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The main objective of this qualitative analysis is to increase the quality of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) research education. Subject matter experts and stakeholders were sent a list of possible topics to include in a research course and were asked to comment on it, add or subtract topics, and suggest appropriate research papers to use, lessons learned in their topic areas and possible stand-alone topics for inclusion in other courses. Their feedback was used to revise the topic list, create a list of foundational research papers to include in a research course and devise a list of stand-alone topics that could be included in the general TCM research curriculum. The result is a TCM research course curriculum that will improve the teaching of evidence-based medicine (EBM) practices to TCM students. This will help TCM faculty and program directors improve existing courses, develop new courses and strengthen EBM education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efforts to control childhood lead poisoning can be financed by increasing sales tax, imposing fees on real estate transfers and utilizing the interest on real-estate escrow funds. Community development block grants, Federal Housing Administration-insured loans and low income housing tax credits also help to finance lead control efforts. General rehabilitation of buildings is the best method to control lead hazards in economically poor areas. The cost of rehabilitation can be subsidized through government grants or deferred payment loans. Such loans help homeowners who are unable to repay funds.

Objectives: Five Element style acupuncture is distinct from the more common traditional Chinese medicine style. Patients receiving Five Element acupuncture treatment in the United States have not been described; the purpose of this cross-sectional descriptive study was to characterize this sub-population of acupuncture patients. Methods: Patients of alumni/students of U.S. Five Element acupuncture schools were provided a link to an anonymous online survey. The bulk of the questionnaire was extracted from the Adult Alternative Medicine supplement to the 2012 NHIS and included The PROMIS Global Short Form v1.1. Questions addressed included: 1) Motivations for seeking care; 2) Global health; 3) Health-related behaviors; 4) Basic demographics. Descriptive statistics were performed for each section of the survey on participants who completed the questionnaire (n = 126). Results: Mean (SD) respondent age was 50.8 (13.3) years; 78.4% were female; 96.6% were white. Most respondents reported seeking acupuncture for specific health concerns (81.0%), focus on the "whole" person (73.0%), and general wellness/disease prevention (65.1%). 50.9% reported ≥ $100,000 annual household income; 55.6% completed a "Master's degree or higher." Discussion: Results suggest Five Element patients seek acupuncture for both general well-being and health concerns, supporting previous findings of acupuncture most often sought to treat a specific health condition and more recent findings of a growing number using acupuncture to promote general wellness. The results support previous findings that acupuncture use may be associated with socioeconomic factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]