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President's Message: AAMA president hands reins to vice president, Symposium plans continue
By Richard F. Hobbs, III, MD, FAAFP, FAAMA
President, AAMA
This will be my last column for the AAMA Newsletter as President. Recently, I have concluded that, for a variety of reasons, it would be best for our Vice-President, Rey Ximenes, MD, FAAMA, to take over as President, so I have tended my resignation. It has, indeed, been an honor serving the Academy as a member of the Board of Directors, as Vice-President, as chairman of the Symposium Committee and as President.
Membersof the AAMA comprise a remarkable group of people, and I am appreciative of the many friendships that I have made and of all that I have learned from you. Rey Ximenes will be a strong leader, and I have great confidence that under his guidance, the Academy will move forward in a very positive direction.
AAMA Symposium
This morning, I registered for the 2012 AAMA Symposium, which will be held April 26-29 in Atlanta, GA. Have you done so yet? If not, don’t forget that you can get the Early Bird rate any time between now and Feb. 28. This will save you fifty bucks.
Speaking of the Symposium, the Committee has once again come up with an amazing program. It will definitely be worth your while. It may interest you to know that plans for the 2013 Symposium are already afoot. The first planning meeting is scheduled for later this month, and Executive Administrator Jim Dowden is checking out possible venues. The decision for an early start will make a difference in terms of the range of available speakers and the overall quality of the program.
AAMA Webinars
Have you noticed on the AAMA website that we have several webinars in the archives now, and there are more on the way? (See article in this issue on Feb. 29 webinar, “Technology for Today’s Practice,” with Paras Mehta, MD.) Our Education Committee, with Claudia Harsh, MD, as chair, has done a fantastic job of expanding educational opportunities for members. In addition to the webinars, be on the lookout for a number of DVDs that are in the pipeline.
We’ve been promising a new website for some while now. It’s pretty much done. There have been some delays related to technical issues, but we have recently made an important decision on how best to interface with the academy database. I can’t give you an exact date yet for going live, but it shouldn’t be too long now. We appreciate your patience.
So, wishing you all a Happy New Year and the very best in years to come!
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Sign up now for free AAMA Webinar on Feb. 29
“Technology for Today’s Practice” by Paras Mehta, MD
The American Academy of Medical Acupuncture's fourth webinar for members at no cost, “Techology for Today’s Practice,” will be presented live by Paras Mehta, MD, starting at 8pm EST on Wednesday, Feb. 29, 2012.
Dr. Mehta will present a summary lecture on social media, including Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. and also electronic medical records. He promises to pitch the discussion so that all levels of ability (even the less-tech savvy) will appreciate the information.
"Let's discuss some of the tech tools available to help enhance patient care and reduce overhead expenses in a practice," he said.
Dr. Mehta lived most of his life in Illinois and completed medical school at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He has a broad interest in prevention and the role of diet and nutrition in reversing disease. He has trained in integrative and functional medicine, as well as medical acupuncture during the past four years. He is happily married to his wife, Shivani; they are considering international work once finished with training.
AAMA members (only) can register online for that webinar. The event will be taped and available for download in the Member Area of the AAMA website shortly after the session airs. This webinar will be offered at no cost to members.
Future Events
Webinars are held at 8pm EST on the last Wednesday of the month – unless announced otherwise.
Past webinars -- "Getting Started: Setting Up an Acupuncture Practice" by Dr. Claudia E. Harsh; "How To Get Paid: Reimbursement Principles and Pearls for Workers Compensation and Accidents" by John P. Kohler, MD, FAAMA; and “Billing 101 – The Basics of Getting Paid,” by Rey Ximenes, MD, FAAMA -- are posted online.
Watch for details on the webinars in the AAMA Newsletter and the Academy’s online calendar and then log on with your peers.
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Register by Feb. 28 to save money on AAMA Symposium in Atlanta
Register by Feb. 28 to save money on AAMA’s 24TH Annual Symposium, “Acupuncture: Evolving Perspectives,” April 26-29, 2012.and experience the Southern hospitality of Atlanta, GA, while learning the latest advancements in medical acupuncture.
The Review Course will be on April 24-25, 2012, the Pre-Symposium Workshops on April 26, 2012 and the ABMA Certification Exam on April 29, 2012. Anna C. Kelly, MD, FAAMA, is Symposium chair, assisted by Vice Chair Jay Sandweiss, DO, FAAMA.
