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By Henry, May 23, 2009 1:19 pm

Evotion just launched its technology services for Acupuncturists and Chinese Medicine practitioners

Evotion is a technology company that specializes in providing services to nonprofits, governments, educational institutions, and small businesses. We recently launched a new set of consulting services specifically for acupuncturists and Chinese/Oriental Medicine practitioners.

We go beyond merely offering to build you a web site. Although we do build web sites, there are plenty of do-it-yourself tools out there we recommend for the budget conscious.

Where we add value is the consulting work we do in helping you align your technology needs with your practice. The actual programming is the easy part but which services should you choose? What should you have on your web site — content, feature and functionality wise? How should they be presented? Do you need a blog, mailing list, etc? How do you get your site in the search engines and improve your standings? Should you purchase online ads? What DIY tools are best? These are some of the questions we can help answer through our consulting services for you. We’re unique and we know our stuff.

Link:
Evotion’s Technology Services for Acupuncturists and TCM practitioners

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By Henry, May 4, 2009 10:57 pm

For those of you on LinkedIn, add me to your network! Here’s the link to my profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/henryjunwahlee

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By Henry, May 3, 2009 6:37 pm

Finding what works isn

As with most things in life, practice makes perfect in the realm of knowing how to dress. Even if you don’t need to wear business clothes in the foreseeable future, get a head start now. Start shopping for the clothes you will need. Start dressing up. This way you’ll get comfortable wearing business clothes and you’ll have a better understanding of how things go together.

For most of my life I didn’t need to dress up. I was accustomed to wearing loose fitting and flowy clothes like Hawaiian shirts and Thai fisherman pants. Yes I did have a lot of preppy clothes but they’re preppy, not business. The only times I really dressed up were for graduations, weddings, and funerals. And looking back on those photos I looked awful because I was clueless. Luckily most other people in the world are also clueless. Which means you’ll really standout when you get it right.

When I first started sporting dress shirts and ties on a regular basis, I felt like a fish out of water. I remember having trouble tying my tie. I bought shirts and trousers that didn’t fit well. I wore the wrong fabrics in the wrong seasons. My neck wasn’t used to having my shirts buttoned up all the way. Overall the outfits didn’t feel like they were my personal style.

By the time I got into the clinic I had most of the kinks ironed out: I had the dress clothes I wanted, I no longer felt awkward in what I wore, and I knew how to put together kickass outfits from head to toe.

There are a lot of nuances you simply won’t appreciate until you start getting it all together. You’ll overdo it and under do it until you find your balance. So get to it! Your future starts now.

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By Henry, April 24, 2009 6:27 pm

Take care of your personal hygiene

Ok you’re looking sharp in that suit you just got altered to fit perfectly. Now let’s take a look at personal hygiene. Yes you brush your teeth and shower everyday. Good start but there’s more! Once again, it’s in the details.

It’s all good stuff not just for work but also for your personal life. Your significant other/better half/date will really appreciate it. Your body will appreciate it too. Take care of your body and it’ll take care of you.

Here’s a checklist of things you should be mindful of.

Shave:
If you have a mustache/goatee/beard, be sure to keep it trim and neat. Otherwise keep it clean and shave! You don’t want to look like you just rolled out of bed. That five o’clock shadow is also going to tear up the collars of your shirts.

Hair Care:
Whether you have short or long hair, you need to have it cut on a regular basis. If you’re waiting until you look like Shaggy from Scooby Doo you’re waiting too long. Cutting your hair isn’t just about keeping it trimmed. As hair gets old, it starts to dry at the ends, split, and get fizzy. Cutting off the old hair will make it look healthier and allow it to grow.

Be proactive and keep you hair looking good all the time by getting it trimmed before it starts to get wild. Short hair should be cut every 3-4 weeks. You can go a bit longer with long hair but, again, watch the split ends.

Wash your hair regularly and use a real shampoo. Soaps tend to dry out your hair. I recommend organic shampoos that are free of harmful chemicals like sodium lauryl sulfate, a possible carcinogen. Trader Joes has a couple of shampoos that are affordable yet free of these chemicals.

Use a styling gel, pomade, etc to keep your hair tamed and styled throughout the day.

