Live! from the AAAOM Conference

As we wrap up this 5 day seminars, I wanted to share some thoughts of the highlights and low-lights of the conference.

Pre-conference:

Classical 5-Element Acupuncture with Judy Worsley

I was excited for this seminar.  I use some of the principle in treatment, but was looking for a deeper understanding of the diagnosis and treatment applications, and who better than to learn from.  To the devotees of 5-Element, Judy is a living first degree relic of their messiah. This was also her first conference and she admitted to reluctance and lack of tech-savvy which should have given the organizers pause.  This could have been a bang-up seminar and for the 5E folks, it probably was, but I left with the same knowledge I came in with.  Well, I did learn a lot about her personal life as lover, wife, and widow of her mentor JR Worsley and about general farming practices in the English countryside.  I was hoping for something along the lines of practical application of theory I had in school, but what I got was a half an hour of education and 7.5 hours of anecdotes and on-going audience questions and testimonials that kept the lecture from getting anywhere.  I now understand why it take 4 years to graduate from a 5E acupuncture program - they just keep feeling (without trying to feel) and never get to the point.  

Ethics with Michael Taromina and Betsy Smith

Ohh there is nothing like hearing horror stories from other well-intended practitioners to make you feel maybe flipping burgers would have been a safer career choice!  In all seriousness, Michael was a passionate, knowledgeable speaker and gave a great presentation on the updated code of ethics, risk-management strategies, and overview of the disciplinary process and how to avoid it.  We all need ethics CEU hours and I would say this was the most engaging and useful one I have ever attended. 

Day One

General Session with AAAOM board and special guest Josephine Briggs

As with most of these, there is a lot of introductions, thank yous, and audience commentary.  The bulk of the session discussed herbal initiatives and the state of research, opinions, and use of CAM in the US.  All very informative, however I still think we should focus our attention on uniform national accreditation title with state licensure, as with nurses, physicians, and PT models, but I have ranted on that score so often I am getting sick of the sound of my own keystrokes.

Every Little Bit Counts: Low Back Pain with Matt Bauer

Matt gave an excellent non-cookbook formula for the treatment of back pain.  Not only did he provide great treatment protocols, he also gave us a quick way to calculate the odds of treatment success.  Despite sounding a bit systematic, he is an intuitive practitioner and is more concerned with feeling the flow of energy than hitting a textbook point.  After his workshop, I learned I need to hunker down more with Medical Qi Gong - I think I am finally old enough to handle it. 

Day Two

Insurance Billing with Sam Collins

Wow.  This was the most useful lecture of the conference and I think my practice is going to move in a new direction in the coming months. One thing I adored about his presentation style was his ability to curtail extended questions and commentary - every minute of the presentation was packed with information and he was able to keep from being de-railed.  He also stayed 45-minutes after class to answer individual questions.  I plan on attending one of his seminars in the future and may even sign-up for the consulting service.  I had been investigating adding insurance to my list of services and this makes the process look at lot less daunting. (My frined who went to the Medications to Worry About seminar reported having a lot of good knowledge - I took a miss on it because my FNP Pharmacology class had me Cytochrome P-450'd out!)

Pain & Electroacupuncture with Lixing Lao

I was torn about taking this one as there was an Healing Upper Jiao seminar at the same time, but since my friend went to it (and loved it), I figured I could use the refresher.  There was a lot of review of literature which of course, appeals to my nursing sensibilities.  He provided clear rational for why we set frequencies at certain levels depending on the condition, distal and proximal point use, and electrode placement.  This was quite low-key and an excellent refresher to reinforce knowledge and competence.

Banquet Dinner with guest speaker Serman Chon

Good dinner, but expensive ($75!) if you did not get it as part of the 4-day seminar package. The speaker talked on the history and development of acupuncture education and law in the US and has done research in this area including personal interviews with many of the pioneers.  I suppose this was supposed to be inspiring, but basically what I got out of it is the entire basis for the educational programs of acupuncture schools in this country originated from 4 hippies in a bathroom.  We also could have had a clinical doctorate as an entry to practice almost from the get-go and it was our own who basically sabotaged it because they did not want to be "like western medicine."  I cold go on about this, but I am going to keep my foot stomping, eye-rolling, and sighing to a minimum - just know I am doing it.

Day Three:

Qi Gong with Jeff Nagal

Awesome way to get the day started - he explained theory in just the right amount and gave a great, balanced practice.  I would love to do a seminar with him, especially in light of the high reviews he received from the Upper Jiao seminar.

Scalp Acupuncture with  Xioatian Shen

This started late due to schedule misprint, but he managed to pack in a lot of great new information in a short periods of time.  Excellent case histories were presented and he was an engaging speaker.  I admit I have a personal prejudice that favors native Chinese educators since that is who I learned from.  There are defiantly some new strategies I will take home with me especially in the area of headaches.

Treating Allergies with Rong Shen Lin

Living in the Ohio valley, allergies are a year-long problem for many people.  It was only natural to sign-on for this  - review to come.

Breast Cancer Studies

It is not worth posting the numerous reports out concerning the effectiveness of acupuncture and the alleviation of side effects in the treatment of breast cancer.  Those of us who practice on patients undergoing chemo know how well it works.  So do the patients.  The interesting (well, typically disturbing) thing is, the amount of people already crying foul at the research design.

A double blind study is not possible in acupuncture research and I am sick of people like "Orac" (a self-described humble surgeon scientist that will not give a real name) calling acupuncture studies worthless because of that fact.  Oriental Medicine cannot be researched in the same way pharmaceuticals can be, but that does not mean all positive outcomes are the result of the placebo effect.  Is is so hard for these folks to conceive that for a different system of medicine there needs to be a different system of research design? 

Speaking of double blind randomized control studies,  I am especially surprised that this latest tirade comes from a surgeon.  You know what surgical techniques  you do when you are in the OR during various -ectomys or -astys or the like.  That is not double blind even though the patient selection may be randomized.  It seems we both have our shortcomings.

Such is the plight.  My latest line for people who say "aren't the results all in your head?" is "if that were case, how is it animals get better with acupuncture?"  I am also fond of pointing out that, other than amputation, everything is in your head.  That sounds more snarky than I like to be. Or should be.

Quick Personal Update

Here is the short version:

I opened my new location in August - I bought it after looking at it or over a year and I can now walk to my office!  My clients love the new space and I am already getting booked up!

I have been teaching at Bellamine all summer and will probably have a full Fall/Spring load

I have been taking a few classes for my NP at Bellarmine that are kicking my tush

I have been traveling like crazy and am going to Albuquerque next week for my husbands art show (yeah!)

I have been ignoring this blog for the 3rd time this year 

Will post something meaningful soon!

In Keeping with the Olympic Spirit

One cannot help hear of the controversies concerning censorship, human rights violations, end environmental nightmares concerning the host city for the 2008 Olympics.  At least we can find humor in some corners.

CHINESE acupuncturist stuck 205 needles into his face, head and body to celebrate Beijing hosting the Olympic games.

Wei Shengchu, attached flags to each needle to represent all the countries participating in the games.
 


He said: “We are used to seeing people with flags painted on their faces so I thought, why not just put them into your head?”
 


The self-taught doctor of traditional Chinese medicine inserted the needles one-by-one while spectators took photos and looked on in wonder.

Read and See More

Yo Ho-Ho and a Bottle Bao He Wan

When I was younger, I thought working for a cruise line would be an amazing job.  I had actually considered it when I got my RN but did not want to leave my acupuncture practice.  If this becomes a continuing trend, I may have to consider a little working vacation!

