New York College of Health Professions Opens Harlem Holistic Medicine Site

New York College of Health Professions Opens Harlem Holistic Medicine Site

September 30, 2011 7:52am | By Jeff Mays, DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

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New York College of Health Professions instructor Leslie Brown teaches Ron Thomas about proper breathing techniques. (DNAinfo/Jeff Mays)

HARLEM — As a hospital patient care technician, Ron Thomas, 40, sees the flaws in traditional medicine.

"In America, we are more focused on prescriptions and surgery, which have their place, but it's all we know," he said.

That's why Thomas is one of the first students to enroll in the New York College of Health Professions' new programs at Riverside Church in Harlem. The college has had programs in Syosset, Long Island for decades, but there was a demand for the classes in the city.

Opened this fall, the school offers an associates degree in occupational studies and a bachelor of professional studies in acupuncture. Students study massage, acupuncture and other aspects of holistic medicine such as tai chi.

Holistic medicine is a fast growing field that is becoming more accepted by Americans, experts say. Massage therapy was a $16 to $20 billion industry in 2009 and employment as a massage therapist is expected to jump 19 percent by 2018.

Read more: http://www.dnainfo.com/20110930/harlem/new-york-college-of-health-professions-opens-harlem-holistic-medicine-site?utm_content=chiefcharley472%40gmail.com&utm_source=VerticalResponse&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=New%20York%20College%20of%20Health%20Professions%20Opens%20Harlem%2E%2E%2E&utm_campaign=Uptown%20Restaurant%20Month%20Highlights%20City%27s%20Best%20Foodcontent#ixzz1ZSlxPi9S