Interview with Mark Melchiorre

Have you got just a little bit of Yin and a ton of Yang? Or maybe you have too much Yang and only a pinch of Yin?? If your Yin and your Yang are yo-yoing around, you probably need the help of a licensed acupuncturist and practitioner of oriental medicine like Mark Melchiorre. According to Mark, in oriental medicine, 'Yin' and 'Yang' are considered the two main energetic properties of the body. "Ideally, Yin and Yang are in balance," he says. "When Yin and Yang become out of balance there is disharmony. You experience disharmony as pain or disease."

In his self-operated oriental medicine practice, Mark does his best to restore this balance using different techniques. These techniques include: acupuncture (the insertion of tiny needles at certain specific points on the surface of the body), moxibustion (in which the down from dried leaves is placed on the skin), qigong (which involves breathing exercises and meditation), diet, and herbal therapy.

Mark wasn't always an oriental medicine expert though. Before studying acupuncture, he had a very different kind of career. "I worked for a company that did lighting for television," he tells me. "I was involved in a variety of big projects including the closing ceremonies for the 1984 Olympics." So how did he make the jump from a career in television to a career sticking needles in people??? Well... it all began when Mark had acupuncture treatments as a patient. After that, he was inspired to study tai chi (a type of oriental exercise) and qigong. He then earned his Master of Science in Oriental Medicine from Samara University in Los Angeles. And not long after that, he opened his own practice in Pasadena, California, where he still works today.

According to Mark, the best thing about working as an acupuncturist is helping patients. "It's great to be able to help relieve a person's pain, and sometimes to be able to make a difference in their life by helping them through trying times." On the flip side though, the most discouraging part is that, for one reason or another, the treatments don't seem to work for everybody. On top of this, Mark has to cope with the stress of working long hours and dealing with insurance companies. When I ask him how he deals with the stress in his job, Mark has the answer I'd expect from a doctor of oriental medicine: "I get acupuncture treatments, exercise, and take vitamins and herbs." After all, it's important to keep your own 'Yin' and 'Yang' in balance if you want to help others do the same!

by Anna Humphrey for www.echoices.com

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