Deodorant:
Use deodorant to keep body odor under control. But avoid antiperspirants that prevent you from sweating. Sweating is a normal bodily function. It helps regulate the body temperature due to heat, exercise and stress. Antiperspirants contain a toxic aluminum based compound that pose serious health risks including Alzheimer’s and breast cancer. Deodorants, on the other hand, only take the odor away by killing the bacteria that causes it. I’ve personally been using the natural mineral crystals for years and it works great. Check out www.thecrystal.com

Clean clothes:
Wash your clothes regularly and iron them before wearing. Shirts should only be worn once before washing. Pants can be worn several times. This varies depending on how dirty they get.

Have a stain removal pen handy to keep stains from setting in before you have a chance to take care of it. It will save you from buying new clothes or wearing ones with stains on them. I personally like the Tide to Go Instant Stain Remover pen.

When you clean your clothes, follow the care instructions on the label. It’ll extend the life of your clothes and keep them looking great. Separate your lights and darks so you don’t have that new red t-shirt turn your white dress shirt pink. I tend to add an extra rinse cycle to my loads. One rinse isn’t enough to get all the detergent and dirty water out. It also prevents your white shirts from turning gray too quickly.

Don’t over dry your clothes as it will shorten their lifespan and generate more wrinkles. Take them out while they’re still a tad damp. And definitely never leave clothes in the dryer longer than they have to. If you have the option, hang them up to air dry. It’s more environmentally friendly, energy efficient and it’ll save you money.

If you do need to get clothes dry cleaned, make sure to go to a place that doesn’t use the common dry cleaning agent perchloroethylene (aka perc or PCE). It is a central nervous system depressant and a known carcinogen. Inhaling its vapors can cause dizziness, headache, sleepiness, confusion, nausea, unconsciousness and death. If you don’t have a choice, be sure to remove the dry cleaning bag outside. Let your clothes air out for at least a day but preferably four to five days before wearing them.

Nose and Ears:
Trim those nose hairs and clear out your nostrils. Visible boogers aren’t very sexy. Wash your ears and clean them out regularly with a q-tip.

Skin Care:
If you have dry skin, use a moisturizer. There’s stuff for the body, stuff for hands, stuff for the face, stuff for around the eyes, etc. If you’re just starting out, go with something general purpose for the whole body. I have dry skin so I apply moisturizer immediately after I shower. I tend to use a lighter body oil during the warmer months and a heavier body butter during the colder months. I like the organic stuff with a subtle natural scent. You’ll smell nice without having to use colognes/perfumes that are often carcinogenic. And if you do use fragrances go subtle. Less is more and some people have allergies.

Check out the skin care section of local Whole Foods. They usually have a bunch of products you can sample to figure out what you want.

Also, check out the all natural products by Golden Path Alchemy. They use Chinese and Western medicinals and botanicals in their products. You’ll love it.

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By Henry, April 23, 2009 5:40 pm

10 tips for new interns

I’m about to finish my last clinical hours as a Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture intern at Yo San University. I put together these ten tips to help make the transition smoother for future acupuncturists preparing to go into their final year in clinic. Interns past and present, please feel free to chime in with your suggestions.

1. Manage Your Time.
Time management is probably the toughest issue for most new interns. If there’s one thing you should focus on first, this would be it.

Wear a wristwatch and always be aware of how you are doing on time. Know when in the hour you need to get certain things done by. You have 1 hour for each patient and that hour includes intake, diagnosis, treatment plan, put in needles, leave them in, fill herbal prescription, take out needles, and clean up. It can be a little overwhelming at first, especially if something doesn’t go smoothly. You have to factor in if the patient comes late, if your supervisor is busy with another intern, if the patient has a complex condition that requires a more lengthy intake, if the patient needs to change, if you are doing cupping/moxa/tuina/Qi Gong, etc.

Getting your time management down will make everything else easier. You won’t feel as rushed. You have more time to think, relax and be who you are in the treatment room. And since you aren’t fighting against time, if something unexpected comes up, it’s not going to be a meltdown.

Intake and needling were the 2 things that slowed me down in the beginning. It’s important to focus during the intake and ask relevant questions. Read the patient’s file ahead of time, either before the shift starts or while you still have the previous patient “cooking” with the needles. Once you start seeing regulars, their intakes can be done very quickly.

As for needling, I used to take one needle at a time, insert, and repeat. It would take me 10-15 minutes to finish. When I started gripping the spare needles between the pinkie and ring fingers of my off-hand I cut my time by more than half. Free handing instead of using guide tubes also helped speed things up. As I became more familiar with locating points on the body, that also made things go faster.

