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President’s Message
‘AAMA cannot remain isolated’ – talks underway with LAc community
By Richard C. Niemtzow, MD, PhD, MPH
President, AAMA
Dear Colleagues:
I trust this AAMA Newsletter finds all of you well and getting into the enjoyment of summer. If you remember in my last message, I discussed the importance of communicating with other people practicing acupuncture besides ourselves. Here is what took place in mid-June:
Dr. Steve Burns and I had a face-to-face meeting with Michael Jabbour, CSP, LAc, MS, Acupuncture Society of New York president, New York State Acupuncture Coalition treasurer, and chair of the American Academy of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (AAAOM ) Presidents Council, to discuss how a mutually advantageous relationship could be developed to benefit our profession.
We began by introducing ourselves, and then discussed our backgrounds and training. We confirmed our mutual respect for experts and academic scholarship existing in both the Western medical and Chinese medical models. It is on the basis of building bridges, finding common ground and seeking ways to strengthen the field for the betterment of our patients, that this conversation took place.
Our discussion was wide-ranging and included issues such as the removal of older divisive language used by members of the two professions, opening our conferences to participants and speakers from both national organizations, opening our journals for the publication of articles, pursuing common public policy initiatives or changes and focusing on other ways we can collaborate.
I found the meeting to be very positive and inspiring. We were all aware of the possible community opposition and agreed to work diligently, with diplomacy, transparency and integrity to support community involvement and participation. I look forward to working with Michael and his colleagues, and hope we can open a gateway for future collaboration.
Working with LAc Community
In July, I met again with Michael Jabbour, Rebekah J. Christensen, executive director AAAOM; Chris Cheshire, chair of the AAAOM National Government Affairs Committee, and Bill Reddy, AAAOM director. The purpose of that meeting was to introduce ourselves and then to discuss paths that will be beneficial to all of us.
We can no longer exist without establishing “diplomatic” relationships with the LAc community. Times are changing, and we all face some of the same challenges. As you know, there are some states where physicians are not permitted to practice acupuncture, only LAcs. This and other issues must be discussed, with the prospects that we will understand each other better, respect and share better ways to go forward -- rather than be stuck in the quagmires of the past.
The AAMA cannot remain isolated. It is better that none of us have a clenched fist but an open hand! You have heard this from President Obama. It is a good for all of us, too.
I would appreciate hearing from you with your comments, and willingness to assist and contribute in any way to the Academy. I can best be reached at n5ev@aol.com.
More to follow.
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Members earn DABMA certification
The following AAMA members recently met the stringent requirements of the American Board of Medical Acupuncture (ABMA) and have achieved Board Certification in medical acupuncture. They have earned the designation DABMA (Diplomate, American Board of Medical Acupuncture):
Caridad Bravo-Fernandez, MD, of Brookfield, WI; Adam R. Burkey, MD, Philadelphia, PA; of Grigory V. Chernyak, MD, of Edmond, OK; Gail R. Eberharter, MD, of Boise, ID; Maiphuong T. Huynh, MD, of Portland, OR; Pamela Levine, MD, of Loveland, CO; Howard Liu, MD, of Brighton, MA; Karolyn R. Mauro, MD, of San Diego, CA; Jennifer Baker-Porazinski, MD, of Hoosick Falls, NY; Kieran Anthony Slevin, MD, of Philadelphia, PA; Susan Krieger Sorensen, MD, of Palo Alto, CA; Anelys Torres-Rivera, MD, of Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico, and Bradley J. Williams, MD, of Phoenix, AZ.
The Academy has posted a list online of members who are Board Certified. Diplomates (DABMA) are listed alphabetically by last name, along with their location, and dates of expiration.
Click here for more on the Board Certification process.
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ICMART Congress in Greece reviews latest medical acupuncture techniques
By Bryan L. Frank, MD, FAAMA
The ICMART Congress in Medical Acupuncture, hosted by the Medical Acupuncture Congress of Northern Greece was held in Thessaloniki in May. Approximately 500 physicians attended the Congress, where a wide variety of basic and clinical science on medical acupuncture was presented.
Plenary lectures, workshops, round tables, poster presentations and concurrent free papers kept the attendees busy at the Grand Hotel Palace. Bryan L. Frank, MD, FAAMA (AAMA president 1999-2001) and Marshall Sager, DO, FAAMA (AAMA president 2001-2003) attended as co-delegates of the AAMA, as well as Drs. Will and Wendy Page-Echols (Wendy a former AAMA Board member and officer).
