|
December 2001
Page
1 - 2 - 3 - 4
14th Symposium set in Los Angeles
The 14th Annual AAMA Symposium, "Medical Acupuncture: Embracing Science and Tradition," is being planned for Los Angeles in April 2002 with dynamic speakers, cutting-edge sessions, informative exhibits, latest research updates, networking opportunities and much more.
Four concurrent Pre-Symposium workshops will be offered on April 18. They include: Introduction to Medical Acupuncture (Joseph Helms, MD, on French Energetics and Anita Cignolini, MD, on TCM); Neurophysiology and Evaluation of Pain (Joseph Wong, MD); Introduction to Scalp Acupuncture (Toshikatsu Yamamoto, MD, PhD), and TCM (Francisco Lozano, MD). That night, there will be a workshop, PR and How to Market Your Acupuncture Practice, by the Academy's PR firm Tierney Communications.
The Symposium, which follows on April 19-21, will feature international speakers Joseph Wong, MD, of Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Toshikatsu Yamamoto, MD, PhD, of Miyazaki, Japan, and Dr. Francisco Lozano of Mexico City, Mexico:
- Dr. Wong will present some of his seminal work on Neuroanatomical acupuncture to address neurophysiology and evaluation of pain, treatment of head, neck and back, upper and lower extremeity treatments. Having just released the second volume of his book, he was extremely well received at recent Academy workshops.
- Dr. Yamamoto will return to present Yamamoto New Scalp Acupuncture and its clinical applications. He was wildly popular when presenting at AAMA's 11th Annual Symposium in Chicago in 1999.
- Dr. Lozano is founding president of the Mexican Federation of Acupuncture Societies. Having studied for years in China and Japan, he will present on TCM-both as a general overview, as well as an address on gynecology and genito-urinary diseases, specifically. He is fluent in both Mandarin and Japanese, and has a great deal of experience to offer.
Each of these three international guests has been a long-standing friend of the Academy, with Drs. Wong and Yamamoto being highly popular at previous AAMA Symposia, as mentioned, and Dr. Lozano working on the North American Acupuncture Forum with Bryan Frank, MD, formerly the NAFTA Acupuncture Forum.
Additionally, after a very large showing at the Writer's Seminar with the Medical Acupuncture journal staff at last year's Symposium, there will be a Writer's Workshop scheduled with journal editor Richard Niemtzow, MD, and the editorial staff for Sunday afternoon, concurrent with other clinical workshops.
IMPRESSIVE FACULTY
The nationally recognized guests include: Dr. Lynnae Schwartz (Neuro-receptor Activity and Implications for Medical Acupuncture), Dr. Ed Garbacz (Current Academic Research in Acupuncture), Dr. John Giusto (Energetic Approaches to Sport Injuries, Chronic Pain, Arthritis and Rheumatoid Conditions), Dr. Pat Mok (Peri-operative Acupuncture), Dr. Michael Smith (Acupuncture and Psychiatry in Family Practice and Acupuncture Detox), Dr. Anita Cignolini (TCM Management of Fibromyalgia, Immune Diseases, Depression, Anxiety and Insomnia), Dr. Peter Johnstone (Acupuncture Support for Radiation Cancer Therapy), Dr. Agatha Colbert (Acupuncture and Magnet Therapy), Dr. Nader Soliman (Introduction to Auricular Therapy/Auricular Medicine), Dr. Roberto Jodorkovsky (Introduction to Hand Therapy), Dr. May Loo (ADHD Options), and a Special Pediatric panel (Drs. Jodorkovsky, Loo and Soliman). Finally, the aforementioned Writer's Workshop with Dr. Niemtzow and the Medical Acupuncture editorial staff.
SYMPOSIUM SCHEDULE
- Friday, April 19 will begin with joint sessions on Introduction to Neurological Acupuncture Treatments by Dr. Wong, New Scalp Acupuncture by Dr. Yamamoto, and Peri-Operative Acupuncture by Dr. Mok. After concurrents, there will be the Wine and Cheese Reception with Posters and awards, followed by a joint Physician Practice Management by Dr. Mark Painter.