2. Ask Questions.
You are going into your final year and this may be the last opportunity you get before you graduate and go off on your own. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Take notes. Figure out for yourself what works great and what don’t.

3. Trust your Intuition.
Work on your intuition while you are in the clinic. Our medicine is more than just treating the symptoms that are present. Sometimes the patient leaves out an important piece of information. Something tells you to needle a certain point. Practice seeing beyond what’s “there.” Use all your senses, including your 6th sense, to help you.

4. Look Professional.
As a medical professional, patients look to you to help take care of their health. This is a big responsibility. Be respectful of yourself and your patients by dressing the part. Looking professional helps leave a positive impression and builds trust. Have good hygiene, wear clean non-wrinkled clothes, and follow a professional looking dress code. Check out some of my tips in this blog for help.

5. Take Care of Yourself.
Eat well. Do self-cultivation. Get enough sleep. Have a life outside of school. You want to serve as a positive role model for your patients. If you are taking care of your health and your life, it will show. No words are needed to convey that to your patients. Your patients will respect you and be more compliant with your recommendations. You won’t get sick as easily. You’ll be more present. And when things do go crazy, you are able to stay centered and grounded.

6. Be fully present and confident.
Patients don’t get better with just your kickass acupuncture skillz alone. The energy you project and emanate is equally, if not more important. When you are able to connect with your patients, they will be more relaxed and open to the healing process. The last thing anyone wants when they are sick is a healer who is uncaring, not confident, or closed off.

Maintain a positive attitude, a good sense of humor, and a smile. Practice being compassionate, fully present and dedicated. Work on your listening skills. Maintain good eye contact. Your positive energy will raise theirs as oppose to theirs bringing yours down.

7. Get a good hand moisturizer.
You are going to be washing your hands a lot. They’re going to get dry. Invest in a good, travel size hand moisturizer that you can keep in your lab coat at all times. Whole Foods has a good selection. They have samples you can try. Find one that’s not too oily but also not too light. It shouldn’t be too fragrant either. I like the Kiss My Face stuff. EO is good too.

While you’re at it, get some good breath mints. I like the Tao of Wellness’s Frosties Crystals. Strong, effective and made with Chinese herbs!

8. Stay on top of your new patients.
Interns have trouble getting their new patient requirements done on time. We need 60 to graduate. I recommend getting started right away since it will only get harder and harder later when more repeat patients want to come back and see you.

If you are doing 5 shifts, block out at least 2-3 new patient slots per week. Get people you know to come in and see you. Call in those favors from friends. Practice promoting yourself. Start talking to anyone and everyone about the benefits of acupuncture and Chinese Medicine. Then close the deal. Give out your business card. Hand out discount coupons. Remember to have them come in to see you specifically.

It’s truly amazing the amount of pain and discomfort so many people put up with while not knowing what our medicine can do for them. It can dramatically improve people’s lives. With that in mind, why wouldn’t you be excited talking to other people about our medicine?

9. Do Externships
Externships are a great way to experience different settings in which we practice our medicine. You see patients you may rarely see at our clinic. For example, at Being Alive you treat HIV positive patients. Many of them have a history of drug use and other serious diseases. You also get to work with a really gifted supervisor. Carolyn Leigh is amazing. Intuitive, compassionate, and smart.

Over at the Venice Family clinic and the Venice Pain clinic, you treat a lot of pain cases. Dr. Kord uses mostly distal and scalp acupuncture to almost miraculous results. I’ve had patients with pain scales of 7-8 out of 10 walk out with pain completely gone. Dr. Wing brings a more balanced approach to acupuncture with excellent results as well.

You also get a lot of new patients through these externships, and you get to work on your time management as these environments are much faster paced. You’ll learn how to treat 2-3 patients an hour.

If you plan on working in a complementary environment with medical doctors, nurses, chiropractors, etc., experience at this externship sites will look great on your resume. These clinics are established and more easily recognized by other medical professionals than a place called “Yo San Clinic”.

10. Don’t Stress
Don’t expect to get everything right, especially on your first day or your first week. To take some of the stress away, I recommend asking your friends to book you when you first start.

Learning this medicine is a life long practice. Going into clinic as an intern is only the beginning. You will know what you know. Rely on your supervisors to help you. That’s why they are there. Be ok with not knowing an answer to a patient’s question. You will make mistakes. The most important thing is that you continue to learn, improve, and grow.