The Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God’s Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine has a new mission: to go into the business of training practitioners in age-old healing therapies in order to accommodate the growing popularity of alternative and traditional cures.
Starting this September, SMIC-ITCM will start offering certificate courses in acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine.
Dr. Edilberto M. Concepcion, SMIC-ITCM president, says the school “will provide the first training program that is comprehensive, is fully staffed by credentialed and experienced faculty, and is supported by renowned experts from the USA, China and Taiwan.”
He adds, “This undertaking is being made in an effort to uplift the practice of Chinese medicine (as) it continues to gain popularity here and abroad.”
“Our Chinese medicine school is the first and only one to offer comprehensive traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture courses,” Sister Shengrong Liu says.
The four-trimester Comprehensive Acupuncture Training Program fulfills requirements set by the Philippine Institute of Traditional and Alternative Health Care for the certification of acupuncturists.
Another program, the Comprehensive Training Program on TCM, is a nine-trimester course that includes a comprehensive acupuncture course and a full course in Chinese herbology.
Also covered by the TCM course are Chinese nutrition; qi gong, an ancient Chinese healthcare system that integrates physical postures, breathing techniques and focused intention; and taiji (tai chi), a gentle form of exercise that combines deep breathing and relaxation with slow and gentle movements that can help maintain strength, flexibility and balance. — First published in Tulay Fortnightly, Chinese-Filipino Digest 29, no. 5 (August 9-22, 2016): 15.
