Message from the AAMA Board

New AAMA Benefits You Can Use

To better serve its members, the AAMA makes new benefits available whenever possible. In addition to more frequent educational webinars and a robust online member portal, the following new benefits can inform your practice of medical acupuncture.

Creating an Acupuncture Practice Within a Medical Practice:
A Guide to Advocacy, Cost Analysis and Clinical Considerations
The Guide to Advocacy, Cost Analysis and Clinical Considerations was created by AAMA member, Janice Brown, MD, MPH, to assist her own colleagues with the integration of acupuncture into a medical practice. The guide walks the practitioner through three main aspects of this integration: Advocacy, Cost Analysis and Clinical Considerations. This document helps practitioners of medical acupuncture to start an acupuncture practice on solid ground. Log in to download the PDF.

State Acupuncture Regulations Online Resource
Most physicians are permitted to practice acupuncture within the scope of their medical licenses, but it’s challenging to know what states have additional requirements or restrictions. For example, 10 states mandate that physicians complete a specified number of hours in acupuncture instruction in addition to maintaining a current medical license. And have to submit an application or proof of training with the state medical board or licensing agency. Curious about your state or neighboring states? Considering an out-of-state move? Learn more about the state-by-state requirements using new tools from the AAMA. View resources.

Medical Acupuncture Presentation/PowerPoint
The AAMA has a presentation that AAMA members can use to present as an introduction to medical acupuncture for health care professionals. It provides information about mechanisms of action, treatable conditions, adverse effects, and reasons to consider acupuncture treatments for patients. This new AAMA member resource includes the presentation slides for your use, the narrative that goes along with the presentation slides, and a file of references for the presentation. Recently a recording was made of the actual presentation that members can view and see how the presentation might be delivered. Learn more.

Be sure to follow us on social media and join the closed Facebook group for AAMA members to learn more as additional benefits are announced. (You can find links at the bottom of this newsletter!)

Volunteer to Serve on the AAMA Board of Directors and/or Committees

The Academy is a member-driven organization. Members of the Academy serve on the Board of Directors and on Committees advising the Board and make decisions regarding the priorities, programs and activities of our organization. They help guide the future of the Academy. All members are invited to take part in this volunteer governance process. You can take on a small task with a clearly defined time commitment, or you can play a more significant leadership role as a member of a standing committee or as a Board member. Committee volunteers are welcome year-round. The Board of Directors holds elections in the spring each year, when Directors and Officers are chosen by the members to guide the Academy for the following year. If you are interested in being considered for a seat on the Board of Directors, please reach out and let us know. We welcome your inquiry! Learn more.

Upcoming Professional Development & Educational Opportunities

NCCIH 25th Anniversary Symposium 
December 2, 2024
Save the Date / Details Coming Soon

2025 AAMA Medical Acupuncture Review Course
January 24-February 20, 2025
Register by 12/31/24 for Early-bird Rates!

2025 AAMA Annual Symposium
Pittsburgh, PA
March 27-30, 2025
Save the date!

SAR 2025 Conference
Newport Beach, CA
April 3-6, 2025
Save the date!

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.

AAMA News & Announcements

Welcome Our New AAMA Members

Please join us in welcoming the following new members who became part of the Academy in September 2024:

  • Yevgeniya Sergeyenko, MD, of Willow Grove, PA
  • Dawn M. Snow, MD, of Rochester, MN
  • Juliette M. Perzhinsky, MD, MSc, of Clarkston, MI
  • Katherine Tully Ramsey, MD, of Washington, DC
  • Jinny Jing Ye, MD, of Durham, NC
  • Aimee Reilly, DO, of Duxbury, MA
  • Cynthia J. Bucci, MD, of Halethorpe, MD
  • Joan Oguntimein, MD, of Springdale, MD

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 Kendra Unger, the membership committee chair.

DON’T FORGET: If you would like to sponsor a medical student member for $75/year, please email AAMA today and let us know.

Physician Earns ABMA Certification

Congratulations to the following physician who has completed the process set by the American Board of Medical Acupuncture (ABMA) to be certified as a Diplomate for 10 years:

  • Jaime Ortiz, MD, MBA, DABMA, of Houston, TX

Learn more about DABMA certification requirements.

AAMA Legislative Committee Report

There have been no changes since last month. The Legislative Committee is still following 44 bills on acupuncture, chronic pain, integrative medicine, and dry needling. Most of the bills are in MA and NY and remain in committee.

REMEMBER: The committee members will contact you when legislation in your state may affect your ability to practice acupuncture. In that event, you are encouraged to 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.

Annual Scientific Research Paper Competition

This is a call for entries for the annual Acupuncture Research Paper Competition. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd-place awards will be presented at the AAMA 2025 Symposium. The deadline for submission of research papers for the competition is January 8, 2025. If your paper is selected as one of the winners, you will be notified by February 3, 2025. Please follow all instructions carefully to allow your application to be considered fully.

The First-Place winning paper is to be presented in a 30-minute Plenary Session at the AAMA 2025 Symposium at the Omni William Penn Hotel in Pittsburgh, PA, March 28-30, 2025. Papers for second and third place to be announced at the Symposium. Authors will be acknowledged there.

We are pleased to offer:

  • First Place: $750 stipend, Symposium Registration. Paper to be presented at the AAMA Symposium.
  • Second Place: $500 stipend, Symposium Registration
  • Third Place: $350 stipend, Symposium Registration

Learn more and enter your research. 

Register Now: AAMA Medical Acupuncture Review Course

The Medical Acupuncture Review Course provides a broad-based refresher course on the major subject matter areas with which a well-trained physician should be familiar. The review course is especially useful as a refresher for those who obtained their acupuncture training some time ago and for those who are seeking an organized review prior to taking the ABMA Board Certification Examination.

