The second annual Asian Health Symposium focused on the unique challenges health practitioners face in the growing Asian-American population. This year, the Symposium, an initiative of the Asian Health Institute of the University of California, San Francisco and in collaboration with Kaiser Permanente, highlighted the health disparities and challenges faced by the Asian-American community.
During the Symposium, topics focused on five specific areas of disease that impact this community, which include lung, liver, gastric, and breast cancers, as well as cardiovascular diseases. The Symposium also touched upon areas such as preventive care, end-stage heart failure treatments, strokes, infectious disease areas including HIV, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, tuberculosis, and aging, as well as obstetric and gynecological issues.
For the first time, the Symposium also included discussions of acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine treatments. The American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine (ACTCM) faculty members Bingzeng Zou, PhD, DC, LAc and Steve Given, DAOM, Lac, introduced basic traditional Chinese medicine practices to Western medical professionals. Dr. Zou presented his session “Holistic Assessment and Practical Tools for Health Maintenance” and Dr. Given gave a talk titled “Supportive Care for Cancer Patients with Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.” This new section of the Symposium is an important, culturally sensitive medical topic that comes at a timely moment as the Asian-American population continues to expand.
In addition to these presentations, the Symposium included a discussion about the California State of Acupuncture Board’s requirement to use disposable needles in acupuncture to decrease the risk of contracting HIV, HBV, and HCB. Special attention was also given to dispelling “model minority” myths experienced within this cultural group.
These presentations, along with the talks by ACTCM faculty Dr. Zou and Dr. Given, gave western medical professionals the opportunity to learn more about acupuncture and similar treatments and helped to open the discussion about using traditional Chinese medicine within the Western healthcare community.
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About American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine
American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine (ACTCM) has provided affordable, quality health care to the public and trained professionals in acupuncture, massage and Chinese medicine since 1980. In addition to its graduate curriculum, ACTCM offers continuing education, public education, community outreach and clinical services in acupuncture and herbal medicine. ACTCM has been the recipient of many awards for its curriculum, faculty and clinic, and has been voted “Best of the Bay” by both the San Francisco Weekly and the San Francisco Bay Guardian. ACTCM is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine and is a private, nonprofit, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization.