Instructor Spotlight: Fannie Koa

Tell us about yourself and what inspired you to teach this course

I'm an acupuncturist and Chinese herbalist practicing in Somerville, MA. I've known about the Experimental College since I was still in acupuncture school. Over the years, people have told me again and again that if there was a class about Chinese medicine, they would be very interested in taking it, so when the opportunity to teach for the ExCollege resurfaced, I decided to submit a proposal. It's been very gratifying and humbling to see how much interest there is in the subject.

What is the importance of teaching about Chinese medicine in a culture that seems to largely only value Western practices?

I grew up as a third generation Chinese immigrant in the Philippines, so I never knew a world where Chinese medicine did not coexist with Western medicine. My grandmother would drag me to the Chinese herbalist whenever a cold went on for too long, and my mother would make stews infused with Chinese herbs. People didn't go to doctors unless they got really sick. Eastern and Western medicine complemented each other. We didn't see a conflict between using both to stay healthy.

Nowadays, a lot of patients find their way to my clinic because they feel let down by Western medicine and a health care system driven largely by problem-solving vs. the promotion of overall wellness. Many people find themselves in some version of "health purgatory" where they are not really sick enough to be "fixed" by a doctor, but they are also not well enough to have the physical, mental and emotional energy to live life to the fullest. Chinese medicine is great at helping someone sort out issues with sleep, digestion, aches and pains, anxiety, menstrual irregularities, and stress management... issues that won't stop a person from doing their job/going to school, but make getting through their days a lot tougher than it needs to be. It's important to let people know that there are other options out there like Chinese medicine that can help them feel their best.

In what ways have your acupuncture and herbalism practices influenced your teaching?

It's actually the other way around. Teaching has revitalized my own interest and passion in the medicine. While picking readings for the class, I kept going down these rabbit holes of knowledge that I had not examined in 15 years, but they are landing very differently now that I have lived and breathed this medicine as a practitioner vs. as a student.

I am trying to be very mindful to present the world of Chinese medicine in the proper context and to emphasize that the various branches (of which acupuncture and herbs are simply the most well-known) are part of a universe where the thinking is relational, not linear. The course is teaching me (and hopefully my students) to be patient, let the knowledge build in layers, and resist the impulse to be reductionist. Instead, we want to look at every person as a whole and consider the environment in which they exist so that we can make changes that have long-term benefits to their health.

One of your assignments is having students fill out a “Statement of Health.” Could you tell us about this assignment and how it will affect your course?

The "Statement of Health" assignment is based on the intake form for new patients at my clinic. The idea is to give the students a so-called "red thread" that runs through the entire course to tie the knowledge together. The assignment gives them a case study: a patient for whom they need to find solutions by the end of the course. Their final presentation will be a treatment plan for this patient.

My intention is to give the students a way to seek and apply knowledge as the course progresses, almost like a scavenger hunt. I expect them to use the assignment as a living document so that by the time we reach the end of the semester, most of the work will already be done.

What is an Eastern medicinal practice that students can easily adopt to help improve their health during college? 

One of our upcoming classes is a potluck focused on understanding the properties and temperatures of different kinds of food. The class is aimed at helping students see food as medicine, not just as fuel. Those who grew up in an East Asian household will probably be familiar with concepts like avoiding "hot" foods like nuts and alcohol when they have acne or eczema which are considered conditions of excess heat. Nutrition advice is a key part of my practice because patients spend an hour per week with me on average, but we eat at least three times a day and it influences our health more than we care to admit.

What do you hope that students will take away from your course?

I hope that they will gain a new perspective on how to define health and a stronger sense of agency over their own well-being. I want to open their eyes to the many branches of Chinese medicine that are available to them to support their long-term health. A significant number of the students in the class are also pre-med. Being open to other healing modalities will hopefully enrich their training and help them see people as whole beings when they finally become doctors.

Fannie Koa is the owner/practitioner at Flying Turtle Healing Arts, an acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine clinic based in Somerville, Massachusetts. Fannie grew up in Asia and has never known a world that did not include access to both Chinese and Western medicine. She is a graduate of New England School of Acupuncture (NESA) with a Master’s degree in Oriental Medicine (MAOM), and she is board-certified by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM).