February 2021 – AAMA Member Newsletter

Welcome Our New AAMA Member

Please join us in welcoming the following new member who became part of the Academy in January 2021.

• Christopher S. Lee, MD of Blue Ash, OH

If you have peers or colleagues who aren’t currently members of the AAMA, please encourage them to learn more about the benefits of membership by visiting the website or contacting Janice Brown, the membership committee chair.

Legislative Advocacy – Committee Update

During the past month the AAMA Legislative Committee made progress on a number of important fronts:

• Using a new web-based tracking system, committee members are currently monitoring 23 bills that address acupuncture, chronic pain, opioids, and dry needling.
• The committee notified AAMA members in NH and RI about bills related to the practice of acupuncture. The bills promoted acupuncture and other modalities before prescribing opioids.
• Working directly with Optum on behalf of AAMA members, the committee assisted three members in successfully getting contracts to provide acupuncture services to veterans through the Community Care Network. Are you interested in additional information about how to practice acupuncture for veterans? Learn more.

Legislative tracking and advocacy are ongoing priorities of the AAMA Board of Directors. If you become aware of legislative issues/bills being proposed in your state that would affect medical acupuncturists, we encourage you to let us know. Contact the AAMA by email (info@medicalacupuncture.org) or phone (310-379-8261).

Program Details for the AAMA’s 2021 Virtual Annual Symposium

The Symposium Committee recently released eagerly-awaited details about the upcoming AAMA Annual Symposium. Make plans now to participate in the virtual event — all from the comfort of your office or home. The sessions will maximize interaction between participants, faculty and industry specialists. On-Demand recordings of each session will be available to attendees on the AAMA site until August 1, 2021.

Featured Speaker: Helene Langevin, MD, Director, NCCIH
Dr. Langevin’s research interests have centered around the role of connective tissue in chronic musculoskeletal pain and the mechanisms of acupuncture, manual, and movement-based therapies.

Sampling of Other Presentations: 
Program details are available! Check out the program details. Below are a few of the speakers/topics that have been confirmed:

• Friday, April 30, 2021 
  • “Basic Acupuncture Curriculum and Implementation at a Pediatric Academic Medical Center” — Jennifer Dilts, DO, DABMA
  • “New Science at the Tip of the Needle: How the Acus Foundation’s ‘Think Acupuncture First’ Program at Nellis Air Force Base is Improving Care for Military Members Around the World” — Paul Crawford, MD
  • “Aspects of Classical Herbalism and its Integration with Acupuncture” — Arnaud Versluys, PhD, MD (China), LAc
  • “A Day in the Life of the Family Medicine Acupuncturist” — Kendra Unger, MD, FAAMA and Jason Oreskovich, DO, DABMA

  Saturday, May 1, 2021

  • “Tackling Maternal Obesity with Electroacupuncture” — David Carr, MD, PhD
  • “Predicting Clinical Response to Acupuncture in Treating Chronic Low Back Pain with Multi-dimensional Phenotyping and Machine-learning: Results from Two Clinical Trials” —Jiang-Ti Kong, MD, DABMA
  • “Qigong Exercise for Individuals with Chronic Pain and Parkinson’s Disease: Clinical Outcomes and Biomarker Findings” — Wen Liu, PhD
  • “Advanced Acupuncture for Menopause” — Susie Hayes, LAc

  Sunday, May 2, 2021

  • “Somatotopic Mapping and its Relevance to Chinese Medicine” — David Miller, MD, FAAP, LAc
  • “Physical Examination Evidence of Six Stages Primary Channel Coupling: Pilot Study & Implication” — Peter Dorsher, MD  
  • “Men’s Health: Chronic Prostatitis” — Larissa Bresler, MD, DABMA
  • “Modern Science: Demonstrating Fundamental Principles of Traditional Chinese Acupuncture” — Thomas Burgoon, MD

Check out the AAMA website for additional Symposium details including registration.

AAMA Pre-Symposium Workshop Topics Announced!

Four optional, add-on workshops are available to learners who are seeking enhanced educational opportunities in addition to the Annual Symposium. Separate fees apply. Discounts available for learners who register for more than one workshop.

“Extraordinary Vessels: A Structural Approach – Integrating clinical and psychological presentations with structural examination findings to determine optimal EOV combinations” Presented by Joseph F Audette, MA, MD

The workshop will present the theory of Extraordinary Vessels (EOVs) with a focus on the practical application in order to determine the optimal EOV combination to treat a variety of chronic musculoskeletal pain and other clinical conditions. These methods will be developed as they relate to a Structural Acupuncture approach, integrating clinical and psychological information about the patient with physical exam findings to determine the best treatment approach. Based on this approach, careful palpation will uncover painful reflexes that direct us to specific EOV treatments. Participants will be encouraged to practice these techniques on themselves during the webinar, to enhance their ability to apply the techniques upon return to their own clinic. Case presentations, as well as practical demonstrations, will also be used.

“History, Clinical Applications, and Practice of Eight Treasures Qigong-Infusing Modern Medicine with Ancient Wisdom” Presented by Barbara de la Torre, MD, FAAMA

Qigong is the oldest branch in Chinese medicine, predating acupuncture. Medical qigong has tremendous applications to improve modern medicine for the health of both practitioners and patients. This workshop provides an in-depth introduction to one of the oldest qigong forms known as Ba Duan Jin, or Eight Treasures. This form is challenging enough to promote health without exhausting the practitioner. Participants will be able to review general principles and historical roots of qigong before diving into the practice of this form. Participants will leave with the ability to practice the form for self-cultivation of their own health while learning functions and clinical applications for their patients.

