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June 2022 – AAMA Member Newsletter

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  • June 2022 – AAMA Member Newsletter

Message from the AAMA Board

Renew Your AAMA Membership by June 30

The AAMA is planning big things for 2022-2023! Please renew your AAMA membership by June 30 to make sure you don’t miss anything.

The most important part of the Academy is YOU! Through your membership and participation, the Academy will continue to advance in stature and quality. Your membership supports your growth and success as a medical acupuncturist. We thank you for your current AAMA membership and for your dedication to medical acupuncture. We ARE in this together — and together we will thrive! Please take a few minutes and renew your membership today! 

Your AAMA Membership comes with valuable benefits, including:

ACCESS TO MEDICAL ACUPUNCTURE CME
Choose from online, journal and other educational activities to earn free and affordable CME related to your practice of medical acupuncture.

SUBSCRIPTION TO MEDICAL ACUPUNCTURE JOURNAL
Academy members receive the journal every other month and have access to an online version through the Academy’s website — included in your membership fee!

ANNUAL SYMPOSIUM
The AAMA Annual Symposium typically includes four days of scientific and clinical presentations and clinical workshops presented by some of the best teachers in the field.

MEDICAL ACUPUNCTURE RESEARCH
As the scientific evidence mounts in support of medical acupuncture, the AAMA will continue its efforts to promote new discovery and encourage clinical research. New research is supported through dissemination and funding opportunities.

LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY
The AAMA’s hard-working Legislative Committee reviews and responds to legislation related to medical acupuncture, actively fighting against possible erosion of your rights to perform and be reimbursed for providing acupuncture. They work year-round on your behalf, protecting your work and your patients.

PATIENT REFERRAL
The “find an acupuncturist” directory on the AAMA website is always the most-visited page on the site, allowing thousands of patients each year to search for a provider in their area. Inclusion in the directory is FREE to all eligible members.

SUPPORTING THE GROWTH OF MEDICAL ACUPUNCTURE
The AAMA’s proactive outreach to various sectors — legislators and policymakers, fellow medical professionals, fellow acupuncture providers, insurance companies, media outlets, and more — increases awareness and acceptance of the evidence-based practice of medical acupuncture.

Upcoming Professional Development & Educational Opportunities

2022 AAMA Annual Symposium Recordings
VIRTUAL PACKAGE
Affordable Medical Acupuncture CME
On-demand recorded sessions

ICMART 2022
Bologna, Italy
October 14-16, 2022

AAMA Website: Education Listings
The AAMA maintains an ongoing calendar of educational events and professional development opportunities related to medical acupuncture. The calendar is accessible on the AAMA website. Members are encouraged to share events and calendar items from their regions and about educational topics that may be of wider interest among peers and fellow AAMA members.

Medical Acupuncture Journal Updates 

Read Fast-Track articles, ahead of print.

Most Recent Issue: June 2022

Most-recent CME Articles:

Access Journal Content

AAMA News & Announcements

Welcome Our New & Returning AAMA Members

Please join us in welcoming the following new members who became part of the Academy in May 2022.

  • Jonathan W. von Koenig, DO of Ft. Meyers, FL
  • Elise Sullivan, MD of Craig, CO

Welcome one member who has returned to the AAMA:

  • Christine C. Groves, MD of Indianapolis, IN

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.

Physicians Complete 10-Year Re-Certification Process

Congratulations to the following physicians who have completed the process (http://www.dabma.org/recertification.asp) set by the American Board of Medical Acupuncture (ABMA) to be re-certified as a Diplomate for another 10 years:

  • Kristen Burkholder, MD, DABMA of Flagstaff, AZ
  • Karolyn R. Mauro, MD, DABMA of San Diego, CA
  • Myron Siu, MD, DABMA of Centerville, MA

AAMA Legislative Committee Report

The Legislative Committee continues its work monitoring and responding to legislation relevant to our members and their practice of medical acupuncture. Currently, the committee is monitoring 50 bills regarding acupuncture, chronic pain, substance use disorder, and dry needling. Activity of note includes:

  • Colorado’s HB1263 has been signed by the governor. This bill reaffirms that MDs and DOs can practice medical acupuncture and advertise this service.
  • Members of the legislative committee met at the symposium to discuss current legislation.

