The National University of Natural Medicine and the Helfgott Research Institute have created the Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Health and Medicine COVID-19 Support Registry to "capture key cases, treatment/supportive care, and outcome variables related to the use of traditional, complementary, and integrative health products and practices, in response to issues related to COVID-19."
You can visit the international registry (click here) and contribute case data by answering questions based on "de-identified data from patients/clients who have been treated for COVID-19 exposure or prevention."
The American Society of Acupuncturists, Society for Acupuncture Research and other organizations collaborated to ensure questions include East Asian Medicine treatment approaches. In its press release, the ASA noted several key benefits for the EAM profession:
"To gather data that demonstrates that EAM practitioners are indeed working during the COVID-19 pandemic; and that EAM therapies are being used to support patients with COVID-19 symptoms."
"Health services data like this may be useful (now, and in future) to lobby legislators/regulators to consider whether EAM practitioners should be deemed essential healthcare workers."
Registry contributions have already been made by a broad range of institutions including National, the ASA, the SAR, Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine, NYU Medical School, Harvard Medical School, Univ. of Toronto, Univ. of Texas, New England School of Acupuncture at MCPHS Univ., Ontario College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern California University of Health Sciences, Weill Cornell Medical College, Immanuel Hospital Berlin, Univ. of Sydney, and others.
Consequences for HIPAA violations can often be quite harsh. If someone has breached the HIPAA privacy regulations – even without any malicious intent, civil penalties are applicable: $100 per violation for unawareness, a minimum of $1,000 for reasonable cause, a minimum of $10,000 if willful neglect is present and then rectified, and finally, a minimum of $50,000 for individuals who act with willful neglect and ignore the issue.
The luo vessels are important in the treatment of mental health issues. They are conduits of “ying qi”: blood and fluids. We believe that the shen is “housed” in the heart and circulated through the blood, making a channel system that “conducts” ying qi ideal for treatment of the mind and emotions.
As our health care ecosystem continues to evolve, I’ve found an increased emphasis being placed on an integrative approach to patient care. As an acupuncturist, you are an essential part of this collaborative system and health care team, cooperating with a range of other professionals including medical doctors, chiropractors, massage therapists, and others.