LOS ANGELES, July 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Enriching its portfolio of wellness opportunities, Crystal Cruises is introducing onboard acupuncture, along with a menu of Chinese herbs revered for restoring and enhancing health, beauty and longevity. A menu of optional acupuncture treatments, launching this month on Crystal Serenity, focuses on weight loss, pain management, stress reduction, detoxification, smoking cessation, facial rejuvenation and even sea sickness.

"For many, a vacation offers the freedom to try something new," says Thomas Mazloum, senior vice president, hotel operations. "Whether one is just curious or one wants to pursue new treatments, acupuncture complements Crystal's myriad of onboard wellness activities, which have transformed guests into devotees of disciplines like yoga or reflexology or Spinning(R)."

Acupuncture is a technique of inserting and manipulating fine needles into specific points on the body to ease pain and for other therapeutic purposes. According to the World Health Organization and other reputable entities, acupuncture helps relieve aches and pains; stimulate weight loss; alleviate stress; detoxify the body; smoking cessation; seasickness; and anti-aging.

The Crystal acupuncture program includes:

-- Onboard acupuncturist - Nancy Kerastas, Crystal Serenity's licensed acupuncture physician, has been practicing the art since 2002;

-- Menus of Chinese herbs - Includes remedies that reactivate the body's fat-burning process; stabilize blood sugar metabolism; and relieve swollen or immobile joints; and

-- Shipboard seminars - Three to five classes will be held per cruise, discussing acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine and Feng Shui practices and benefits.

Guests receive pre-session consultations to discuss their conditions and medical histories. Cost is $150 for a 60-minute session and can be booked through Crystal's Feng Shui-designed spa.

Crystal also offers complimentary yoga, Pilates and newly introduced "Tour de Spin" cycling classes, and an exclusive Walk on Water(R) program utilizing weighted vests to increase resistance. The line continues its partnership with the esteemed Cleveland Clinic to feature onboard lectures and seminars with leading medical experts.

In December 2008, and in 2009 both Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity host Mind, Body & Spirit theme cruises, focusing on general wellness through classes and discussions with guest instructors in Tai Chi, yoga, Pilates and general fitness.

For additional information and Crystal reservations, please contact a travel agent or call 888-799-4625. Visit the luxury line's website, crystalcruises.com.

CONTACT: Mimi Weisband 310-203-4302

publicrelations@crystalcruises.com

Crystal Cruises

Web site: http://www.crystalcruises.com/

A little acupuncture humor

From The Daily Mash (UK)

ACUPUNCTURE GOOD FOR COVERING BODY IN TINY HOLES, SAYS STUDY

ACUPUNCTURE is extremely effective at making tiny holes all over the body, the biggest ever study of the ancient Chinese remedy has revealed. 

Researchers commissioned by the Acupuncture Society tested the needle-based complementary therapy on 2,000 patients, all of whom reported small holes in their skin after treatment.



The Institute for Studies then gave a control group of 2,000 different patients no acupuncture at all, after which they were examined and found to be entirely hole free.



Report author Henry Brubaker said: "If even one patient given the needle treatment had come back without a hole I might have had my doubts, but this shows that acupuncture works.



"As you can see, when the needle is pushed into the patient’s skin it breaks through the outer layer and so creates a tiny hole. But even after you remove it, the hole remains. Still think it's all in the mind?"

Julian Cook, president of the Acupuncture Society, welcomed the report as a major piece of scientific research and excellent value for money.



He said: "A report came out last week that said acupuncture is no help whatsoever if you are trying to get up the duff. Call that science? What about China?

"Those guys are pumping them out so fast they have laws against it. Ever tried counting them? All you need to do is show a Chinese woman a needle and she’s pregnant. You don’t even need sperm."

Who needs the PDR?

Only a few lines in this piece are about acupuncture, but I thought it was worth posting for the subject matter alone.  The thing they do not mention is that the PDR does not include drugs that are off patent, so it is basically a sales rep disguised as an important looking book.

8 drugs doctors wouldn't take

If your physician would skip these medicines, maybe you should, too

By Morgan Lord

With 3,480 pages of fine print, the Physicians' Desk Reference (a.k.a. PDR) is not a quick read. That's because it contains every iota of information on more than 4,000 prescription medications. Heck, the PDR is medication — a humongous sleeping pill. 

Doctors count on this compendium to help them make smart prescribing decisions — in other words, to choose drugs that will solve their patients' medical problems without creating new ones. Unfortunately, it seems some doctors rarely pull the PDR off the shelf. Or if they do crack it open, they don't stay versed on emerging research that may suddenly make a once-trusted treatment one to avoid. Worst case: You swallow something that has no business being inside your body. 

Of course, plenty of M.D.'s do know which prescription and over-the-counter drugs are duds, dangers, or both. So we asked them, "Which medications would you skip?" Their list is your second opinion. If you're on any of these meds, talk to your doctor. Maybe he or she will finally open that big red book with all the dust on it.

Celebrex 
Once nicknamed "super aspirin," Celebrex is now better known for its side effects than for its pain-relieving prowess. The drug has been linked to increased risks of stomach bleeding, kidney trouble, and liver damage. But according to a 2005 New England Journal of Medicine study, the biggest threat is to your heart: People taking 200 mg of Celebrex twice a day more than doubled their risk of dying of cardiovascular disease. Those on 400 mg twice a day more than tripled their risk, compared with people taking a placebo.

Your new strategy: What you don't want to do is stop swallowing Celebrex and begin knocking back ibuprofen, because regular use of high doses of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can lead to gastrointestinal bleeding. A safer swap is acupuncture. A German study found that for people suffering from chronic lower-back pain, twice-weekly acupuncture sessions were twice as effective as conventional treatments with drugs, physical therapy, and exercise. The strategic needling may stimulate central-nervous-system pathways to release the body's own painkillers, including endorphins and enkephalins, says Duke University anesthesiologist Tong-Joo Gan, M.D.

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Competition!

Well, I knew it was bound to happen.  Doctors don't need acupuncture training to add it to their service list, chiropractors just assume they are qualified to be acupuncturists with or without a "certification course,"  and now physical therapists are getting in on the act!

Needling' Becoming More Popular To Treat Pain

DENVER (CBS4) ― Some physical therapists in Colorado are offering an alternative treatment for chronic muscle pain and stiffness.

On Tuesday, CBS4 health specialist Kathy Walsh sat in on a session of the new treatment called "trigger point dry needling."

Using very thin, solid needles to penetrate deep into areas of tension, dry needling promises to stimulate, reset and relax muscles.

One satisfied dry needling patient is Sgt. First Class Lee Holloway. According to Holloway, dry needling is an effective way to relieve muscle tension.

Although similar to acupuncture, Keil says that dry needling is actually its own distinct practice. 

"It's a very Western concept of muscle anatomy," said Keil. "As compared to the Eastern concept of the meridian through acupuncture."

Some licensed acupuncturists are skeptical of this claim.

The president of the Acupuncture Association of Colorado, Nancy Bilello, says dry needling is just a dubious form of acupuncture.

"Dry needling is the same thing as acupuncture with far less training and very little regulation," said Bilello.

While licensed acupuncturists must have a minimum of 1,800 hours of training, physical therapists hoping to practice dry needling require only 46 hours of training, according to Bilello,

Despite concerns like Bilello's, in 2005 the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies did approve dry needling for practice by trained physical therapists.

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WARNING!

Acupuncture. Put needles in. Take needles out. All out? Yes, all out. Periodically, patients with fluffy hair or slippery clothing may have a souvenir left when they put on their hat or pull on their socks due to obstruction of the needle. However, the following is a serious example of when not having a system for insertion and withdrawal can cause a heap of trouble.

Acupunture patient left with 'forgotten' needle

May 9 2008 Media Wales

An acupuncture patient returned home from treatment with a two-inch needle stuck in her back, she said today.

