By Nina Grenningloh, Communications Specialist at Emperor’s College

Acupuncturist Heather Lounsbury, who graduated Summa cum Laude from Emperor’s College in 2001, has been successfully running her Oriental medicine practice in Santa Monica, California, for over a decade. She has worked with many award-winning celebrities, including Rainn Wilson, Coldplay, Tori Spelling, Carmen Electra, and Dave Navarro. And she was featured as Best of the Best in Elite Traveler‘s 2006 Black Book.

Nina Grenningloh, Communications Specialist

In addition to treating patients in her private practice, Lounsbury puts a lot of effort into public relations activities. As a result, you can see her frequently as a guest speaker on television and radio shows, at local colleges, and even at Whole Foods. Her weekly radio show “Live Natural Live Well” covers a wide variety of health topics and general advice for green living.

I sat down with Heather Lounsbury to find out what advice she has for recent graduates and newly licensed Oriental medicine practitioners who want to start their own business and promote themselves to patients and their local community. Lounsbury shared insights into her success as well as some of the challenges she has been facing along the way. Read more

There are only but a few thought leaders in the field of classical Chinese medicine that are as regarded as Elisabeth Rochat de la Vallée. And while the fact that she’s French might surprise you, it’s her European origin that has played a large role in her ability to expertly navigate the nuances and cultural context of classical Chinese medicine and sinology.

In whichever part of the world Rochat de la Vallée teaches a seminar – and there are many –  you can expect the classroom to be full to the last seat. Acupuncturists from all stretches of the globe clamber to learn from this internationally recognized scholar who has written over 20 books on classical Chinese medicine, philosophy and language.

Beginnings in the 1970s

Elisabeth Rochat de la Vallée lecturing at Emperor’s College

Rochat de la Vallée studied literature, philosophy, Chinese language, and Chinese medicine in Paris and Taiwan in the early 1970s. Beginning in 1976, she collaborated with scholars Father Claude Larre and Dr. Jean Schatz on publications on Chinese philosophy and classical Chinese medical texts. Read more

This blog post is part of our AOM Day Series on Qi. Other posts in this series are What is Qi? and Stick Out Your Tongue!.

National Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Day is observed annually on October 24. It is part of an effort designed to increase public awareness of the progress, promise, and benefits of acupuncture and Oriental medicine.

More and more people in the US receive acupuncture treatments as part of their regular health regimen. And new legislation, like the 2 bills signed by California Governor Jerry Brown in September, helps make acupuncture and Oriental medicine more available to patients by having insurance pay for these valuable therapies.

A survey by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM) found that approximately one in ten adults had received acupuncture at least one time and 60% said they would readily consider acupuncture as a potential treatment option. Read more

Interview with Jorga Houy, LAc, Emperor’s College Alumnus and Owner of LA Sports Acupuncture

Emperor’s College master’s program alumnus Jorga Houy, LAc, is founder and owner of LA Sports Acupuncture. In his private practice, located in Atwater Village, California, Houy uses acupuncture and Oriental medicine to treat and prevent all sorts of sports injuries, including pain management. He also serves as the official acupuncturist of the LA Derby Dolls, the Los Angeles roller derby team. Read more