferring the degree Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, upon 36 graduates.  Keynote speaker, Marilyn Allen, M. Sc., Editor of Acupuncture Today, announced that this first graduating class has become Traditional Chinese Medicine’s  “Ancestors”  in the West.   While Five Branches University has offered a [...]

February is American Heart Month!

The “Heart” in Chinese medicine encompasses not only the heart organ itself, but various emotional and spiritual concepts as well. The Heart: * Pumps blood * Is considered “The Emperor” or “Ruler” of all the other organ systems * When healthy is calm, a person feels content and relaxed * Is responsible for the ability [...]

Love Your Heart

Forty three percent of all deaths in the United States today are attributable to heart disease. Understanding the functions of the heart and the dynamics of heart disease from a holistic perspective will enable you to make heart healthy choices. Asian medicine offers valuable insight into the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of the heart. [...]

Headaches–A Holistic Perspective

Over 50 million Americans suffer from a severe headache at lest once in their lives. Whether it’s a nagging dull headache or a debilitating migraine, headaches are an inconvenience and can severely impact daily life. There are many different pain relievers marketed for headache relief available over the counter. The majority of these are non-steroidal [...]

Sugar Free & Wheat Free Brownies

You can use either butter or coconut oil in this and it comes out great either way—or try half and half.          * 1 1/4 cups of organic butter or coconut oil         * 8 oz unsweetened baking chocolate         * 6 eggs        * 1 cup xylitol         * 3/4 tsp sea salt         * [...]

Sugar Free Chocolate Muffin Recipe

This is a work in progress…please feel free to experiment and make substitutions. Every time I make these they come out a little bit different.They can satisfy an evening sugar craving or substitute for a chocolate piece of birthday cake. Preheat oven to 400 degrees then mix together: ¾ C Xylitol ¼ t Salt ¾ C [...]

SAMe—Questions and Answers

What is it? S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAMe), is derived from an amino acid, methionine.   What does it do? SAMe supports healthy cell membranes, affects hormones, neurotransmitter formation, DNA, RNA, proteins and thus has far reaching affects on brain chemistry and liver detoxification.   What is it used for? SAMe has been the subject of many clinical [...]

Doctoral Training at the TCM Gynecology Hospital in Huang Zhou, China

Doctoral Fellows John Nieters and Maureen Rozenn at the second affiliated hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University. For the last month I have been studying in China as part of my clinical Doctorate in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (DAOM) and my PhD in Integrated Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Western Medicine with a specialization in [...]

Greetings from Zhejiang Chinese Medical University in China!

Spring Time! A Time for Gallbladder Flushes?

Spring is a time of renewal and detoxification. Spring cleaning is as helpful for your body as it is for your closet! There are many different ideas out there on fasting, detoxification diets, regimens and flushes. Every week I am asked about the validity of gallbladder flushes. Though the specifics vary, most gallbladder flushes encourage [...]