The overall objectives of the Medical Acupuncture Review Course are for a participant to be able to:

  • Analyze and solidify previously acquired knowledge and experience in medical acupuncture
  • Organize and reinforce understanding of the basic material appropriate for a physician practicing acupuncture in North America
  • Differentiate and examine participant’s previous studies of certain specialized aspects of acupuncture not always utilized in traditional practice

Learn more and register. 

SAR Conference Symposium/Workshop Submissions

AAMA members are invited to submit your ideas for a symposium or workshop at the Society for Acupuncture Research (SAR)  2025 Conference, April 3-6, in Newport Beach, CA. SAR’s Conference Program Committee will select the most meritorious submission(s) for symposia or workshop during the conference. General topic categories may include acupuncture, herbal medicine, Tai Chi, Qi Gong, Tuina, TCM, and whole system approaches. Priority will be given to topics that relate to the 2025 conference theme: Cultivating Interconnections of Acupuncture and Traditional East Asian Medicine Research.

Submissions by individuals from historically under-represented groups (racial and ethnic groups, disabilities, economically disadvantaged backgrounds, etc.) are encouraged.

Examples:

  • Interventions (e.g. herbs, acupuncture techniques, etc.)
  • Health conditions (women’s health, aging, etc.)
  • Methods (brain imaging, mixed-methods research, etc.)
  • Relevant areas (teaching research in TCM universities, global dissemination of acupuncture research, etc.)

Learn more.

Apply for Board Certification in Medical Acupuncture

If you’re interested in becoming DABMA certified, fall is the perfect time to learn more about the application process. Candidates for certification in medical acupuncture must meet minimum general requirements, education and training requirements, experience requirements and must successfully pass the Board examination in order to achieve certification. Learn more.

Already a DABMA? Boost Your Branding with AAMA Certification Mark

The AAMA’s medical acupuncture certification mark represents the AAMA’s commitment to promoting the highest standards of education and training in medical acupuncture. If you are a full member or Fellow of the AAMA with DABMA certification, you may request an electronic file of the certification mark and guidelines for its usage. Upon verification of your status, a jpg file will be sent to you. Email the AAMA. 

Call for Papers: Acupuncture Safety

Medical Acupuncture, the official journal of the AAMA, is pleased to announce a call for papers for an upcoming special edition dedicated to the crucial topic of acupuncture safety. As the practice of acupuncture continues to gain widespread acceptance and integration into mainstream healthcare, ensuring its safe application is paramount. Readers and researchers are invited to contribute their insights and findings to this important dialogue. Manuscript Submission Deadline: December 10, 2024. Learn more.

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

AAMA Joins the NCCIH Coalition for Whole Person Health

The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) Coalition for Whole Person Health is an independent group of nonprofit organizations that is national in scope. AAMA has been accepted as a Coalition member alongside other esteemed organizations, including Academic Consortium for Integrative Medicine & Health, American College of Lifestyle Medicine, Academy for Integrative Health and Medicine, and Institute for Functional Medicine, among others. Learn more.

Call for Webinar Presenters – Share Your Expertise

Through the AAMA’s Education Committee, the webinar program provides participants with high-quality education and training without leaving the home or office. AAMA offers a broad range of activities presented by industry experts to help keep participants up-to-date on the latest topics in medical acupuncture. The Education Committee is calling on AAMA members to step forward and present a webinar. Learn more. We invite you to submit a proposal to conduct a webinar presentation. Interested parties should complete the proposal form and return to the AAMA at info@medicalacupuncture.org.

Buy AAMA “Merch” Now in Our New Online Shop!

To show your AAMA pride and support, we invite you to pick your favorite items and purchase them today. A portion of each sale directly supports the AAMA and the programs you have come to appreciate. Show off your AAMA spirit whether it is at home, in the hospital/office or on the go. Let’s go shopping!

New Scientific Research Related to Acupuncture 

Long-Term Effects of Individualized Acupuncture for Chronic Neck Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial
[Annals of Internal Medicine]
Individualized acupuncture interventions using high- or low-sensitivity acupuncture points were more effective in reducing CNP than SA and WL control groups sustained through 24 weeks, but the magnitude of relative improvement did not reach a minimal clinically important difference.

Real-world impact of acupuncture on analgesics and healthcare resource utilization in breast cancer survivors with pain
[BMC Medicine]
Although adjusted results did not show that patients receiving acupuncture had better outcomes than non-treated patients, exploratory analyses revealed that patients treated specifically for pain used fewer analgesics and those with high acupuncture utilization incurred lower healthcare costs. Further studies are required to examine acupuncture effectiveness in real-world settings.

Investigating the efficacy of acupuncture in treating patients with metabolic- associated fatty liver disease: a protocol for a randomized controlled clinical trial
[BMJ Open]
Acupuncture is widely used for metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) treatment; however, the clinical efficacy has not been confirmed due to the lack of high-level evidence-based clinical practice. The purpose of this study is to design a research protocol that will be used to determine the efficacy of acupuncture versus sham acupuncture (SHA) for MAFLD treatment.

Acupuncture Treatment for Chronic Post-traumatic Headache in Individuals with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: A Pilot Study
[Journal of Neurotrauma]
The results showed that while there were no differences between dose groups for any of the outcomes assessed, acupuncture significantly reduced the number of headache days and headache pain intensity in individuals with CPTH. There were no significant changes in acute medication use or sleep quality. While there were some QOL improvements identified, these results should be interpreted with caution.

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