Back pain sufferer Wendy Dempsey had her first acupuncture session on Wednesday at a hospital in Newport, South Wales.

The 54-year-old claims she suffered excruciating pain as she drove the five miles to her Llanmartin home and only realised what was wrong when her nephew Ieuan Edwards started screaming.

Mrs Dempsey said: “I was a bit apprehensive before the treatment, as I’d never had it done before.

“At the end, he said he’d removed the needles, and I felt fine.

“My eight-year-old nephew lives with me, and as I was driving us home I had this most tremendous pain in my back.

“I was in absolute agony. I thought I wasn’t going to get home. I kept slowing down, and every time I changed gears the pain got worse.”

When she arrived home, Mrs Dempsey said she had to wait 15 minutes before moving from the car because of the pain.

She said: “I asked my nephew to have a look at my back when we were in the house.

“He let out an ear-piercing scream. Once he had seen the needle, he was petrified.

“It’s just scared him – and it’s not done too much for me either.

“By driving home, I think I’d pushed it in further.”

Mrs Dempsey was driven to the Royal Gwent Hospital, Newport, by a neighbour, where the needle was removed from near the bottom of her back.

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Military Service (for them)

In an effort to prevent the situation many of our veterans faced following Vietnam, the VA has made wonderful progress in helping our military personnel re-acclimate to their lives before war. Yet in some areas, the services are spectacular, while in others it is sub-par or non-existent. This is why folks like the ones below are a wonderful boon to our soldiers, especially those returning home with PTSD.

Acupuncturists serving the troops

May 4, 2008
Margaret Gargarian respects the fact that her son's high school in Belmont has a community service requirement. "I think it should be part of life," she said.

To do her part, Gargarian - an anesthesiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital who has training in acupuncture - recently joined an offshoot of Acupuncturists Without Borders.

Gargarian and licensed acupuncturists Margaret Ryding, Bill Kellar, and Patricia Burkhart, all of Arlington, offer free, weekly acupuncture treatments for US military personnel who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Gargarian said she believes alternative therapies are valuable because they offer another tool to cure or manage health problems.

Benefits of acupuncture, she said, may include reduced anxiety and irritability; improved sleep, energy, and mental clarity; and the alleviation of flashbacks and nightmares.

Although a client may feel a "quick pinch" as the thin acupuncture needles are inserted,

Gargarian said the treatment is relaxing. Sessions typical last a half hour.

"Every time we treat someone," she said, "it makes us feel good, too."

Read More

Ahhh, Research!

Finding a research study involving acupuncture that has any statistical significance or reproducible design is not an easy task. This one involving hot flashes and tamoxifen is decent, despite the argument that it is not reproducible because there is no pill involved (?!) and the results are subjective (um, last time I checked there was no lab value for pain or discomfort). An objector does bring up a reluctance to send one of his patients to an acupuncturist he is not familiar with, and that should make any practitioner realize that MDs can be an important component to a successful practice. From my standpoint, I would have liked to have known what treatment protocol was used, but with a little digging I am sure it is not difficult to find.

Acupuncture Can Relieve Hot Flushes Caused by Tamoxifen
Monday, 21 April 2008 20:53 Zosia Chustecka

Acupuncture reduced by half the hot flushes caused by tamoxifen in a small clinical trial involving 59 breast cancer patients after surgery. Relief was experienced both day and night, and the reduction in hot flushes was seen 3 months after the last acupuncture treatment.

The study involved a 10-week course of treatment (with sessions twice a week for 5 weeks, and then once a week for 5 weeks). A control group received sham acupuncture, with needles inserted shallowly (to a depth of 3 mm; in real acupuncture, needles are inserted to a depth of 3 cm), and in places far away from known acupuncture points. Ms. Hervik said that in both cases she aimed for a neutral atmosphere, with no soft music and minimal time spent talking to the patient, to reduce the placebo effect of the treatment.

Women treated with real acupuncture reported a 50% reduction in hot flushes, both day and night, and reported a further reduction in hot flushes when assessed 3 months after the last acupuncture treatment. The women in the sham group reported no changes in hot flushes during the day, and a slight reduction in hot flushes at night while the treatment was ongoing, but they increased once the treatment stopped.

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Fellowship Opportunity

If you like the cold and the security of working within the Western Medical setting, this sounds like a winning experience. I had not visited MCAOMs website before (http://www.nwhealth.edu/index.html) but the programs look impressive. This was actually from a chiropractic newsletter.

Northwestern Health Sciences begins acupuncture fellowship program

The Minnesota College of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (MCAOM) at Northwestern Health Sciences University now offers a post-graduate fellowship opportunity in collaboration with the Woodwinds Health Campus in Woodbury, Minn.

The one-year fellowship, launched in November 2006, provides a licensed acupuncturist with post-graduate experience in a hospital setting. Mark McKenzie, LAc, MOm, dean of MCAOM, said he believes there are no other acupuncture and Oriental medicine schools in the United States partnering with hospitals to offer such a paid fellowship.

The fellowship is partially funded by HealthEast Care System. Ian Johnson, LAc, MOm, a 2006 graduate of MCAOM, has been selected to carry out the year-long fellowship. He will be working under the guidance of Wei Liu, BMed, LAc, a professor at Northwestern.

According to McKenzie, the fellowship program would not have happened in the Midwest 10 years ago due to lack of understanding about the field.

MIA Message

The news in the acupuncture world has been dismally uninteresting of late. Lots of private practice press releases and "did you know acupuncture was good for" types of news are the bulk of what I have been receiving. I have not felt compelled to pass along things I have already covered, but I also lost total track of time ans I see it has been over two months since my last post! I have not attend any more CEU seminars to report back on either, shame on me, and I am in a quandary as to weather I am going to go see Richard Tan or Mary Elizabeth Wakefield this summer.

However, the other reason for the delay is general life. I started nurse practitioner school this semester and just moved into a new house a few days ago (we had been looking and planning for nearly a year). My practice is continuing to grow and I am hoping to change my office in the next few months.

It somehow seems like a lot more when you live it as opposed to when you write it.

*Cringe*

Hearing this sort of thing makes me cringe for a variety of reasons. Some of them are from being a woman and some are from professional fear of being accused of anything inapproprite. Even though I am slightly less at risk because I am female, that does not mean I can be cavilere.

This is not on par with alleged abuse, but I know I lost at least one patient when I was in school because his girlfriend though I was flirting with him (backstory: we were allowed to give a certain number of free treatments per semester and I had made it my policy that the week before Christmas Holiday I would give out all my freebies. He was the first patient of the week and when his girlfriend, who had an appointment later in the week, found out, she was upset to say the least).

But I digress.

May the truth come out.

Acupuncturist Accused of Assaulting Clients
Lauren Leamanczyk

PEWAUKEE - Robyn McKenna tried acupuncture on a whim. Her first visit to acupuncturist Samy Elawady went well, so she continued with the treatment. Then, she says, at the end of a visit, something disturbing happened. “This time he lifted my bra up over my breasts. After he took the needle out, he started massaging them," she said. McKenna says it made her uncomfortable. Still, she brushed it off as part of the treatment. It wasn't until it happened a second time that she canceled the rest of her appointments. She did not complain or call police.

Then she spoke with Suzette Steinbach - Mineau.Steinbach-Mineau is also accusing Elawady of sexual assault.

She described her acupuncture session to TODAY'S TMJ4 Reporter Lauren Leamanczyk. "He started putting this oil or lotion kind of stuff on my stomach'" she said. "And them when he got up to my breast area he pulled my bra up and started putting the oil on my breasts.”She too kept the incident to herself. After she realized other women claimed to have similar experiences, Steinbach-Mineau called police."As a woman I want to protect other women,” is the reason she gives for coming forward.

