If you want to read a good description of a first-timer's experience with acupuncture, freelance writer Catherine Price does a fine job. In her short piece for health.com, she details her encounter with students at an acupuncture clinic in California. My favorite line is at the end when she reports, "In the 20 minutes I'm on the table, I notice something ironic: Having 14 needles stuck in my body is surprisingly relaxing." I have to say that in my tenure so far (almost 7 years), I find it hard to convince the uninitiated that acupuncture needles actually result in relaxation. Lucky for me, trust wins out over doubt.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/03/29/healthmag.acupuncture/index.html

Last week I had the pleasure of meeting Ramon Bermo, the head coach for Team in Training in New York. For those of you who aren't familiar with this organization, it is one of the fundraising arms of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. And Team in Training is the largest endurance sports training program in the world! Participants raise money towards cures for blood cancers by competing in marathons and triathalons in the U.S. and overseas. If you want to get in shape while raising money for a good cause, check them out - I've treated several marathoners already and they all report having a great experience with the group.

http://www.teamintraining.org/chapter.adp?chapter_id=24

I recently watched this 1 hour BBC documentary called "Acupuncture, The Evidence." The narrator is a scientist and travels to China to see what acupuncture is all about. There's really cool footage of an open heart surgery using acupuncture as part of the anesthesia! The patient is conscious the whole time. If that's not your cup of tea, then you can fast forward to part where acupuncture is researched by Western scientists using MRI's. Enjoy!

http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=Acupuncture+the+evidence&hl=en

Amanda Fornecker, a staff writer for http://collegebound.net interviewed me recently for their website. The site provides college bound kids with all kinds of information including guidance about what careers to choose (This could have come in handy for me about 22 years ago!). Amanda contacted me because there's a growing interest in acupuncture as a profession. Enjoy the interview:

http://spa-wellness.spabeautyschools.com/content/article/easing-the-tension-at-acupuncture-schools/802/247/