Charming Venue
The Symposium will be held at the Grand Hyatt Atlanta in Atlanta, GA. To reserve the AAMA discounted room rate of $159/night (sgl/dbl) pending availability, book online or call the hotel by April 1, 2012 at 404/237-1234 and be sure to mention the AAMA Symposium.
Some sessions include: “Modern Perspectives on Ancient Medicine,” “MRI and Ultrasound Findings in Acupuncture,” “Acupuncture in the Treatment of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ,” “Evidence of Trigger Point Acupuncture: An Overview ,” “Comprehensive Acupuncture Treatment for Allergy,” “Acupuncture Mechanisms: Basic Science,” “Helms Goes Curious, Part II, (for DABMA’s only),” "Medical Acupuncture: From Physical to Spiritual Practice," “Comparative Neuroanatomical Acupuncture: Implications for Clinical Practice,” “How to Successfully Treat the Most Difficult, Complex and Complicated Cases with Medical Acupuncture: The Triple Energizer” and more in concurrent workshops and plenary sessions.
Pre-Symposium Workshops
Chair Dr. Sandweiss is planning these Pre-Symposium Workshops:
Pre-Symposium Workshop I – "Shen-Hammer Contemporary Chinese Pulse Diagnosis"
Instructors Ross Rosen, L.Ac. & Brandt Stickley, L.Ac.
Pre-Symposium Workshop II – “Chinese Scalp Acupuncture”
Instructor Jason Hao, DOM
Pre-Symposium Workshop III – "Integrating Acupuncture, Manual Medicine, and Nutraceutical Medicine: 'These are a few of my favorite things...' "
Instructor Jay Sandweiss, DO
Pre-Symposium Workshop IV – “Introduction to Neijing Classical Channel Theory”
Instructor Ed Neal, MD
There will also be Poster Presentation Wine and Cheese Reception, Free Papers, the Research Competition, the Dinner/Dance, early morning "Gong with Aung" with Steven K.H. Aung, MD, OMD, PhD, group lunch, the exhibit area with companies featuring products and services related to medical acupuncture, the Review Course, the American Board of Medical Acupuncture Certification Exam and more.
Check out the Symposium website that lists the outstanding Faculty, timely sessions, Pre-Symposium Workshop descriptions, registration, hotel reservation details and more.
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Call for Symposium Poster Presentations
Members have until March 15 to apply to present a Poster Presentation at the AAMA Symposium 2012, in Atlanta, GA April 26-29, 2012.
Please follow all instructions carefully to allow your application to be fully considered. Space and time is limited. Poster Presentations must be submitted in English.
POSTER PRESENTATIONS
Application to make a Poster Presentation at the AAMA Symposium should be submitted no later than March 15, 2012. An abstract (summary) of the proposed Poster Presentations should be submitted via email by March 15, 2012, to jdowden@prodigy.net with the e-mail subject line reading: AAMA Poster Presentation, in order to be properly received. Abstracts should have the title, author, affiliation, contact information and abstract body of no more than 250 words.
Poster Presentation Awards will be presented to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place presentations, with $750, $500 and $250 awarded, respectively. Awards will be announced at the close of the Symposium.
If your poster application is accepted, you will be notified by April 1, 2012.
AS PER CME REQUIREMENTS, NO COMMERCIAL ENDORSEMENT OF ANY PRODUCT OF ANY KIND IS ALLOWED AND THIS WILL DISQUALIFY ANY SUBMISSION.
Accepted Poster Presentations should be formatted on paper or laminated poster presentations measuring no greater than 48 inches tall and 72 inches wide (landscape formatting). Posters should be ready for mounting with pins or tape. Accepted Posters will remain on display in the Poster area and must be installed on Friday, April 27 between 1-3 pm. Posters should be removed on Saturday, April 28 by 2 pm. Posters that are not removed by the stated time will be discarded.
There will be no organized or moderated discussions over posters. However, you should be available to offer your explanation to interested colleagues on Friday, April 27 at the Wine and Cheese reception at 5-7 pm. Please be present at that time, as Poster Presentation Award winners must be present to be eligible to win an award.
Those selected for Poster Presentations are responsible for their own transportation and housing costs and must pay Symposium registration fees in order to participate in the Poster Presentations.
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Call for Free Paper Presentations at Symposium
Members have until March 15 to apply to present a Free (Oral) Paper at the AAMA Symposium 2012, in Atlanta, GA April 26-29, 2012.
