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E. Shane Hoffman, DAOM, LAc
Clinical Director
Dr. Hoffman trained at the Oregon Oriental College of Medicine under the leading physicians of China, including Dr. Shizeng Yang, qigong therapist to the People's Republic of China Olympic Gymnastic team; and Dr. Gouhui Lui, author of TCM classics and male genito-urinary disorders including male infertility. While pursuing his studies, Shane was named to the national AIDS Activist Circle for his work in designing, creating and implementing an education, advocacy and peer support program for people living with HIV.
In Portland, Dr. Hoffman was part of the clinic team at The Institute for Traditional Medicine (ITM). The Institute is well known for its innovative work in developing protocols to apply Traditional Chinese Medicine to modern health issues such as HIV, CFS, MS, breast cancer, hepatitis, chronic pain and menopause. Shane also maintained a private practice in Oregon, treating everything from acne and allergies to shingles and tinnitus, with particular focus on athletic and performing arts related health. Since Dr. Hoffman joined Turning Point, over 16 years ago, he has taken doctoral specialty training with a double concentration in gynecology and geriatrics.
Having studied and practiced various traditions of Tai Chi, Qi Gong, Iyengar yoga and meditation for the past 25 years, Dr. Hoffman's work is deeply informed by these healing disciplines. Dr. Hofffman is board certified by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM) and licensed to practice by New York State.
Theresa Palazzo, M.S., LAc
Theresa Palazzo found her way to Traditional Chinese Medicine by way of a dance injury and a dissatisfying career. Her initial course of acupuncture treatment resolved both these issues - soon after, she committed to a four-year program to become an acupuncturist and Chinese herbalist herself. Theresa received her Masters Degree of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) at Pacific College in New York City. Theresa initially dedicated her practice to treating athletes and performers during and after injury, she believes that everyone can benefit from this medicine, whether as preventative care for well-being, the treatment of pain syndromes, or as complementary care during the treatment of disease.
In addition, Theresa also practices the Mei Zen system of cosmetic acupuncture - an elegant treatment protocol based entirely on classical Chinese medicine - which allows for individualized treatments that address aging gracefully, while bringing vitality to the appearance of the face and neck.
Theresa is licensed to practice in New York and Connecticut and is a Board Certified Chinese Herbalist by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM).
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Hello Lovely People,
You got it. You figured out our little techie holiday riddle to get here to spot of holiday wishes and love to you. Hope you enjoyed the junket of figuring it out.
Merry Happy Stuff to you. Rocking wishes for a wonderful 2012. Let's hope the Mayan prognostications were poorly translated.
This has been a most amazing year chock full of firsts and goodness. In no particular order:
We got married. um and yeah, we're gay. Our state is the 6th to publicly affirm the right of people like us to receive the sanction of the state in love. That means 44 states don't. 12 states have actively prohibitive legislation against gay marriage. Oddly those states have no higher rate of single people. So it's not that those are swinger states still trying to promote free love.
So much goodness. After our
Michael went to his first Giants game. Thanks to Uncle Eric.
I got the best anniversary gift ever. The lovely Betty Buckley closed her show at Feinstein's the night of our attendance with my favorite song Corner of the Sky from Pippin, at Michael's sneaky and prior request. WOW.
Both of the best siblings ever now call Gotham home. Congrats to Lil on her Bac and moving along to her MPH. None will be surprised that she also got a great job in medical research at Bellevue hospital in the least likely economy. Spencer started the best job of his life here at Turning Point Acupuncture. Word around the office is he might be promoted soon. He's also learning firsthand the tyranny of the study of law and the injustice of transportation for large black dogs in Manhattan.
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Oriental medicine and biomedicine have the same goal: improved health of the patient. To that end, however, we use different language. Biomedicine seeks to cure disease, Oriental medicine seeks to heal the person. On the surface, this might seem to be a mere matter of semantics, but the core beliefs show that these two approaches and language are indeed markedly different. To cure requires absolute elimination of an escalating disease process, typically achieved by the use of a medicine or a surgical intervention. To heal reflects a therapeutic goal of dialog with the patient, energetically and physically supporting the patient at being as strong and healthy as possible.
In current practice, we use the term Oriental medicine to respect the contributions of the full breadth of Asian and Oriental cultures. This includes what is often described as traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), classical Chinese medicine, five-element Chinese medicine, Korean hand acupuncture, Korean constitutional therapy, Japanese jin shin do, kanpo, hara diagnoses, hara diagnoses, shiatsu and tuina. These treatment styles use the modalities of acupuncture, moxabustion, cupping, gua sha, acupressure and herbal formulae as treatments.
The best paradigm of medical care requires a practitioner of sound moral ground being willing to coordinate the best possible patient care. In this age, any person with access to care can have the best of all worlds. Asian medicine evaluates and diagnoses pathology in cases that are subclinical in biomedicine. Biomedicine precision diagnostics for progressing disease is unparalleled. For example, let's look at a sudden injury or trauma. If you are hit by a bus, you should immediately go to the Emergency Room. Once your injuries have been assessed and addressed, you can use additional treatment such as Oriental medicine to support expedited healing.
