The 2nd Annual Colorado Acupuncture & Herbal Medicine expo occurred at University of Denver on August 29th and 30th, 2026. Recordings of the main stage lectures may be viewed below:
Day 1 (August 29th, 2026)
"Nourishing Life 養生術: China's Traditional Model of Whole-Person Health" - Kenneth Cohen
Summary
Yang Sheng, Nourishing Life, is the beautiful, classical term for Daoist practices and lifestyle adjustments that lead to long life, serenity, and vibrant well-being. It includes qigong exercises and meditations for health and harmony with nature, the Dao of Diet (food as medicine), the influence of nurturing environments, and supportive therapies such as acupuncture and herbal medicine for prevention and health maintenance. Ken will offer an exciting overview of the ancient roots of yang sheng and how science has validated its benefits and importance in modern health care.
Presenter: Ken Cohen
Ken Cohen (Gao Han), MA is a renowned Qigong and Tai Chi Grandmaster who has been practicing these arts since 1968. Winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award in Energy Medicine, he is the author of The Way of Qigong and more than 200 articles on health, spirituality, and culture.
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"A Qi Based Model of Whole Person Health" - Songtao Zhou
Summary
What connects physical health, emotional well-being, lifestyle, relationships, environment, and purpose? Songtao Zhou presents Qi as Chinese medicine’s framework for understanding these dimensions as one continuously interacting whole. He will explore how acupuncture, herbal medicine, food, movement, and lifestyle practices help regulate Qi—supporting balance, resilience, prevention, adaptation, and healthy aging.
Presenter: Songtao Zhou, President and CEO of CCMU
Songtao Zhou is President and CEO of Colorado Chinese Medicine University. With an academic background in computer science and deep roots in classical Chinese medicine, he brings a distinctive systems-oriented perspective to health and healing. His work explores Qi as a dynamic framework connecting the body, mind, lifestyle, environment, community, and the human capacity to adapt and thrive. Through education, research, and leadership, he works to make the wisdom of Chinese medicine relevant to whole-person health, prevention, resilience, and modern healthcare.
"From Gut to Longevity: Protect Our Gut, Strengthen Our Mind" - Dr. Tzeching Wang
Presenter: Dr. Tzeching Wang
"Nourishing the Heart: Emotional Well-Being Through Chinese Medicine" - Dr. Rui Nan
Summary
In Chinese medicine, the Heart is more than a physical organ—it is closely connected with the Shen, or mind and spirit, and plays a central role in emotional balance, sleep, awareness, and our capacity for connection and joy.
Rui Nan explores how emotions influence the body, how physical imbalances can affect emotional well-being, and how Chinese medicine understands concerns such as anxiety, agitation, sadness, fatigue, and disrupted sleep. Participants will learn how acupuncture, herbal medicine, nourishment, movement, rest, and mindful daily practices can support the Heart, calm the spirit, and cultivate greater resilience and emotional harmony.
Presenter: Rui Nan, LAc, Dipl Ac, MM, BM (China)
Rui Nan is a third-generation practitioner of Chinese medicine, licensed acupuncturist, published author, and core faculty member at Colorado Chinese Medicine University. Educated in China at Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine and Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, she brings extensive clinical training and a deep knowledge of classical Chinese medical texts to her teaching and private practice.
Her approach combines careful observation, individualized treatment, and the traditional understanding that physical and emotional health are inseparable. Through acupuncture, herbal medicine, and classical diagnostic principles, she helps patients restore balance and strengthen their natural capacity for healing.
"Facial Rejuvenation Acupuncture - An Introduction" - Tamara Hutchins, L.Ac., MSTCM
Summary
Facial rejuvenation acupuncture is a whole-person approach to supporting healthy, vibrant skin while addressing the internal patterns that influence how we look and feel. Tamara Hutchins introduces the principles behind this specialized treatment, including the use of very fine facial and constitutional acupuncture points to encourage circulation, release muscular tension, and support the skin’s natural renewal processes.
Participants will learn what a typical treatment involves, how facial acupuncture differs from cosmetic injections and surgery, and how it may be combined with facial massage, gua sha, nutrition, stress reduction, and skin care. Tamara will also discuss appropriate candidates, important precautions, realistic expectations, and why lasting radiance begins with caring for the entire person..
