Newsletter - Pacific Rim College - Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine in BC

Months have passed since our last newsletter, and much has changed at Pacific Rim College. You will see above our new logo, which will hopefully be the symbol of PRC for many years to come. Another visible change is our campus, which is nearly doubling in size to accommodate our expanding student body and programs. This semester we welcome more than 60 new students from all over the world who are either beginning or furthering their careers in integrative medicine. With their arrival, we also recognize the departure of nearly 30 recent graduates.

Another addition to PRC is North America's only Diploma of Yogatherapy program. This new 1270-hour program begins in January and has been garnering international attention. It brings the dossier of programs at PRC to an even dozen, a number of which are either continental or global firsts.

These changes represent only a fraction of the continual additions and improvements that help to make Pacific Rim College one of the most unique and dynamic medical college's in the world. We are proud to be providing education and services in sustainable and holistic medicine.

Enjoy the newsletter!

Todd N Howard, President

A New Look

We are pleased to unveil this month Pacific Rim College's new logo. After months of submissions and revisions, a logo finally evolved into a reflection of the integration and holism that represents the core philosophy of PRC. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Warm Welcome to all PRC Students

We are honoured to welcome to PRC more than 60 new students from around the world and to welcome back all of our returning students. With this new intake of students, PRC's enrolment is now higher than it has ever been. We feel privileged to be able to educate so many of tomorrow's healthcare leaders. If you are interested in becoming a student at PRC, please visit our Faculties and Programs page to learn more about the opportunities that we provide.

PRC Campus Expansion

Renovations are well underway on PRC's campus extension that will provide 4 additional classrooms, office space and a student lounge. The campus expansion, which also includes upgrades to the college's existing facilities, is slated to be completed in November. This facility growth is essential to accommodate the rapidly increasing enrolment numbers and to make room for the actualization of new and exciting programs and plans that are underway.

Diploma of Yogatherapy launched

PRC is pleased to launch the world's only Diploma of Yogatherapy program outside of India. This 1270-hour program investigates the theory and practice of Yogatherapy - the application of the techniques and philosophy of yoga to support the healing and well-being of clients on all levels - and provides students with Yoga Teacher Training certification. Pacific Rim College is a Registered School of the Yoga Alliance, the national education and support organization for yoga in the United States. Additionally, PRC is also a member school of the International Association of Yoga Therapists, which supports research and education in Yoga and serves as a professional organization for Yoga teachers and Yoga therapists worldwide. Please click here to learn more about the Diploma of Yogatherapy program.

Traditional Thai Massage Program returns

The Traditional Thai Massage program is 4-month certificate program that introduces students to the philosophies, therapeutic principles and techniques of Thai Massage. Thai Massage forms the "energy medicine" component of the unique healing system of Traditional Thai Medicine - a holistic approach to health that addresses the body (through diet and herbs), psychospirituality (through practices such as meditation) and the flow and balance of vital energy in the energetic systems. During a Thai massage, the practitioner guides the recipient into various postures linked together in a flowing series, applying acupressure with hands and feet, arms and legs. Over the years, Thai Medicine and Massage have adopted and incorporated influences from Indian Ayurveda and yoga practices, as well as Chinese healing arts. Please click here for more information.

Community Herbalist Program

The next offering of our popular 4-month Community Herbalist Program begins in January and registration is now open. Offered on evenings and weekends, this program introduces participants to the incredible world of medicinal plants and remedies and provides opportunities in wildharvesting, medicine-making, plant identification and herbal therapeutics. For those CHP graduates who are interested potentially continuing with more studies, 5 classes (11 credits) now transfer directly in to the Diploma of Phytotherapy program. For more information about the Community Herbalist Program and how you can register, please click here. Registration space is very limited.

Now Selling Master Massage Tables

PRC is pleased to announce that it is now a retailer of Master Massage tables. These quality-crafted tables are the industry standard and come backed by Master's extensive warranties and superb design. Please visit the Acupuncture Supplies section of our Books and Products page to learn more about the tables we sell.