Please follow all instructions carefully to allow your application to be considered fully. While space and time are limited, we do expect a hearty number of great submissions. All Free Papers must be submitted in English.
FREE PAPER ORAL PRESENTATIONS
An abstract (summary) of a proposed Free Paper oral presentation should be submitted via e-mail by March 15, 2012 to jdowden@prodigy.net with the e-mail subject line reading: AAMA Free Paper, in order to be properly received. Abstracts should have the title, author, affiliation, contact information and abstract text of no more than 250 words.
Free Paper topics may be clinical or research (basic or clinical) related. Those selected for Free Paper Oral Presentations are responsible for their own transportation and housing costs and must pay Symposium registration fees in order to participate in the Free Paper Presentation Sessions.
Free Paper Awards will be offered to up to three presentations based on the committee's sole judgement as to the quality of the paper, research and value as a contribution to the medical acupuncture scientific literature. Awards will be announced at the close of the Symposium. All paper authors and presentors will be listed in the final Symposium program.
Only computer and oral presentation is allowed (No overhead projectors, whiteboards or similar aids). Presentations for PC's (Windows 98 / 2000 professional / XP professional configurations) will be accepted, (no MAC, no UNYX). Please prepare and submit your presentation application using PowerPoint Version 2007 or XP standard. Pictures must be in the following format: jpg, gif, tif, or .bmp (format pict is not allowed as it will not be displayed correctly).
AS PER USA AMA REGULATIONS, NO COMMERCIAL ENDORSEMENT OF ANY PRODUCT OF ANY KIND IS ALLOWED AND THIS WILL DISQUALIFY ANY SUBMISSION.
Please, save the presentation on a CD or USB flash disk.
Standard PCs will be provided with OS Windows XP (1,136 GHz processor). The PC projectors project at XGA resolution (1024 x 768 pixels).
You will NOT use your own laptop. Rather, you should bring the file in the manner described above.
All speakers should bring media with their presentation to the technician AT LEAST TWO HOURS BEFORE THE START OF THEIR SESSION.
Time allocation for the Free Oral Papers is 20 minutes. The speaker should present for 15 minutes and allow 5 minutes for questions. The Session Chairperson will announce the 15- and 20-minute times and will stop the presentation at the 20-minute time, even if the presentation is not complete.
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Call for Research Papers at AAMA Symposium
Members have until March 15 to apply to present a Research Paper at the AAMA Symposium 2012 in Atlanta, GA on April 26-29, 2012. Please follow all instructions carefully to allow your application to be considered fully. While space and time are limited, we do expect a hearty number of great submissions from our international colleagues. Further, international submissions have often won awards for our Poster Presentations and Research Papers at our Symposia for many years. All Free Papers, Poster Presentations, and Research Papers must be submitted in English.
RESEARCH PAPER COMPETITION
This is a call for entries for the annual Acupuncture Research Paper Award. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd-place awards will be presented at the AAMA Symposium. The deadline for submission of research papers for the competition is March 15, 2012. If your paper is selected as one of the winners, you will be notified by April 1st, 2012. We are pleased to offer:
- First Place: $1,500, Symposium Registration, travel to $500, and three night's hotel lodging for the presenting author. Paper to be presented at AAMA Symposium in Atlanta, GA, April 2012.
- Second Place: $750, Symposium Registration, travel to $500.
- Third Place: $350 and Symposium Registration.
The First Place winning paper is to be presented in a 30-minute Plenary Session at the Symposium. Papers for second and third place to be announced at the Symposium. Authors will be acknowledged there.
RULES
Submissions must be original work, in either clinical research or basic biochemical or physiological research pertaining to acupuncture. The work must not have been previously published. Work completed and accepted for publication during the 2011-‘12 year period will be considered, if the publishing journal will allow presentation at AAMA Symposium.
Papers should include the name and degree of the principle author and any coworkers, the institution or affiliation (if any), mailing address and telephone/fax numbers. E-mail addresses are desirable but not mandatory.
Submissions should be received by March 15, 2012. Beyond that date, due to judging time and notification needs prior to the spring Symposium, papers cannot be guaranteed acceptance for this year.
Submissions will be judged and rated on originality, suitability for publication, research design, and clinical or basic science relevance.
If human subjects are involved in the research, proper informed consent must have been obtained and approval of appropriate institutional review committees obtained, where applicable.
