Search Acupuncture Today

The American Association of Oriental Medicine recently asked the American Acupuncture Council to undertake an initiative to obtain clarifying language from the insurance industry regarding the nature of malpractice coverage for acupuncturists who treat issues related to women’s health.

I have been exploring qi for just over 10 years now, and for most of that time I have been trying to find a master. I knew masters existed, because one introduced me to qi and the subtle energies of life. I met him during my last semester of college,…

Eczema is a general term for an itchy, red rash. It can range in size, from affecting a small area that looks like a little patch of dry skin, to the entire surface of the body, becoming an unbearable source of distraction and misery for the child and his or…

With the emergence of a SARS (sudden acute respiratory syndrome) epidemic several years ago in southern China and Hong Kong, Chinese herbal medicine obtained some degree of international notice. Traditional Chinese hospitals reported a much smaller incidence of staff health workers coming down with the SARS flu.

“The Ongoing Voyage: A New Journey for an Ancient Vessel” is the theme for the upcoming Annual Conference and Exposition of the Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Alliance. The event, scheduled for May 6-10, 2005, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel & Spa in Newport, Rhode Island, promises a unique blend of…

The sun just seems to be peeking out from under the clouds, and spring is just around the corner as I sit down to write this article. The event that I am going to share with you began on a cloudy, windy morning in the Los Angeles area. It seems…

Working under the auspices of the World Health Organization, a group of leading acupuncturists and scientists from China, Japan and South Korea has agreed to set aside cultural and philosophical differences and work together to create an internationally standardized set of acupuncture points. If all goes as planned, the scientists…

ABC codes are essential to the advancement of integrative healthcare (IHC). They support the mainstreaming of cost-effective IHC practices - including Oriental medicine - by filling gaps in the Current Procedural Terminology (HCPCS Level I) and HCPCS Level II code sets. 1

I read with interest the article by Warner Seem regarding the integration of research into the acupuncturist’s practice (“Making Research Practical: New Research Services in the Works,” November 2004). Western-trained, my first impression was, “Good ... the medical doctors and lawyers will require this of us to communicate.” Eastern-trained, I…

Greetings, colleagues! After almost two years of work, a coalition led by the American Association of Oriental Medicine (AAOM) that included the American Chiropractic Association, the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture, and the Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Alliance, succeeded in updating the current procedural terminology (CPT) codes for acupuncture. This…

“What Are My Choices?” is here to answer those questions. What Are My Choices? is a periodic column that gives you the information you need straight from the experts - the companies themselves. This issue’s column focuses onpublished products such as books, charts and videotapes - all important components of…

The meridian clock is a multidimensional energetic model used in the practice of Chinese medicine, but the depths of its theory and clinical applications have not been presented to the acupuncture community. The meridian clock is a profound energy system, containing and integrating many principles found in the classic Taoist…

Last June, Tierney Tully left her position as executive director of the Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Alliance to devote more time to the National Acupuncture Foundation (NAF), an organization she has been associated with since 2001. Before joining the Foundation, she operated a pair of successful private practices, first in…

While we can get by without water for days and food for over a month, our needs for oxygen and to eliminate carbon dioxide are nearly immediate. If you have ever tried to hold your breath for an extended period or to breathe through a straw, you have an idea…

The Acupuncture Poll question for November 2004 was: What percentage of your patients do you refer out to medical doctors or chiropractors each month?

First Acupuncturist Named to APHA’s Governing Council Beth Sommers, MPH, LAc, who co-authors the “Acupuncture in the Public Health Setting” column for Acupuncture Today , has been elected to the Governing Gouncil of the American Public Health Association. She was elected during the organization’s most recent annual meeting in Washington,…

The National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine’s (NCCAOM) Board of Commissioners has voted to revise existing recertification requirements. The new requirements, adopted at a board meeting in September 2004, cover areas such as continuing education, research and clinical supervision, and - with one exception - will be implemented…

Moxibustion and acupuncture have always gone together as one compound name in the Chinese classics on treatment of illness. We have explained in previous articles in Acupuncture Today how acupuncture works in terms of modern science. How does moxibustion work in terms of modern science? The simple answer is that…

In one of the largest trials of its kind published to date, researchers in Maryland have found that acupuncture applied to specific points on the leg can provide significant pain relief and improve function in patients who have osteoarthritis of the knee. The results of the trial, published in the…

Almost 5,000 years ago, the Chinese had evolved a unique philosophy of music, which, according to author David Tame, in The Secret Power of Music, involved a “system of musical mysticism.” Music contained an essence of transcendent power, and a composition was an “energy formula,” not unlike the flow of…