At Turning Point Acupuncture, we are thrilled to provide excellent care informed by extensive experience and the best training available in our field. Our practice adheres to the h
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Turning Point Acupuncture - Winter Newsletter
Volume 9, Number 1
Dear Friends and Colleagues:
It seems as if Mother nature has been a bit temperamental (pun intended) of late. We've seen everything from snowstorms to tornadoes of freezing rain. Such sharp variations in weather can also take an emotional toll, and we're not just talking about trying to decide which jacket to wear when you go outside. Let us know if you have any questions or would like additional information on how to embrace the seasons, keep your spirits up and qi balanced as we move forward. Winter is a challenging, yet special time, especially in the Northeast. It is an ideal time to reflect, rejoice and recommit in our dedication to self-care.
In this issue:
1. Cancer and Cancer Treatment: Western and Eastern Approaches
2. Complimentary Treatment Focus: Medical Qigong
3. Practice Updates
1. Cancer and Cancer Treatment
Over one and a half million people in the U.S. are diagnosed each year with some form of cancer. Western and Eastern understandings of cancer overlap in certain regards, and practitioners of both treatments often work together to the patient's benefit.
Western Perspective
Cancer is defined by Western science as the abnormal growth. A group of cells gone rogue. It can be the result of a mutation in the genetic material (DNA). There are more than 100 types of cancer, and most are named for the organ or type of cell in which they begin. Western medicine has identified five broad categories of cancer: 1. Carcinoma, 2. Sarcoma, 3. Leukemia, 4. Lymphoma and Myeloma, and 5. Central Nervous System cancers. The most common risk factors for developing some type of cancer are advanced age, use of tobacco, excessive exposure to sunlight, abuse of alcohol, having a family history of cancer and exposure to hazardous chemicals. For every type of cancer there can be multiple potential causes and a myriad of treatment options. The most common treatment for cancer involves surgery to excise the growth, chemotherapy, radiation and a macrobiotic diet.
Eastern Perspective
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) views cancers as a stasis, or extreme slowing and stoppage of the flow of substances in the body. These substances include qi, blood and phlegm and stasis of any of them can lead to the growth of tumors. Emotional stress, unhealthy eating habits, lack of exercise, environmental chemicals and those ingested are all key factors in the development of substance stasis in the different meridians and organ systems. Treatment for cancer in TCM commonly includes aggressive schedules of acupuncture and a regimen of individually prescribed Chinese herbs.
Summary and Strategy
When cancer is diagnosed, either by Western medical practice or TCM, it is important to take immediate, pro-active steps. In recent years, Western medicine has begun to embrace the benefits of TCM, particularly in helping to ease the side-effects of treatment. Acupuncture is widely recommended alongside chemotherapy in New York City's Mt. Sinai hospital, as it can lessen certain side-effects. TCM is proven to reduce nausea and fatigue, helping to maintain constitutional strength that it vital for the body to make the best use of the Western medicine treatment. After the initial diagnosis and treatment, regular check-ups and visits to a TCM practitioner can help monitor the cancer's remission. Alongside a healthy diet and lifestyle, these appointments can be important tools in cancer prevention.
2. Complimentary Treatment Focus: Medical Qigong
This is the second in a series giving you the low-down on complimentary and alternative treatments available at Turning Point.
What Is It? Medical Qigong is also referred to as "Chinese Energetic Medicine." Patient-centered treatment sessions focus on assisting with the clear flow of qi through a number of techniques including relaxation imagery, talk therapy and light touch by the practitioner on target qi points.
Who Does It? Turning Point welcomes Yuxia Chiu as our new associate and Medical Qigong expert.
Why Should I Do It? Medical Qigong is another way to help find balance within and harmonize with your environment. This is a very gentle and patient-centered treatment, so it is ideal for those who wish to facilitate their own health and prevent illness.
How Much Does It Cost? Medical Qigong sessions are $120, when combined with an acupuncture session they are $160.
3. Practice Updates
We think it's pretty darn awesome and will be updating the content on a regular basis. Feel free to post a testimonial if you would like to share your Turning Point story with a prospective patient.
Thanks to everyone who weighed in on the Location Survey. After much careful thought and consideration, Turning Point will be staying in our current offices. We plan to undertake some improvements of the space in the near future and look forward to making it an even more welcoming and harmonious space.
We offer gift certificates for acupuncture, Reiki and massage - all wonderful ways to take care of yourself and your loved ones. Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., call (212. 489. 5038) or visit our offices (1841 Broadway) to share a gift of healing.
We look forward to supporting you toward your fullest enjoyment of optimal emotional, physical and spiritual health.
Be well,
E. Shane Hoffman, DAOM, LAC
Karen Ortiz, LAC
Lourdes Guzman, Reiki Master
Gilles Obermeyer, LMT
Hector Mendez
Kim Chinh
Turning Point Acupuncture
1841 Broadway
New York City
212. 489. 5038
turningpointacupuncture.com
copyright 2011 Turning Point Acupuncture. All rights reserved. This newsletter may be reproduced in its entirety only, including this copyright line.
To be removed from our newsletter mailing list please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the subject opt-out.
