Are you interested in traveling to China and learning about its culture and traditional Chinese medicine?
Did your mom ever tell you to wear a jacket outdoors so as not to catch a cold? Your mom was right -- for over 3,000 years, Eastern medicine has been preaching that the environment has a strong influence over one's health. Conditions of dampness, coldness, heat, and so on may affect one's health, and this has been written about in ancient Chinese medicine textbooks. Unfortunately, Western medicine does not address these influences very much. If this catches your attention, then read on.
This May, the Office of International Programs and the School of Health Sciences and Human Performance will cosponsor a credit-bearing course/trip to China to learn more about traditional Chinese medicine and Chinese culture.
In May 2007, 14 Ithaca College students spent a spectacular two weeks in China. Each week was spent in a different city (Beijing and Chengdu) living at two different universities. They attended lectures on topics such as yin-yang meridians, acupuncture, sport rehabilitation, tuina massage, kung fu, wushu and tai chi. Each class involved actual hands-on practice.
They also visited various cultural sights such as the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, national sports teams' exhibition games, the Panda Research Institute, teahouses, the pearl district, and Olympic settings. Our students overwhelmingly enjoyed the experience -- the medical aspect was fascinating and the cultural experience was described as unsurpassable.
In May 2008, another group of IC students will venture east once again with a similar itinerary, which also includes a shopping spree in Shanghai.
All students are invited to apply. Any student interested in attending this trip should contact either Dean Siconolfi in the School of HSHP or Nick Quarrier, clinical associate professor of physical therapy (nquarrie@ithaca.edu).
There will be an informational meeting on November 7 at 5:00 p.m. in the Center for Health Sciences, room 211. Come hear more about May's trip and meet some of the students from last year's excursion.
School of Health Sciences and Human Performance
Office of International Programs