All submissions must be in English. All proprietary rights to the research work are reserved to the author(s), including future right to publish any and all aspects of the research.
Acknowledgement of receipt of the submission will be sent within 15 working days. The AAMA Board of Directors will assign a panel of judges. Winners will be selected at the sole discretion of the judges and the AAMA Board. Winners will be notified in adequate time to attend the spring Symposium.
The paper may be submitted via email, though the AAMA assumes no liability or responsibility for papers not received. E-mail submissions should be sent to jdowden@prodigy.net with the e-mail subject line "AAMA Research Paper Award Contest," in order to be properly received and considered for the Research Paper Awards.
Hard copies of the paper may be sent to be received by March 15, 2012, to:
Research Award Contest
c/o C. James Dowden, Executive Administrator
1970 E. Grand Ave., Ste. 330
El Segundo, CA 90245
310/364-0193
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Physicians earn Board Certification in medical acupuncture
The following physicians recently met the stringent requirements of the American Board of Medical Acupuncture (ABMA) and have achieved Board Certification in medical acupuncture. They have earned the designation DABMA (Diplomate, American Board of Medical Acupuncture):
Sunita S. Bonde, DO, of Grosse Pte Woods, MI; Helen Y. How, MD, of Louisville, KY; Ahmed Mahmoud, MD, of Morgantown, WV, and Diane M. Pittman, MD, of Bemidji, MN.
The Academy has posted a list online of physicians who are Board Certified. Diplomates (DABMA) are listed alphabetically by last name, along with their location, and dates of expiration.Click here for more on the Board Certification process.
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AAMA Education Committee seeking help from members
A vibrant, diverse and rich collection of seminars, webinars and online CME is currently either available or in process for AAMA members. In order to continue to grow both the depth and variety of offerings, Academy leaders need additional help from the membership.
Education Committee members meet via phone conference on the first Monday of the month at 8pm Eastern time. Their meetings run anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour, depending on the agenda.
This all-volunteer group of AAMA members is looking for new members t o keep the momentum going. They also need members’ feedback and ideas for webinar topics, weekend workshop topics and online CME topics for development.
Please email either the AAMA office or Claudia Harsh, MD (claudia.harsh@gmail.com) if you'd like to either join the meeting or provide feedback.
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Research Methods in Complementary and Integrative Medicine Training Course
A three- module training course on Research Methods in Complementary and Integrative Medicine will be held March 28 through April 4, 2012 in Baltimore, MD. Sponsored by the Institute of Integrative Health, the course will provide participants with the skills necessary to both critically appraise clinical research, identify gaps, and to plan and perform their own study projects. Another important aim of the course is to foster international networking among participants.
The modules on Basic Study Design and Basic Statistics and Designing Pragmatic Trials for Comparative Effectiveness Research will be taught by Drs. Claudia Witt, Klaus Linde and Brian Berman, internationally recognized experts in complementary medicine research. The module on systematic reviews and meta-analysis will be taught by Cochrane Collaboration Complementary Medicine Field coordinators, Eric Manheimer and Susan Weiland.
Instructors have extensive experience in both teaching research methodology and conducting research studies. Their studies have been published in leading general medical journals such as Lancet, JAMA, BMJ, Annals of Internal Medicine, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. This is the first time this highly regarded academic, not for profit course is being held in the United States.
In order to provide personalized and in-depth instruction, there are limited spaces. For details, go to http://tiih.org/research-methods.
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First International Neurofunctional Acupuncture Conference set
The Canadian Contemporary Acupuncture Association (CCAA) is pleased to announce its first International Neurofunctional Acupuncture Conference in May, 2012, “Contemporary Acupuncture Integration in Today's Health Care” with the following course objective: To apply the most effective strategies to integrate contemporary acupuncture in clinical practice, based on up-to-date research and personal clinical experience from a group of world leaders in neurofunctional acupuncture.
The target audience is: physicians, osteopaths, nurses, physiotherapists, chiropractors and any other health care professionals licensed to practice acupuncture in their jurisdiction.
The conference will be held Thursday, May 3 to Sunday, May 6, 2012 at the Sheraton Centre Toronto, 123 Queen St. West, in Toronto, Ontario.
The Symposium has been accredited by the AAMA with 23.5 CME hours in Category 1 credits.
The Early Bird Fee is $675 through Feb. 29, 2012 (savings of $120). Regular Fee after March 1, 2012 will be $795.