The Legislative Committee will continue to watch for bills that affect AAMA members and respond to the authors and co-sponsors appropriately. We will also contact YOU when legislation in your state may affect your ability to practice acupuncture. In that event, we ask that you write your representatives and senators since they prefer to hear directly from their constituents. If you learn of relevant legislative activity, please connect with the committee by email: info@medicalacupuncture.org.

Register Now: AAMA Annual Symposium Recordings Available

On-Demand 2022
Symposium Recordings
PURCHASE ON-DEMAND RECORDINGS ACCESS

Nearly all of the virtual Symposium sessions were recorded and are available for on-demand viewing. If you were not able to attend in-person, you can now purchase access to the on-demand recording package! Access is available through August 31, 2022.

Topics include:

  • pediatric acupuncture
  • physician wellness and acupuncture
  • perioperative acupuncture
  • facial pain
  • allergies
  • foot and ankle pain
  • battlefield acupuncture
  • hand acupuncture
What Does the On-Demand Package Fee Cover?
  • Symposium Session recording access
  • Up to maximum of 20 CME credits (must complete quiz for each session for credit where applicable)
  • Review of all symposium documentation and materials
  • Exhibit hall access

ICMART 2022 – Early Registration Pricing EXTENDED

Early-bird registration pricing has been extended to 6/30/22. AAMA members are invited to attend the 35th ICMART World Medical Acupuncture Congress in Bologna, Italy, October 14-16, 2022. The AAMA’s organizational membership in ICMART extends to all AAMA members, who can register for this event at the discounted member rate. This year’s theme is From Research to Clinical Practice: Towards Integrative Medicine. Registration Fee includes:

  • Access to All Sessions & Exhibition
  • Proceedings of the Congress
  • Certificate of Attendance
  • Access to recordings of the three days for two months after the end of the Congress
  • Welcome Kit
  • Six Coffee Breaks and Three Lunches

Learn more and register.

Are You Following Us?

Join the conversations online with fellow physician acupuncturists from around the country! You can find AAMA on:

There’s even a closed group on Facebook for discussion between members: https://www.facebook.com/groups/aamagroup

In Case You Missed It Last Month

Submit Ideas for 2023 Annual Symposium

2023 Symposium – Save the Date!

Next year, the AAMA Annual Symposium will be held April 13-16, 2023, in the Dallas, TX area. Please add the dates to your calendar now and make plans to join your medical acupuncture peers from around the country.

Do you have ideas for lectures, presentations or workshops for the next Annual Symposium? Reach out and let us know now so the Symposium Committee can consider your topic proposals. Submit a proposal.

Discussion of Insurance Denial for Acupuncture Services

In the most recent issue of Acupuncture Today, an acupuncture provider asks about an insurance denial for acupuncture services. “I had notes requested and reviewed by United Healthcare. The review of my records stated the following: The information provided does not substantiate the services billed. This of course meant I was not paid.” A billing expert’s in-depth answer may be relevant to many AAMA members. Read the article.

Reasons Physicians Recommend or Don’t Recommend Common Complementary Health Approaches to Patients

A new analysis suggests that physicians use a combination of personal experience and scientific evidence when deciding whether to recommend complementary health approaches. The findings also suggest that physicians who recommend these approaches may have some degree of trust in the opinions of both their peers and patients regarding these approaches. Recently published in Journal of Integrative and Complementary Medicine, the analysis was led by researchers at the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) and National Center for Health Statistics and partly funded by NCCIH. Read more.

New Scientific Research Related to Acupuncture 

The use of acupuncture in patients with Raynaud’s syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
[Acupuncture in Medicine]
The use of acupuncture may be effective for the treatment of Raynaud’s syndrome in terms of increasing remission incidence, decreasing daily number of attacks and increasing incidences of positive cold stimulation tests. However, our findings should be interpreted with caution due to small sample sizes, very low quality of evidence and high risk of bias. Future large-scale RCTs are warranted.

 

The safety of acupuncture for migraine prevention during pregnancy
[Neurological Sciences]
Analysis showed no statistically significant difference in gestational duration between the two groups or an association between the number of acupuncture sessions and preterm delivery. Symptoms during treatment were generally transient or mild. The most common symptoms were relaxation, pain at the insertion sites, mild bleeding, and paresthesia. Our preliminary data indicate that acupuncture may be safe during pregnancy in women with migraine.

 

Note: Some of these news sources may require you to create a free account to read their content, while others may have a paywall. 

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