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Workshops, seminars and short courses

Eastern Nutrition: Improving and maintaining our health through Chinese dietary therapy

While we in Western culture look at the nutritional values of foods combined with the biochemical and caloric composition (i.e. vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, fats, etc.), Traditional Chinese Medicine focuses on the qualitative values of foods and their energetic aspects (i.e. warms or cools, ascends or descends, bitter or sweet). The TCM approach is based on a holistic perception of Chinese medicine principles and practical experience of thousands of years. 

This course will introduce students to the theoretical and practical aspects of Chinese dietary therapy and nutrition and will show them how to utilize these dietary guidelines in everyday life as follows:

  • Basic concepts of TCM: Yin-Yang and Five Elements, and how they correspond to food

  • Classifying foods according to: energetic temperature, flavours, direction in the body

  • Choosing the right foods according to the time of year, sample recipes

  • Treating various Chinese patterns with the appropriate diet

  • Common Western ailments/disorders and the corresponding nutritional treatment

Students will also gain a unique and important addition to their skills and ability to change their clients’ lifestyles by changing their diets even after the ‘official’ treatments end and be able to apply course principles to their own lives, thereby improving their physical and mental health.

This course is intended for therapists of various disciplines (with basic knowledge of Traditional Chinese Medicine) who wish to learn more about the wonderful therapeutic benefits which TCM can offer with regard to diet and nutrition. 

As this is also a practical course, participants will be encouraged to share various recipes, prepare foods and bring them to class.

About the instructor:   Ronny Breuer MSc., Lic. Acu CH is an instructor in both the shiatsu and acupuncture programs at the Shiatsu School of Canada Inc. and SSC Acupuncture Institute as well as a therapist at the Professional Clinic at 547 College. Ronny’s fields of expertise cover acupuncture, medicinal herbs, nutrition, shiatsu and tuina. He studied shiatsu for two years in Israel and is a graduate of a 4-year comprehensive program of study in traditional Chinese medicine.

Students in both the school’s shiatsu and acupuncture diploma programs have benefited from Ronny’s experience in his other role as an instructor of Foundations of Traditional Chinese Medicine (formerly Eastern Medical Theory), Business, Communications, Acupuncture Technique, Treatment of Disease and Oriental Medical Diagnosis. Ronny also teaches workshops on pulse diagnosis and tuina massage.

Prerequisite: Trained and/or practicing an Eastern or holistic therapy with an understanding of TCM theory and the meridian system. OR Completion of the 100 hour fundamentals of TCM course, which is offered at the Shiatsu School of Canada. Please call if you are unsure.

Cost: $400.00 (plus gst)

Course Dates: This course is offered once a year.

May 15th to December 11th, 2008: Thursdays 1pm - 4pm
(with a 5 week summer break.)

Registration: Please call 416.323.1818 to register for this course. Payment can be made by Visa or MasterCard or in person using cash or Interac. This is a limited enrollment program so please register early to ensure availability. Minimum enrollment is required to run this course.

Cancellation Policy: Cancellations on or before two weeks prior to the start date will result in a $35 cancellation fee. Cancellations after this date will not receive a refund.

    The ancient Chinese wisdom has a fantastic way of describing life and its meaning as it guides people with the ability to maintain their health, as well as their physical and mental well-being.  The same as with other TCM modalities such as acupuncture, shiatsu or herbs, a healthy and balanced diet, etc., a focus is put on heaven and earth (i.e. yin-yang energetic principles).   

The more we understand these principles and their influence in our lives - the more appreciative we will become of this approach.