Presenter: Tamara Hutchins, L.Ac., MSTCM
Tamara Hutchins is a licensed acupuncturist, Master of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and founder of Zen Redhead Acupuncture + Beauty Clinic in Denver. With more than three decades in natural health and over 20 years specializing in facial rejuvenation, she brings together Chinese medicine, acupuncture, facial massage, myofascial techniques, aromatherapy, and holistic skin care.
Tamara trained with leading facial rejuvenation acupuncture educator Virginia Doran and later assisted in teaching the technique to other acupuncturists. She has since refined that training into her own individualized approach, treating the face as an expression of the person’s overall health, circulation, vitality, stress, and emotional well-being.
"Early Detection, Prevention, and Treatment of Cancer" - Dr. Shi-Long Lu
Summary
Cancer outcomes can change dramatically when disease is recognized earlier and treatment begins before it has progressed. Dr. Shi-Long Lu offers an accessible look at how cancer develops, why some tumors become aggressive or return, and how prevention, screening, molecular testing, and targeted treatment are reshaping cancer care.
Using head and neck cancer as an important example, he will discuss common risk factors, the value of recognizing persistent warning signs, and emerging approaches such as saliva-based biomarkers that may make screening and surveillance less invasive. Participants will also learn how research into cancer stem cells, genetic signaling, and the oral microbiome is opening new possibilities for prevention, earlier intervention, and more personalized treatment.
Presenter: Shi-Long Lu, MD, PhD
Professor of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery
University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine
Member, CU Anschutz Cancer CenterDr. Shi-Long Lu is a nationally recognized physician-scientist in head and neck cancer research, with extensive contributions to the understanding of cancer development, invasion, metastasis, cancer stem cells, molecular signaling, and the oral microbiome.
His research bridges fundamental cancer biology and clinical translation. Dr. Lu is currently leading the development of HNKlear, an innovative non-invasive saliva-based molecular test for head and neck cancer. Supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and evaluated through multi-institutional studies, this technology is being advanced for early cancer detection, recurrence monitoring, and personalized cancer care.
Throughout his career, Dr. Lu has focused on transforming scientific discoveries into practical approaches that may improve cancer diagnosis, treatment, and patient outcomes.
"Beyond the 0-to-10 Scale: What Chronic Pain is Really Asking You to Hear" - Dr. Benjamin Bunte
Due to technical issues, some of this talk’s introduction may not be available.
Summary
A number can communicate the intensity of pain, but it cannot tell us how pain has changed a person’s sleep, movement, relationships, work, identity, confidence, or sense of safety. Chronic pain is not simply a symptom to measure—it is a complex experience shaped by the body, nervous system, emotions, stress, memory, environment, and daily life.
Benjamin Bunte invites participants to move beyond asking only, “How much does it hurt?” and begin asking more meaningful questions: What has pain taken away? What makes it better or worse? What is the nervous system trying to protect? What would a fuller life look like, even if pain remains part of the story?
This presentation offers a compassionate, whole-person framework for understanding chronic pain without minimizing or pathologizing it. Participants will leave with more useful language for describing pain, stronger questions for healthcare conversations, and practical ways to listen to what pain—and the person experiencing it—is really communicating.
Presenter: Benjamin Bunte, MA, LPCC
Benjamin Bunte is a clinical psychotherapist and founder of Bunte Behavioral Health. He specializes in chronic pain, neurodivergence, anxiety, burnout, trauma, relationships, and helping people who feel that their experiences have not been fully heard or understood.
Before entering behavioral health, Benjamin spent more than 20 years as a professional classical musician and nearly a decade as a public-school orchestra director. Music taught him to listen for the emotion beneath the notes; therapy taught him to listen for the lived experience beneath a diagnosis, behavior, or pain score. His style is collaborative, direct, strengths-based, and grounded in the belief that each person is the expert on their own life.
"Reiki for Stress and Pain Relief" - Jeff L. Baird
Presenter: Jeff L. Baird
"Wealthspan: Why Financial Health Matters for Healthy Aging" - Dr. Tyson Garfield
Summary
We often talk about lifespan—the number of years we live—and healthspan—the years we live with health and independence. Wealthspan asks another essential question: Will our financial resources, knowledge, and planning support us throughout those years?