If you register before Feb. 29, 2012, you will receive a free DVD on Neurofunctional Acupuncture Safety Techniques by Dr. Alejandro Elorriaga Claraco as an early bird registration bonus.
This video is one of a four-part series on Neurofunctional Acupuncture Safety. All of the segments are as follows:
- Overview of Trunk Landmarks and Safe Needling Techniques (17 min, 29 sec)
- Scapular and Parascapular Regions Safe Needling Techniques (15 min, 29 sec)
- Posterior Neck Region Safe Needling Techniques (13 min, 07 sec)
- Cervical Facet Joint Safe Needling Technique (3 min, 13 sec)
The information presented by Dr. Elorriaga in these high-definition videos contains 56 minutes of instruction on the safest techniques to insert needles on the trunk.
If you click on the following link, you can watch one of the professionally produced video segments on "Scapular and Parascapular Regions Safe Needling Techniques (15 min, 29 sec)".
Please use this other link to access the PDF brochure with detailed information about speakers and registration May 2012 Symposium brochure.
After you have completed your registration, click here to book your DVD and provide your complete mailing address before Feb. 29, 2012. By the end of March, you will receive your DVD as a special reward for taking prompt action.
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Medical Acupuncture Research News
The following is a review of reported research results and related news recently announced or released through Internet outlets:
·The abstract, “Effects of acupuncture at Shenmen (HT7) or Taiyuan (LU9) on P3a and P3b of event-related potentials in healthy young adults,” was published the Journal of Chinese Integrative Medicine (Vo1. 10, January 2012, No. 1). The study sought to investigate effects of needling on human attention brain function. Researchers used electroencephalography to measure event-related potentials. They concluded that acupuncture affects the attention function of the brain and discovered that Ht7 had a “greater influence on the attention function of the brain.”
·The abstract, “Acupuncture for migraine prophy- laxis: a randomized controlled trial,” was published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (Jan. 9, 2012). Researchers aassessed the efficacy of acupuncture at migraine-specific acupuncture points, compared with other acupuncture points and sham acupuncture. Results from 480 patients showed that compared with patients in the control group, patients in the acupuncture groups reported fewer days with a migraine. There was a significant reduction in the number of days with a migraine during weeks 13-16 in all acupuncture groups, compared with control
·The abstract, "Auricular acupuncture effectively reduces state anxiety before dental treatment — a randomised controlled trial," was published in Clinical Oral Investigations (Jan. 6, 2012). Researchers sought to analyze whether auricular acupuncture could reduce state anxiety before dental treatment. This study compared anxiety in 182 patients before dental treatment following auricular acupuncture versus acupuncture at sham points. Auricular acupuncture reduced state anxiety score more effectively than sham acupuncture. Researchers concluded that auricular acupuncture effectively reduces anxiety before dental treatment and therefore, could be an effective intervention.
·The British Medical Journal (Sept. 19, 2011) reports that a public hospital in Hong Kong has launched a pilot project to use a combination of Western and traditional Chinese medicine to treat patients with five chronic conditions. In September, Kwong Wah Hospital made 110 beds available for inpatients to be treated simultaneously by Western and Chinese medical practitioners for diabetic foot; nausea and weakened immunity from chemotherapy; post-stroke convulsions; chronic pain, and allergic rhinitis. The integrative medicine team comprises eight practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine, mostly retired professors from mainland China, and seven doctors.
·The abstract, "Acupuncture at ST36 prevents chronic stress-induced increases in neuropeptide Y (NPY) in rat," was published in Experimental Biology and Medicine (Dec. 7, 2011). This study sought to measure the mechanisms by which acupuncture reduces chronic stress. Laboratory rats exposed to stressful cold were used. The group receiving electro-acupuncture showed a significant and long-term decrease in NPY production. Researchers concluded that acupuncture reduces the production of that chemical, thereby reducing a cause of long-term harmful chronic stress.
·The abstract, “Effect of electro-acupuncture on tumor necrosis factor-α and vascular endothelial growth factor in peripheral blood and joint synovia of patients with rheumatoid arthritis,” was published in Koten Acupuncture Gold Coast – Acupuncture (Jan. 12, 2012). This study tested acupuncture and electro-acupuncture for their efficacy in treating rheumatoid arthritis in 63 patients in two groups. Researchers concluded that electro-acupuncture “could effectively lower the contents of TNF-α and VEGF in peripheral blood and joint synovia to improve the internal environment for genesis and development of RA, so as to enhance the clinical therapeutic effectiveness.”