Steinbach Mineau claims she lost her job as a receptionist at the Oriental Wellness Center because she filed charges. She says Elawady continues to practice acupuncture at the center.Elawady, through his attorney, declined to comment. He is charged with five counts of 4th degree sexual assault.

"Would you go to a blind acupuncturist?"

I only have two words for this: Toyohari Acupuncturists

Blind woman tries again for state acupuncture license
Associated Press

AUSTIN — A blind student of acupuncture is making a second request for a state license to practice the trade after being rejected last year because of her lack of vision.

The licensure committee of the Texas State Board of Acupuncture Examiners was set to rehear Juliana Cumbo's request for a license today. She would be the first blind person to be issued a state license, board members said.

"I wanted to be more involved in health care ... and I thought it was a perfect profession for a blind person," Cumbo said of her decision to pursue acupuncture, a method of diagnosing, treating and preventing illness by placing thin needles along specific points on the body.

The 31-year-old practices as a graduate intern in the student clinic of the Academy of Oriental Medicine at Austin. She has earned a master's degree in acupuncture and Oriental medicine and passed the national board exams.

"Juliana is an exemplary practitioner ... and she is extremely talented," said Will Morris, president of the Austin academy. "I am proud to sign her diploma."

Meng-sheng Lin, the licensure committee chairwoman, said she's inclined to repeat her vote against Cumbo's application. She said Cumbo's case was the first time she had encountered the issue.

"I'm just trying to fulfill my duty to protect the public," said Lin, an acupuncturist in Dallas. "Would you go to a blind acupuncturist?"

Lin said acupuncture can lead to bleeding, which could be a problem if it went unnoticed and created a situation where the acupuncturist or patient could become contaminated.

Hoang Ho, a member of the acupuncture committee who also voted against Cumbo's license, said licensing Cumbo would be a liability for the board if something were to go wrong.

"You have to know exactly the point" to insert the needle, said Ho, who practices acupuncture in Kerrville and San Antonio. "There are a lot of blood vessels, and there can be injuries."
Cumbo, who said she also has a bachelor's degree in classical guitar, completed 3,218 hours of training in acupuncture. About a third of that was clinical experience in which she worked on 592 patients without any formal safety complaints, said Xiaotian Shen, the director of the Austin clinic and one of Cumbo's teachers.

Cumbo received extra hands-on training, and now she is better at finding acupuncture points than many students who can see, Morris said.

Shen said Cumbo was tested on a live model to pass the national boards.

Dr. Terry Rascoe, the acupuncture board's presiding officer, said the committee could approve Cumbo's request, reject it or ask the full board to consider it. The case could also go before a state administrative judge.

Cumbo's lawyer, David Cohen of Austin, said denying Cumbo a license "on the basis of her blindness alone" would violate the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Bob Simpson, general counsel to the board, said there are no state laws prohibiting the licensing of a blind person.

Acutonics and Placebo

Acutonics has been getting some attention lately. For a couple of years I have been incorporating some of the techniques in my practice with a pair of Om Tuning Forks. The majority of my patients give a positive review. What I like about this piece is the quote about placebo effect:

"One out of three people, which is a pretty big number, get relief from placebos because pain is a mind/body type of phenomenon."

What's wrong with that? I would love to be able to placebo away my ailments - a placebo pill is usually safer than the real thing! I find it amusing when people dismiss a modality because it is unfamiliar or because they don't want to accept it by saying, "it's just the placebo effect." I hear that a lot with students in the western medicine field because to them, if you can't be objectively assessed, than it is not real.

Bunk.

The mind has amazing control over the body. If a modality works for you, than it is what your body AND your mind needed to fix the problem. For some people it is a drug or surgery. For others it is yoga or Reiki. And then there are those who get well by activating a tuning fork and letting it buzz on acupuncture points. A patient for every treatment and a treatment for every patient.

Good vibrations without the use of acupuncture

Have you always wanted to try acupuncture but are afraid of needles? Now, there's a therapy that promises the same relief but doesn't involve any poking at all!

It's the latest alternative therapy to treat all kinds of ailments. It's called "Acutonics®," a modern technique that blends different forms of ancient Chinese medicine.

Kristi Marshall, an Acutonics® fan, "The minute I experienced it, it's like, I wanted it more and more."

Donna Carey co-created the technique. She says the vibrations open up energy pathways in our bodies, which are made up mostly of water.

Carey says," Sound travels four times faster in water and through water than it does in air. Our body is a sound resonator."

In a typical session, a practitioner will stimulate pressure points. But, instead of using needles, like with acupuncture, the treatment involves vibrations from tuning forks.

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2008 Sensationlism

Both Oprah and US News and World Report are talking about acupuncture (and CAM in general). What a boon to the profession!


From Oprah.com:

Oprah is ready to take a step toward the frontier of medicine…but she's a little scared of the whole needle part. Daniel was ready to ease her fears. "The needles that [Daniel] is going to use would actually fit through the hole in the needle that they use to take the blood from your arm," Dr. Oz says."Acupuncture treats any condition from allergies to, obviously, pain to gastrointestinal issues—a wide range of chronic diseases," Daniel says.Oprah doesn't suffer from those particular ailments, so Daniel recommends a wellness acupuncture treatment, which will help boost Oprah's immune system. This normally requires about 10 needles, he says, and the positive effects will be felt anywhere from 20 minutes to days afterwards."It's really not bad," Oprah says. "It's not as bad as getting your ears pierced, I'll tell you that."

http://www2.oprah.com/tows/slide/200702/20070213/slide_20070213_350_201.jhtml


From US News and World Report:

Embracing Alternative Care
Top hospitals put unorthodox therapies into practice
By Avery Comarow

Posted January 9, 2008
"To be blunt, if my wife and I didn't think it was helping him, we wouldn't have continued with it," says Dan Polley. He's talking about Mikey, the Polleys' 2½-year-old in the next room, who was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia when he was 6 months old. Chemotherapy, radiation, and a bone marrow transplant have been crucial elements of Mikey's treatment. But the "it" his father speaks of is nothing like these aggressive, costly, and heavily researched exemplars of western care—it is a kind of touch therapy, from the camp of alternative medicine. Gentle and benign, "healing touch" is intended to rebalance the energy field that its practitioners believe surrounds the body and flows through it along defined pathways, affecting health when disrupted. Several times a week, therapist Lynne Morrison spends 20 minutes unblocking and smoothing Mikey's energy field, which energy healers like Morrison say they can feel and correct.

http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/2008/01/09/embracing-alternative-care.html

Needling Addiction

Having worked in in-patient psych facilities as a nurse, I often wanted to do a little community acupuncture while the patients were in group therapy. The big problem (especially in KY where we received and "F" for mental health) is insurance companies don't want to pay for the minimum proven therapies, let alone anything extra like acupuncture. 28-day programs are reserved for those with tri-care, those with MDs who want to milk every possible day out of Medicaid/Medicare benefits (whether the patient needs it or not), or the affluent. Luckily, there are some progressive thinkers who see acupuncture as a useful tool for fighting addiction and helping prevent relapse.

Acupuncture-based pilot program helps fight addictions
BY KELLI LACKETT

Mike Allen had tried to stop drinking before.

And he'd succeeded for a few months at a time. But he always went back to the bottle.

That was until he was arrested on a drug charge, served a short time in jail as part of a probation sentence and then started receiving acupuncture this spring while on probation.

Allen said the acupuncture helped with the physical symptoms of withdrawal and supplemented the work he was doing through recovery groups and counseling.

