The Oriental Express

Weblog (News and Articles)

Chang’e (嫦娥), the Chinese Goddess of the Moon

In Chinese mythology, Chang'e (嫦娥) is the Moon Goddess. The ancient story goes that long ago, the earth had been scorched by ten suns that had appeared in the skies and the people on Earth were suffering as a result. Chang'e's husband Yi, an archer, shot down nine of...

A look back at three fantastic years at ICOM

As Graduation 2019 approaches, final year acupuncture student Alison Dalziel provides us with a great insight into student life at ICOM in this entertaining compilation of moments from the course

On The Heavenly Truth of Ancient Times

The Yellow Emperor asked the heavenly teacher: "I have heard that people in ancient times had lived as long as one hundred and twenty years with no sign of weakening in movement, but people nowadays become weakened in their movements in the age of less than sixty...

Myanmar Diary

For nearly 10 years acupuncturist Kirsten Germann has been involved in a charitable project in Myanmar training Doctors at the Watchet Jivita Sanga Hospital near Saigang City to learn and provide Acupuncture treatment to the patients. During that time a purpose built...

Heaven and Earth

My God, it's full of stars... (2001 Space Odyssey) separation at the same time as infinitely many without differentiation. The purpose of this article is to discuss some of the basic concepts of Chinese Medicine and philosophy and relate them to aspects of our...

A First Timer’s Experience of Facial Acupuncture

As a young girl in my 20’s I had never given Facial Acupuncture any thought. But following some recent coverage in the press about the numerous celebs turning to this ancient Chinese practice I decided to give it a go. I had struggled with dark circles under my eyes...

Tuina Short CPD Courses: Meet the Teaching Team

Sandra Hill Is a Chinese medicine practitioner, writer and teacher with a particular interest in Classical Chinese texts and yang sheng. After completing an MA in Fine Art, Sandra Hill lived in Japan for 3 years where she studied tai ji, qi...

Discovering The 5 Personality Types – Which one are you?

The theory of the five elements is one of the main tools an acupuncturist can use in order to understand a person's nature, personality types and symptoms of disease. The five element cycle is related to the cycle of the seasons throughout the year: from Spring (wood...

Optimise your practice with Chinese herbal medicine

Significantly enhance your ability to effectively treat a wide range of diseases through our quality lectures and supported study with the leading practitioner-researchers in the UK. Starting in September 2018, the White Crane Academy (WCA) is providing a new,...

A workshop on Soft Tissue Release (STR): An interview with Alison Dalziel

What is the ICOM Community Project?The ICOM community project is a project of our own choosing, which all students are required to complete each year as part of their Personal & Professional Development module. It is something that contributes to...

Community Project – Soft Tissue Release Workshop

We were delighted to see so many attending a one day workshop on soft tissue release (STR). As part of her community project Alison Dalziel a current pupil of ICOM and (a qualified sports massage and soft tissue therapist) offered this workshop free of charge over two...

Why is ICOM unique and could this be you?

Welcome to ICOM, the oldest acupuncture training college in Europe. Is studying acupuncture for you? People come to study with us from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences. Some tell us that they have been thinking about it for years, whereas others have only...