2000-2010: Celebrating a Decade of Integration
Live Longer, Live Better                  

October 2010

In This Issue
Director's Notes
Lunch & Learn @ Zov's
10th Anniversary Celebration
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Colloquium November 2
Advisory Board

Robert Burns , Chair 
Stanley Behrens
Amber Burns
Thomas Cesario, MD
Robin Eckert, MD
William Flanagan, L.Ac
Lola Gillebaard
Cynthia Graff
Jacqueline Jacques, ND
Mahtab Jafari, PharmD
Zov Karamardian
Rosalyn Laudati, PhD
Desiree Lie, MD
Shin Lin, PhD
John Longhurst, MD, PhD, Director
Jackie McDougall
Christine Nakamoto, EdD
Ellen Olshansky, DNSc, RN 
Grace Pak, L.Ac, QME
Antonio Paredes
Sheila Peterson
Julia Rappaport, RN, EdD
Susan Samueli, PhD
Jerome Tobis, MD
Lincoln Yee, MD, FAAOS
Greetings!

Welcome to the October edition of Live Longer, Live Better.  Fall is a very busy time at the Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine.  We hope you can join us for one of our upcoming events or classes.

For more information on any of the items listed below, to learn more about the center, or to make an appointment at the clinic, please visit us on the web at www.sscim.uci.edu.
IM bannerDirector's Notes 

This is the Decade of Integration for the Samueli Center, which was established in 2000.  Since then we have achieved a great many milestones, including a robust research program, focusing on both mechanistic and clinical studies on Oriental Medicine and supplements as well as a number of other important areas. An active educational component involves practitioners, students and the public.  Our integrative medicine clinic on Birch Street that now offers a range of therapies from family medicine to acupuncture to herbal supplements to dietary counseling, life style modification, therapeutic massage and physical therapy.  All of this translates into increased activity and interest in the center. Very soon, on November 13th, we will celebrate this decade of growth and achievement and, most importantly, will be honoring our founder, Susan Samueli, for all of her support, encouragement and attention to the well being of the center.  This event, to take place at the Santa Ana Country Club, will be an opportunity for the center to share its achievements and honor our board, the leadership at UCI and many individuals in the community whose contributions have contributed to the center's success.  In addition, we are also planning our fourth international scientific conference, to be held on October 7-9th at the Beckman Center for the National Academy of Sciences.  It will bring scientists and clinicians from around the world to talk about the latest research advances in Oriental Medicine, discussing both acupuncture and Oriental herbals.  Presentations will include both basic science and clinical advances that have been occurring over the last several years.  The clinical importance of these therapies and the mechanisms by which they can be used in disease treatment will be highlighted.  Please visit our website and come celebrate the success of the center with us next month.

 

John Longhurst, MD, PhD

Director, Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine

Lunch & Learn @ Zov's
Integrative Medicine Today: the Benefits of Acupuncture
by John Longhurst, MD, PhD

Scientific evidence shows that Acupuncture is useful for neck pain, back pain, dental pain, arthritis, cancer care and nausea/vomiting from various causes. Research also suggests benefits for mental health disorders, fibromyalgia and infertility.  New research suggests it may also be helpful in regulating blood pressure.   Dr. John Longhurst, director of the Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine, has received multiple NIH grants to study the effects of acupuncture on blood pressure.  This informative presentation will focus on how acupuncture may help to lower blood pressure and enable patients to reduce or eliminate drug therapy.


When: Tuesday, November 2, 2010 Noon - 1:30 PM
Where: Zov's Bistro, Tustin
Cost: $25 (Includes delicious healthy lunch)
For more information and to register go to www.Zov's.com.
10th Anniversary Celebration: Movin' into the Future

The Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine is celebrating ten years of service to the community with a gala fundraiser on November 13, 2010.

The event will feature international cuisine, a brief program and dancing to the popular local band, Tijuana Dogs.  Proceeds from the event will help to launch tow new programs, the Community Care Fund and the Celebrate Health Initiative.  For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.sscim.uci.edu.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month 
by Ann Marie Nguyen, ND, LAc
 
The lifetime probability for females of getting breast cancer is one out of six. Although you cannot change your genetic makeup, there are so many other dietary and lifestyle habits that you can engage in to optimize health, creating an unfavorable environment for tumor cells. It's important to arm yourself with crucial knowledge to protect yourself.

Diet and lifestyle are probably the two most modifiable risk factors.  As a general rule, try to use organic, pesticide free foods as much as possible. Pesticides are highly lipophilic, weakly estrogenic, and can persist in the body's tissues for a very long time.  Additionally, limit intake of alcohol, saturated animal fat, meat (replace, if possible with coldwater fish from unpolluted waters), calories (since higher weight has had a positive association). Fruits and vegetables show benefit. Plants from the cruciferous family (brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, etc) protect the cell from damage; it also decreases the effectiveness of estrogen, which can decrease your risk.

To learn more visit www.sscim.uci.edu.  To make an appointment with Dr. Nguyen, call the clinic at 949-757-0443

Colloquium Series: Traditional Chinese Medicine and Global Encounters
by Mei  Zhan, PhD

Traditional Chinese medicine involves a set of highly diverse and constantly changing discourses, practices, institutions, and people. It is made through transnational encounters, and its making and remaking give birth to not only new forms of knowledge but also changing visions of the world and our places in it.  This lecture focuses on how traditional Chinese medicine was promoted as a preventive medicine for the world's rural poor during the Cold War era, and how it has been refashioned into a preventive medicine for holistic, cosmopolitan lifestyles with a Californian flair today.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010
4:30 - 5:30 PM
Hitachi Conference Room, Plumwood House, UCI Campus
 
This talk and opportunity for discussion is part of a monthly series offered by the Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine. It is free to the public and no RSVP is needed.  NOTE:  There is a charge to park any where on the UCI campus, 24/7.  Additional information: Visit the colloquium page or call 949-824-5763.
The Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine at UC Irvine is successfully advancing patient care through education, evidence based research and clinical practice applying integrative medical therapies. The Center is rapidly becoming recognized for providing "new knowledge" bridging complementary and conventional treatments - all for the singular purpose of achieving better health.

Visit us on the web at www.sscim.uci.edu
To make an appointment at the clinic call 949-757-0443.