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Earlier this year, researchers who reviewed reports of acupuncture in kids concluded that treatments were safe for the under-18 crowd. The review paper, published in Pediatrics , included data from 37 studies. Those ranged from “gold standard” randomized trials that compared side effects with acupuncture and other treatments, to single…

During a recent teaching trip around Europe, I stared transfixed as young women in Rome teetered and stumbled in their impossibly skinny high heels across cobblestones and broken sidewalks. Where the women saw “high fashion,” I just saw potentially twisted and broken ankles, knee stiffness, lower back pain and postural…

We have all had them - the patients we have personal difficulty working with. The ones that inspire us to inadvertently wince when we see their names on the schedule, or spontaneously pause and inhale before entering treatment rooms. With some we even sigh with relief as they leave. They…

Recently, I was asked an interesting billing question many acupuncturists will be able to relate to. An acupuncturist who was new to billing had some concerns over how to bill. This acupuncturist had heard in addition to the acupuncture codes (97810-97814) that there was also a code to bill for…

In Jake Paul Fratkin’s Acupuncture Today article entitled ” Going Beyond the Classics, ” it was suggested that Western practitioners of Chinese medicine are ignoring modern research only to be “married to the classic formulas.” Fratkin makes the case that China has been making advancement after advancement in medicine over…

I’ve got some good news and some bad news. The good news is that acupuncture is enjoying a remarkable degree of acceptance as a viable from of therapy all around the world from both the general public and modern medicine practitioners; the bad news is that many acupuncturists are struggling…

One of my absolute all time favorite acupuncture techniques, which I have used for many years with startling clinical response, involves the relationship of the anterior abdominal Kidney meridian to the Hua Tuo Jiaji points located over the lamina of the vertebrae. Even though these two pathways are directly opposite…

An interdisciplinary model of care is an ideal situation for practitioners and patients. Many in healthcare believe that this is the model that must be utilized to maximize patient care. According to recent research, the lack of communication has resulted in 70 percent of the adverse affects of a patient.

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Before we can differentiate eczema according to TCM, we must define exactly what we mean by “eczema.” “Eczema” and “dermatitis” are two terms that are often used interchangeably, but this is inaccurate and misleading and causes much confusion for patients and practitioners alike. “Dermatitis” simply means “inflammation of the skin”…

I work in a Chinese medicine clinic where my primary medical procedures are acupuncture and the administration of herbal medicine. Often times, when speaking in front of a group of MDs, I’m given a look that suggests, “You’re not an MD, you don’t know what we’re dealing with in our…

One of my long-term fibromyalgia patients told me that a doctor had referred her to acupuncture a few years before she came to see me. She told me she waited because she felt so ignorant about the subject that she didn’t know what to ask at an appointment. How many…

I love the silence in the treatment room when I get acupuncture treatments. After my practitioner reads my energy, selects points and inserts needles, I am alone, resting on a comfortable table. I am aware of my energy, ready to embrace change. Feeling energy realign, I am better prepared on…

People are quick to say that the reason we are so overweight in this country is because we eat too much and don’t exercise enough. But if that was so, how do you explain the epidemic of obese 6-month old babies? Are they not spending enough time on the treadmill?…

Happy Holidays to all of you in the acupuncture profession. These greetings extend to your families and staff personnel. It seems as this year has gone by so fast. It surely was the year of the rabbit. I want to extend my thanks to all of the writers who have…

For over 30 years, the American Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (AAAOM) has served as our national AOM professional association, representing licensed acupuncturists and AOM health care providers throughout the U.S. as well as some members in foreign countries. Over the past five years, AAAOM has been monitoring and…