iDissect

Reflections After Ten Days of Dissection

These past ten days have been intense, humbling, and deeply rewarding. Hosting this dissection course has been an honour—one that reminds me why this work matters so much. To the students: thank you. Many of you traveled from far and wide, leaving behind your homes, your practices, and your routines to be here. You didn’t just make a geographic journey—you made a personal one. Your dedication to learning, growth, and clinical excellence is what gives this course life. To Dr. Poney Chiang: this marks a decade of working together (not counting the pandemic break). Your mentorship, leadership, and passion for merging acupuncture with anatomical precision have been the driving force behind this program. I would not have taken on this role without your encouragement. Thank you for believing in this vision. And most importantly, to the donors: you are the true teachers. Your decision to donate your body to science […]

Why Acupuncturists Need to Be Anatomists: The Story Behind iDissect.ca

After more than three decades in practice, I’ve come to realize something fundamental — something that has shaped the way I treat, teach, and now, dissect:Acupuncturists need to be anatomists. As practitioners of East Asian medicine, we’re trained to think in meridians, patterns, and energetics. We palpate for point tenderness, assess pulses, observe tongues. And while all of that is vital, it doesn’t negate the fact that our needles move through very real anatomical structures: skin, fascia, muscles, blood vessels, and nerves. This dual awareness — of energetic theory and anatomical reality — has become the foundation of how I practice and teach. And it’s the reason I created iDissect.ca. Bringing Anatomy to Life for Acupuncturists This summer, I’ll be hosting a 10-day hands-on dissection course at the University of Toronto, using soft-embalmed cadavers that preserve the natural tone, color, and texture of real human tissue. This isn’t just an academic exercise. It’s an opportunity to see what […]

Introducing iDissect: A Revolutionary Dissection Program for Acupuncturists

For many acupuncturists, the depth of their education in anatomy is often limited by the curriculum of private schools, which typically lack access to wet labs or human cadavers. This creates a gap in understanding that can hinder the development of precise needling techniques and a deeper appreciation of the body’s intricate structures. Recognizing this need, I launched iDissect, a specialized dissection program tailored for acupuncturists. Why Dissection Matters for Acupuncturists While Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) emphasizes concepts like meridians and qi, modern acupuncturists must integrate their practice with anatomical precision to ensure safe and effective treatments. Unfortunately, many acupuncture training programs do not offer hands-on experience with human anatomy beyond textbook images and diagrams. This lack of exposure can make it challenging for practitioners to fully grasp the underlying structures they are working with, including muscles, nerves, blood vessels, and organs. This is where iDissect comes in. By providing […]