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Are there new or updated diagnosis codes for 2008? Do I need to get a new diagnosis code book? Also, are there updates to CPT codes for 2008?

About two years ago, a 25-year-old, second-year dental student came to me for help. On his intake form, he described his problem as pain in the groin region and circled the gonad/groin area on his pain chart. During the interview, he was reticent but finally revealed that he was having…

The American Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (AAAOM) is pleased to start this regular column in Acupuncture Today to bring you news from your professional association. Each column will highlight current issues and activities the association is addressing, as well as some of the people working on behalf of…

How does a traditional healing modality such as Oriental medicine adapt to make it in our contemporary culture of changing consciousness? Can we evolve and survive? Do we lead the way or follow? To better help me understand questions like these, I called on Michael Wayne, PhD, author of the…

Chemotherapy and radiation are standard treatments for cancer in Western medicine. However, they are very toxic and affect numerous parts of the body. Many herbal formulas have been used with great success to alleviate side effects of chemotherapy and radiation. Among all of the formulas that have been used, the…

At the AAAOM Conference in October 2007, the Trudy McAlister Fund awarded its first two scholarships to students of acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. The recipients were Jason Moskovitz from Yo San University in Los Angeles, and Andrew Fritsch from the Minnesota College of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine in Minneapolis. Both…

Modern Chinese medicine follows Western medicine in defining its specialties according to a patient’s manifest pathology. This “common sense” approach classifies, for instance, a postmenopausal woman with heavy vaginal bleeding as a gynecology case and a patient with chief complaints of abdominal bloating and irregular bowel movements as a case…

Clomiphene is a selective estro-gen-receptor modulator (SERM), which is mainly used in the treatment of female infertility due to anovulation, as in the case of polycystic ovarian syndrome. This drug also is commonly used before patients undergo an assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment, such as in-vitro fertilization (IVF), to encourage…

AIMC Berkeley is creating a fully integrated weight management clinic, one which should be unique. There are very few clinics that specialize in weight management using a fully integrative approach, and no other clinics I am aware of utilize the special healing and balancing effects of combining Japanese and Chinese…

This is the Year of the Earth Rat. It begins Feb. 7, 2008. According to Wikipedia: “Being the first sign of the Chinese zodiac, rats are leaders, pioneers and conquerors. They are charming, passionate, charismatic, practical and hardworking. Rat people are endowed with great leadership skills and are the most…

The acupuncture and Oriental medicine profession made great strides in 2007, as the general public became more aware of the benefits of this important medicine. It all started with an introduction by Dr. Oz on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” back in February 2007. Now, acupuncture has gone prime time, with…

The World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies (WFCMS) held its 2007 annual meeting in Singapore, in partnership with the 4 th International Congress of Traditional Medicine. The WFCMS conference emphasized connecting international leaders in the TCM field; research papers and treatment protocols were presented at the international congress.

With the Chinese government already under pressure to maintain its 14-year ban on tiger trade (September 2007 Acupuncture Today ), it has come under even further scrutiny for yet another practice of farming endangered animals for traditional Chinese medicine products - specifically, Asiatic bears for their bile, gallbladders and other…

There is no question that state Medicare costs are on the rise. A report released in December 2007 by the National Governors Association and the National Association of State Budget Officers paints a dire picture of state health care budgets. According to the report , Medicaid spending from all funding…

Some time ago, a gentleman sought assistance in my office for severe facial pain which traumatically occurred months prior, when the snow-blade he was operating suddenly struck an immovable object, hurling him nose-first into the steering wheel. The discomfort in his cervical region was of secondary importance to the intractable…

In the April 2006 issue of Shi Yong Zhong Yi Nei Ke Za Zhi ( Journal of Practical Traditional Chinese Internal Medicine ), Xiang, et al., published an article titled “The treatment of 58 cases of type 2 diabetes combining Chinese and Western medicine.”

NCCAOM Elects Two New Commissioners. AMA Gives Top Award to Founder of Acupuncture Clinic. New Web Site for Domestic Herbs Now Online. AIMC Berkeley Launches New Acupuncture Training Program for Medical Professionals. AAAOM Announces New Members of the Board of Directors

Everyone wants to have perfect health. Many people are willing to work very hard to be free of serious diseases. So it is important to be more precise on what perfect health is. There are many opinions, but so far, there is very little quantitative, objective idea of what perfect…

As I researched in preparation for my presentation, “Corporate America Here We Come,” given at the Pacific Symposium last fall, I was amazed to discover how many directions acupuncturists are taking today in pursuit of their career dreams. Smart people with bright-spirit eyes and unlimited potential are finding new ways…

Here is a recommendation about exercise that your patients might like to hear: “Keep it brief and infrequent.” About two months ago, I observed that one of my patients, a woman in her early 60s, had made some obvious positive changes in her physique (not through plastic surgery) and her…