2023 Conference

MEMBER SYMPOSIA #4-6

Saturday, May 20, 2023 (9:30am - 11:00am)

Member Symposium #4: Fine Needles Supporting Sperm, Eggs, and Petri Dishes – Our Role in Integrative Reproductive Health

Presenters: Elisabetta Casaletti, MD, Lic. A.M.A.B.: Italian-Chinese School of Acupuncture, Italy; Sandro Graca, MSc, Lic TCM, FABORM; and Olivia Pojer, MD, FABORM

A fertility decline is evident worldwide, with a documented global drop in the fertility index. There are many risk factors for male and female reproductive health: advanced age, stressful lifestyle, environmental causes, and hormone disruptors. Furthermore, the recent global pandemic aggravated the situation due to the virus harming sperm quality massively. It is predicted that by 2050, most people will opt to conceive through assisted reproductive technology (ART) using cryopreserved eggs and/or sperm. Sex will become “purely recreational”.    We believe that a systemic approach is needed to provide people trying to get pregnant with the necessary support to address infertility trends described in the scientific evidence. Based on our experience and expertise in male and female reproductive health, fertility support, and research work, we advocate that Traditional East Asian Medicine (TEAM) and acupuncture have proven characteristics to be integrated into this systemic approach.    Our lecture brings international expertise from three different countries to cover aspects of research and practice focusing on male and female reproductive health, as well as ART support. The collaboration is a testimony to the strength and viability of our vision.   

The first lecture focuses on acupuncture used alongside ART – acknowledging folliculogenesis and emphasizing the preparation for those 120 days, all the way to the work in the IVF clinic which includes support for ovarian stimulation, endometrial growth, and pre- and post-embryo transfer. The second session provides practical solutions to address the gap between clinicians and researchers, along with presenting the latest updates from acupuncture research on polycystic ovary syndrome, as well as the work from Cochrane Review Groups on ART and dysmenorrhea. In the third session, the spotlight is on male reproductive health and how an integrative, evidence-informed acupuncture and TEAM approach can help improve sperm quality.

Member Symposium #5: Traditional Chinese Medicine for Cancer Related Symptom Management and Quality of Life: International Collaboration from Clinical Practice to Evidence-based Medical Research

Presenters: Yufei Yang, MD; Jun Mao, MD, MDCE; Lingyun Sun, MD; Haibo Zhang, MD; Aiguang Zhao, MD; and Yun Xu, MD

Cancer is now still a major threaten to people’s health worldwide, and patient-centered cancer care needs to focus on symptom management to promote cancer patients’ quality of life. As an indispensable component of east Asian medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM) has been widely utilized for symptom control and disease treatment not only in China but also many other countries. However, lack of high-level evidence is still one of the barriers for the development and internationalization of TCM. In this symposium, the organizers and presenters will introduce their researches and findings about the effectiveness and mechanism of TCM on managing cancer related symptom management and enhancing quality of life during the past “China 13rd five-year plan” period(from 2017 to 2022) China National Key Research & Development Program. In addition, they will also share their experiences on study design, program management and data analysis under the international collaboration with Professor Jun Mao from MSKCC. In this 75 minutes’ symposium, the joint organizers, Professor Yufei Yang and Jun Mao, will start with their perspectives on the international collaboration strategy in the field of TCM oncology; other speakers will introduce four different multicenter randomized clinical trials on both TCM herbal medicine and acupuncture’s role on symptom management for gastrointestinal cancer patients and cancer related fatigue. Together, the content of the lectures will give valuable references for both clinical practices and study design for the participants who are interested in this field.

Member Symposium #6: Neurobiological Understanding of Acupuncture: Health Coding in Acupoints

Presenters: Xinyan Gao, PhD; Bingmei Zhu, MD, PhD; and Haifa Qiao, MD

Acupuncture and moxibustion is the leading of TCM and has been widely used in 196 countries and regions in the world. Lack of clarity on the biological basis has greatly hindered its more widespread integration into clinical care. The symposium of Innovation and Development in Study of Acupuncture, co-organized by Institute of Acupuncture, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, West China Hospital of Sichuan University and Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine will showcase globally the latest research findings and achievements from the scientific basis of acupuncture. It helps to understand structure-functional connections in human body in both physiological and pathological state, as well as interpret the role of acupuncture at systemic level, target organ or topographic tissue.   We will focus on the specific and systemic efficacy of acupoint based on acupoint-target organ connection, research and development innovative devices for detection of sensitized features of acupoints, et al. Scientists making remarkable achievements and published papers in top journals, will be invited as speakers to outline advances in their areas of expertise, as interactions between acupoint and target Organs, electroacupuncture on systemic hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axes, epigenetic mechanisms of acupuncture in the myocardial protection and et al...   The symposium may contribute to answer key and inherent questions on the specific and systemic efficacy of acupoint, and the regulation of acupuncture on cardiac disorders, and to provide a rare platform for high-level communication among various disciplines and experts worldwide. We will discuss the cutting-edge academic progress of acupuncture, arouse collision of academics, and promote acupuncture innovation and development, making it a summit forum with far-reaching influences.