Presentation Awards
3-B Acupuncture Awards were given for Outstanding Oral Presentations. Awards were given for 1st Place to E.K Borud, et al (Norway) on The Acupuncture Treatment for Postmenopausal Hot Flashes (Acu-Flash) Study: Traditional Chinese Medicine Diagnoses and Acupuncture Points Used, and Their Relation to the Treatment Response, for 2nd Place to T. I. Usichenko, et al (Germany) on Auricular Acupuncture Reduces Fentanyl Requirement During Hip Arthroplasty - A Randomized Controlled Trial, and for 3rd Place to Konstantina Theodoratu (Greece) on Placebo and Acupuncture: An Unusual Approach.
Additionally, 3-B Acupuncture Awards were presented for Poster Papers for 1st Place to S. Kamberis, et al (Greece) on The Use and Efficacy of the Acupuncture Method in the Treatment of Trigeminal Neuralgia, Due to Multiple Sclerosis, for 2nd Place to O. Parra, et al (Spain) on Acupuncture as Treatment of Vascular Ulcers in Lower Extremities, and for 3rd Place to C. Demrich-Wander, et al (Germany) for The Gold Acupuncture With Dogs.
Click here for photos of ICMART 2009.
ICMART 2010
The International Council of Medical Acupuncture and Related Techniques Board met during the Congress and is pleased to announce the 2010 ICMART Congress in Riga, Latvia on May 28-30, 2010. During the 2010 Riga Congress, elections and General Assembly will be held. Please make plans to attend the 2010 ICMART Congress in Riga, a beautiful and historic city on the Baltic Sea.
ICMART just launched the website for its 2010 Congress.
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Medical Acupuncture Research
The following is a review of reported research results and related news recently announced or released through Internet outlets:
· The abstract, “Acupuncture for Dyspepsia in Pregnancy: a Prospective, Randomised, Controlled Study,” was published in Acupuncture in Medicine (2009; 27:50-53) by the British Medical Journal Publishing Group Ltd and the British Medical Acupuncture Society. A total of 42 conventionally treated pregnant women were allocated by chance into two groups to be treated, or not, by acupuncture. They reported the severity of symptoms and the disability these were causing in daily aspects of life such as sleeping and eating, using a numerical rating scale. Significant improvements in symptoms were found in the study group. This group also used less medication and had a greater improvement in their disabilities when compared with the control group. This study suggests that acupuncture may alleviate dyspepsia during pregnancy. Click here for details.
· The abstract, “Non-pharmacological Interventions for Assisting the Induction of Anaesthesia in Children,” was published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (2009, Issue 3). Non-pharmacological methods for reducing anxiety and improving co-operation may avoid the adverse effects of preoperative sedation in children. Researchers reviewed data from 17 trials that together involved 1,796 children between ages 10 months and 17 years. Researchers concluded that a number of different interventions show promise in being effective in increasing cooperation and reducing anxiety in children during anaesthetic administration. They recommended relaxation techniques such as acupuncture targeted at parents, since in one trial, children seemed to benefit when their parents were given acupuncture to reduce anxiety. Parental stress can be transmitted to the child. Click here for details.
· This summer, patients undergoing acupuncture for back pain are being asked to take part in a research study in England. Acupuncturist and physiotherapist Jacqueline Brown, who practices at the Natural Health and Fertility Clinic in Whitchurch, is taking part in an Arthritis Research Campaign study. The research will examine why some patients get better pain relief than others. It is hoped the study will determine if other factors, rather than just the use of acupuncture needles play a part in relieving pain. The study, run by the University of Southampton, aims to recruit 500 people from across the UK.
· The abstract, “Low-Frequency Electroacupuncture and Physical Exercise Decrease High Muscle Sympathetic Nerve Activity in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS),” was published online in the American Journal of Physiology. Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology (August 2009; 297: R387 - R395). Researchers assigned 20 women with PCOS to receive acupuncture for 16 weeks; to do activity that would bring their pulse up to 120 beats per minute for 30 to 45 minutes, at least 3 days a week, also for 16 weeks; or to a control group that received information on healthy diet and exercise but weren't instructed to change their habits. For the first time, researchers demonstrated that low-frequency electroacupuncture and physical exercise lowers high sympathetic nerve activity in women with PCOS. Thus, that treatment with the aim to reduce MSNA may be of importance for women with PCOS. Click here for details.
