This course provides students with the steps necessary to create a successful practice. Topics covered will include: the legal requirements of starting a practice, setting up a practice space, creating a financial budget, managing an office, medical billing, patient management, and practice marketing. Upon completion of this course, students will have a clearer understanding of what is involved in starting and maintaining a successful practice.

This course covers the universal medical ethics required of a primary healthcare practitioner, emphasizing professional responsibility and the study of laws which regulate TCM practices in California and the U.S. Upon completion of this course, students will be thoroughly aware of the professional, ethical, and legal responsibilities of treating patients.

Five Branches University hosts or participates in periodic health fairs for the public to raise awareness of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Supervised Clinical Interns provide mini-treatments or give lectures to participants. Types of treatments include community style acupuncture, tongue and pulse diagnosis, Tuina massage, cupping, and gua sha. Advanced students are encouraged to give short presentations on health topics of their choosing, or lead classes on preparing Chinese herbal prescriptions, and practicing Qigong or Taijiquan. Our Career Development Fairs provide interns with the opportunity to promote their practice by handing out business cards to prospective patients and by demonstrating their knowledge and mastery of TCM. In a four-hour period, interns are able to treat a wide variety of patients in a short period of time, providing excellent clinical experience.

This course provides students with the information they need to apply their acupuncture training skills in a business- like manner, in a variety of clinical settings. The emphasis is on the practical application of the business and professional skills necessary to provide acupuncture health care to an ever-growing population of patients. Upon completion of this course, students will understand the synergistic nature of the professional, ethical, financial, and marketing skills necessary to run a primary health care practice in the U.S. in the 21st century. They will know how to setup, run and maintain a viable practice and will understand the inner workings of an acupuncture office.

Qigong, or vital energy skills are the ancient Chinese methods of cultivating and using the vital energy in the body, representing the Chinese philosophy of the exercise-health connection. Qigong is now successfully used in China for treating chronic diseases. In this practical introductory course, students learn to experience various Qigong exercises in an atmosphere of personal experimentation, with emphasis on the fundaments of “reading” and “feeling” the Qi. This course will enable students to become familiar with the theory, form and potential health benefits of Chinese therapeutic energetics.

Qigong is a system of exercises that cultivates life force energy and is at least as old as the I Ching (Book of Changes), one of the first Chinese recordings of Qi, dating from 3000 years old. Qigong studies the relationship of the three natural energies of the universe, Tian (Heaven), Di (Earth), and Ren (Man). The practice of Qigong can be classified as martial, medical, or spiritual in nature. TCM Qigong teaches medical aspects of this exercise by integrating physical postures, breathing techniques, and mental intentions. TCM Qigong practice can reduce stress, increase stamina, strengthen and balance internal organ systems, and enhance the immune system. This course will provide students with foundational skills in improving health for both practitioner and patient through TCM Qigong.

Originating over 1000 years ago from the Daoist Kunlin School, this once secretly passed down, classic set of movements is one of China’s most respected Qigong styles. Dayan (Wild Goose) style imitates the movements of wild geese with dynamic and static postures, combining strength and stretching. This easy to learn yet elegant form opens channels and points, expels toxins from the tissues, and draws in healthy air to improve the health of the body, mind, and spirit. Upon completion of this course, students will be familiar with the sequence of the first 64 movements and postures of Dayan Qigong.

Qigong Stretch utilizes the posture, breath, and mental intentions found in the disciplines of Qigong to gently extend the body’s joints, tendons, ligaments and muscles to provide elasticity and fluidity of movement. With proper stretching the body opens up and the vital energy moves freely, alleviating pain caused from stagnation and tonifying the body by allowing energy to properly nourish deficiencies. Qigong Stretch is a great way to relieve stress. This course provides students with the understanding of the fundamentals of Qigong Stretch and its therapeutic application for both practitioner and patient.

In this course, students continue to explore the sensation of Qi flowing through their bodies, utilizing exercises to cultivate their Qi and increase their awareness of the dynamic state of their own body, in response to changes in the environment. Completion of this course serves as one of the prerequisites for the Qigong Teacher Training Certificate.

Taijiquan is recognized as one of the fundamentals of good health. This course is a natural extension of the Qigong courses and introduces students to more advanced exercises and sets for health enhancement. This course is aimed at teaching exercises the student can master, and that are safe for a wide spectrum of conditions.

This course is a continuation of the Taijiquan I course. In this energetic medicine course, the students learn through demonstration and practice of advanced Taijiquan forms to become more aware of energy pathways and flow. The emphasis of this course is on teaching the student exercises they can master, and are safe for a wide spectrum of conditions.

This course explores the methods of TCM diagnosis and treatment using the ancient art of Yin Tuina. Diagnostic methods include the TCM standards of Ba Gong, Six Evils, Zangfu, Wen Bing and San Jiao. A combination of lecture and hands-on practice, this course will deepen your understanding and confidence in diagnosis through palpation of energetic patterns, both healthy and aberrant. Lectures will allude to the classics and key cornerstone quotes.