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AAAOM’s National Government Affairs (NGA) committee has taken an extremely active role to create a presence for acupuncture and Oriental medicine in Washington, D.C. The NGA committee membership includes experienced leaders from our field who are working to actively represent our profession on many fronts.

I recently took my dog Maggie to the vet for her checkup and shots. (No, we are not going into the debate on vaccinations) The visit was business as usual until the time came for the heartworm blood sample. Let’s just say Maggie didn’t like that. The vet had called…

In my last article, I referred to the challenges of getting medical doctors to take you seriously. Some readers asked me to expand on this important topic. How do you enlarge your practice and develop a network of physicians to refer their patients to you? The three keys to building…

Active care has become the buzz word from insurance carriers. They are referring to the multitude of treatment guidelines commonly used to determine the efficacy of treatment protocols. “Active” refers to a method of care where the patient is an active participant in as the services are being performed.

In previous articles in this series, I discussed the importance of questioning beneath the superficial levels in order to reach the actual patient who is before us. There is no question or area of inquiry that is irrelevant or insignificant, as anything may potentially give us more than information or…

The acupuncture profession has made more inroads for establishment than any time before in the history of the United States. There is licensure and regulation in most states, with several other states working on the process. The profession must be ever aware and vigilant against forces that would erode established…

My husband and I crouched near the speakerphone, stunned by the urgent words coming from my sister-in-law in England. “Dad has been admitted to hospital because his leg pain can’t be controlled with medicine. They are planning surgery for tomorrow. He will probably lose his leg. He says he doesn’t…

As the title of my column, “Not the Emperor’s Acupuncturist,” reflects, I don’t generally work with private patients. Rather, I have chosen to work with indigent and working-class patients, mostly in a hospital environment. In an effort to give some understanding of what this sort of practice entails, I have…

In my last article, I mentioned that I find it interesting when patients stop coming for treatment when they start getting better. I want to clarify and explore this more. I don’t mean patients that get a 70 to 80 percent improvement then stop coming for treatment instead of sticking…

You can treat these modern diseases - hypoglycemia, insulin-resistance, diabetes, food intolerances, adrenal fatigue, hormonal imbalances - but when the patient is malnourished (which is much more often than you can imagine), the treatment time is much slower.

The weather in Austin was glorious and balmy. What a great time for the Southwest Symposium, which is held every year by the Academy of Oriental Medicine at Austin. The people were warm, and it was great to see old friends and make new ones. The lectures were informative and…

SAR Conference and Call for Abstracts. AAAOM Welcomes New Lobbying Team. Samra University Opens Clinic.

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) convened the Summit on Integrative Medicine and the Health of the Public, Feb. 25-27 in Washington, D.C., in order to advance the science and progress of integrative medicine in the United States. The summit brought together educators, policy-makers and health care providers from multiple sectors…

The leaders of eight national AOM organizations met to discuss topics of interest to the AOM profession. The most significant outcome of the meeting was a commitment by the attending organizations to joint strategic planning later this year. The interest of the participants in joint strategic planning reflects not only…

In what may well be the end to the ongoing saga of California Medicaid coverage for acupuncture, the current fiscal crisis was the deciding factor. As of July 1, optional benefits (which include acupuncture, chiropractic, podiatry, mental health, optometry and dental services) will no longer be covered under Medi-Cal, the…

Wen-Shuo