Dead Bill

I perused the bill pretty quickly and I am sorry it did not pass. One thing I have yet to understand is why chiropractors are considered qualified to practice acupuncture without a license (MDs too, for that matter, but the AAAOM would need a lot more money to challenge the AMA on that one!). This bill was pretty strict on the guidelines for disclosure and medical condition notification which I figured would have appeased any safety concerns in the opposition argument. Good luck to our friends in South Dakota for next round. Hopefully someone (AAAOM, ahemm) will work on a national certification procedure (like RNs, MDs, and DOs) rather than this state-by-state nonsense we have had to deal with for so long.

Acupuncture licensing bill killed by committee

Associated Press - February 9, 2010 10:15 AM ET

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - A bill that would have regulated acupuncturists in South Dakota was killed by a legislative committee Tuesday.

The bill would have adopted National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine standards used in 44 other states.

Castlewood Republican Rep. Kristi Noem said the measure would help protect South Dakota's eight practicing acupuncturists and differentiate them from those who have had no education or training.

Committee members said the bill needed more work before moving forward.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Bill 1203P

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House Bill 65

Kentucky acupuncturists are going to Frankfort on Thursday to try and accomplish two objective:

1. Change our title from certified (CAc) to licensed (LAc) - like almost every other state in the country

2. Delete the need to notify MD if we treat patients with high blood pressure or diabetes since these are not contraindications for acupuncture

We had originally intended to ask for the practice of acupuncture without a license to be considered a felony. Despite winning certification in KY in 2006, there are still plenty of "beauty shop dry-needlers" and healthcare practitioners performing acupuncture without proper training (ahhem, DCs and PTs). Since we are under the KY Board of Medicine and prior to 2006, practicing acupuncture without a license was synonymous with practicing medicine without a license, we figured this was a reasonable request, however our representative thought removing the clause would help our case for the other 2 points.

Oh well.

If anyone out there is an activist kind of mood today, we would really appreciate phone calls to our local representatives who will be voting on this issue. To leave a message in support of House Bill 65, call 1-800-372-7181. Here is their contact info for specific representatives and thank you for your support!


Tom Burch, chair Loiusville 502-564-8100 x601

Bob DeWeese, vice chair Louisville 502-564-4334

David Watkins, vice chair Henderson 502-564-8100 x700

John Arnold Sturgis - 502-564-8100 x709

Jim Glenn Owensboro - 502-564-8100 x705

Joni Jenkins - Shively - 502-564-8100 x692

Tim Moore - Elizabethtown - 502-564-8100 x702

Ruth Ann Palumbo - Lexington - 502-564-8100 x600

Scott Brinkman - Louisville - 502-564-8100 x682

Brent Housman - Paducah - 502-564-8100 x634

Mary Lou Marzian - Louisville - 502-564-8100 x643

Darryl Owens - Louisville - 502-564-8100 x685

Susan Westrom - Lexington - 502-564-8100 x740

Addia Wuchner - Florence - 502-564-8100 x707

New Year News

This is more of Jing Acupuncture news, but I have officially graduated my MSN program (4.0) and plan to take my family nurse practitioner license sometime in March. Most of the research out there lately has involved acupuncture for hot flashes, chemo side effects, and pain management - I think I have covered these areas well enough for the time being. Hopefully something saucy will crop up in the new year. I do not like to engage in politics that do not relate to acupuncture on the blog, but there are certainly all sort of bills about at the moment that could impact both acupuncture and nursing that may be viable reporting subjects in the near future. In the meantime, here is a recent article about the current state of pain management in the US

Pain Management Failing as Fears of Prescription Drug Use Rise

Cupping Massage

A few months ago I ran across this massage technique while looking over the menu of services at Canyon Ranch Spa Club in Las Vegas. After a bit of googling, I came across the website and decided to pick up the DVD from Lhasa OMS along with a few new cupping sets.

The technique is adapted for body workers and uses much lighter suction than TCM cupping. The theory is that the lighter suction stimulates the lymph system to loosen adhesions and pull stuck fluid into the lymph system where it is easier to eliminate. I started utilizing massage cupping in my practice and found it is great to help loosen up the body before doing traditional cupping techniques. It is not as effective for those with significant stagnation, but it is great for those with mild blockages who also need a little detoxification and TLC.

I just had this done last week and found it wonderfully relaxing on areas of mild tension, but in the parts that need a lot of work, I was yearning a bit for some strong stationary cupping. If I could have followed it up with some acupuncture, it would have been perfect - I even fell asleep a bit during the treatment.

I contacted the founder and encouraged her to get certified as an NCCAOM CEU provider. The system is easy to learn and a great addition to practices that focus on the individual patient.

H1N1 Updates

I found this snippet about Chinese Medicine and H1N1 prevention/treatment, but the article also has some good stuff about other CAM therapies. I have been doing monthly acupuncture "flu shot" treatments on a lot of my patients using a blend of acupuncture and herbal therapies and so far, no flu!

