About Us
Mission
TCM Focus is an open access online resource and journal about clinical Chinese Medicine- acupuncture, Chinese herbs, tui na, and qi gong. Our aim is to help the Chinese medicine practitioner and student by publishing high quality articles focusing on clinical approaches, theory, and the thought processes of Chinese medicine treatment. We hope this will illustrate approaches used in the real clinic. Our journal’s main focus will be on case studies and essays about clinical work.
Case Studies as an Educational Resource
Historically, case studies have been a significant learning and teaching tool for Chinese medicine, and have served as a primary means to transmit knowledge from one generation to the next. Currently, Oriental Medicine resources in English are growing widely which improves Chinese medicine education. However, few of them focus on case studies. Case studies can teach the dynamic, evolving, and individualized treatment and diagnosis work in a real clinic. As our teachers have taught us, many, if not most, tough cases do not follow the classic patterns.
Case studies can also shed light on nuanced questions of diagnosis and treatment from diverse points of view and can come closer to revealing the thought process of the clinician. They will help translate textbook knowledge to the clinic and also can vividly illustrate the diverse treatment styles within Traditional East Asian Medicine. This will help prepare clinicians to treat diseases which are so commonly seen in the contemporary TCM clinic, like fibroids, PCOS, back pain, digestive problems, urinary diseases, migraines, infertility, and others.
We hope to contribute help change this situation by becoming a reliable online clinical resource for the Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine community as well as the other healthcare professionals.
We would like to acknowledge Kevin Ergil, M.S., L.Ac. for his dedication to clinical education of acupuncturists and Oriental Medicine practitioners and serving as the inspiration for starting this journal.
TCM Focus Staff
Joe Alban, LAc, MS – albanacupuncture.com
Joe Alban LAc has admired his teachers, both in the United States and China, who were not only excellent clinicians, but also educators and scholars who shared their knowledge with colleagues and students alike. The Internet is the perfect tool for providing an open access clinical resource and helping to open new avenues for this Chinese medicine.
In Chinese medicine, there has been a long outstanding tradition of secrecy in order to create a greater mystery and respect for the TCM Physician. In the modern age, secrecy between fellow Chinese medicine clinicians impeads progress of the field. The Internet may influence the culture of secrecy to change because on the web the more people who know your secrets, the more successful you are.
Currently, he is a New York Licensed Acupuncturist and a Diplomate in Oriental Medicine practicing in New York City. He completed a six month training course in acupuncture, Chinese medicine, and Tui Na at the Teaching Hospital of the Hunan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Prior to going to China, Joseph graduated from Touro College’s Graduate Program in Oriental Medicine. Currently, he also serves as the Vice President of the New York Acupuncture Coalition.
Michael Jabbour, LAc, MS – integrativehealthny.com
Mr. Jabbour earned his masters degree from Touro College Graduate Program in Oriental Medicine (GPOM) in traditional Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.
During this time he has done extensive work in Chinese medical text translation. He is an active speaker on several circuits speaking on issues of technology, medicine, and politics pertaining to Traditional Chinese medicine.
Mr. Jabbour is one of the founding directors of the New York State Acupuncture Coalition (NYSAC) and is the President of the Acupuncture Society of New York (ASNY) He maintains a private practice in acupuncture and herbology in midtown Manhattan.
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