In this issue you will find:

• Important PCOM Dates
• Massage Therapy can ease Children’s Musculoskeletal problems
• Acupuncture for Insomnia and Sleep Disorders
• Treating Heartburn with Traditional Chinese Medicine
• Chinese Wisdom: Quote of the Day

Important PCOM Dates

• August 17th: (Sunday)
  San Diego Commencement Ceremony

• September 17th: (Wednesday)
  San Diego Campus Program and Application Workshop

• September 17th: (Wednesday)
  New York Campus Open House

Massage Therapy Can Ease Children’s Musculoskeletal Problems

By, Alex A. Kecskes

Nearly 90 percent of school-age children have computer access at home or in school. They typically spend up to three hours a day in front of a computer, putting them at high risk for musculoskeletal problems. Some researchers have suggested that children are at even greater risk because computers and peripherals are designed for adults' larger proportions. Computers, keyboards, mice and furniture rarely accommodate the needs of children, since their bones and muscles are still developing. As a result, pre-teens and teens often experience discomfort in the neck, upper back, wrist and knees, especially when using laptop computers (laptops generally lack the adjustability required to ergonomically fit most children).

When a muscle is repeatedly placed under physical stress—during constant computer keyboard typing, for example—the muscle connecting to the tendons tightens. Over time, this can damage the muscle, the nerves that flow through it, and the tendon and fascia surrounding the tissue. The resulting damage is known as Repetitive Stress Injury (RSI). One of the most common types of RSIs is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome—which causes pain and tingling in the wrists. Another common RSI among children is neck and back injury caused by poor posture. This occurs because children often slouch in front of their computers, especially when playing video games for hours on end; or when children use an adult workspace and strain to look up at a computer screen.

Shiatsu massage therapy may often help RSIs. Widely used in traditional Chinese medicine, this therapy applies gentle finger and hand pressure to specific points on the body to relieve pain and enhance energy flow (called qi) through the body's energy pathways (called meridians). Shiatsu massages can soothe muscles, heal soreness, improve joint movement and stretching, reduce tension and stress, remove toxins and improve circulation. Massage therapy puts the body's parasympathetic nervous system to work, counteracting stress, lowering the heart rate and blood pressure, even releasing endorphins, which are the body’s natural painkillers.
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Acupuncture for Insomnia and Sleep Disorders

By, Steve Goodman

In today’s fast paced, stressed-out world insomnia and sleep disorders are on the increase. The proverbial good night’s sleep seems more elusive than ever. So many people are facing many sleepless nights, and yet they fear the side effects and addictive nature of sleep medications – as well they should.

Traditional Chinese medicine recognizes the importance of adequate sleep for physical, psychological, and spiritual well being. In traditional Chinese medicine, insomnia is an imbalance of Zang (Heart) functions. Stress and poor diet produce stagnation of Qi, and this stagnation of Qi travels as fire to the heart Zang, which is also the repository of the mind and spirit. The damage done by the fire can result in insomnia and sleep disorders.

TCM practitioners have used acupuncture very effectively to treat insomnia, without any of the side effects of prescription or over-the-counter sleep aids. Improved sleep is only one of the benefits reported by people who have used acupuncture to treat insomnia. As in all things, TCM acupuncture for insomnia does not just treat a symptom – but attacks the root disharmony in the body causing the condition. Therefore, those who use acupuncture for insomnia achieve not only better sleep, but also an overall improvement of physical and mental health.
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Treating Heartburn with Traditional Chinese Medicine

Heartburn is a burning sensation that radiates from the upper chest when acidic stomach contents irritate the unprotected lining of the esophagus. It’s a symptom of a medical condition called Gastroesophygeal Reflex disorder (GERD), which occurs when the lower esophageal sphincter fails to stay closed. GERD may also cause nighttime wheezing, coughing, hoarseness, a need to clear the throat repeatedly, or a sensation of deep pressure at the base of the neck.

According to traditional Chinese medicine, the liver, gallbladder, spleen and pancreas work in balance to help the stomach digest food. An imbalance in these organs causes excess stomach acid travel up the esophagus and the result is heartburn. Traditional Chinese medicine helps restore this balance through acupuncture and herbs. Applied properly, these traditional remedies may not only reduce the symptoms of heartburn, but help treat the cause of GERD by reducing gastric acid, controlling esophageal pressure, and restoring balance to the digestive organs. Chinese practitioners have for thousands of years applied the following treatment regiment to reduce heartburn—its symptoms and causes:
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Chinese Wisdom: Quote of the Day

“Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.”
~ Confucius