Holistic treatments boost defense against H1N1
By Laura LaDue, LAc
from WillametteLive, Section Wellness
Posted on Sat Oct 31, 2009 at 10:17:14 PM PDT

This flu season, H1N1 is particularly prevalent. In addition to being a nasty virus, it carries with it a lot of cultural baggage in the form of fears and misconceptions.

Like seasonal flu, H1N1 is spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people. Symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people may have vomiting and diarrhea. It is possible to be infected and have respiratory symptoms without a fever.

Most people who have been sick with 2009 H1N1 virus have recovered without needing medical treatment. However, hospitalizations and deaths from infection with this virus have occurred. You should seek urgent medical care if you experience severe symptoms, such as difficulty breathing, chest pain, or persistent vomiting.

How does Chinese medicine prevent and treat the H1N1 virus?

From the perspective of Chinese medicine, swine flu is not so different from other types of flu and can most certainly be prevented and treated by means of Chinese medicine. Traditional Chinese medicines for H1N1 do not attack the virus. Rather, they try to remove those internal conditions in the body that enable the virus to take hold and multiply. "There is no medicine to directly kill the virus. A virus is like a seed: it needs things like temperature and water to grow," Dr. Xu Wenbing, Chairman of the Hope Institute of Chinese Medicine in Beijing, said. "When you take away these conditions, the body will cure itself."

Acupuncture helps by bringing the body back into balance, making it more resistant to potential invading viruses. There are specific acupuncture points for boosting the immune system, including points for increasing your white blood cell count. If one is already ill, acupuncture can speed recovery and lessen the symptoms of illness.

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I wanted to sneak this in here because after walking around the polytrauma unit in the VA this week, my aspirations to use my nurse practitioner and acupuncture skills in this population grew exponentially. The Louisville VA is one of the best in the country - the staff is always smiling and polite and the hospital itself is holding up well when they could have let it go to pot since plans are in the works for a new facility. The time may be ripe for a proposal, especially since it is a growing trend.

Acupuncture Today November, 2009, Vol. 10, Issue 11

Comprehensive Military PTSD Treatment Programs

By Joe C. Chang, MAOM, Dipl. OM, LAc

So far, there are four comprehensive posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and combat stress treatment programs in the U.S. Army that have incorporated different CAM approaches in their treatment programs.

Many of these comprehensive programs started as a result of the Ft. Bliss Restoration and Resilience Center, near El Paso, Texas. This integrative approach treats many of the symptoms of PTSD that are not addressed through the standard mental health protocols that included cognitive-behavioral therapy and pharmacotherapy. The Ft. Bliss program incorporated medical massage, meditation, yoga, acupuncture, marital/family therapy and Reiki with standard treatment protocols . Additionally, soldiers go through a daily 45-minute "power walk" and play water polo three times a week.

At the Warrior Combat Stress Reset Program at Ft. Hood (near Killeen, Texas), their intensive, combat-stress three-week program focuses on the reduction of hyperarousal and reactivity. Reducing these core symptoms of combat stress and posttraumatic stress disorder allows other treatments to be more effective. The program includes group counseling, biofeedback, individual counseling and alternative therapies (massage, acupuncture, yoga and Reiki).

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Hallelujah, Proof Is Here!

Some said they did not believe in bacteria until they saw it under a microscope. Later others doubted the atom until the advent of the electron microscope. Now, we have the chance to prove meridians exist through light conduction studies. Can proof og Qi be far behind? We shall see!

New scientific breakthrough proves why acupuncture works

New groundbreaking research shows that the insertion of an acupuncture needle into the skin disrupts the branching point of nerves called C fibres. These C fibres transmit low-grade sensory information over very long distances by using Merkel cells as intermediaries. Dr. Morry Silberstein of the Curtin University of Technology will publish his research in the Journal of Theoretical Biology later this year.

Dr. Silberstein mentions that they have known, for some time, that the acupuncture points show lower electrical resistance than other nearby areas of the skin. His research specifically pinpoints that the C fibres actually branch exactly at acupuncture points. Scientists don’t know exactly what role C fibres play in the nervous system, but Dr. Silverstein theorizes that the bundle of nerves exists to maintain arousal or wakefulness. The insertion of the acupuncture needle disrupts this circuit and numbs our sensitivity to pain.”

Russian researchers in 1991 at The Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine in Novosibirsk, USSR, in a research project lasting several years, discovered how the human body conducts light. They found that the light conducting ability of the human body exists only along the meridians, and can enter and exit only along the acupuncture points. Dr. Kaznachejew, a professor of physics said:

“This seems to prove that we have a light transferal system in our body somewhat likeoptical fiber. It appears that the light can even travel when the light canal is bent, or totally twisted. The light appears to be reflected from the inner surface, appearing to go in some sort of zigzag track. You can explain this through traditional electromagnetic light theory as it is used in optical fiber communications.”

This finding has been confirmed by a 1992 study in the Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine and a 2005 study in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine where moxibustion and infrared thermography were used to trace meridian pathways.

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