- Saturday, April 20 will begin with joint sessions on Neuro-receptor Activity and Implications for Medical Acupuncture by Dr. Schwartz and Current Academic Research in Acupuncture by Dr. Garbacz, followed by the Annual Membership Meeting and concurrents. Dr. Yamamoto's workshop will run all day.
- Sunday, April 21 will feature joint sessions on MARF, Research Update, ADHD by Dr. Loo and an expert panel, followed by concurrents.
Group lunches and breaks to visit vendors with products and services related to medical acupuncture will be built into each day.
SYMPOSIUM POSTERS, MARF CONTEST
Abstracts of research projects or case reports will be presented as Posters at the Wine and Cheese Reception in Los Angeles, with presenters receiving 50% off Symposium registration fee. In addition, members are eager for MARF presentations of Research Awards and their Annual Research Update. Deadline to submit an abstract for Poster consideration and an entry for the annual MARF Acupuncture Research Award, sponsored by Seirin-America, is Jan. 31, 2002. For details, see articles in the October 2001 AAMA Newsletter or call AAMA (323/937-5514).
REVIEW COURSE, ABMA EXAM
The Medical Acupuncture Review Course will be April 16-17, 2002, followed by the American Board of Medical Acupuncture Certification Exam on April 22, 2002, both at Millennium Biltmore Hotel, 506 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles.
AAMA has obtained special room rates at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel: Deluxe $150 single/$170 double and Club $180 single/$199 double. To get these rates, book your reservation at 213/624-1011 by March 28, 2002. For a virtual tour of the hotel, log on to: www.millennium-hotels.com
More details will be mailed to members as well as posted on AAMA's website as the Symposium gets closer. Make plans now to visit sunny Southern California in April 2002.
Back to TOP
AAMA president reviews accomplishments of 2001
By Marshall H. Sager, DO, DABMA
AAMA PRESIDENT
I want to wish each and every AAMA member and family a joyous holiday season. I extend to you my sincere hope that 2002 will be a year of prosperity, joy, fulfillment and security for each of us, for our country and for our world.
In keeping with the spirit of this season of hope, giving and camaraderie, I want to briefly recap some of the achievements your Academy had made in 2001.
- Increase in membership - Approximately 2,000 members, i.e., almost double that which we had 4.5 years ago
- Increase in American Board of Medical Acupuncture certified physicians - Approximately 200
- White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy - Actively involved with maintaining and enhancing our position in medical and acupuncture communities
- ICMART membership - AAMA has been accepted as a full voting member of the International Council for Medical Acupuncture & Related Techniques - prestige, international status for the Academy
- International Membership Classification - Established to permit physician acupuncturists outside of the US to take part in activities of the Academy as members.
- Tierney Communications - new PR firm actively involved in promoting the Academy
To further our goals in 2002, I urge each of you to consider participating in one of our Committees, the names of which are listed below. It is via this type of participation that you can make a difference and become involved nationally with our organization.
To continue what I started with the previous newsletter, I have decided to use part of my column to describe our committees:
- MEDICAL ACUPUNCTURE REVIEW/JOURNAL
- 2002 SYMPOSIUM
- BUDGET COMMITTEE
- MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE
- EDUCATION COMMITTEE*
- CME COMMITTEE
- MEDICAL ACUPUNCTURE REVIEW COURSE
- MEDICAL ACUPUNCTURE ADVISORY COMMITTEE
- WEBSITE COMMITTEE
- VOLUNTEER RECRUITMENT COMMITTEE
*In the last issue, I described the Membership Committee. I now will introduce you to the Education Committee whose purpose is to develop and offer quality postgraduate seminars and workshops to meet the identified educational needs of the members.
Membership
This committee consists of five to 11 Academy members appointed by the president. One serves as chairman and directs activities to meet the committee's purpose.
Scope of Work/Ongoing Goals
- Develop a program of periodic workshops and seminars to be offered throughout the year to address members' learning needs.
