LIVE discussion • 1 CEU from CAB and NCCAOM* available • FREE for ASLAT members
Rethinking the Role of Inflammation in Disease, Pain, and Aging – The Evidence & Takeaways Made Practical for Acupuncturists
Join Steve H. Liu, LAc., BSEE as he compares a major July 2026 New York Times Magazine report with Thomas McDade’s 2023 PNAS paper, revealing what changes when inflammation is viewed as a dynamic, context-dependent defense system instead of a toxin to suppress. You will leave with a sharper framework for interpreting inflammatory markers, chronic pain research, and the difference between blocking a response and restoring its regulation.
Session Date:
September 9th at 5pm PST
Presented By:
Steve Liu, L.Ac., BSEE
Attend Live and Earn:
1 CEU from CAB and NCCAOM*
22 Years of Research Shows a More Complex Picture of Inflammation – and When it’s Beneficial Rather than Toxic
“Skilled firefighters … arrive fast and leave once the fire’s out.”
Jonathan Kipnis, Washington University, quoted in The New York Times Magazine
For years, chronic low-grade inflammation has been described as a hidden driver of cardiovascular disease, cancer, neurodegeneration, and aging itself. Major drug trials appear to strengthen that case. Yet the same evidence also reveals the cost of suppressing a defense system the body needs.
Then the cross-cultural data complicate the story further. In one Indigenous population, a single blood draw would have classified roughly 11.5% of participants as chronically inflamed. Weekly sampling showed that their CRP levels rose when needed, returned to baseline, and produced zero cases that met the same criteria for chronic inflammation.
That distinction matters in every conversation about pain and healing. In Part 1, Steve examined how suppressing the acute inflammatory response may prevent pain from resolving. In Part 2, he takes the question deeper: Is inflammation itself the problem, or is the real problem a response that arrives at the wrong time, stays too long, or is shut down too soon?
This clinically focused live discussion will help you learn:
- Why two respected bodies of research reach different conclusions about chronic inflammation, and what each lens reveals or overlooks
- How a one-time CRP result can mistake a temporary immune response for chronic dysregulation, and why repeated measurements may change the interpretation
- What cross-cultural research reveals about the “normal” inflammatory baseline, including why affluent, industrialized populations may be the outlier
- Why inflammatory aging may begin long before age 50, with nutrition, microbes, stress, and other early-life exposures helping set the body’s lifelong response pattern
- What the CANTOS and GLP-1 stories do and do not prove about inflammation as a cause of disease and suppression as a solution
- How the fire-crew model connects back to Part 1, reframing the goal from simply reducing inflammation to restoring a response that activates, resolves, and stands down appropriately
Secure Your Spot in this Live Discussion September 9th with Steve Liu, L.Ac.
1 CEU from CAB and NCCAOM* available for attendees
Part of a monthly series of 1 CEU sessions, all free for members of ASLAT – join today and save!
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Non-members:
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1 CEU for attending live + access to recording
*Course Participant Attestation:
I understand that the information in this course presented by the Provider and/or Instructor(s) is for educational purposes only and should only be applied with appropriate clinical judgment and used by a trained and licensed practitioner. Governmental laws and regulations vary from region to region and the contents of this course vary in permissible usage. The participant is required to check their local, state, and federal laws and regulations regarding the practice requirements and scope of practice issues and the use of the information of this course including, but not limited to, theory, herbal medicine, and acupuncture. I acknowledge that NCCAOM does not endorse any specific treatment regimens of any kind. Furthermore, if I use any modalities or treatments taught in this course, I agree to waive, release, indemnify, discharge, and covenant not to sue NCCAOM from and against any liability, claims, demands, or causes of action whatsoever, arising out of any injury, loss, or damage that a person may sustain related to the use of the information in this course. I understand that this Release is governed by the laws of District of Columbia, U.S.A. and shall survive the termination or expiration of this course.
Presented by Steve Liu, L.Ac., BSEE
As an acupuncturist and a leader in laser therapies for over 20 years, Steve Liu saw the incredible potential for Acupuncturists to provide not only better outcomes but improved opportunities to grow their practices with these natural, safe, and effective therapies.
Steve Liu has developed innovative and effective treatments for chronic soft tissue injury, macular degeneration, Parkinson’s disease, and others, incorporating acupuncture and photobiomodulation therapies with significant results for over 25 years.