Allen was one of 30 clients of three agencies who received acupuncture as part of a voluntary pilot program started in March. Fort Collins licensed acupuncturist Abbye Silverstein treated the clients in the joint venture of Larimer County Community Corrections, the state 8th Judicial Probation Department and Larimer County Department of Human Services.

A high percentage of offenders who have been through the criminal justice system have substance abuse problems, said Les Rudner, probations supervisor for the state 8th Judicial Probation department.

"We were seeing offenders with substance abuse problems coming back through the system again and again. We were trying to look at what we could do that we weren't doing now to prevent present relapses. When I started doing the research, one thing that came up was acupuncture," Rudner said.

Research in other communities has shown that offenders who receive acupuncture as part of a recovery program were more likely to complete treatment for substance abuse. And there were lower re-arrest rates among those who received acupuncture in court-mandated programs.

Read More

Mentor Spotlight

The word about acupuncture facelifts is getting around thanks to the New York Times, and two of my mentors, Mary Elizabeth Wakfield (Constitutional Facial Renewal) and Martha Lucus (Mei Zen Cosmetic Acupuncture), are mentioned. This comes just in time for my post-holiday promotions and will make a good addition to in-office literature.

Skin Deep
Hold the Chemicals, Bring on the Needles
By NORA ISAACS
Published: December 13, 2007

JANE BECKER, a composer and solo pianist, celebrated her 50th birthday at the dermatologist, paying $1,500 for shots of Restylane and Botox. But three months later, their wrinkle-smoothing effects wore off. So, she turned to a less-artificial youth tonic: facial acupuncture.

Like many women who have tried acupuncture in pursuit of beauty, Ms. Becker hoped that having needles strategically inserted into her face would be cheaper and last longer than her birthday injections.

Ms. Becker, now 53, started with 10 sessions in five weeks ($1,000) and has gone for monthly maintenance since ($105 a session).

Acupuncture didn’t end up being much of a bargain, but it pays in other ways, she said.
“I can really see a difference in my face,” said Ms. Becker, who sees Steven Sonmore, a licensed acupuncturist in Minneapolis. “It looks younger, smoother, brighter and uplifted.”

Early adopters like Ms. Becker first spread word of the virtues of a so-called acupuncture face-lift. Then before the 2005 Academy Awards, a crew of facial acupuncturists descended on Soho House, a makeshift celebrity hangout in Los Angeles, and A-listers jumped at the chance to transform their skin from the inside out.

Now, thanks to more robust marketing, cosmetic acupuncture has caught the attention of more of the wrinkled public. Its holistic approach appeals in particular to women who want to slow signs of aging, but don’t want to undergo surgery or to inject chemicals.

Read More

CEU/PDA Alert

I had a wonderful time at this year's Pacific Symposium in San Diego. Although I only went for the weekend portion, I have already implemented many of the principles I learned from Alex Tiberi, Kiiko Matsumoto, Effie Chow, and Mark Kastner. Yet between flight, hotel, food, rental car, and incidentals, I could have paid for a the next 10 years worth of CEU credits. Lately I have been doing the one hour CEUs by Bob Flaws from Blue Poppy which are excellent, but there is a new company that has also started offering courses for those of us who live in the (acupuncture) sticks. I have yet to participate, but I will provide an update and review when I take a class.

Acupuncture continuing education courses online are offered by the Healthcare Medicine Institute (HealthCMI) at https://www.healthcmi.com/ . Acupuncture courses can be downloaded instantly and an online quiz is provided so that acupuncturists may receive California CEU, Florida CE, and NCCAOM PDA credit towards acupuncture license renewal. All acupuncture classes are certified for continuing education credit in all states that license acupuncturists. HealthCMI is currently upgrading their open source code to make the online experience more accessible and looks forward to presenting an expanded offering of online classes. All courses feature a secure online payment system using Geotrust SSL encryption. "Online classroom technology continues to expand at an incredible rate. HealthCMI will present several new classes using these open source solutions. Participants can look forward to a more streamlined online experience for immediate access to medical educational courses," said Executive Director of the Healthcare Medicine Institute, Adam White, L.Ac., Dipl. Ac. .

HealthCMI is pleased to announce several upcoming acupuncture continuing education courses online. "Acupuncture courses for continuing education credit provide important resources for clinical treatment to acupuncturists. The Healthcare Medicine Institute (HealthCMI) has contracted with professors from several acupuncture colleges and schools to provide high quality continuing education courses online. Our goal is to provide quality educational materials for licensed acupuncturists," said Adam White. "We expect our next course on the topic of pediatric disorders to be published shortly and several new courses will provide continuing education credits both for nurses and acupuncturists in all states that license acupuncture." HealthCMI plans to launch the nursing continuing education online department in early 2008 to complement its acupuncture continuing education department.

Read More

New Study

Polycystic Ovary Disease/Syndrome seems to be cropping up more and more. It seems every one of my female clients having fertility issues have all been diagnosed with PCOS and the medications they are prescribing to aid it are less than friendly. Noe the University of Virginia is announcing a call for volunteers for a study to test the effectiveness of acupuncture on this growing disorder. Unfortunately, they are going with sham acupuncture as the control rather than no treatment, or doing a drug versus acupuncture study, but at least it is a beginning.

Acupuncture for PCOS

Stickin' It To Us

I came across this parody today that was marginally funny, although some of the other material on this site is downright hilarious. Have a laugh, check it out.

Acupuncture Proven to Relieve the Suffering of the Dead

Using the Needle After the Knife

Numerous articles came out today about the effects of decreasing the need for pain medicine following surgery. Of course, this came along with an onslaught of articles refuting the success of acupuncture for IVF, but I wanted to focus on the positive.

Studies find acupuncture cuts post-surgical pain
Tue Oct 16, 2007 5:35pm EDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The use of acupuncture before and during surgery reduces patients' post-operative pain as well as the need for pain-killing medication, researchers said on Tuesday.

Researchers at Duke University Medical Center in North Carolina analyzed the results of 15 clinical trials on the effectiveness of acupuncture -- a practice that originated in China of inserting thin needles into specific body points.


They concluded that it is valuable for pain control in surgery patients.

The 15 trials showed that patients getting acupuncture before or during various types of
operations had significantly less pain afterward than patients who did not get acupuncture.
These patients also required less morphine or other opioid pain medication after surgery, which reduced the side effects like nausea and vomiting from these types of drugs, the researchers said.

In terms of pain-drug side effects, the acupuncture patients experienced 1.5 times lower rates of nausea, 1.6 times fewer reports of dizziness and 3.5 times fewer cases of urinary retention compared to the other patients, the study found.

These findings augment a growing body of evidence on the value of acupuncture in improving the surgical experience for patients, the researchers said.

Read More

A Weekend with Mei Zen

Since I can never get enough CEU's, this past weekend I attended the Mei Zen Cosmetic Acupuncture for the Face and I wanted to share a breakdown of the 2-day seminar.

The System: As I had to sign a releases that I cannot talk about specifics of treatment, I will leave the description general. As in other systems, Mei Zen includes a total body acupuncture treatment, uses the eight extraordinary point combinations, and is affiliated with a product line. What makes this system unique is that the same facial protocol is used on every patient and that it makes use of crossing and apex groups as described in the Huang Di Nei Jing. While I cannot disclose the points, I can tell you there are nearly 85 specialty needles in the face, all of which are inserted without a guide tube.

After watching the demo, I was surprised at the lack of "facial" as I typically incorporate masks and massage in my treatments, but the instructor states that is the practitioner's preference how much of this they want to incorporate in addition to the protocol. A wealth of nutritional, herbal, and marketing materials are provided which would be useful even if you did not want to practice cosmetic acupuncture.

