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Copyright ©2002-2006 by RMH-Publications Trust; all rights reserved.
What you will achieve by using the Self-Study Reference and using TCM Herbal Tutor
The Traditional Chinese Herbal Sciences CD-ROM is completely self-explanatory yet thorough, taking you step-by-step from the theory of Chinese herbology (traditional Chinese medicine or "TCM") to clinical applications. Topics include:
- Assessing patterns of disharmony (patterns of symptom and clinical signs)
- TCM tongue inspection, pulse palpation, and body-type analysis
- Using the TCM materia medica (herbs)
- Tailoring herbal formulas to individual needs
- Detailed guidelines for clinical assessment and strategy
- Integrating other aspects of health care, including counseling, diet, environmental toxicity
Many of the practical aspects of being an herbalist are also covered:
- Ordering, storing, weighing, and preparing herbs and formulas
- Herb taste testing and identification
- Legal considerations
- Office procedures, forms
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The Traditional Chinese Herbal Sciences CD-ROM provides the tools for you to:
- Achieve increased clinical effectiveness in helping people overcome chronic, debilitating health conditions at lower total cost.
- Satisfy a growing demand for quality herbal health care.
- Gain competence and confidence in preparing for professional licensing or certification exams in Chinese herbology.
- Gain insights into clients' health that lab tests may miss.
- Apply TCM methods to both Chinese and Western herbs. (Many common "Western" herbs are already included in the TCM materia medica.)
- Achieve increased self-sufficiency in your family's health care - a wise and relatively inexpensive form of extra health insurance.
- Evaluate the qualifications and competence of herbalists if you require their services for referrals.
- Understand the deeper philosophy of Chinese health care that will serve you in coping with new health controversies as they arise.
- Appreciate the scientific (systematic, repeatable, and internally consistent) aspects of Chinese herbal health care.
The Traditional Chinese Herbal Sciences CD-ROM allows you to study at home at your own pace, and includes a complete two-volume textbook; detailed lesson plans; extensive database of TCM syndromes, symptoms, herbs, and formulas; 60 clinical case reports; and sophisticated self-quizzing software that interactively monitors and displays your progress, progressively introducing and recommending new material as you demonstrate readiness.
The learning tools that form an integral part of the course are all designed to engage your mind, your senses, and your enthusiasm in interactive activities that simulate as closely as possible the types of thought processes that are crucial in clinical practice. Interactive computer-aided learning, when intelligently designed, is far superior to learning the old-fashioned way - passively listening to lectures and watching videos, and reading texts followed by multiple choice exams. Medical schools have figured this out almost a decade ago, and modern medical education increasingly involves clinical-case-oriented learning and use of simulators and computer-aided instruction before students are allowed to "practice" on real people. The following article explores in greater detail the types of skills that computer-aided learning can enhance:
Many TCM professionals and educators have commented on the widespread lack of basic health evaluation skills among many TCM college graduates and licensed practitioners. It is too easy to fall into the habit of choosing herbs and formulas based on simplistic medical diagnoses or even single symptoms. The TCM Herbal Tutor software solves this problem by thoroughly testing users in the basic 130+ syndromes or symptom-sign patterns of traditional theory and all of the variations and permutations that one can expect to see clinically. Rarely do specific clients manifest a textbook pattern definition exactly, and learning to distinguish between likely possibilities is a crucial clinical skill that using the software will enhance.
The design team (Roger Wicke, Ph.D., and Curtis Kruse, M.S.) has extensive background in computer science as well as Chinese herbology; the material on the CD-ROM has been through several major revisions to fine-tune its effectiveness in teaching important concepts at RMHI since 1992. Fluff (dancing herbs, cute but clunky graphics, etc.) has been banned, and all course material is highly functional, visually well organized, and easy to use.
The Traditional Chinese Herbal Sciences CD-ROM provides a convenient way for international health practitioners to learn a substantial portion of the course material without the inconvenience of travel and taking time away from work. (Please note that anyone is welcome to purchase the CD-ROM; one does not
have to enroll as a student at RMHI to purchase it.)