Dr. Tyson Garfield explores how financial health can influence stress, housing, nutrition, medication access, preventive care, caregiving choices, social connection, and the ability to remain independent. He will discuss why financial strain is also a whole-person health concern and why conversations about money belong alongside conversations about physical, emotional, and social well-being.
Participants will gain a practical framework for thinking about healthcare expenses, changing support needs, long-term care, financial vulnerability, and planning for a longer life. This presentation is not about becoming wealthy—it is about using financial knowledge and preparation to create greater choice, security, and dignity throughout the aging journey.
Presenter: Shi-Long Lu, MD, PhD
Dr. Tyson Garfield is a board-certified internal medicine and geriatric medicine physician at the UCHealth Seniors Clinic on the Anschutz Medical Campus. He is also a medical educator, Certified Financial Educator, founder of The Medicine Check, and advisory-board member of the Colorado Financial Educators Council.
His work is grounded in person-centered care and the belief that healthy aging requires more than managing medical conditions. It also requires the resources, knowledge, confidence, and support needed to make informed decisions throughout life. By connecting medicine and financial education, Dr. Garfield helps people think more broadly about what it takes to preserve independence, dignity, purpose, and quality of life as they age.
Day 2 (August 30th, 2026)
"Qi, Bioelectricity, & Whole Person Health" - Prof. Joseph Brady
Summary
Are traditional concepts such as Qi simply pre-scientific metaphors, or might they represent early observations of complex biological processes that modern science is only beginning to understand? Traditional healing systems around the world—including Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda, Indigenous healing traditions, and other forms of traditional medicine—have long described health in terms of vitality, balance, energy, resilience, and the body’s innate capacity for self-healing. While these concepts developed outside the framework of modern biomedicine, emerging research in systems biology, psychoneuroimmunology, bioelectricity, fascia and connective tissue networks, mechanotransduction, mitochondrial function, autonomic regulation, and complexity science is prompting new questions about how health is created and maintained.
This presentation reviews the latest evidence surrounding the biological plausibility of traditional concepts such as Qi, vital force, and self-regulation, examining where modern science converges with—and diverges from—traditional models of health. Participants will explore whether traditional medical systems may offer valuable frameworks for understanding Whole Person Health, resilience, adaptation, and salutogenesis in an increasingly complex healthcare environment.
Presenter: Professor Joseph Brady, M.S.T.C.M., L.Ac., Dipl. O.M.
Professor Joseph Brady, M.S.T.C.M., L.Ac., Dipl. O.M. is Chair of Research and Adjunct Professor at Colorado Chinese Medicine University, faculty member at the University of Denver, and Director of the Living Younger Longer Institute. A nationally board-certified practitioner of Oriental Medicine with more than 30 years of experience, his work focuses on whole-person health, healthy aging, Chinese medicine, and the intersection of traditional healing systems with modern science. Professor Brady serves on the NCCAOM Artificial Intelligence Task Force, has contributed to NIH Whole Person Health initiatives, and has been selected as a federal grant reviewer for national healthcare innovation programs. His research explores salutogenesis, bioelectricity, Tai Chi, Qigong, and the biological mechanisms that may underlie traditional concepts of health and healing.
His work is grounded in person-centered care and the belief that healthy aging requires more than managing medical conditions. It also requires the resources, knowledge, confidence, and support needed to make informed decisions throughout life. By connecting medicine and financial education, Dr. Garfield helps people think more broadly about what it takes to preserve independence, dignity, purpose, and quality of life as they age.
"Living Well with Diabetes - A Whole Person Approach Through TCM" - Dr. Xiaofan Jia
Summary
Living well with diabetes involves much more than watching a single glucose reading. Food, movement, sleep, stress, emotions, medications, monitoring technology, family support, and everyday routines all influence a person’s health and quality of life.
Dr. Xiaofan Jia brings the perspective of a diabetes researcher to a whole-person conversation informed by Traditional Chinese Medicine. She will explore how TCM’s emphasis on individual patterns, balance, prevention, and daily self-care can complement contemporary diabetes knowledge and medical management.
Participants will learn how nutrition, appropriate movement, restorative sleep, emotional well-being, and consistent monitoring can work together to support resilience and long-term health. The presentation will also emphasize that complementary practices should be coordinated with qualified healthcare professionals and should support—not replace—prescribed medication, insulin, glucose monitoring, or other essential diabetes care.
