In this issue
Page
1
- AAMA president urges involvement
- Help the Academy grow
- After attack on US, Academy members jump right in to help
- More AAMA members earn DABMA certification
Page 2
- Call for Symposium posters
- Member News
- MARF Research Competition announced
- White House Commission on CAM Policy issues report
Page 3
Page 4
- Study: Positive side-effects of acupuncture are many
- Acupuncture educational opportunities available
- Acupuncture gets on track
- 'Father
of Acupuncture in America' dies
AAMA
Newsletter
Serving the American Academy of Medical
Acupuncture
October 2001
Study: Positive side-effects of acupuncture are many
At their Oct.
6-7 Autumn Scientific Meeting, more than 150 British Medical Acupuncture
Society physicians received a paper from Dr. Eva Haker of the Karolinska
Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, showing how positive side-effects of
acupuncture twice outweighed the negative in 9,000-plus treatments in
clinical practice.
Most commonly experienced positive side-effects were a pleasant feeling
of fatigue (15%), a calmness (5%) and improved sleep (4.2%). Also reported
at the meeting at The Royal College of Physicians in London were euphoria,
relaxation and alertness. None of the negative effects was serious,
with the most common being minor bleeding (15%).
More than one-quarter of all acupuncture treatments resulted in positive
side-effects. As many of these, such as improved sleep and euphoria,
can significantly improve quality of life, their occurence is more than
a passing interest. Thus, medical acupuncture is not only safer than
most conventional treatment, but the side-effects are most likely to
be perceived by the patient as a positive benefit of treatment.
Last month, the British Medical Journal published two papers confirming
the safety of acupuncture. More information on BMAS can be found online
at: www.medical-acupuncture.co.uk.
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Acupuncture educational opportunities available
The following are educational opportunities (listed chronologically) that may be of interest to medical acupuncturists:
- An advanced Clinical Workshop with Linda Rapson, MD, executive president of Acupuncture Foundation of Canada Institute, on Neuroanatomical Acupuncture for Musculoskeletal Pain has been planned by HMI. This is scheduled Nov. 3-4 in Boca Raton and Jan. 5-6, 2002 in Santa Monica and offers up to 16 hours of Category 1 CME credit by UCLA School of Medicine. For a course brochure, call HMI (510/649-8488).
- Chinese Acupuncture for Physicians: Scientific Basis and Practice presented by USC Department of Family Medicine and Cignolini Education Associates begins the first of five courses Nov. 12-17, 2001 followed by Feb. 25-March 2, 2002 in Santa Barbara, CA. There are four subsequent offerings of two one-week sessions (approved for 258 hours of Category 1 CME credit by St Luke Medical Center, Tenet Health System). Instructors include Drs. Anita Cignolini, Joan B. Martin, Louisa M. Silva and Thomas S. Burgoon. Each module of the advance course is approved for 50 hours Category 1 CME credit. For more information, contact Claudia Alonso (323/442-1313, calonso@hsc.usc.edu).
- The Practice of CAM: Sharing Paradigms and Pearls for Conventional Clinicians will be presented from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm Saturday, Nov. 17 at Med Chi-Osler Hall in Baltimore, MD. Three of the six faculty are members of Maryland Society of Medical Acupuncture. The conference will look at integrative approaches to treatment of fatigue/autoimmune disease, musculosketal pain and anti-aging medicine. Cost is $50, and Med Chi is granting 7 ACCME Category 1 hours. Contact Sharon D. Montes, MD (410/448-6659).
- The 2001 American Back Society Annual Meeting sponsored by Allegheny Hospital Dec. 5-9 in Orlando, FL has named Jay Sandweiss, DO, DABMA, as cochairman. He will present a workshop on Functional Release and a lecture on integrative medicine. Contact Dr. Sandweiss (734/995-1880, acuomtdr@aol.com).
- HMI has created Intermediate Courses for basic program graduates that will be held each spring and fall, with up to 24 hours of Category 1 CME credit by UCLA School of Medicine. With the first course held in October, HMI Intermediate Course Two will be Dec. 8-9 in Las Vegas. For a brochure, call HMI (510/649-8488).
- Drs. Charles Moss and Ron Puhky are offering Five Element Acupuncture Clinical Review (each of three sessions offering 25 hours CEU) are being offered Jan. 31-Feb. 4, 2002 in San Diego, and May 16-20, 2002 and Sept. 19-23, 2002, both at Whidby Institute in Seattle, WA. For more information, call 858/457-1314.
- Contemporary Medical Acupuncture for Health Professionals is offered by the Continuing Education and Anesthesia Departments, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Program director is Dr. Angelica Fargas-Babjak, professor of anesthesia. Five units, plus home study, offer 300 CME hours. Also, Contemporary Medical Acupuncture for Sports Injuries Winter 2001 Session will be Dec. 7-9, 2001 and Summer 2002 Session from June 21-23, 2002. Visit online: www.acupuncturecourses.com or call Administrator Val Cannon (905/521-2100, x75175).
Physicians, please be aware that every three years after you're approved as a practice member (associate or full), you need to earn 50 CME/CEU credit hours or more of acupuncture-related training to maintain your AAMA practice membership status.
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On Aug. 3-12
in Edmonton, Canada, Drs. Alejandro Elorriaga and Mark Scappaticci spent
10 days at the world track and field championships helping athletes
from several countries attain maximum performance and recover quickly
from injuries.
As happened at previous championships, an outcome of great therapeutic
and athletic benefits occurred in Edmonton. Physicians combined the
modern version of medical acupuncture with contemporary, integrated
with soft tissue and joint manipulation techniques. Benefits of this
Functional Integrated Approach were seen in the outstanding performance
of Zhana Pintusevic-Block, who won the 100m dash (breaking Marion Jones'
four-year record).
Another case involves young sprinter Latasha Jenkins, who wasn't going
to run when she arrived in Edmonton. Several days later, she placed
fourth in the 200m final with daily help of medical acupuncture and
soft tissue treatments.
Additionally, Dr. Elorriaga presented a 20-hour seminar for physicians
on Contemporary Medical Acupuncture for Sports Injuries Sept. 28-30
in Buenos Aires, Argentina. On Oct. 5, he presented the McMaster University
Contemporary Medical Acupuncture Program (recently approved by ABMA)
at Kyung Hee University in Seoul, Korea. The doctor would appreciate
help from Academy members to recruit other international active physicians
(aelorriaga@sympatico.ca).
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'Father of Acupuncture in America' dies
Chinese medicine
doctor James So-who founded New England Acupuncture School in Watertown,
MA in 1975-recently died after suffering 10 years bedridden from paralysis
and side-effects resulting from surgery for a herniated disk. He was
born on July 14, 1911 in the Yang-Jiang county of Kuang-tung province
in China. In 1941, he founded Hong Kong Acupuncture Institute, where
he taught 500 students. For almost a decade, he was a medical missionary
throughout Asia. In 1973, he was hired as an acupuncture professor in
Washington, DC and then at USC and UCLA. In 1986, Massachusetts Acupuncture
Society awarded him the honorary title, "Father of Acupuncture
in America." During his lifetime, the author of 10 books healed
many patients and taught more than 1,000 students. Survivors include
wife Isabel who cared for him for 20 years, two sons, three daughters,
many grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
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