Two Days of Teaching in St. Louis

 

This past June the Acupuncture Association of Missouri (AAM) invited me to give a two-day seminar on Meridian Energetic Acupuncture in St. Louis. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit and made good use of my time there.

My friend Michael Max and his wife Tracy Wang graciously invited me to be their house guest for the first couple of days. I’d never been to St. Louis. Now I would see this city from a resident’s point of view and Michael and I could continue our conversations about the practice of acupuncture. An added bonus to this was that Tracy is a superb cook.

 

 

The day after I arrived we went sight seeing. This included the amazing City Museum – I won’t even say anything about it other than, yes, I did slide down the 10-story spiral slide. Wow! You just have to go! And of course we visited the Arch, an awe-provoking piece of architecture situated in a downtown park on the banks of the Mississippi River. My tour of St. Louis included a visit to Sump’s for the best coffee in town, if not the country, and eating ribs outdoors at a delightful street-side restaurant.

The next day it was back to work. I had the pleasure of assisting Michael in his clinic. This was a good opportunity for both of us. I admired Michael’s calm way with his patients, his willingness to share his knowledge with me and his eagerness to have me jump in to consult with him on some of the treatments. It’s always rewarding to work in another acupuncturist’s clinic. Michael and I (and Tracy) met in China, and we’d already had many discussions about acupuncture protocols, the peculiarities of our respective clinics, ethical marketing practices, and herbal medicine. Finally we were working together.

I moved to the hotel the evening before the AAM conference began. This afforded me the luxury of being able to plan and adapt my lecture content according to the needs of the class, in real time and without distraction.

What a fun bunch of acupuncturists! They came mostly from Missouri and Kansas while some hailed from places as far away as Iowa to attend the AAM seminars. We kicked the conference off with a cocktail party whose purpose was, as Michael put it, “so we can size up the teacher and buy her drinks”. (Worked for me!) I had the chance to meet most of the participants before the seminar began.

The next two days were intense, yet I found them energizing rather than draining. These weren’t novice practitioners attending the workshop. I do believe I learned as much as they did. It was a lively two days with lots of input from the students, lots of case examples and demonstrations. In between class we had many discussions. We chatted over lunch, talked over dinner, and explored in depth this medicine we love late into the night. We shared anecdotes, techniques, and stories …

The Mostly Monthly Newsletter

Yes, at long last I have finally put together a Mystic River Acupuncture Newsletter and had a lot of fun doing it. Learning a new application, playing with graphics, and figuring out what might me new or interesting for you was a pleasant challenge for me. It certainly brought out the nerd in me! And perhaps a bit of the artiste, as well.

But why mostly monthly? Because I am sensitive to email overload and don’t want to send a monthly letter out just because it is that time of month. Conversely, on occasion there might be a lot happening here, requiring a second edition within the same month. This month, for example, we begin the Year of the Dragon. That just might need its own special edition.

I would love to hear from you about what interests you, what types of things you’d like to see in the newsletter. I want it to be fun to read, something you might look forward to every month or so. I’ll publish our specials, introduce staff, provide health tips, and keep you up-to-date on the latest at Mystic River Acupuncture.

We always enjoy seeing you, even if you just stop by to say hello. We hope this will keep us connected between visits.

Kathleen Poole…

Pulse and Tongue Workshop

Have you ever wondered exactly what your acupuncturist is doing when he or she takes your pulse and looks at your tongue? Pulse and tongue are foundations of Chinese Medicine. Each is a microcosm of what is going on inside your body. You just have to know what to look for.

 

Kathleen will be at on Everything Zen, Friday 6:30-7:30 to give you some pulse-taking/tongue-looking tips. She’ll explain what kind of information she gets about your health from pulse and tongue, and then show you what o look for. We will have some simple patent formulas on hand, at a special discount, so you can go home with a remedy to match what you find.

 

Everything Zen (click October Seminar in the left side bar)

Friday Oct21  6:30-7:30

Call  860-448-6766 or 860-861-8978     …

Spring Wellness Fair

Mystic River Acupuncture and Everything Zen are collaborating once again to bring you a Spring Wellness Fair. Stop in to try a sampling of reflexology, massage, and acupuncture. Or come by just to chat with us about what we do and how it works. We’ll have some light snacks waiting for you. We hope the evening will be every bit as enjoyable as out last event was.

Spring Wellness Fair will take place at Everything Zen, 156 King’s Highway in Groton. RSVP to Holly Potter at 860-861-8978.…

Everything Fun at Everything Zen

Last Friday Mystic River Acupuncture went to Everything Zen for an evening of “Radiant Beauty From the Inside Out”. I talked about the Chinese concept of beauty being the direct result of how we feel and how healthy we are. Beauty formulas and healthy eating are a part of radiance as much as cosmetics and facial care are.

