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.......COLLEGE
OF ORIENTAL MEDICINE .........................DEAN:
Dr. Bill Akpinar, DDS, MD |
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PAIN
MANAGEMENT, AN INTEGRATIVE APPROACH This is an Advanced Course for Health Care Practitioners (Physicians, Dentists, Chiropractors, Podiatrists, Nurses, and allied health care professionals) involved in pain disorders including cancer pain, musculoskeletal pain, sports and other traumatic injury related pain. Thisunique pain management course uses an integrative medicine approach to a pain management specialty. It is the first of two levels required for completion of the Ph.D. in this specialty. Completion of the first level is comparable to ‘Board Certification in Pain Management’ (BCPM). Practitioners successfully completing all requirements of the course shall be entitled to use “BCPM"to distinguish them for their academic and medical achievement. BCPM provides the practitioner an in-depth, broad spectrum knowledge in the utilization of the different Western and complementary modalities, enabling them to onsult with other practitioners and help plan a more ideal treatment protocol for the patient of the 21st century. This course is particularly important for clinicians interested in integrating their practice of pain management with all currently available philosophies and modalities. The BCPM should meet the requirements of many third party carriers, which now require advanced level training or board certification status to be documented before consideration of claims for payment. Methodology The reading assignments will expose the student to both Western Modalities, including Nerve Block, Electro Stim, Epidural, Spinal, Drug Therapy, and Complementary / Alternative Approaches, including Acupuncture, Acupressure, Auriculotherapy, Chinese Herbs, Massage, Meditation, Nutrition, and Qigong. The combination of these techniques allow a practitioner to apply a wider and deeper source of knowledge in their diagnosis and treatment of pain disorders. The symposia will additionally offer hands-on experience in learning Qigong, Meditation, Trigger Point Release, Acupuncture and Auriculotherapy. Time will be allotted for in-person question resolution and communication with the panel of experts. Academic
Assessment
The following
course material is required but will not be tested on: The course director/instructor is Dr. Bill Akpinar, Medical Director at the Center for Healing in New York. Dr. Akpinar is uniquely qualified. He is a physician (M.D.), a dentist (D.D.S.), an anesthesiologist and holds a doctorate in acupuncture with demonstrated excellence in auriculotherapy. He teaches martial as well as healing arts, including Taiji, Qigong, Shaolin Kung Fu and Shotokan Karate. Dr. Akpinar received advanced training from the personal physician to the Dalai Lama of Tibet. He is an Assistant Professor of Pain Management and Anesthesiology, and has established pain mitigation programs at numerous medical centers. He consults for many professional and college sports teams. Pain
Management, An Integrative Approach
Two-Part Advanced Study in Holistic Medicine for Health Care Practitioners Pain is not a disease. It is a symptom. As such, it is different from other medical studies in that it is the person, not the condition, that must be treated. Each person tolerates and reacts to pain differently. Effective pain alleviation requires more than medical knowledge; it requires compassion for the patient, sensitivity for the aggrieved, and a broad understanding of physical and metaphysical, psychological and metapsychological life forces. These are the whole of the forces which impact each of us, and it is particularly important to recognize the influence of these forces on those whose lives are altered because of their pain condition. Part I is a unique pain management course, which utilizes an holistic, integrative approach to the art and science of pain alleviation, leading to "Board Certification in Pain Management". This course of study has been designed for professional health care practitioners: medical, osteopathic, and naturopathic physicians; acupuncturists; dentists; chiropractors; podiatrists; nurses; massage therapists; physicians’ assistants; nurse practitioners; and allied health care professionals presently involved, or those wishing to become involved, in the medical specialty of pain management. Admission to this course will also be allowed on a limited basis to persons without licentiate in a medical specialty, provided significant intellectual interest in the course work and appropriate prerequisite knowledge - including basic anatomy and physiology - have been demonstrated. Upon completion of this course, the student will have an in-depth knowledge of the different eastern and western modalities available and will have learned the skills necessary to utilize them. Many third party insurance carriers require advanced level training or board certification to be documented before consideration of claims for payment. This is frequently true for general medical insurance, personal injury and workers’ compensation. This course was created in response to requests by medical practitioners for training that would extend beyond traditional western medicine. The pain management protocols taught in this course apply to therapies in all pain related specialties. Part II is a course of study leading to a doctoral degree in Pain Management and Fellowship status at the college. The Pain Management Ph.D. is an advanced level degree based on participation in a clinical practicum symposium, which will provide exposure to, and in-depth knowledge of the cross section of integrative pain management specialties. These include pharmacology, physiology and anatomy, trigger point therapies, acupuncture, massage, biofeedback, ariculotherapy, nutritional therapies, chi gong, tai chi and yoga. Other modalities are considered as well. An original dissertation will be required. Upon satisfactory completion, the "Ph.D. in Pain Management” is awarded.