Aside from cosmetic acupuncture, Mei Zen is about branding. At the seminar, T-shirts, hats, logo CDs, and cards were for sale, and Martha sponsors a Google group so the Mei Zen community has an open discussion forum. In order to be "certified" and listed on the main website, you must present cases and have your needling technique observed at a special certification seminar. This ensures standards of practice and is a good device for building further branding and loyalty. Above everything else, this is a well conceived business plan!

The Instructor: Martha Lucas is all knowledge and no fluff - her matter-of-fact method really gibes with my learning style. She had a strong foundation in her particular style of acupuncture and is an enthusiastic, articulate presenter. Her supervised practice was invaluable, she was open to knowledge offered by seminar participants, and she was humble enough to only answer questions she knew the answer to. She kept good control over the seminar in terms of ensuring everyone stayed on task, was able to give detailed, individualized feedback of needling technique, and demonstrated great respect and deference to her own teachers.

My only criticism is that she did make some disparaging and somewhat uninformed comments about "rival" facial acupuncture instructors and their techniques. I have never taken Virgina Doran's seminar, but I did participate in Mary Elizabeth Wakefield's and there are many similarities between the two systems. That being said, I am would love to attend her Pulse Seminar and Mei Zen system for weight loss, infertility and health issues should they ever be located nearby.

The Product: Lili Flora is the affiliated skin care line that uses all natural western herbal ingredients. I was able to pick the founder's brain about the products, but I would have liked for her to have had some presentation time during the seminar. There was no sales pressure to buy these products and in fact, if you are at all crafty and like to experiment, it would be easy to make most of them in your kitchen. I have been using some of the products at home and feel they are of good quality and smell wonderful.

I am glad I attended this seminar if only for the great nutritional/herbal information and marketing ideas presented. I think Mei Zen is a solid system, and while the apex and crossing points are a good theory, but honestly, threading works and is no more uncomfortable that the Mei Zen way if performed properly. Ultimately, it is my patients who decide what method they prefer. I hope to continue to study with Martha in the future as she is a dynamic, innovative, and practical instructor who provides good value and knowledge for your CEU dollar.

Stabbed in the Back

The proclamation that acupuncture significantly outperforms conventional medication and physical therapy was published on multiple sites this morning. The only downside to the research is that they found sham acupuncture works almost as well, upping the potential for "quackery."

Acupuncture better at treating low back pain than conventional therapy
From our ANI Correspondent

Washington, Sept 25: A new study has revealed that six months of acupuncture is more effective than conventional therapy for treating chronic low back pain.

The study conducted by researchers at the University of Regensburg found that both sham acupuncture and traditional Chinese verum acupuncture, seem effective in treating chronic pain.

"Low back pain is a common, impairing and disabling condition, often long-term, with an estimated lifetime prevalence of 70 percent to 85 percent," the authors wrote."

It is the second most common pain for which physician treatment is sought and a major reason for absenteeism and disability," they added.

Michael Haake, Ph.D., M.D., of the University of Regensburg, Bad Abbach, Germany, and colleagues conducted a randomized clinical trial involving 1,162 patients (average age 50) who had experienced chronic low back pain for an average of eight years.

"At six months, response rate was 47.6 percent in the verum acupuncture group, 44.2 percent in the sham acupuncture group and 27.4 percent in the conventional therapy group."

"The superiority of both forms of acupuncture suggests a common underlying mechanism that may act on pain generation, transmission of pain signals or processing of pain signals by the central nervous system and that is stronger than the action mechanism of conventional therapy," the authors said.

"Acupuncture gives physicians a promising and effective treatment option for chronic low back pain, with few adverse effects or contraindications. The improvements in all primary and secondary outcome measures were significant and lasted long after completion of treatment.," they added.

Read More

From the Associated Press: Study: Acupuncture Works for Back Pain

Funny Tidbit

Okay, this is not stricly acupuncture related, but it is amusing and possibly something to consider when treating patients with implants.


Bee sting burst breast implant

A Taiwanese woman's breast implant was reportedly burst by a bee sting.

The 31-year-old woman, from Miaoli town, was wearing a low-cut dress while riding her motorcycle when her right breast was stung by a bee.

"My right breast disappeared in only two days," said the woman, who received the implant three years ago, according to Southern China City News.

Surgeon Zeng Dingchang says the saline implant is supposed to resist pressure of up to 200 kg, and said it was "very strange" for one to deflate because of a bee sting.

"She is very skinny, and the implant made the skin of her breast even thinner, and therefore easy to penetrate," he said.

The surgeon has now performed a replacement implanted operation - but warns that acupuncture or yoga could cause it to burst again.

Obituary of an Acupuncture Hero

I came across this lovely story and thought I would share.

Peter Wang, 88, acupuncturist who bridged cultures: A Life Story
Teacher, author helped Chinese newcomers settle in NE Ohio
Monday, August 27, 2007
Alana BaranickPlain Dealer Reporter

At his Chester Township acupuncture clinic, Peter C. Wang helped folks quit smoking, relieved their arthritis pain and immersed them in Chinese culture.

The former Gates Mills resident, who died July 26 at age 88, opened the clinic with his wife, Rose, in the late 1970s.

"[Acupuncture] was something you didn't talk about then," said Ann Volk, who was Wang's patient in the late 1980s. "It had not gained the status that it has today. He gave successful treatments for weight loss, smoking, drinking. I had a cyst on the back of my knee. He helped me immeasurably."

Wang, whose wife had been trained in acupuncture in Hong Kong, returned to his homeland around 1980 to take acupuncture courses given by traditional Chinese medical colleges and to receive certification. He found the political climate had changed dramatically since 1949 when Mao Tse-tung's Chinese Communist Party took power.

Wang, the son of a teacher, was born Wang Chieh in Shanxi, a province in northern China. He grew up in a rural area, where he learned horticulture, culinary arts and equestrian skills that had been handed down from his ancestors.

Read More

A Sign of Things to Come?

As the country moves toward self-funded insurance while listening to presidential candidates debate the merits of everything from national healthcare to requiring all employers to provide coverage, it is hard to predict where intergrative modalities will fit in. But they say everything starts at the coasts and moves inland. As usual, California is at the forefront of advancing coverage, and therefore legitimacy, of acupuncture practice.

Bill would require insurance to cover acupuncture

By Hector Trujillo/Staff Writer

A bill requiring health-care service plans and health insurers to provide coverage for acupuncture under a group plan or policy is being considered in the Legislature.

Assembly Bill 54, introduced by Mervyn Dymally, D-Compton, creates new coverage requirements on health-care service plans and would impose state-mandated local programs.

"Every insurer issuing group health insurance shall provide coverage for expenses incurred as a result of treatment by holders of licenses under Section 4938 of the Business and Professional Code...,” according to the bill.

Section 4938 says any person other than a physician, surgeon, dentist or podiatrist who is not licensed and practices or supervises an acupuncture procedure involving the application of a needle is guilty of a misdemeanor.

“About 70 percent of insurers are currently offering acupuncture coverage in their plans,” said Janet Leach, a licensed acupuncturist. “It will make a huge difference with 100 percent of patients being covered.

“This bill will significantly affect the way acupuncturists are perceived in the medical profession,” added Leach, who has worked at the Five Cities Medical Building in Pismo Beach for the last seven years.

Read More

Acupuncture for Weight Loss

While I give dietary recommendations to the majority of my clients, I do not do a lot of acupuncture for weight loss as a stand alone treatment. I advise patients to speak with a nutritionist, preferably holistic, to devise a solid meal and activity plan. Here is an article from the ShanghaiDaily.com that gives an informative break-down with some free dietary advise - I would skip the "downward purging" though!