Holly and I served up an “immune” promoting broth adapted from a recipe in “Ancient Wisdom, Modern Kitchen: Recipes From the East for Health, Healing, and Long Life”. Organic chicken bones, herbs and vegetables were stewed for 24 hours to make this delicious stock that can be taken either as a broth or used as a base in any dish calling for chicken stock.  Bone marrow is rich in nutrients and stewing for a long period releases the essence of bones and their marrow into the soup. A crockpot makes the whole process easy.

Next we sampled a classic Chinese formula that is traditionally taken as a draught with wine. A gram of herbal granules was stirred into bit of warm water in our Dixie cups. We drank this down, then chased it with wine as I passed around a plate containing the same formula in raw form for everyone to see. Taking herbs to keep qi (energy) and blood circulation flowing is essential to a good beauty program, especially in cases of dry skin, acne, and other skin problems.

We finished the evening with a demonstration of wrinkle reducing acupuncture while Holly talked about the importance of using organic paraben free products on the skin. She and showed participants the special herbs I powder up for her to use in facial masks for her facials. Holly and I have been collaborating for the last year on different herbal face masks for various skin problems.

We were running out of time and didn’t get to drinking the special relaxing tea I mixed. Luckily, I had made little bag of these tea herbs for each person to bring home to make for their tea breaks during week. This tea was a relaxing blend that also “vents” or dissipates stress energy and is particularly good for tension in the body caused by stress. It’s a calming refreshing tea that taken with lemon, mint and honey.

By the time we were done, the class had renamed Everything Zen to “Everything FUN” and Holly and I were pleases and honored. It’s important to put some fun in our busy lives.

Check News and Events to learn about the Radiant Beauty specials Holly and I are offering so you can keep having Radiant Beauty and Everything Fun.

Kathleen Poole…

Surprise Mom with Radiant Beauty

Mystic River Acupuncture and Everything Zen are collaborating to offer you a Radiant Skin Beauty Package just in time for Mother’s Day.

Holly Potter, LMT of Everything Zen will give your favorite mom an anti-aging Vitamin C facial peel and Kathleen Poole will provide a wrinkle reducing acupuncture treatment for only $115. Mom can make a day of it. Visit Everything Zen, then have a bite to eat at one of the areas many restaurants before your wrinkle reducing session at Mystic River Acupuncture. For best results, these treatments can be scheduled up to one week apart.

A full package of six of each is also available for $660, and the sampler pack can be applied towards the full package of twelve sessions. With the full package you can take advantage of special discounts on herbal consultation with Kathleen and an assortment of upgrades from Holly.

What more perfect and unique gift is there for that Special Mother in your life?…

Radiant Beauty at Everything Zen

Friday April 29 at 6:30 Kathleen will present a workshop about Chinese “beauty” formulas, herbal remedies that promote healthy skin. Beauty is more than skin deep, and beauty is best when it comes from the inside out.

We’ll talk about the factors contributing to healthy skin from a Chinese point of view and address problems such as dry skin, acne and premenstrual skin changes. Kathleen will bring a sample formula to show you and to try, and she’ll make a special tea for the Sin Ni San ladies’ (you’ll have to come to find out who you are). She will also demonstrate facial acupuncture for wrinkles.

Come have a fun evening at Holly Potter’s fabulous studio, Everything Zen, 156 King’s Highway in Groton. Call Holly 860-861-8978 to RSVP.…

Alternative Medicine – How to Choose

On April 11, 2011 Kathleen will present ‘The Jungle of Chinese Medicine: Which to Use and How To Choose a Practitioner’ to the Mystic Rotary at its monthly luncheon at the Mystic Hilton.

She will discuss the various alternative medicines and therapies available in southeastern Connecticut, what they are used for, and how to find a practitioner. She’ll talk about which professions are licensed and which are unregulated and the educational requirements for each. Kathleen did extensive research of schools, programs, and the state statutes regarding the professions. Handouts outlining this research will be available and  she will accompany her lecture with a slide presentation.

All are invited to attend. If you’ve ever felt confused about alternative medicine, now is the time to get the facts.

Mystic Hilton is located at 20 Coogan Blvd, Mystic.

RSVP: Laureen Morley at 860-536-4140.…

Early Bird registration for cupping class ends soon.

Register by April 15 for the Early Bird rate for the Bruce Bentley cupping workshops in NYC (May 7,8,9,) and Groton, CT (May 10,11,12). This class is open to acupuncturists, massage therapists, and other interested licensed professionals. This is an opportunity to study with an expert who explains and demonstrates cupping methods in clear terms. You will feel confident to practice this art after spending a weekend with Bruce. Call Andrea at 860-501-3112, or visit Bruce’s website at www.healthtraditions.com.au. Download the flyer for more info.…

Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture March 3 in Mystic

Kathleen Poole will give a talk on Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture on March 3 at 6:30 at the Wellness Concierge in Mystic. She will explain how acupuncture works and talk about how herbal formulas are constructed. There will be plenty of time for questions. Kathleen will be giving mini-treatments to participants, so bring a friend. Cost is $20. Established Mystic River Acupuncture patients attending will receive a coupon for $5 off a therapeutic massage in our office. Call 860-572-4805 to register and for directions.…

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