· The abstract, “A Randomized Trial Comparing Acupuncture, Simulated Acupuncture, and Usual Care for Chronic Low Back Pain,” was published in Archives of Internal Medicine (May 11, 2009, Vol. 169, No. 9). A total of 638 adults with chronic mechanical low back pain were randomized to individualized acupuncture, standardized acupuncture, simulated acupuncture or usual care. Ten treatments were provided over seven weeks. Participants receiving real or simulated acupuncture were more likely than those receiving usual care to experience clinically meaningful improvements. Although acupuncture was found effective for chronic low back pain, tailoring needling sites to each patient and penetration of the skin appear to be unimportant in eliciting therapeutic benefits. Findings raise questions about acupuncture's purported mechanisms of action. It remains unclear whether acupuncture or the simulated method of acupuncture provide physiologically important stimulation or represent placebo or nonspecific effects. Click here for details.
· According to Chinese Medicine (2009, 4:7), almost one in ten Australians has received acupuncture treatment by acupuncturists and/or medical doctors in private clinics. The majority of Australian health insurance funds offer rebates for acupuncture. Statutory regulations for acupuncture have been implemented in the State of Victoria, Australia. Six acupuncture degree courses have been approved by the Chinese Medicine Registration Board of Victoria and/or accredited by the Australian Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine Association.Furthermore, a number of clinical trials of acupuncture on allergic rhinitis, pain and women's health were carried out in Australia. Recent developments of acupuncture in Australia indicate that through adequate and appropriate evaluation, acupuncture begins to integrate into mainstream health care in Australia, according to online news site 7th Space.
· The abstract, “The Acupuncture on Hot Flushes Among Menopausal Women (ACUFLASH) Study -- A Randomized Controlled Trial,” was published in Menopause, the Journal of the North American Menopause Society (May/June 2009, Vol. 16, Issue 3, pp 484-493). The randomised controlled trial of 267 postmenopausal women with an average of seven or more hot flushes a day for seven consecutive days received acupuncture and advice on self care, while the control group received advice on self care only. Hot flush frequency decreased by 5.8 per 24 hours in the acupuncture group and 3.7 per 24 hours in the control group, a significant difference of 2.1 per day. The acupuncture group also significantly improved their sleep, somatic and vasomotor function. Click here for details.
· The abstract, “Acupuncture for Obesity: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis,” was published in the International Journal of Obesity (2009, Issue 3). The review analyzed 31 studies on the efficacy of acupuncture in the treatment of obesity. The systematic study was comprised of 3,013 individual cases where acupuncture was used to reduce body weight. Researchers concluded that acupuncture is an effective treatment for obesity. However, the amount of evidence is not fully convincing because of the poor methodological quality of trials reviewed. They would like well-planned, long-term studies to address the effectiveness of acupuncture on treating obesity. Click here for details.
Please send information you find on research involving the effectiveness of medical acupuncture to bdortberg@aol.com.
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Member News
Just announced: The 22nd Annual AAMA Symposium will be held April 22-25, 2010, with the Pre-Symposium on April 22, 2010, the Review Course on April 20 & 21, 2010 and the Board Certification Exam on April 25, 2010. The location will be the Orlando World Center Marriott Resort, 8701 World Center Drive in Orlando, FL. For the AAMA discounted room rate of $169/night (single/double), call the hotel by March 23, 2010 at 407/238-8973.
The Academy’s 2009 Symposium was held in Fort Worth, Texas. The Syllabus for the 2009 Symposium and Pre-Symposiums are available for purchase. Click here for an order form.
The Medical Acupuncture Review Course is available on DVD. Visit the AAMA Store to purchase this valuable learning tool.
As part of AAMA membership, members are being offered access to more than 400 journal articles categorized by disease/health application which promote the efficacy of Acupuncture. Contact Phil McGee at phil@hmieducation.com to obtain your unique password to access this information anytime. Then go to www.hmiacupuncture.com and click on "LINKS."
Members participating in AAMA's referral program will be happy to hear that there were 641 unique visits to the website referral page in April, almost doubled with 1,133 unique visits to the website referral page in May, and 1,119 in June from patients seeking medical acupuncturists in their area. Members interested in participating in the Patient Referral Program should visit the physician listings online to verify that they are listed. Only Practice level members are eligible to participate and the Academy staff needs explicit notice to include a member in the program.
Nader Soliman, MD, president of Alternative Medicine Seminars, has announced the fall schedule for meetings addressing Auricular Therapy, Auricular Medicine, Three-phase Hand Acupuncture and Homeopathy for Physicians. The schedule also includes a seminar presented by Dr. Richard Niemtzow, addressing Battlefield Acupuncture and treatment of Xerostomia.
Caring.com was recently added to AAMA’s Links of Interest. The site provides eldercare resources to help family caregivers make informed decisions and find the right treatment options, including medical acupuncture for stroke therapy and pain relief. There are 34 million adult children caring for aging parents in the US – and Caring.com wants to give family caregivers trusted information, access to eldercare experts, community support groups and a directory of local caregiving services.
