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Accidental Acupuncturist by Everyday Acupuncture

Recently, I did something I have never done before… It forced me to venture way outside my comfort zone. But it was a memorable experience nonetheless: I was interviewed for an American Acupuncture podcast show! I shared my thoughts on the integration of Eastern and Western intervention techniques for chronic pain management. We also chatted about where acupuncture fits in through the lens of modern day Scientific research. I found it difficult not following a script. But it was key to creating an organic and natural conversation surrounding everything from acupuncture to chronic conditions – and how I became an Acupuncturist accidentally. Want to know what you’ll hear during the interview? Here is just a glimpse at the golden nuggets we covered during our time together: ●  Your body is built to self-heal. But there is a specific wear-and-tear pattern that impacts your body’s natural ability to recover. Learn what […]

Effect of Somato-Sensory Training on Intra-Examiner Reliability in Determining the Evenness of Standardized Paired Blocks

Hypothesis 1.  Somatosensory calibration training improves the ability to determine evenness on standardized paired blocks. 2.  Somatosensory calibration training will increase intra-examiner reliability in determining evenness on standardized paired blocks. Statistical significance will be measured by using p ≤ .05. Abstract Objective / Purpose: Osteopathic medicine practitioners require reliable manual palpatory skills for identifying structural abnormalities (asymmetries).  Past osteopathic and non-osteopathic palpation training studies have shown poor inter-rater reliability and intra- rater reliability.   The objective of this study is to determine if a fabricated training tool (symmetrical) can help calibrate the somatosensory system.  The study looks at whether this tool improves a clinician’s ability to detect smaller differences in asymmetry and increase inter-reliability and intra-reliability. Methods: Testing and training will be performed by participant students from the year one through five classes at the Canadian College of Osteopathy (CCO). The study will include two groups (experimental condition group, and control group) and two […]

How a bag of soup helps me detect pain – Toronto Acupuncture Clinic – Samuel Lo

  • "How do you find the pain is?"  "How do you know where the pain is?"  Toronto Acupuncture Clinic

When a patient who is experiencing pain enters my office, one of their most common questions is: “How do you know where the pain is?”   Here’s what I tell them:   Imagine your body as a bag of soup with multiple layers.   Now picture pressing your finger into that bag of soup…   …What happened to your finger?   Well, your finger would be absorbed by the bag of soup. But if you remove your finger, the bag would return to its original shape, wouldn’t it?   Typically, in a healthy individual, it’s always the same process: your finger gets absorbed when you press it into a bag of soup. And when you remove it, the soup returns to its original shape.   So what does a bag of soup have to do with pain?   Here’s the secret sauce: I can find pain when your soup pushes […]