382 Reconsidering Ren One • Orit Zilberman & Hila Yaffe

When thinking about our toolkit, most acupuncturists, and patients too for that matter, think about needles. Our job, it’s to use those whisper thin slivers of steel with skill and accuracy. But sometimes the best tool for the job might not be a needle.

In this conversation with Orit Zilberman and Hila Yaffee we consider the use of Hui Yin, Ren One.

For sure this point it’s important and there are challenges to using and learning to use this influential meeting of yin.

Listen into this discussion on both the trauma and healing that can result from working with Ren One, how our own image of what it means to be a doctor can influence how we think about working with this point, and some non-needle ways to powerfully unlock the capacity for healing at the Meeting of Yin.

In This Conversation We Discuss:

• Exploring the ethics of needling ren one
• Needling controversy: ren one and modern practice
• Safe practices for treating vulvar pain
• Acupuncture and the importance of patient consent
• Vulvodynia and chinese medicine
• Creating safe spaces in acupuncture practice
• The role of ren one in women's health
• Non-invasive approaches to acupuncture
• Addressing trauma through east asian medicine
• Acupuncture as a tool for emotional and physical healing
• Challenges of teaching sensitive points in acupuncture
• Acupuncture for chronic pain
• Mind-body connection in acupuncture
• Collaborative healing: when acupuncture isn’t enough
• Patient-centered acupuncture practices

Teach patients to be independent in their healing process​

Orit Zilberman

My name is Orit, and I am a Chinese medicine therapist specializing in women’s health, providing acupuncture and herbal treatments since 2004. In 2007, I began collaborating with Dr. Liora Abramov, a leading expert in vulvodynia in Israel, which led me to focus on this condition and help hundreds of women suffering from unexplained chronic vulvar pain. After eight years of dedicated practice and research, I wrote the first detailed article in English on vulvodynia ever published in professional Chinese medicine literature.

My commitment to understanding vulvodynia and sharing my non-invasive treatment approach has become my life’s mission. I raise awareness through writing articles, lecturing, and teaching workshops for fellow practitioners.

 I am passionate about continually expanding my knowledge in this field to assist women worldwide. Since 2019, I have been based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands

​Our role as practitioners is to provide our patients with the tools they need to enable their body's innate healing mechanisms to heal themselves.

Hila Yaffe

I am an acupuncturist, a Chinese medicine herbalist and a history enthusiast.

I’ve been studying Chinese and Chinese Medicine since 1995. I have a Masters degree in East Asian studies, focusing on the history of Chinese medicine.

I practice Chinese Medicine in my private clinic, treating large variety of health problems, with Acupuncture and medicinal herbs.

I taught Chinese medicine in colleges for over 10 years, and currently give lectures and courses for continuing education of Chinese practitioners as well as the general public in the subjects of the history and theory of Chinese medicine, as well as practical lectures on the clinical application of the Shanghan Lun.

I worked for 12 years as a senior research assistant in the Research Center of Natural Medicine at Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem, where I had the opportunity to cooperate with different medical department, in order to create a fruitful basis for integrative medicine.

Links and Resources

Visit Orit on her Website, Instagram or LinkedIn

Visit Hila on her informative and thoughtfully written website, especially if you've got a taste for the Shang Han Lun

You can take the Did the Yellow Emperor Take Off His Clothes course for free, or for CEU credit.
Whether or not you agree with the perspectives presented in this course (trigger warning: there is some controversy), I found it a worthwhile use of my time to consider the issues discussed.

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