RMHI's Levels 1-3 courses all use the Traditional Chinese Herbal Sciences CD-ROM as their basic text and reference. (These courses require application for admission; see admissions information for tuition fees and schedule.) The Level-1 program comprises completing the lesson plan on the CD-ROM, which is estimated to require about 600 hours of study and reading time, based on surveys of RMHI graduates. Advanced study opportunities (Levels 2 and 3) are available through RMHI's e-learning and on-site seminar programs.
If you achieve high scores after using the TCM Herbal Tutor software, this is a good indicator of your likelihood of successfully completing the requirements of the full professional education program. The self-testing software is fun, challenging, and realistically tests you on material that you will find invaluable in clinical practice. Previous graduates have found the course material and software to be useful in preparing either for RMHI exams or for other professional certification exams in Chinese herbology. Knowing you are well prepared allows you to take exams with confidence.
Read what health professionals and students of TCM herbology have said about RMHI's Traditional Chinese Herbal Sciences CD-ROM.
To learn more about what you can do with our software, download the complete "Help" manual (zip-compressed file, 860K). In the Help manual, see especially the slide shows for TCM Herbal Tutor and TCM Pulse Simulator to get a quick overview of features.
To get a quick overview of major features, see the following slide shows:
A few sample excerpts from the CD-ROM Self-Study Reference are available in the TCM Herb Library on our website.
A subscription to our free newsletter, Herbalist Review, includes free access to the TCM Herb Library.
System requirements for Windows:
- Windows 98 or later (XP, Vista, 2000, 98)
- At least 256 MB free disk space, 256 MB RAM
- CD-ROM drive
- A Java 1.2 (or later) virtual machine - included on the
CD-ROM
System requirements for Macintosh:
- A PowerPC Macintosh (the newer Intel Macs are not yet supported)
- OS 10.2.8 or later (10.3.7 or later recommended)
- At least 256 MB free disk space, 512 MB RAM
- CD-ROM drive
| Self-Study Reference |
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·Case-oriented focus: 60 clinical case reports analyzed in detail, herbal formulas used, discussion of clinical results.
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·Step-by-step lesson plan with material from RMHI's more extensive two-year program - emphasis on experiential and practical exercises to reinforce learning.
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·Professionally acclaimed two-volume course text in both HTML and PDF formats; includes clinical forms, diet and environmental health checklists, recommended references.
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·Cross-referenced database with color-coded entries: common symptoms and clinical signs, 136 traditional syndromes, 290 of the most important herbs of the Chinese materia medica, and 254 classical herbal formulas; includes tutorials on how to use important database features.
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·References to traditional terminology include the common English translation, PinYin transliteration, and Chinese characters (modern simplified system). Terminology, herb, and formula nomenclature are consistent with the widely used references by Bensky and Gamble (Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica) and by Bensky and Barolet (Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas and Strategies).
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·Syndrome definitions organized by symptom or sign type for easy comparison: systemic (thermal, vitality, perspiration), respiration, thirst and appetite, bowels and urine, pain, sensory, neuro-motor, sleep, behavior, etc.
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·Syndromes cross-referenced to similar syndromes for easy comparison.
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·Materia medica entries include: pharmaceutical name; common name, if any; Chinese + PinYin; relative clinical importance; botanical family, genus, and species names; traditional taste, nature, meridians/Organs affected, functions, and contraindications; cross-referenced to relevant syndrome indications; dosage; preparation; physiological notes; purchasing tips; possible confusions in identification.
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·Formula entries include: common English translation; Chinese + PinYin; relative importance; functions and contraindications; cross-referenced to relevant syndrome indications; ingredients and dosages; recommended preparation; physiological notes; cross-referenced to similar formulas.
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·Materia medica entries and formulas clearly flagged if toxic, or endangered species, or of historical interest only.
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·Materia medica entries and formulas indexed by both primary function and secondary function categories - all herbs with a specific function (i.e., some aspect of tonifying Yin) appear in one listing. No longer is it necessary to hunt through an entire textbook to find relevant herbs with a specific function.