Presenter: Xiaofan Jia, MD, PhD, MS
Dr. Xiaofan Jia is an Assistant Professor at the Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes at the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine. Her research focuses on the autoimmune processes underlying type 1 diabetes and on developing better tools for early detection, risk prediction, population screening, and monitoring disease progression.
Dr. Jia works in the Barbara Davis Center’s Autoantibody/HLA Core and has contributed to national and international diabetes trials. Her work seeks to translate laboratory discoveries into practical approaches that help identify diabetes earlier, understand how it progresses, and create opportunities for more timely and individualized care.
"Eastern Medicine Providers in a Western World for Fertility Support" - Dr. Meghan Peckinpaugh
Audio in this talk may be difficult to understand due to technical issues. We sincerely apologize to anyone affected by this issue.
Summary
Dr. Peckinpaugh explores how Eastern medicine providers can work alongside reproductive endocrinologists, OB-GYNs, and other Western healthcare professionals. Attendees will learn how acupuncture, nutrition, stress regulation, and individualized Chinese medicine may support patients throughout the fertility journey—including natural conception and assisted reproductive care—while maintaining realistic expectations, clear professional boundaries, and coordinated care.
Presenter: Meghan Gray Peckinpaugh, DACM, MSHNFM, L.Ac.
Dr. Meghan Gray Peckinpaugh is the founder of Balanced Thistle, a holistic health practice in Fort Collins. She earned her Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine degree from Southern California University of Health Sciences and a Master of Science in Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine from the University of Western States. Her clinical work integrates acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, nutrition, and lifestyle support, with a special interest in women’s and perinatal health.
His work is grounded in person-centered care and the belief that healthy aging requires more than managing medical conditions. It also requires the resources, knowledge, confidence, and support needed to make informed decisions throughout life. By connecting medicine and financial education, Dr. Garfield helps people think more broadly about what it takes to preserve independence, dignity, purpose, and quality of life as they age.
"Pathways and Channels: Integrating Chinese Medicine and Psychedelics for Deep Healing" - Aaron Deterding, MS & Dr. Benjamin Hawes
Summary
Together, Deterding and Hawes explore how Chinese medicine’s pathways and channels can provide a framework for understanding psychedelic experiences. They will discuss how acupuncture, meditation, and body-centered practices may support preparation, grounding, integration, and meaningful long-term change—while emphasizing safety, ethical practice, and coordinated care.
Presenter: Aaron Deterding, MAcCHM, L.Ac. & Benjamin Hawes, DAcCHM, L.Ac., Dipl. O.M.
Aaron Deterding is a Denver-based licensed acupuncturist and practitioner of Chinese medicine. A graduate of Colorado Chinese Medicine University, he brings experience in healthcare, public service, organizational leadership, and community development to his exploration of whole-person healing.
Benjamin Hawes is an acupuncturist, herbalist, educator, meditation instructor, and Colorado-licensed natural medicine facilitator. He is co-owner and Director of Wellness Practices at Numia Healing Center and has extensive experience integrating acupuncture, contemplative practices, and psychedelic preparation and integration.
"Traditional Chinese Medicine and Parkinson's Disease" - Dr. Ying Liu
Summary
Dr. Liu brings Eastern and Western perspectives together in an evidence-informed exploration of Parkinson’s disease. She will discuss how Traditional Chinese Medicine understands its complex motor and nonmotor symptoms and consider the supportive roles of acupuncture, movement, lifestyle, and individualized care. The presentation emphasizes complementary care, patient safety, and collaboration with neurological treatment—not replacement of established medical care.
Presenter: Ying Liu, MD
Clinical Research Program Manager – Movement Disorders
Department of Neurology
University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine
Dr. Ying Liu is a clinical researcher specializing in Parkinson’s disease and movement disorders, with extensive experience in clinical trials evaluating emerging therapeutic approaches.
Her research has particularly focused on cannabinoid-based therapies in Parkinson’s disease, including studies of cannabidiol (CBD) and CBD/THC combinations. Her work evaluates not only motor symptoms, but also broader outcomes such as sleep, mood, cognition, safety, and quality of life.