Auriculotherapy is the therapeutic technique in which the external ear is stimulated in order to help eliminate health problems in the body and bring about balance. It is based on the Chinese practice of acupuncture using a micro-system approach. This course is taught by Dr. Bill Akpinar and other faculty members of the University of Natural Medicine. Upon completion of the reading assignments, successful completion of an exam consisting of 100 questions (75% is passing), and documentation of observation and treatment of twenty patients, the student will be awarded the title “Certified Auriculotherapist”. The certification will designate advanced training and practical experience in the practice of Auriculotherapy. For practitioners licensed in an area of therapy (Physician, Dentist, Podiatrist, Chiropractor, Licensed Acupuncturists, etc.) the designation denotes advanced training and expertise. The certification is NOT a state license to practice. The prospective practitioner is urged to contact the individual state or jurisdiction in which he or she wishes to practice in order to be aware of the specific practice acts in that region. Dr. Akpinar and the faculty of the University of Natural Medicine gratefully acknowledge their wholehearted thanks to Dr. Jim Shores (Electro-Medical of Oklahoma) and Dr. Terry Olsen (Health Care Alternatives) for allowing the use and reproduction of their scientific material and teaching aids. Please note that the certification course in Auriculotherapy may be taken alone or in conjunction with the two-part course leading to Board Certification in Pain Management at the University of Natural Medicine. For individuals who are not currently involved in healthcare, Introduction to Auriculotherapy provides the basic entry requirements to pursue the higher level of learning and Board Certification in Pain Management.
Oriental
Medicine, PhD Program The role of Chinese Medicine is to restore health and prevent diseasethrough the harmonious balancing of Yin and Yang. It is of crucial importance for the practitioner to accurately diagnose health imbalance through understanding of the intricate balance of Yin and Yang and, when there is imbalance, to efficiently restore harmony. The role of Western Herbal Pharmacology is to help understand the inherent energetics of various herbal ingredients and phyto-chemicals. This course will help you understand the mode of action necessary to balance Yin and Yang, therefore, bridging Western and Eastern Philosophies. Your curiosity and desire to understand and apply ancient Chinese healing methods in combination with western pharmacology will place you, along with hundreds of dedicated practitioners, some preceding you by thousands of years, in a special group that respectfully and reverently uses this treasured heritage in restoring health and wellness to the body. The student will use three online modules. The first module will outline, guide, and clarify important concepts that are necessary for an understanding of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The outline points to the salient characteristics of TCM and it is recommended that the student obtain Giovanni Maciocia’s, The Foundations of Chinese Medicine, toassist in this study. The first module will include the theoretical philosophies that comprise the foundations of Traditional Chinese Medicine with the second part of the first module focusing upon methods of diagnosis and analysis. Again, the recommended textbook will help the student develop a strong, multi-level understanding of the material being explored. Module II will examine the differences between Western and Chinese herbs through a comparative study of 27 herbs and their usage in both healing cultures. In addition to a comparative understanding of herbs, this module will describe the formulation of herbal combinations and the importance of integrating an understanding of the properties of herbs with the theories of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements. Module III introduces the practitioner to the philosophy and origins of tea therapy. A natural and integral part of the theories of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements, the therapeutics effects of tea therapy are addressed through various combinations that are directed toward specific health conditions. Examinations will be required at the end of each module. A question and answer test will be required for Module I. Module II will ask the student to formulate an herbal program for a particular health concern, and at the end of Module III, the student will construct a tea combination for a specified health problem. Students will be able to communicate online questions through the use of: Suggested Books, Manuals and Materials Handbook of Chinese
Herbal Formulas/Him-che Yeung Materia Medica,
Revised Edition/Dan Bensky &Andrew Tea Therapy/James Zhou (to be published) The Foundations
of Chinese Medicine/Giovanni Maciocia The Essential
Book of Traditional Chinese Medicine Complete German
Commission E Monographs/Mark For PH. D. PROGRAM University
of Natural Medicine 
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