The article highlights the fascinating ways individuals integrate their previous careers and diverse skills into the practice of Asian medicine, enriching their diagnostic abilities and client interactions. Far from being discarded, prior experience becomes a valuable asset. Former engineers find it easy to grasp qi and structural issues. Those from Western medicine, especially physical therapy, build upon their anatomy knowledge with meridians and acupoints. A global journalist's interviewing skills enhance diagnostic nuance. Blind students relate meridian frequencies to guitar strings or sense structural changes from vibratory frequency. An MBA helps an acupuncturist thrive by creating a shared practice space. A theater background aids connecting with diverse patients. School psychology experience provides active listening skills crucial for healing. Even a dance background helps understand how humans "embody, sense, express, and interpret life," informing body mechanics and qi flow in shiatsu and qigong. Ultimately, talking to clients about their work and passions can even inspire tailored healing approaches. This piece celebrates how unique backgrounds forge richer, more effective practitioners.

Osteoarthritis (OA) of the hip, a condition causing significant joint pain, is extensively treated in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Within TCM, OA falls under the category of bi syndromes. Unlike generic supplements like fish oil or glucosamine, Chinese patent herbal medicines offer a more "surgical precision" in treatment by addressing the specific underlying bi syndrome patterns, such as wind-cold damp bi, blood stagnation bi, or heat bi. Diagnosing these patterns involves a detailed examination, including observing tongue and pulse, and understanding how the pain is influenced by seasons, temperature, sleep, and other factors.

Specific herbal formulas target different patterns. For severe, fixed pain with numbness often seen in hip OA, Shen Tong Zhu Yu Tang is crucial, invigorating blood and breaking stasis. For seniors with hip OA, especially those with underlying kidney/liver yin deficiency and blood stasis, Zhong Guo Tong Xue Wan / Zhong Guo Shen Jing Tong can offer quick pain relief and stimulate joint tissue healing. For pain with red, warm, swollen joints (Heat Bi), Si Miao Wan is highly effective, particularly for pain below the waist and discomfort worsened by heat or humidity. By precisely addressing these patterns, herbal therapy can provide significant relief and support joint health.

Breaking news for chronic spine pain patients and providers: the latest "Rapid Recommendation" from the BMJ strongly advises against several commonly used interventional procedures for chronic spine pain not caused by cancer or inflammatory conditions. An international expert panel, basing their guideline on systematic reviews of trials, concluded that "all or nearly all well-informed people would likely not want such interventions".

The specific procedures now strongly recommended against include various types of injections like joint radiofrequency ablation, epidural injections (with local anesthetic, steroids, or both), joint-targeted injections, and intramuscular injections for chronic axial spine pain. For chronic radicular spine pain, dorsal root ganglion radiofrequency with or without epidural injection is also not recommended.

This significant shift highlights concerns that these methods, while potentially effective for acute pain, are often ineffective for chronic pain and pose a substantial financial burden on healthcare systems, costing billions annually in the U.S. alone. These procedures should now typically only be considered within the context of a clinical trial.