Dr. Liu was the first author of a randomized clinical trial published in Movement Disorders examining CBD/THC treatment in Parkinson’s disease and has contributed to multiple studies advancing the evidence base for cannabinoid therapies in neurological care.
Her research exemplifies a multidimensional approach to clinical outcomes—examining how treatment influences not simply a disease, but the whole person.
"Medical Qigong" - Dr. Larissa Dynnikova
Presenter: Dr. Larissa Dynnikova
"Walk With a Doc: Exercise is Medicine" - Dr. Grace Alfonsi
Presenter: Dr. Grace Alfonsi
"The Garden of Humanity" - Jacqueline Allen (Jaya Sol Ray)
Summary
“The Garden of Humanity” invites us to see ourselves and our communities as a living ecosystem—diverse, interconnected, and worthy of thoughtful cultivation. Through Chinese medicine, nature-based wisdom, and guided reflection, Jaya explores how tending our individual roots can strengthen compassion, belonging, and collective well-being. This experiential presentation offers a hopeful reminder that every person has something essential to contribute to the garden we share.
Presenter: Jacqueline Allen (Jaya Sol Ray), L.Ac., Dipl. O.M., MSOM
Jacqueline Allen—known personally and creatively as Jaya—is the owner of Two Roots Acupuncture in Buena Vista, Colorado. A licensed acupuncturist and nationally certified Diplomate of Oriental Medicine, she holds a Master of Science in Oriental Medicine from Southwest Acupuncture College. Her heart-centered practice draws upon Classical Chinese Medicine, herbal medicine, yoga, meditation, storytelling, and the healing wisdom found in nature’s cycles.
"Closing Inspiration" - Songtao Zhou & Savannah Drozda
This recording incorporates a presentation by Savannah Drozda on her modeling project “Ling Shu” and the talk ‘The Living Needs Chinese Medicine’ by Songtao Zhou.
Summary
Meet Ling Shu
Meet Ling Shu, a life size Surface Anatomy model created by Savannah Drozda, a student of traditional Chinese Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine at Colorado Chinese Medicine University!
Ling Shu has all 12 primary channels labeled as well as the Ren Mai, Du Mai and all the extra points with tone marks. Everything is labeled exactly to points by level and Ling Shu’s cun size.
The Living Needs Chinese Medicine
Living systems are dynamic, interconnected, and constantly adapting—so healthcare must address more than isolated symptoms. Drawing on Qi-based thinking, Yin and Yang, the Five Elements, and pattern differentiation, Songtao Zhou explains how Chinese medicine responds to the changing needs of the whole person. He will show how acupuncture, herbal medicine, food therapy, Tai Chi, and Qigong can restore balance and support the body’s natural capacity for regulation and healing
Presenters: Songtao Zhou, President and CEO of CCMU & Savannah Drozda
Songtao Zhou is President and CEO of Colorado Chinese Medicine University. With an academic background in computer science and deep roots in classical Chinese medicine, he brings a distinctive systems-oriented perspective to health and healing. His work explores Qi as a dynamic framework connecting the body, mind, lifestyle, environment, community, and the human capacity to adapt and thrive. Through education, research, and leadership, he works to make the wisdom of Chinese medicine relevant to whole-person health, prevention, resilience, and modern healthcare.
Savannah Drozda is a Buffalo, NY native, former Division 1 softball collegiate athlete, and Summa Cum Laude graduate with a Bachelor of Psychology from Norfolk State University. She is currently a master’s student of Colorado Chinese Medicine University studying traditional Chinese acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine.
Talk Date:
Additional Materials or Information:
Additional Thanks
While not captured in the recorded sessions, we want to acknowledge the following individuals who led classes during the expo:
- Joe Brady, Greg DiMichele, John Burns (Morning Qigong Sessions)
- Jacqui Shumway, Zhu Xilin, Bradley Ryan (Evening Qigong Sessions)
- Brian Cook, Rachel Lee, Dr. Zhang Ke, Diana Fahrtey, Dr. Natalie Franciose (Break Qigong)
We also want to thank the two groups who lightened up our lunch breaks with their performances and demonstrations:
Finally, we want to thank all of our clinic supervisors and staff, volunteers, and vendors for making this event happen.
