Building Bridges of Integration for Traditional Chinese Medicine – Transformation: Individuals in Balance; Families in Harmony is a landmark educational forum on traditional Chinese medicine for Eastern and Western health-care professionals interested in exploring this medical system's growing role in integrative and complementary health care.
No one exists in isolation. Deep within our consciousness, we recognize that at the energetic level we are all connected. Gradually, more of us are beginning to recognize and appreciate this expanded reality and its influence on health and well-being. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has perceived these connections for millennia. In its healthiest state, the family and its members reflect a microcosmic version of the Universe's harmonic connections. The health of the whole is dependant on the health of the parts.
Whether you belong to a nuclear family, an extended family, a blended family or define your "family" broadly in terms of the energetic relationships you share with those in your life, including patients, Building Bridges of Integration for Traditional Chinese Medicine 2007 offers a unique educational forum where you can gain new insights about health and healing. This year we focus on how to help individuals in particular, and families in general, become their healthiest.
Our goal is to provide an intimate, thought-provoking experience that will refresh you personally and stimulate you professionally.
Traditional Chinese Medicine is one of the oldest holistic medical systems in the world. It has been practiced and studied by millions for more than 5,000 years. Hospitals and clinics throughout China have successfully integrated Western and traditional Chinese medicine to help patients heal from a wide range of conditions and diseases for more than half a century. Most importantly, TCM's ability to prevent problems before they affect the physical body offers significant advantages for today's major health-care conditions. Learning about and experiencing Qi, the energy foundation of TCM, offers a way of re-seeing prevention, illness and disease.
According to a report from the Institute of Medicine, "Approximately half of all causes of mortality in the United States are linked to social and behavioral factors such as smoking, diet, alcohol use, sedentary lifestyle, and accidents. Yet less than five percent of the approximately $1 trillion spent annually on health care in the U.S. is devoted to reducing risks posed by these preventable conditions. Behavioral and social interventions therefore offer great promise to reduce disease morbidity and mortality, but as yet their potential to improve the public's health has been relatively poorly tapped."
We believe now is the time to tap the wisdom of this comprehensive holistic medical system with thousands of years' experience in prevention and lifestyle modification. Given the immense physical, emotional, and financial toll of chronic conditions in the U.S., it's imperative to discover how to use the best of Eastern and Western medicines.