"Clinical Rotation in Acupuncture for Medical Acupuncturists" will feature individualized instruction, supervised patient sessions and mentoring from experts. Intense clinical time will enable participants to get highly individualized attention while exposing them to a variety of patients and medical conditions. The 12-week, five-hour/week course will be held from 4-9 pm Tuesdays Sept. 29-Dec. 15 at the Department of Family Medicine at BostonMedicalCenter. Boston University School of Medicine is accrediting this course for a maximum of 55 AMA PRA Category 1 credits. For details, call 508/439-2781 or e-mail mdclinicalacupuncture@comcast.net.
The Academy has a limited number of the book, “Getting to Know You,” by Joseph M. Helms, MD, in stock. While they last, Practice members can purchase them at the discounted price of $17, plus $3.50 postage and handling. Contact AAMA headquarters at 310/364-0193.
August 1 is the deadline to submit an abstract for the Society for Acupuncture Research Conference, March 19-21, 2010 at the Sheraton Hotel in Chapel Hill, NC. Co-sponsored by the UNC – Chapel Hill, School of Medicine, Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation; Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center Program for Complementary and Integrative Medicine, and Integrative Health Center of Chapel Hill, the SAR Conference is entitled, Translational Research in Acupuncture: Bridging Science, Practice and Community. This conference will explore effective strategies for advancing translational research as it applies to acupuncture and will focus on addressing paradoxes emerging from the research evidence to date.
Drs. Alejandro Elorriaga Claraco and Angelica Fargas-Babjak will be offering, Contemporary Acupuncture for Health Professionals, in units this fall and next spring at McMaster University – Continuing Health Sciences Education in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The program is accredited for 300 hours AMA PR Category 1 & M2 by the College of Family Physicians of Canada MAINPRO-M1, Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons of Canada.
Editor-in-Chief Dr. Richard Niemtzow of the journal, Medical Acupuncture, is seeking volunteer reviewers to review manuscripts. Reviewers will access manuscripts online. Reviews must be completed and returned within one business week. Reviewers successfully completing a series of timely, high-quality reviews may be invited to join the Editorial Board (at the discretion of the editor in chief). Please send brief qualifications and contact information to n5ev@aol.com and copy rosalynr@aol.com.
Bryan L. Frank, MD,. FAAMA, continues to lead medical missions. He will take a team to Mexico Sept. 23-27 and a combined mission to India and Nepal Oct. 24- Nov. 7. Interested persons, non-medical and medical, may contact Dr. Frank for details at www.GlobalMissionPartners.org , bfrankmd@hotmail.com and 405/623-7667.
Jay Sandweiss, DO, FAAMA, will lead, Integrative Manual Approach to Upper Extremity Pain and Dysfunction, Oct. 10-11, 2009 at the Covenant HealthCare Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation in Saginaw, MI. The seminar will be hands-on, with Dr. Sandweiss monitoring practice sessions and offering corrections and insights. He also recently presented the seminar, Worlds Unite: The Intersection of Nutritional Herbal Therapy, Manipulative Medicine & Acupuncture, in Detroit, MI, which was well received.
Zhejiang Chinese Medical University and the Integrative Healing Society is planning another Acupuncture Study Tour to China this fall, which is approved by the NCCAOM for 50 PDA's. Having the opportunity to see 40-50 patients before lunch has a way of solidifying one's clinical abilities. Delegates will get to witness how acupuncture point combinations used in China are different than those practiced in the West. There will be 30 hours of clinical observation and 20 hours of lectures. In the last tour to China, this group had the opportunity to spend a week in an Acupuncture Research Hospital in Shanghai. This program will be Oct. 2-17 in Hangzhou, China. For details, visit ihsociety.com.
Please send news items and photos to bdortberg@aol.com.
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Chapter News
Arizona
Arizona Chapter meetings are held at 9 am the second Saturday of the month at Dr. Martha Grout’s office, Arizona Center for Advanced Medicine, 9328 E. Raintree Drive, Scottsdale, AZ 85260. For details, call 480/240-2600 or e-mail drmartha@arizonaadvancedmedicine.com. There are monthly speakers on topics related to medical acupuncture, as well as Chinese and Functional/Integrative medicine. E-mail Dr. Grout to get on the e-mail list for meeting announcements.
California
Chapter officers are working hard to come up with innovative ideas for CME credits. They are continuing their membership drive to make the Chapter stronger. Academy members interested in joining the California Chapter are encouraged to contact President Haleh Sheikholeslami, MD, at calchapaama@hotmail.com.
