Editor's Note: The following is a brief excerpt from David Bibbey's feature article in the upcoming April issue.
In recent months, acupuncturists have reported a surge in lawsuits filed against their practices for failing to comply with a provision of the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA); specifically Title III and its requirements for accessibly to public websites now determined to be "places of public accommodation."
By the end of January 2021, more than 100 acupuncturists in California alone had been named in lawsuits alleging ADA violations for unequal access to health care services because their public websites did not include or support accessibility programming and software for users with a disability.
The ADA is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and all public and private places open to the general public.
When enacted, the ADA law granted accessibility by requiring businesses and government agencies to eliminate physical barriers to entering and accessing indoor spaces. As businesses and agencies evolved to include virtual spaces, compliance with the ADA has kept pace with the law's intent, which grants all persons equal access to commerce and experiences whether in-person or online.
In recent years, courts have decided "websites constitute a service of public accommodation," meaning access requires technical programming that provides equal access, use and experience for people with a disability.
These lawsuits are more common now that ADA non-compliant businesses are easily identified using a web-search. Your health care practice does not have to be personally visited to establish an ADA violation, making potential ADA violators easy and cheap to find.
Over my almost 30 years in clinical practice, I have used Chai Hu Long Gu Mu Li Tang extensively for a wide array of clinical presentations ranging from chronic headaches to anxiety, insomnia, and prescription drug withdrawal symptoms if these situations fit the appropriate patterns – all with extremely positive clinical outcomes.
There’s no doubt that many of your patients visit your practice because they are in pain. And there’s certainly no doubt that curcumin from turmeric (Curcuma longa) can be incredibly effective in stopping that pain, whether due to chronic conditions like arthritis or acute pain from intensive workouts. But your patients may also benefit from curcumin for other reasons.
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Low back pain is defined as pain the posterior superior iliac spine (PSIS), and it can be acute or chronic, localized or radiating. It is a common ailment for adults in the United States, with a lifetime prevalence as high as 65-80%. Whether or not an MRI is available to provide definitive knowledge of a structural issue, acupuncture can be an effective treatment for low back pain.
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