Over the last several decades, Americans have steadily
continued to acknowledge the value and efficacy of Traditional Chinese Medicine
(TCM), and more medical students each year are seeking avenues to explore and
gain proficiency in this rich tradition. Over time, replicable studies
demonstrating TCMs efficacy and
sound scientific principles have bolstered the medical community’s interest in
integrated medicine, the uniting of multiple health care paths, including those
of East and West.
In response to the growing acceptance of TCM, Five Branches
University was instituted in 1984 in Santa Cruz, and was one of the first TCM
schools in the US. In 2003 Five Branches University (FBU) opened a school and
clinic in San Jose. This month, in another step forward, FBU will inaugurate
its newest facility on August 12.
The name of FBU reflects the five disciplines taught there:
Acupuncture, which uses fine needles to balance the yin and yang energies of
the body; herbology, the use of plants and minerals to address variety of
symptoms; Tuina massage, a form of physical therapy that targets tendons,
muscles, and organs using energy channels and pressure points; energetics, including
medical qigong, tai chi, and meditation); and Chinese dietary medicine, a
millennia-old understanding of the relation between food and health. FBU offers
two main degree programs: Dual First Professional Doctorate and Masters degree
in Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Post-Graduate Doctoral Degree in
Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has a long and rich
history, and is one of the oldest literate and continuously practiced forms of
medicine in the world. It evolved from over 2000 years of clinical observations
and reflects the Chinese cultural legacy and values of longevity and wellness.
The first written documentation on traditional Chinese
medicine is the Hung-Di Nei-Jing (Yellow Emperors Cannon of Internal Medicine).
It is the oldest medical textbook in the world, originating between 800 BCE and
200 BCE, and lays a primary foundation for the theories of Chinese medicine
summarizing and systematizing the treatments and theories of medicine,
including physiology, pathology, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, acupuncture,
meridian theory, and others.
In the early twentieth century, China’s government, intent
on sweeping modernizations, sought to replace traditional Chinese medicine with
Western practices. However, by the time of Mao’s leadership, the dearth of
medical services provided fertile ground for the reestablishment of traditional
Chinese medicine. By the 1950s, acupuncture and herbal medicine had become
standard, and several hospitals opened clinics to provide, teach and
investigate the traditional methods. Beijing, Shanghai and Nanjing became the
centers of research.
The Cultural Revolution, however, once again denounced the
past, and medicine was not spared. It wasn’t until 1979 that the National
Association for Chinese Medicine was established, and several of the
traditional texts were recovered, edited and republished.
Today, Five Branches University is institutionally
accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental
Medicine (ACAOM), which is the recognized accrediting agency for freestanding
institutions and colleges of acupuncture or Oriental medicine that offer such
programs.
The goal of five branches is to work with western medicine
to provide healthcare for the whole person. One of TCM’s strength’s is its
emphasis on prevention. This stands in contrast to what many perceive to be the
weakness of the Western system, that it is reactive and responds only when
disease arises. Even as many health care institutions have begun to address
prevention, the UCLA Center for East-West medicine cites statistics from the,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: “70 percent of all deaths are due
to chronic disease, and the cost of chronic care exceeds $1.5 trillion a year,
or 75 percent of all medical expenses. Only a fraction of our budget is spent
on prevention and health promotion, despite evidence that prevention can do
much to reduce the burden of chronic disease.” TCM is poised to accommodate
Western medicine in an integrated approach that appreciates the strengths and
weakness of both modalities. “In the future,” says Aaron Lee, L.Ac., fellow at
FBU, and Peer Advisor, “we want an integrative approach coupled with
cooperative attitude. There are things each medicine can and can’t do.”
Recently, stories of prescription opioid addiction have
revealed the downside of pharmaceutical pain management. Acupuncture, in
contrast, has a well-known and established success rate for managing chronic
pain. Recently the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and
Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM), which has long advocated non-pharmacological
treatments, commended the Joint Commission, an independent, not-for-profit
organization that accredits nearly 21,000 health care organizations and
programs in the United States, for its new pain management standards. Effective
January 1, 2018, Joint Commission accredited hospitals will be required to
provide non-pharmacological pain modalities, including acupuncture (by licensed
practitioners).
On August 12, Five Branches invites the public to an
exciting inaugural day where interested people can attend demonstrations and
lectures to discover how TCM can provide a healthy lifestyle. Featured subjects
include qigong, healthy cooking with Chinese herbs, and free consultations and
treatments by FBU faculty, senior interns and alumni.
FBU Inaugural Day
Saturday, Aug 12
Inauguration Ceremony: 11:30 a.m. Ð 12:30 p.m.
TCM Festival: 10:00 a.m. Ð 4:00 p.m.
Five Branches University
1885 Lundy Ave., San Jose
(408) 260-0208
www.fivebranches.edu
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