- Identify topics and appropriate subject matter for a program of continuing education courses.
- Recruit a faculty knowledgeable in the subject matter and skilled as teachers to serve as faculty for courses to be offered.
- Comply with requirements of the ACCME in the development and implementation of the program to assure that the program is of the highest quality.
Immediate Goals
- Schedule three or four new subject offerings each year, and offer on an ongoing basis the equivalent of a course or session 12 times per year.
- Conduct a survey as to member educational needs to determine priorities for the development of new course offerings.
Guidelines and Policies
- The chairman will submit written status reports for all meetings to the Board of Directors. The chairman also will submit annual funding requests to the Budget Committee.
- New topic areas should be identified on an on-going basis to assure an adequate pool of available topics.
To join the Education Committee, contact Chair William H. Page-Echols, DO (517/333-3550, pageecho@pilot.msu.edu).
Back to TOP
White House Commission
Endorsing physician practice of medical acupuncture will increase access to holistic, coordinated medical care within the American medical community, according to William D. Rutenberg, MD, DABMA, chair of Medical Acupuncture Advisory Committee for AAMA.
Dr. Rutenberg testified before the final public hearing of the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy (WHCCAMP) at NIH in Bethesda, MD on Dec. 7. He asked the commission to help promote access to medical acupuncture in this country by upholding AAMA's role as educator and provider of acupuncture within the evidence-based framework of American medical clinics and hospitals.
"In Western society, the demand for evidence-based medicine is inescapable," said Dr. Rutenberg. "Physicians, trained in medical acupuncture, presenting and publishing research based on sound scientific principles, at national medical meetings and in peer reviewed journals, are making believers of Western trained physicians."
Speaking on behalf of the Academy, a 2,000-person association of American and Canadian physicians incorporating acupuncture into their practices, Dr. Rutenberg urged the commission to uphold current, proven training standards for physician acupuncturists. The results of a national study published in JAMA in 1998 found that most CAM users first seek out conventional medical treatment and subsequently turn to CAM practitioners. Endorsement of medical acupuncture by the commission will create a cadre of physicians who bring acupuncture and by association, CAM, into medical centers, medical school curricula, and to patients, Dr. Rutenberg said.
"Patients know that we are applying Western pathophysiology to their problems, but they also value that we are looking at the mind-body relationship through an Eastern paradigm," Dr. Rutenberg wrote in submitted testimony. "I have repeatedly found that when people see my AAMA certificate on my office wall, they become open and discuss freely their desires for a more holistic approach to their healthcare, their desire for me to incorporate acupuncture into their care, and to the limits of my knowledge, other forms of complementary medicine. My training has also allowed me to become a more informed, more knowledgeable referring physician."
Rutenberg stressed the quality of the AAMA and Board Certification program, which adheres to the international standard of the World Health Organization as well as the core curriculum of the British Medical Association Board of Science and Education.
He also described ways in which the Academy can share its educational resources with the broader community, including:
- Medical Acupuncture research journal published three times/year;
- The Acubriefs website (www.acubriefs.com), an extensive information and news source for the acupuncture community; and
- AAMA's annual Symposium, where medical acupuncturists continue their education and share clinical experiences.
Dr. Rutenberg also articulated AAMA's desire to work together with all acupuncture practitioners to present a "unified voice" to increase the stature of acupuncture as a valued healthcare alternative. He closed by quoting basic principles of integrative medicine as articulated by the University of Arizona's School of Integrative Medicine: "It is my hope the commission will adopt 'a philosophy that neither rejects conventional medicine nor accepts alternative medicine uncritically and recognizes that good medicine should be based in good science, inquiry driven and open to new paradigms.'"
Dr. Rutenberg, a specialist in pediatrics, allergy and medical acupuncture at the Grove Medical Center in Long Grove, IL, is board certified in pediatrics and medical acupuncture. A full copy of his testimony is posted here.
WHCCAMP's recommendations on policy and legislation are due to the President through the secretary of health and human services by March 2002.
Back to TOP
Page
1 - 2 - 3 - 4
|
