I feel like I frequently begin my posts with some expression of disbelief over how fast time is moving, but it really is just flying by! It’s week five with all of its early assessments. The cygnets have even hatched, and there are a bunch of new, fluffy little babies roaming about. This past week has been especially action-packed; complete with a lunch and learn presentation put on by the post-graduate department, and a clean needling technique certification course.

I love lunch and learn talks! It’s like having a mini-seminar giving you a new way to think about things, conveniently set during a time that you would have already been around campus anyway. There were two different offerings this week, one on functional movements and neuroplasticity, and one on visceral manipulation of the pelvic cavity. I attended the latter of the two, as I had heard about this method of treatment during the time that I was pregnant with my daughter. The speaker, Jennifer Mercier, developed this practice called the Mercier method, which allows the practitioner to work on the tissues of the pelvic floor and organs of the pelvic cavity by massaging through the abdominal wall. Patients undergoing the treatment may be relieved of pain, or experience improved fertility due to improved blood flow and movement of the tissues that make up the reproductive system. We have been learning a lot about facial planes in our course work this trimester, so I feel like the talk tied in nicely to the idea of everything being connected.

Aside from my regularly scheduled coursework, I attended a mandatory training and certification test, which after passing, will allow me to sit for the board exams for acupuncture. I learned more than I thought I would from the course and left with some good ideas for improving patient safety. I will find out how I did on the written exam next week. Wish me luck!