Hey there! It seems like there is a family event almost every
week in the summer, which sure makes it difficult to study. I must
plan my study time accordingly.
First, it was my brother's birthday and the next day I spent the
morning with my husband in Chicago. He had an Active Technique
Release Seminar and Sunday was his last day in which they were
tested on the 104 techniques they learned in three days. He
passed!! We celebrated by walking down Michigan Avenue to Oak
Street Beach to have an outdoor lunch looking at the water. I
haven't been to the city in a while so it was a nice treat.
Back to studying when we arrived back home. My Formulas I class
midterm was emailed to me and I started working on it since it's
due in a week. A take-home midterm sounds easy enough, but it sure
is time consuming. Our class agreed on a take-home midterm vs. a
mini multiple-choice test. We all agreed that it would benefit us
more by analyzing the formulas and comparing their ingredients and
actions. This test is similar to a research paper in that what you
learn is utilized in a way that it is put into long-term memory.
Cramming for a test only holds the information in short-term
memory, which will not benefit us.
In clinic, I have applied some of the knowledge I have learned
from Formulas. I had a patient two weeks ago that usually comes in
for treatment for infertility but she had a come down with the
"common cold." With help from Dr. Cai, I was able to prepare a
formula based on her pathology and underlying constitution.
In Formulas class we start out learning formulas that disperse
wind, cold, heat, and damp, and for those with an underlying
different constitution, in other words, for different types of
colds, flu, bronchitis, etc. Dr. Xie, my Herbs class professor, is
a great teacher. He is thorough and relates the information to
cases he has had or seen in clinic. He requires us to participate
and apply our knowledge of herbs and diagnosis to the herbal
formulas we are learning. This is rewarding because it has helped
me in clinic and refreshes my memory on things I may have
forgotten.
Well, I have a busy week ahead. Wish me luck!