Georgia Practitioner Named "Acupuncturist of the Year" by AAOM
Barbara Squires, LAc, was recognized as the "Acupuncturist of the Year" for 2003 at the American Association of Oriental Medicine's most recent national convention in Orlando, Fla. Squires was recognized for her contributions to the practice acupuncture, and for her role in the passing of legislation that legalized acupuncture in the state of Georgia.
"Barbara's work with infertility and chronic pain patients is outstanding," said Chris Hughes, president of the Georgia State Oriental Medicine Association. "She has also been working very hard to bridge the gap between Eastern and Western medicine by teaching and lecturing to medical students and professionals at Emory University."
Squires is a native of Bladen, North Carolina. She has been licensed to practice in Georgia since 2000, and operates a busy practice in Atlanta.
ASH Acupuncture Scholarship Winners Announced
American Specialty Health, Inc. recently announced the winners of its second annual acupuncture scholarship program. The honorees for 2003 are Karina Beleno, a student at the Academy of Oriental Medicine at Austin, and Ryan Milley, from the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine.
Each student receives a scholarship worth $2,500. Last year's winners were chosen using a variety of criteria, including grade point average, financial need, participation in professional activities, and a written essay.
"We're extremely pleased to be able to offer these scholarships, which recognize academic excellence and enthusiasm towards complementary medicine," remarked George DeVries, ASH president and CEO. "This program helps broaden our commitment to education by providing financial assistance to those who will one day become our future leaders."
The ASH acupuncture scholarship program is open to full-time students who are in at least their second year of study. To qualify, students must be enrolled in a nationally accredited school of acupuncture or Oriental medicine, and maintain a grade point average of 3.0. As with last year's contest, participants must also submit an essay, along with an official school transcript and two letters of recommendation from faculty members or clinical resident's at the student's current institution. All documentation will be reviewed by the organization's scholarship review committee.
The deadline to apply for this year's acupuncture scholarship is May 3, 2004; winners will be notified with 90 days of the deadline. For more information, or to obtain a scholarship application, visit www.ashproviders.com.
Structured water (H3O2) can be considered a fourth state of water between liquid and solid. It has the hexagonal structure of ice; however, missing a critical bond, it behaves more like a gel than a solid, but retains some of its crystalline structure.
In the past five years of my clinical practice, I have seen an astonishing upsurge in the chronic use of proton-pump inhibitor (PPI) medications for the gastrointestinal issue diagnosed by allopathic medicine as GERD. It is not uncommon to encounter patients taking these prescriptions for five-plus years.
Working with chronically ill patients entails acknowledging the reality that not all patients will survive their diagnosis. Chinese medicine and acupuncture play a crucial role in palliative and end-of-life care, addressing medication and disease side effects, alleviating pain associated with death, reducing anxiety and stress, and helping patients find peace during the dying process.