TCM take on fat: Vent your spleen
By Zhang Qian 2007-8-15

If you want to fight fat the TCM way, you should eat foods to promote a healthy spleen — like Chinese pearl barley, known as Job's tears — and drink lots of Pu'er tea. Both are also diuretics, writes Zhang Qian.

A sun top, miniskirt and high-heel sandals - that's the outfit that catches men's attention and other girls' envy on the streets in summer. In order to show off their figures in skimpy clothes, girls started their weight-loss battles months ago, but it's never too late to lose weight.Drinking slimming tea (a laxative), staying on a diet, and going to the gym frequently are widely used weight-loss methods. But eating certain foods or being pierced by fine silver needles may also help you to get rid of excessive weight.

Most people believe that obesity results from eating too much, which is certainly true in most cases. But it fails to explain why some people gain weight even though they eat little and drink lots of water while others keep slim though they eat a big dinner every day.

"It is not simply the case that the more you eat, the more weight you gain," says Dr Zhang Zhongyi, deputy director of the Acupuncture Department of Yueyang Western and Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital. "Whether your stomach and spleen work well plays a much more important role."

According to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), the spleen, together with the stomach, digest and absorb nutrients (the spleen function in TCM differs from that in Western medicine). TCM holds that the spleen is responsible for sending the nutrients from the stomach to all the organs, and also for expelling excessive body fluid. If the spleen doesn't function well, excessive body fluid will collect and turn into fat.

Fat not only collects on muscles, destroying a nice figure, but also on organs and in the blood, which can cause health problems.

Read More

What's In A Name?

There has been some debate lately on the name "alternative medicine." Much of the head-butting between Western and Eastern styles of practiced had diminished as more and more primary health care providers are suggesting massage, yoga, and acupuncture. "Complementary medicine" has been the preferred term over the past few years, however that does not tell the entire story either. The new title seems to be "integrated medicine" which doesn't make any one therapy primary and allows for a broad range of therapies to be considered legitimate. Guess I am going to have to change the wording in my website!

Integrating alternatives into Western medicine

AmyGillentine
August 10, 2007

Alternative medicine isn’t really “alternative” any more — in fact, the medical community isn’t even using that term.

Now it’s “integrated” medicine, and after years of being considered a fringe practice, treatments such as massage and acupuncture have found their way into mainstream medicine.

So why the name change?

“Years ago it was called alternative because it was Eastern vs. Western medicine and they knocked against each other often,” said Theresa O’Toole, associate administrator of rehabilitative services at Memorial Health System. “They use integrated because it’s part of the total treatment, not an alternative, but in tandem with other, more Western treatments.”

More than 60 percent of adults say they’ve tried some kind of integrated medicine, according to studies. And the number reaches 70 percent when surveying people who are 60 and older.

What is integrated medicine? According to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, one of the National Institutes of Health sites, it’s everything from acupuncture to vitamin regimens to prayer.

The center released a study in 2004 that showed that as many as 62 percent of U.S. residents have used some sort of integrated medical treatment — with most saying that they include megavitamin therapy and prayer as part of their health programs.

READ MORE AT: http://www.thepbj.com/story.cfm?ID=10958

Dynamic Duo

Several years ago a Mexican friend and I were discussing acupuncture when the subject of cupping came up. He exclaimed "my mom did that to us on our backs when we were sick as kids - it's a Mexican thing!" It is also an Oriental Medicine "thing." Imagine - two toatally different cultures developing the same type of treatment oceans apart. Now there is a deeper cross-cultural sharing as acupuncture sweeps Mexico thanks to an educational exchange with Viet Nam.

Viet Nam, Mexico pin down acupuncture education deal
(31-07-2007)

HA NOI — Viet Nam and Mexico inked an agreement in Ha Noi yesterday to develop acupuncture education and exchange between the two countries.

The plan, which will see Viet Nam help train Mexican doctors in acupuncture and set up a drug rehabilitation centre in Zacatecas, was signed by Director of the National Hospital of Acupuncture Nghiem Huu Thanh and Rector of the Zacatecas Autonomous University, Mexico Alfredo Femat Banuelo.

Also on the agenda is an international conference aimed at bringing acupuncture to a wider audience and discussing techniques. The conference will be held for the first time in Zacatecas this November with the support of Viet Nam Acupuncture Association and the National Hospital of Acupuncture.

The contributions of the Viet Nam Acupuncture Centre in the Zacatecas Autonomous University pointed to the special relationship Viet Nam shares with Mexico, rector Banuelo said at the signing ceremony.

According to statistics from the National Hospital of Acupuncture, nearly 50 Vietnamese doctors have come to work in Mexico, providing acupuncture treatment for 12,000 Mexican patients so far. With the support of Vietnamese experts, 17 Mexican masters in acupuncture have been trained at Zacatecas University. — VNS

Teeter-Tottoring with Community Acupuncture

Lately there has been much buzz concerning community acupuncture as such clinics have been popping up all over the country. These clinics offer acupuncture on a sliding scale fee from between $15-$40 per session with treatment taking place in a group setting, These patients are typically placed in a recliner rather than on a table, and remain clothed as the majority of points used are distally located. According to the Community Acupuncture Network:

Acupuncture has been a community based medicine for most of its long history. In Asia, acupuncture has traditionally been practiced in group rather than individual settings. For acupuncture to be most effective, patients need to receive it frequently and regularly -- far more frequently and regularly than most insurance plans will pay for. As acupuncture has moved toward the mainstream, it has been forced into a paradigm of one-on-one treatments and high prices, which has decreased not only patient access but treatment efficacy.

While on one hand, this may be a cost efficient delivery model, the first thing that comes to mind is "what about HIPPA?!" Where is the patient confidentiality? I suppose this differs from clinic to clinic, but I can't help getting the image of the dryer section in a beauty salon with everyone knowing each other's business. The range of reactions to treatment, especially in those with mental/emotional issues, are not often things to be shared with strangers.

I am interested in the use of the word "efficacy" when they are cutting out a good number of acupuncture points and limiting available modalities. Sure, you can get great effect using the yuan primary, xi-cleft, and eight-extra meridian points, but you mostly eliminate Mu and Shu points as well as the local ashi for pains on the back and lower abdomen. What about moxa, plum blossom and cupping? Is there time for electro-stim or tui na? Is several affordable treatments lacking in completeness truly better than one full, private session?

Also, I wonder about the patient-client relationship. Much of the reason many of us go into alternative medicine is to have a more personal contact with our clients than many of us may have experienced with our primary health providers. This model sounds dangerously close to factory mill. It also increases the possibility of mistakes or accidents.

By providing lower cost service, are you still providing the same quality care that you would one-on-one or is the client, "getting what I paid for?" You are also undercutting other practitioners by providing a cheap service that does not represent the full spectrum of the medicine. It is up in the air whether this coveted "boost in awareness" of acupuncture will serve to bring the profession up or put it on the level of the corner trend market (remember the oxygen bar?). To put it another way, you don't see internists or GPs hanging out there shingle with an advertised price. Sliding scale fees in western medicine are typically done through organizations that verify employment and income. And no one I know has a very high opinion of the "stop and doc."

Lest you think I am totally dismissive, this style does have advantages, especially for new practitioners, in that you can see more patients and gain rapid assessment skills while honing your treatment style. You can see a broad range of people and conditions that may have otherwise not had access to treatment, potentially put new clients at ease by the casual atmosphere, and, pardon the bluntness, increase your income stream in a way traditional acupuncturists cannot accomplish. There are all kinds of things you can add, such as auricular acupuncture, foot cleanses, and massaging chairs, that would add to the experience and effectiveness. Just as cognitive behavioral therapy has been found to be a good adjunct to traditional psychotherapy, perhaps group acupuncture for people with similar ailments would have have an amplified effect.