Georgia
For information regarding membership and seminars with the Georgia Chapter of Medical Acupuncture, feel free to e-mail GAMA President Anna C. Kelly at georgiaacupuncturists@yahoo.com.
Illinois
The goal of current President, Lorene Wu, MD, DiplAc and Secretary/Treasurer, Anthony DeLorenzo, DO, is to provide education and support to members. Future possible projects include an extensive herbal course and a visit by Michael Hammes, MD, who presented at the AAMA Symposium. In addition, they plan to interface more with the wider acupuncture community by serving on the Illinois Acupuncture Board and by attending meetings of the local acupuncture society.
Meetings are held every other month at Memorial Hospital in LaGrange, IL.
Maryland
The Maryland Society of Medical Acupuncture offers educational programs and wants to increase participation. Treat yourself to a nice evening. It is free, and members whose dues are paid receive a nice free meal. The lecture is on the Chapter. Contact Chapter President Stephen Burns, MD, at stephen.burns@andrews.af.mil to join MSMA.
Ohio
The AAMA Ohio Chapter held its quarterly Journal Club meeting in June, with seven members in attendance. Dr. Rachel Heberling presented several articles to the group, including the German Acupuncture Trials (GERAC) for Chronic Low Back Pain. The articles generated a nice discussion about study design, the subjectivity of the pain response and ways to quantitate pain pre- and post-acupuncture treatment.
Members’ next meeting will be Sept. 27, 2009 from 1-3 pm at Alliance Institute for Integrative Medicine in Cincinnati, OH. They would love to see more active participation of the current membership and have input for a large spring CME event in 2010. New officers also need to be elected for the next two-year term. Please join them and invite medical acupuncture colleagues. For more information or questions, contact Liz Woolford, MD, at Liz.Woolford@myhealingpartner.com.
Pennsylvania
John Kohler, MD, FAAMA, is the new president of the Pennsylvania Chapter. Visit www.pamedicalacupuncture.com/ for details on this chapter.
Click here for an up-to-date listing of AAMA Regional Chapter officers, their contact information, Websites and members. Think about joining a Chapter to learn more about medical acupuncture specific to your area. And if there’s not a Chapter in your region, please consider forming one by contacting Chapter Liaison Dr. Bruce Gilbert (bruce.gilbert@verizon.net). Chapters provide fellowship, professional camaraderie, education and curbside consults.
Chapter representatives, please send your news and photos for the AAMA Newsletter via e-mail to bdortberg@aol.com.
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Employment Opportunities
· Seeking full- or part-time partner for rapidly growing all-medical acupuncture practice in Lincoln, NE. Volume is 430-450 visits/month with a single provider. Fifty new patients/month. Excellent opportunity for a newly trained acupuncturist to mentor or an established practitioner. Visit www.Lincolnwellness.com for more details. Call 402/440-4723 or e-mail hhkjc@windstream.net to discuss interest.
· Shared office space available in a recently remodeled, busy medical acupuncture practice in Marin County in northern California. Four treatment rooms available. If interested, contact Teresa Black, MD, at 415/519-4026 or takosha@comcast.net.
· An individual is sought with interest in expanding and enhancing Acubriefs. While it is financially stable and a helpful tool, Acubriefs deserves further energy to enhance and promote its utility as a source for online acupuncture references and promoting bibliography formation. Acubriefs also has an extensive library of journals and articles that would wonderfully enhance any library. Many of the journals and articles would be difficult to find anywhere else. Acubriefs is committed to providing access to one of the most comprehensive databases of English acupuncture references. Anyone interested in acquiring Acubriefs and helping it meet its full potential can contact Acubrief’s Webmaster J. Kimber Rotchford, MD, MPH, at Kimber@acubriefs.com.
· New York area acupuncture clinic established in 1994. Collects about $17,500/month. Seller owns the two-story building and is selling the 1,971-square-foot clinic. Clinic has a waiting room, two offices, four examination and treatment rooms, and a small foot detox room. One block off major route. Averaging about 12 new patients/month and about 23 patient visits/week. Doctor is retiring and focusing on his health. (503/645-7590, pps@practicesales.com)
∙ Medical Acupuncturist Position for Primary Care
(Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, or Ob/Gyn)
Unique opportunity to join a multi-specialty group while also continuing a thriving acupuncture practice with the Indian Health Service in Chinle, AZ (the heart of the Navajo Reservation.). Live and practice in a rural community at the entrance to Canyon de Chelly National Monument with outdoor activities. Work within a collegial and cross cultural environment. Loan repayment possibilities. US citizenship required with any valid state medical license. Click here for details, or contact Heidi Arnholm, medical recruiter (970/882-1550, heidi.arnholm@ihs.gov).
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