PRC Welcomes New Instructors

PRC is proud to welcome new members to its extraordinary teaching faculty. Bryan Hardy is a Registered TCM Practitioner who brings to the classroom a passion for Five Element Acupuncture and TCM Psychology. Dr. Jing Zhang, PhD, has extensive experience in teaching, research and clinical practice in the field of Internal Medicine, Gerontology and Rehabilitation as well as the integration of TCM and Western Medicine. Barry Dayman is a Registered Acupuncturist with nearly 30 years of clinical experience and significant diagnostic and therapeutic acumen. Dr. Maureen Williams is a Naturopathic Doctor with more than 15 years clinical experience and 20 years of teaching experience. And lastly, Victoria Spaurel is a Registered Acupuncturist and Massage Therapist who brings her integrative professional experience to the classroom as a teaching assistant and a clinical supervisor. With the addition of these instructors, PRC teaching faculty now numbers more than 30.

Graduates Recognized

On September 10th, PRC recognized 18 graduates from the School of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine and 9 graduates from the Diploma of Eastern Therapies and Bodywork program. These students were recognized for the completion of comprehensive programs over a period of 2 to 4 years. The Diploma of Eastern Therapies and Bodywork graduates are the first to complete this program and are the only people in the world to have this credential. The inspirational keynote speaker for the ceremony was Diana Beresford-Kroeger, a world-renowned botanist and medical biochemist who has dozens of book and journal publications to her credit. Congratulations to all of our graduates!

Employment Vacancies at PRC

PRC is looking for a number of qualified individuals to join both its administrative team and teaching faculty. The following administrative positions are available for immediate start: Chief Administrator and Admissions Counsellor/Front Desk Administrator.

Numerous faculty vacancies, both for the classroom and clinic, exist within our School of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine for instructors with DTCM and TCMP qualifications. Employment will begin in January 2012.

PRC is also looking for dedicated and inspirational nutrition instructors for a variety of topics and courses including Ayurvedic Medicine, urban gardening, cooking, nutritional therapeutics, clinical supervision and more.

For more information, please visit our Employment Opportunities page. Serious candidates should contact jobs@pacificrimcollege.ca for more information.

2012 Japanese Acupuncture Program dates announced

PRC is pleased to welcome back the Japanese Acupuncture Institute of Seattle for another instalment of Canada's only recognized Japanese Acupuncture Certificate Program. The series covers a broad range of treatment techniques from Japan, including abdominal (hara) palpation and diagnosis, subtle needling techniques, moxibustion, use of intradermals, press tacks and press spheres, cupping and bloodletting techniques, Sotai, and non-needling pediatric (Shonishin) techniques. This program consists of 4 weekend modules of 3 days length and a 2-day clinical intensive. Each module brings students closer to fully understanding Japanese acupuncture techniques, and the first 3 modules can be taken individually as stand-alone courses. Only students who have completed the first 3 modules are eligible to take the fourth module and the clinical intensive. For more information, please click here.

Fall Workshops

This fall PRC will be hosting Virginia Doran for a 3-day workshop on Acupuncture Facial Rejuvenation. Ms. Doran is a worldwide authority on cosmetic acupuncture, which has been shown to improve muscle tone, increase collagen production and overall reduce some of the visible signs of aging. Ms. Doran has demonstrated cosmetic acupuncture on major television networks such as CBS News, UPN News, FOX Good Day New York, and the Maury Povitch Show.

After rave reviews, Robert Rogers returns to PRC on October 29-30 for Medicinal Mushrooms of Western Canada. In this weekend course, students will explore the world of medicinal mushrooms and lichens, learn how to prepare tinctures, identify mushrooms in the wild, and examine the top 20 mushrooms and their use in a clinical setting, including contraindications and positive drug interactions.

Robert then returns on December 3-4 to present Materia Medica of Northern Canada. Participants will look at over 50 medicinal plants from the northern plains and boreal forest. Each plant will be fully examined, looking at traditional use, energetics, preparations and clinical application.

PRC is pleased to host a weekend workshop with renowned herbalist and professor Margi Flint. On November 5-6, Margi will teach Traditional Western Herbal Diagnosis and show students how to read the face, nails, tongue and body to understand indications of lines, blemishes, marks and colours. Margi Flint shares the knowledge learned from her teachers and clients over the past 3 decades.