An intriguing model would be to have a duel practice similar to the Western MD "group". Partnering with another acupuncturist(s) allows for a combination of both models thereby offering more options to your patients while having a few other professionals to consult with. Hmmmmm . . . .

I'm Back

It has been a couple of months since my last post and there has been quite a bit of news in the acupuncture world. More research and testimonials as to the effectiveness of Oriental Medicine, more worldwide and national coverage of local clinics and larger hospitals, more emergence of community acupuncture clinics that, depending on who you are talking to, undercut peers and undermine the profession or provide low-cost therapy to those who could otherwise not afford treatment, . . . more "asian medicine" clinics being busted for a phony prostitution front. Any way you look at it, acupuncture has been in the news while I have been away and I am ready to pick-up and resume inserting my 2 yuan. In the meantime, here are a couple of websites/blogs I have run into in the past few days. Enjoy!

http://thelantern.com.au/

http://www.classicformulas.com/

Old Friends, New Clinic

This morning I was pleased to read that a former instructor of mine teamed up with one of my old buddies to open an integrative health clinic. Steve Swart, infamous at IICM for being the most hard line didactic and clinical instructor (and I aced his final thank you very much), and Robert Campbell, who I remember even in his first year investigating suppliers for his future herbal pharmacy, have opened an impressive center for holistic healing in an area where "alternative medicine" has become an anachronistic term. I remember reading a statistic that there were more acupuncturists per capita in Santa Fe then there were in the major cities in China! At any rate, this pair will doubtless win over the competition.

Not-so-new healing center often a 'last resort'
By Cindy Bellinger For The New Mexican May 1, 2007

After a lot of renovation that included new walls, carpeting and the re-routing of electrical wiring, the Integrative Holistic Healing Center finally opened two years ago, and word is slowly getting around.

"We seem to be the last resort, though," said Robert Campbell, doctor of Oriental medicine and co-owner. "When people have tried every treatment in town for their health problems, they turn up here."

Steve Swart, who is also a doctor of Oriental medicine and a partner in the business, said that he doesn't see the work at the center as "alternative."

"We work with doctors of Western medicine to dovetail the treatments," he said.

That's what Nancy King finally did. She'd had leukemia, and when she began experiencing various symptoms, she knew it was coming back.

"I had a high fever and had some idea about what was happening," she said. "My oncologist knew about Steve and recommended that I go see him. (Swart) has really helped me find a level of management for my cancer."

Treatments offered at the Integrative Holistic Healing Center include acupuncture, biofeedback, neuromuscular therapy, massage and counseling. Swart and Campbell also have a hypnotherapist, herbalists, energy workers and those practiced in advanced levels of blood work on staff. Eight people, who work at the center on a contract basis, organize collective discussions when they feel a patient could benefit from several approaches.

http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/61017.html

Upcoming Battle

Great, the FDA got board again. I understand the need for regulation, but juice? How do they plan to enforce banning vegetables and stones? And Mr. McGreggor though Peter Rabbit was a nuisance!

The FDA is proposing stricter regulations for herbs, vitamins, vegetable juices and even “devices” such as massage oils, massage rocks, and acupuncture needles under a new guidance document up for review.

According to the document produced by the FDA, use of CAM therapies has risen substantially over the last few years, with one third of adults reporting using some form of CAM in the last year. Interestingly, the docket also reports that visits to CAM practitioners outnumber visits to primary care physicians each year.

The FDA claims that their regulations are simply a “guidance” as to what constitutes regulated CAM items. The CAM community disagrees. They see the defining of regulated items as an attempt to control the use of CAM within the United States—and possibly incorporate CAM devices and medicines into what some refer to as “Big Pharma,” the pharmaceutical industry.

The guidance document essentially defines any item used to treat, mitigate, cure or prevent a disease as regulated by the FDA. This means that if someone claims their vegetable juice helps cure cancer, the FDA then has the right to regulate that vegetable juice as a drug. It also means that if someone is using massage rocks as part of their therapy for a disease or disorder, those massage rocks are regulated as medical devices.

What impact does that have on the CAM practitioner and consumer? If something is regulated by the FDA as a drug or medical device, its use is restricted. People will no longer be able to legally grow or distribute herbs in their garden if those herbs are used for medicinal purposes or administer juice if that juice is said to have health benefits.

http://www.anxiety-and-depression-solutions.com/articles/news/FDA_alt_med_0407.php

Self Acupuncture and the Fractal Body

When I first read the title I thought of one of my former classmates yelling about "recycled qi!" I have done my share of self-treatments and given many lessons to patients on how to use self-acupressure. However, I believe no matter how great of an acupuncturist or massage therapist you are, there is nothing like having it done by a fellow professional.

The title nonwithstanding, Dr. Ye has developed a "fractal needle" system drawing on concepts from the Yellow Emperor's Classic and the use of one-needle treatments. A fractal is a repatative geometric figure within a structure. In acupuncture, you can think of the ear, hands, or feet being a fractal of the whole body. This is a bit on the esoteric side, so for a more complete description with case studies and treatment protocols, visit http://www.positivehealth.com/permit/Articles/Acupuncture/ye62.htm

If it works, it would be an excellent tool for patients who could benefit from more frequent treatments but are unable to afford or schedule them. As a main treatment, however, I am a little skeptical.

Self Acupuncture
Alien Sheng
April 15, 2007

Mention acupuncture and people tend to get images of an ancient Chinese man with a long, white beard and needles. The practice of self acupuncture puts this to rest.

When the idea of writing on the subject of self acupuncture was first considered, it created a feeling of outrage. It would appear that the idea that self acupuncture was possible seemed as idiotic and dangerous as offering a guide to self-brain surgery. It seemed to insult the entire idea of Traditional Chinese Medicine and lump it into a classification with other New Age self help treatments. The theories that provide the foundation for acupuncture are grounded in centuries of experimentation, study, and philosophical contemplation. To think that you could go to Wal-Mart and buy a copy of “Acupuncture for Dummies” was insulting.

This is not really wrong either. Acupuncture is not something that can be done by someone who does not have a great deal of training. On the other hand, it is not really a dangerous thing. If the needles used are at least sterile, and the insertion points are clean, there is not a lot of harm that can be done by an amateur. There is not a lot of good that can be done either.

There is a legitimate form of self acupuncture, however. It was developed a few years ago by a Dr. Zu De Ye while he was at the University of Arizona. It has since spread and is being offered in clinics in several countries. It is founded on a theory known as the “fractal theory.” This theory was developed using the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine, but taking some of them a step further. To understand exactly how it works, one must be able to accept the concept that the Universe is made up of parts that are microcosms of the whole.

For example, the human body is a microcosm of the Universe itself. The forces that are at play in the Universe are also at play inside the human body. When the human body is out of harmony with this cosmic oneness, illness occurs. When the body is in harmony, wellness occurs. The fractal theory takes this a step further. Parts of the body can also represent the whole. This idea is behind such things as ear acupuncture where the ear is seen as representing a human form curled into a fetal position. It also appears in Korean Hand acupuncture where all of the points and Meridians of the body are located in the hand.

The fully developed fractal theory has led to the discovery of certain points on the human body that are actually microcosms of entire organ systems. Results can be obtained by stimulation of these points with very small needles. It involves only one needle placed in certain very specific and easily located key points on the body. Dr. Ye’s treatment regime has allowed patients to practice this form of self acupuncture. The needles are small, and the points in safe locations, so the danger is minimal. The advantages of self acupuncture is that no practitioner is needed for the treatments and time and money are saved. Although much more research needs to be done here, there is some indication that the self acupuncture following principles of fractal theory might one day become another tool in the healer’s arsenal.