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·Extensive, searchable tables of contents; database entries indexed alphabetically (in English and PinYin) and by topic area.
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| TCM Herbal Tutor |
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The TCM Herbal Tutor incorporates database and self-quizzing software that provides you with a powerful, effective, easy-to-use, and fun way to learn the material presented in the Self-Study Reference. Its features allow both the beginning student of TCM herbology and the clinical practitioner to gain insights and experience with regular use.
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·View syndromes, herbs, and formulas in tables that facilitate comparisons using search and sort function - an invaluable tool for working on homework problems and on your own clinical cases. Advanced searching (with Boolean search option, multiple search criteria) allows you to quickly:
Determine likely syndromes from the symptoms and/or medical conditions;
Find herbs and formulas with desired properties.
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·Prepares you for exams at TCM college and for professional licensing or certification.
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·Tests your knowledge of syndrome definitions, herb properties, and classical formulas - based on material in the Self-Study Reference.
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·Study Advisor guides you through a graduated series of quizzes, based on your performance during previous sessions.
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·Sophisticated score keeper remembers your mistakes (progress file is automatically updated each session), repeats material until you learn it. Make as many mistakes as you like; "peeking" at answers allowed without penalty or credit. As long as you eventually learn the material, your score will reflect most recent performance — the perfect tutor, strict but forgiving.
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·Tests you on relationships between definitions in ways that closely approximate distinctions necessary in clinical practice.
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·Displays a running summary of your overall performance in each of over two dozen knowledge categories important in clinical practice, so that you can determine in which areas to focus your continued study.
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·Random generator creates a virtually unlimited number of quizzes, continually recombining and presenting data in new ways that reflect the many combinations and permutations you can expect to find in real life — unlike conventional multiple-choice exam reviews, Herbal Tutor will provide you with fresh challenges for years, honing your skills well into professional practice.
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·Detailed help files covering all aspects of using the software.
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·Optional auditory feedback - correct pronunciation of terminology — enhances memory, especially for users who are better auditory learners (may be switched off).
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·Advanced users may preselect the type of game and material to be tested.
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| TCM Pulse Simulator |
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TCM Pulse Simulator is interactive video animation software that allows you to explore and learn the complexities of traditional pulse palpation methods. Traditional pulse methods have a reputation for being difficult and time-consuming to learn. This software speeds up the process by orders of magnitude.
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Traditional
Chinese
Herbal
Sciences
CD-ROM | Options: | Price: |
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Basic option:
Self-Study Reference 2.0.7 + limited trial version of TCM Herbal Tutor* | $350 (regular price - $429) |
| Upgrade from Basic to Pro option. | $350 (regular price - $429) |
Pro option:
Self-Study Reference 2.0.7 + TCM Herbal Tutor 3.0.4-Pro + TCM Pulse Simulator 1.0 | $595 ($100 off regular price of $695) |
* Note: TCM Herbal Tutor Lite includes access to all of the TCM syndromes plus a small number of herbs and formulas. For access to the complete set of 291 herbs and 254 formulas, order the Pro option.
Refunds:
If the software does not function correctly on your computer, and the RMHI support staff cannot help you determine the problem, you may return the software for refund or credit within 30 days from shipping date for U.S. orders, and within 45 days of shipping date for international orders.
Prices are subject to change.
Certification option: RMHI candidates for Level-1 Certification will pay an annual tuition fee in addition to the cost of the CD-ROM. See "How to get started" for step-by-step instructions for enrolling if you wish to receive certification.
Contact us for total cost, including shipping and handling fees (CD-ROM: $5 within the U.S.). Please indicate your name, mailing address, e-mail address, and phone number, as requested in our "Contact us" form, and also indicate how you prefer to pay:
If you have:
- Self-Study Reference version 2.0.0 or later
- Self-Study Reference version 2.0.0 or later + Herbal Tutor (Lite or Pro) 3.0.0 or later
You may order a version upgrade to the current version for $30. Add $5 if shipped within the USA; add $10 for shipping to foreign countries. See payment options.
Note: This fee is for a version upgrade only, not an upgrade from the Basic to the Pro option.
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