“Acupuncture as an Adjunctive Therapy in Post-Concussion Syndrome” Presented by Ayla Wolf, DAOM, LAc

Patients suffering from on-going post-concussion syndrome can have widely different clinical presentations. Research suggests a multi-disciplinary approach addressing the individual patient’s unique presentation is the key to success. This lecture explores the areas in which acupuncture can be used as an adjunctive therapy. We will cover acupuncture treatment strategies that address mood disorders such as depression and anxiety, sleep disorders, chronic pain, post-traumatic headaches, oculomotor dysfunction, dizziness, and vertigo.

“Introduction to Balance System Acupuncture” Presented by Sonia Tan, DAOM, RAc, RTCMP
This workshop will be LIVE only on April 29th at 8am PT and again at 3pm PT

This course is a modified condensed glance at the basic foundations of the main systems of Balance System Acupuncture, an evolution of the Balance Method. The systems are rooted in the concept of healing the body by balancing channels. Students will learn the history of the Balance Method/System, the basis of the systems, and the logical processes for determining the meridians to acupuncture, including an easy-to-use format to outline the treatment plan. A detailed explanation of the Mirroring and Imaging Formats will also be explained to assist participants in effective point selection. Dr. Tan will show how to use distal points in order to avoid aggravating the area of discomfort and will include demonstrations. Particular attention will be paid to musculo-skeletal conditions in this introductory level.

Learn more and register.

New AAMA Webinar – Acupuncture for the Knee: All the Information You Knee’d to be Able to Knee’dle it Right

Presented by Jason Oreskovich, DO, DABMA and Kendra Unger, MD, FAAMA
New 1-Hour Live Webcast
8pm EDT, 7pm CDT, 5pm PDT
Wednesday, February 24, 2021
Details and registration.

The knee is the most commonly injured joint in the body. It is one of the most stressed joints in the body and is a complex structure. Being a weight-bearing joint, it is also plagued with degenerative problems. Any problem of the knee, whether by injury or wear-and-tear, can cause substantial discomfort and disability. The goal of this webinar is to familiarize our learners with the common knee problems encountered in practice and review acupuncture treatment plans that can improve pain and function.

Call for Abstracts: 2021 SAR International Research Conference

The Society for Acupuncture Research recently sent out a call for abstracts and symposia for its 2021 International Research Conference. The conference theme is “Pandemics, Pain & Public Health: Roles and Relevance of Traditional East Asian Medicine.” The event is to be held as a virtual conference, June 14-16, 2021.  For details, visit: https://bit.ly/Call4abstracts_and_symposia

Accessibility Standards for Websites – Is Your Website Accessible?

Most of us are familiar with the Americans with Disabilities Act and its important accessibility regulation of sidewalks, buildings and other aspects of government and commercial infrastructure. Fewer of us may be aware of its standards relating to communications, which require businesses to take steps necessary to communicate effectively with customers with vision, hearing, and speech disabilities.

These communication standards are commonly discussed in reference to website design; specific accommodations include closed captioning for videos, Alt text for photos (descriptions that are read aloud to individuals with vision impairment) and color contrast levels that prioritize readability, among others.

For those practitioners working within a health care system or large practice, these digital accessibility standards are likely monitored and addressed by IT and content development departments (although it wouldn’t hurt to confirm that assumption). Sole practitioners and providers who work in small practices, on the other hand, may need to learn more and take steps to enhance the accessibility of their websites.

Full accessibility recommendations and standards are spelled out by the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI).

ADA Update: A Primer for Small Business

NBC “COVID Tongue” News Not News to Medical Acupuncturists

According to a recent NBC News article, “a British researcher who is helping to track Covid-19 warning signs is reporting more cases of infected people complaining of tongue discoloration, enlargement and other mouth problems.” The researcher, Tim Spector, a professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College London, tweeted, “Seeing increasing numbers of COVID tongues and strange mouth ulcers. If you have a strange symptom or even just headache and fatigue stay at home!”

While this article may seem revolutionary to those practicing modern medicine, it is but another example of how the condition of the body is reflected on the tongue which has been described in Chinese medicine and Integrative Medicine for thousands of years.

AAMA member, James Bromberg, MD, MPH, JD, followed up with the NBC reporter to share some historical perspective through the lens of a physician acupuncturist. “White and yellow dorsal tongue coatings, as well as scalloping of the margins of the tongue, are very common findings and are of diagnostic significance in a number of disorders described by Chinese medicine,” he wrote. “These common physical findings are not unique to COVID-19, and they are certainly not diagnostic of infection with SARS-CoV-2.” More.

In Case You Missed It Last Month

Clinical Pearls Request – How Do You Treat Psoriasis?

The official journal of the AAMA, Medical Acupuncture, publishes physician comments, or Clinical Pearls, in each issue. Share your expertise! This month the question is: How do you treat psoriasis with acupuncture and/or Chinese Herbs? Submit your feedback by 2/21/21 for possible publication in Medical Acupuncture.

Clinical Registry: COVID-19 and Integrative Health

Call for participation: a clinical registry aiming to capture key case, treatment/supportive care, and outcome variables related to the use of traditional, complementary, and integrative health and medicine products and practices in response to the COVID-19 crisis. More.