Please visit our Lectures, Workshops and Events page for more information.

Acupuncture Exam Boot Camps

PRC's Gillian Marsollier and Vancouver-based Monique Du Preez are presenting the 2011 Acupuncture Registration Boot Camps in both Victoria and Vancouver. The final one-day workshops, to be offered on October 29 in Vancouver and November 5 at PRC in Victoria, are to prepare students for the CTCMA 2011 Practical Exam. Topics will include clean needle technique, needling technique discussion and practice stations, acupuncture point location, dangerous points discussion, and kit demonstration. For more information and to register, please visit www.lifteducation.ca.

Natural Health Workshops for 2012

Renowned TCM Veterinarian Dr. Bruce Ferguson is schedule to present Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine Theory and Practice on February 18-19, 2012. Anyone interested in Traditional Chinese Medicine applied to companion animals or those simply wanting to hone their TCM diagnostic skills will benefit from attending this seminar. Dr. Bruce Ferguson DVM, MS, is an internationally-renowned clinician and lecturer in TCVM who is known for his information-packed enthusiastic presentations. For more information and to register, please visit our Lectures, Workshops and Events page.

PRC will host many amazing instructors in 2012, including Whitfield Reaves, Brandt Stickley, Lonny Jarrett, Jason Robertson, Neil Gumenick and Virginia Doran.

Book of the Month

The Consultation in Phytotherapy considers the means by which the herbal practitioner can seek to appreciate the patient's predicament. Written for both herbal medicine students and practitioners, the book tales a radical approach, challenging readers to reflect on the nature, scope and methods of the consultation in herbal practice. The author asserts that the effective consultation represents a therapeutic act in and of itself, and proposes strategies for maximizing and realizing this therapeutic potential. The book provides both a complement to, and a critique of, mainstream texts on clinical diagnosis and case management. It contrasts the herbal consultation with that occurring in conventional medicine and offers rationales, arguments and tools aimed at developing an enhanced capacity to achieve profound results in the herbal clinical encounter (description from book cover). This book is available from the PRC Bookstore for $67.50.

PRC Students/Graduates Head to Nepal and India

A pair of PRC students and a pair of recent graduates will be heading to Nepal and Mumbai this fall to volunteer their acupuncture and herbal medicine services with the Acupuncture Relief Project and Barefoot Acupuncturists. Through the Global Outreach Program, PRC students have the opportunity to gain clinical experience and academic credit while helping those in need. We applaud these students and graduates for their generosity and conviction to help others.

Acupuncture Relief Project

The Acupuncture Relief Project is offering an opportunity for one student intern to participate in its Winter 2012 clinic program in Nepal. This program is designed for students interested in a training experience to learn all aspects of practicing in the third world. ARP has put together a supervised 7-week program that combines an intensive clinic practice with a unique curriculum. For practitioners this is an opportunity to perfect and learn new skills while serving a community that desperately needs help. This Program offers 40 PDAs certified by the NCCAOM and potential clinical credits through Pacific Rim College. The program runs from January 5th to February 26th, 2012. The cost is $1400, which includes lodging, food, clinic supplies, interpreters and clinic staff. It does not include airfare, entry visa and personal expenses outside of the clinic. For more please www.acupuncturereliefproject.org.

Progress in Africa

Moxafrica has been making exciting progress in its work investigating small cone direct moxibustion treatment in Africa for effective help in the desperate fight against drug resistant TB in Africa. Rigorous RCT research at amazingly modest cost is currently being finalized with the Uganda's reputable University of Makerere's Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics. If this research proves positive, and every indicator so far suggests that it should, then the potential to roll this treatment out across Africa will begin to become a reality. This disease now directly affects millions of people with no proper pharmaceutical resource in place to fight it. If you think you can help with any fundraising to support this extraordinary opportunity, please contact info@moxafrica.org.

To Advertise in upcoming newsletters, please send your requests to admin@pacificrimcollege.ca.

Comments? Suggestions?
We want to hear your thoughts on how we are doing so we can improve our services. Please send your feedback to info@pacificrimcollege.ca.