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Holiday Newsletter
Dear Friends and Colleagues:
Turning Point would like to reach out with some words of encouragement, strength and warmth during the winter season and holidays. With longer nights, less sunlight and cold temperatures it is certainly a time to conserve our strengths. Conversely, the holidays encourage us to reach out and reconnect with family and friends. As with all things, the key is to find a balance and stay in harmony with the season and ourselves. The joy of celebration helps raise and build qi that can sustain us through the winter. Love can be drawn from the beauty of new-fallen snow in Central Park, from the rewarding feeling of packing boxes of household goods for donation to charities, from the sense of calm after relatives leave or even just from treating yourself to an extra tap on the snooze button on January 1. The winter season asks us to seek strength from within and push forward until warmer weather returns. It is all these small and special forms of expressing love for yourself and others that will enrich your qi and augment you in thriving.
In this issue:
- Seasonal Overeating: Western and Eastern Approaches
- Holiday Meditation
- Practice Updates
1. Seasonal Overeating
While the holiday season is a time of warmth and togetherness with loved ones, it also has the potential to be a stressful time of year. Everybody deals with stress in her or his own way. Many choose to seek comfort in food. The average American gains ten pounds between Halloween and New Year's Day. The cold weather can lead to decreased exercise for city folk who walk. Less sunlight of shortened days yields lower vitamin D levels. Both can contribute to increased appetites and the propensity to over-indulge.
Western Perspective
Although the holiday dinner table is over groaning under the strain of shimmering glazed foods, there are ways to approach the smorgasbord and still walk away with your pants fitting comfortably. Glycemic spikes from too much sweet can cause a dearth of energy and good spirits. Greasier foods can rob a person of energy by demanding a relative great amount of energy to break down their fatty substances. Digestion of all these foods can cause bloating, nausea and difficult elimination.
Eastern Perspective
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the urge to overeat is a result of unbalanced qi in relation to the spleen, liver and kidney. These are the organs that deal with stress, and the holidays can severely tax them. When your qi becomes unbalanced in these systems, the desired seasonal feelings of joy, satisfaction and satiation are replaced by unease, agitation and poor metabolism. TCM classifies this resulting state as one of dampness. Dealing with stressful situations in a direct manner can help to promote better flow of qi, and your acupuncturist will also be able to utilize specific acu-points to encourage better flow of qi. It is also recommended that you reduce your intake of caffeine, alcohol and dairy, as these foods negatively impact the organs and increase dampness. Regular walking and yoga are two exercises that have also been found to be beneficial to decreasing dampness and increasing flow of qi.
Summary and Strategy
Practice portion control: you can load up your plate, just try to only take about half the serving size you think you want. Eating slowly and pausing to drink water and talk to your companions will also help ensure that you feel satiated and do not need to go back for unnecessary seconds. Try to work in small spurts of exercise, such as parking the car in the rear of the mall parking lot or, for city-dwellers, getting off the subway one stop before your shopping destination and walking the extra blocks. While you are making lists of all the presents to be bought and parties to go to, try to also keep a daily list of the foods you eat. Simply being conscious of your calorie intake often times helps reduce it. The holiday season can be a challenging time of year. It's also an opportunity to approach festivity in a calm and deliberate manner. If you practice portion control, pay attention to your body's signals of satiation, and deal with stress before it becomes overwhelming you can indeed have your pumpkin pie and eat it too.
2. Holiday Recipe: Hot Mulled Apple Cider
Hot drinks are an easy way to warm ourselves from within during this winter season. Mulled apple cider provides the additional warmth of ginger, cinnamon and allspice without the refined sugar found in other beverages.
Ingredients:
1/2 gallon of apple cider
1 inch knob of fresh ginger
Zest of one medium orange
3 (2") cinnamon sticks
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
4 whole cloves
Directions:
Combine ingredients in a non-aluminum saucepan. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
Strain mixture and serve hot in mugs.
Serves 6
3. Practice Updates
Turning Point is proud to announce the opening of a special Reiki room in our office suite. Make sure to check it out and ask about Reiki sessions on your next visit!
Holiday special: Hot Stone Meridian Tracing Treatment. December is the season of the Lung. Following the Chinese lunar calender this treatment will support and strengthen the lung system to support immunity and courage. Gilles Obermeyer has developed this therapy to support people in being in harmony with the lunar calender. 90 minutes Sessions available December 29th, $170. Please call Gilles directly to schedule your session 917-282-7420.
Keep an eye out for the re-launch of our website in the new year. We've been working hard and hope you will find our new internet home a welcoming, special place.
We offer gift certificates for acupuncture, Reiki and massage - all wonderful ways to take care of yourself and your loved ones during the holiday season. Email us. Call (212. 489. 5038) or visit our offices (1841 Broadway) to share a gift of healing.
We look forward to supporting you toward your fullest enjoyment of the season in optimum emotional, physical and spiritual health.
Be well,
E. Shane Hoffman, DAOM, LAC
Amanda Silver, LAC
Kymberly Kelly, LAC
Karen Ortiz, LAC
Lourdes Guzman, Reiki Master
Gilles Obermeyer, LMT
Hector Mendez
Kim Chinh
