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Acupuncture and Oriental medicine’s (AOM) popularity and ever-increasing use in integrative medical settings is influencing its evolution. As conventional health care expands to include AOM, numerous issues arise including appropriate referrals, herb-drug interactions, collaborative research, and the preservation of a full and traditional scope of practice.

The first weekend in May drew hundreds of acupuncturists to the Hyatt Regency Hotel & Spa in Newport, Rhode Island to participate in the Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Alliance’s 12th annual conference and exposition. The conference was one of the Alliance’s most successful events, featuring a combination of business, education…

Greetings and welcome to the dog days of summer. I’ve often wondered what the saying “dog days” really means. I found out recently that it has to do with Sirius, the brightest star in the sky, which is also nicknamed the “dog star.” In Latin, the name for Sirius is…

On Saturday, April 30, Gene Bruno, LAc, OMD, president emeritus of the American Association of Oriental Medicine (AAOM), and Michael Schroeder, vice president of the American Acupuncture Council (AAC), presented new proposed language for obstetrics and gynecology to be included in the AAC’s malpractice insurance policies. The presentation was made…

Many athletes train for years, reach the apex of their careers, then “crash.” After the peak of competition is over, and the highs of winning, commercial endorsements, sponsors and general excitement die down, depression then sets in. This is known as post-competition depression. Some of these athletes seek out a…

Shane Burras’ article “AIMS Conducts Analysis of New CPT Codes” is for the most part dead-on, but omitted a very important point. The risk to the patient and the stress on the provider, two very key points in determining a code’s relative value, vary by acupuncture point. As a rule,…

“What Are My Choices?” is here to answer all of those questions - and more. What Are My Choices? is an occasional column that gives you the information you need straight from the experts: the companies themselves. This issue’s column focuses on insurance, practice management, and other practice services -…

Although it originated as a style of Chinese martial art centuries ago, tai chi is now one of the most popular forms of exercise in the world. Performed in slow motion, tai chi combines breathing techniques, meditation and repetitive body movements, many of which follow the principles of traditional Chinese…

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past 12 years, chances are you’ve heard of Representative Maurice Hinchey, a member of Congress from New York, and his efforts to expand access to acupuncturists. Since 1993, his first year in Congress, Rep. Hinchey has shown his support for the…

The 13th International Congress of Oriental Medicine will be held Oct. 20-23 at the Daegu Exhibition & Convention Center in Daegu, South Korea. Co-sponsored by the International Society of Oriental Medicine (ISOM) and the Association of Korean Oriental Medicine (AKOM), the event will also commemorate the Society’s 30th anniversary.

As acupuncture becomes integrated into the fabric of U.S. health care, opportunities for innovative partnerships with hospitals, outpatient clinics and rehabilitation centers are being developed. These creative programs promote increased access to acupuncture care and provide diverse examples of how treatment options can become meaningfully blended.

The Acupuncture Poll question for April 2005 was: What therapies do you use to treat female infertility patients?

The Maryland Acupuncture Society (MAS) elected three new board members at its most recent annual meeting, held Apr. 2 at the Holiday Inn BWI in Linthicum, Md. The society also announced the results of its annual membership campaign.

According to the National Institutes of Health, up to 80 percent of the general population in the United States will suffer an episode of low back pain during their lifetimes. 1 After respiratory ailments, low back pain is the most frequent reason Americans visit a medical doctor for treatment. It…

Qi is one of the most mysterious elements of Oriental medicine. It cannot be seen, touched, or smelled. Nevertheless, the curing of patients by acupuncture depends on and results from this invisible flow of qi . It is so elusive, yet so real. How, then, can one present it as…

Gentle, health-enhancing qigong exercises can easily become an integral aspect of an acupuncturist’s treatment strategy. The detoxification, qi cultivation, storage and refinement that result from qigong practice helps patients take charge of their healing process and increases the effectiveness of acupuncture treatments. It is a powerful self-healing tool that can…

“Beat the heat” this summer with green tea! The summer heat is almost upon us, affecting primarily our exterior upper body, as well as our lungs, pericardium, heart, liver and intestines. Green tea, known as lu cha , is very popular and is commonly drunk throughout China during this season…

After water, tea is the most frequently consumed beverage in the world. Reportedly discovered by a Chinese emperor more than 4,000 years ago, tea has become an integral component of traditional Chinese medicine. Over time, different varieties of tea (such as green, black and oolong) have been prescribed by herbalists…

In part one of this series, we introduced the theories of Septimus Piesse, who postulated correspondences between fragrance and musical tone. We also explored a rare neurological condition, synesthesia, which is characterized by a simultaneity of one or more of the senses, a phenomenon originating in the limbic, emotional region…

Before beginning this month’s column, I’d like to thank David Razo, who writes the “Student Scene” column for Acupuncture Today and recently graduated from the Southern California University of Health Sciences, for extending an invitation to me to attend the school’s first annual acupuncture and Oriental medicine symposium in April.…