·The abstract, “Effects of acupuncture on pregnancy rates in women undergoing in vitro fertilization: a systematic review and meta-analysis,” was published in Fertility and Sterility (Jan. 11, 2012). Twenty-four randomized controlled trials of 5,807 women examined the effects of acupuncture, electroacupuncture and laser acupuncture on IVF success rates. Researchers concluded that acupuncture improves clinical pregnancy rates and live birth rates for women receiving IVF. Research also showed that live birth rates significantly increased when acupuncture was administered at the right time.
·The abstract, “Effects of Acupuncture on LIF and IL-12 in Rats of Implantation Failure,” was published the American Journal of Reproductive Immunology (Jan. 9, 2012). Acupuncture has a positive effect on implantation obstacle, but the mechanism is not clear, so this study sought to explore the possible role that acupuncture plays in implantation. Early pregnant rats were randomized into groups. Researchers concluded that acupuncture could improve the poor receptive state of endometrium by promoting LIF and IL-12 secretion to improve blastocyst implantation.
Please send information you find on research involving the efficacy of medical acupuncture to bart.ortberg@dowdenmanagement.com.
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Member News
Members participating in AAMA's referral program will be happy to hear that there were 1,966 unique visits to the website referral page in November and 2,074 visits in December from patients seeking medical acupuncturists in their area. Members interested in participating in the Patient Referral Program should visit the physician listings online to verify that they are listed. Only Practice level members are eligible to participate, and the Academy staff needs explicit notice to include a member in the program.
The Academy has now hosted three free webinars for members. Led by Drs. Claudia E. Harsh, John P. Kohler and Rey Ximenes, the events are now posted in the Member Area of the AAMA website. See related article in this issue on free webinar Feb. 29. Register now for, “Technology for Today’s Practice,” presented online by Paras Mehta, MD.
Bryan L. Frank, MD, FAAMA, is president of Global Mission Partners, Inc., a 501-c-3 not-for-profit charitable corporation. He announces that opportunities are open for volunteers to join GMP projects in 2012 to Nepal in February/March, Kenya in June, Ecuador in July, Mexico in September and India in November. Vacation with a purpose! Visit www.GlobalMissionPartners.org or contact Dr. Frank at bfrankmd@hotmail.com.
AAMA reminds members who meet special qualifications in Medical Acupuncture about the certification mark to convey their accomplishments. The certification mark is available only to Full Members and Fellows of the AAMA who are currently Board Certified by the ABMA. See the image of logo posted online. An application has been submitted to the US Patent Office to register this Certification Mark so that it is available for the exclusive use of those who meet the specified credentials. See the Certification Mark Guidelines posted online for standards on how the mark should be used in printed materials including acceptable type face, size, color, etc. For an electronic copy of a reproducible jpeg copy of the logo to provide your printer, Full Members and Fellows who are currently Board Certified through the ABMA may send a request to administrator@medicalacupuncture.org. Upon verification of your status, a jpg file will be sent to you.
AAMA’s 24TH Annual Symposium, “Acupuncture: Evolving Perspectives,” will be April 26-29, 2012. The Review Course will be on April 24-25, 2012, the Pre-Symposium Workshops on April 26, 2012 and the ABMA Certification Exam on April 29, 2012. The location will be at Grand Hyatt Atlanta in Atlanta, GA. For the AAMA discounted room rate of $159/night (sgl/dbl) pending availability, book online or call the hotel by April 1, 2012 at 404/237-1234 and be sure to mention the AAMA Symposium.
The Art & Science of Acupuncture: Basic Course (one of 10 courses approved by the American Board of Medical Acupuncture) announces the following dates over 15 weeks: March 3, 10, 17, 24, 31; April 21, 28, 29; May 5, 12, 19, and June 2, 9, 16, 23. It will be held at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in Miami, FL with instructors Di Fu, MD; Jorge Mora, MD; Ilana Newman, MD; and Garrett Krause, AP. The University of Miami Miller School of Medicine has approved this activity for 105 Category 1 CME hours. For more details, call 305/243-4751 or visit www.cim.med.miami.edu.
Raman Kapur, MD, is organizing an International Conference on Acupuncture Dec. 7-9 at the India International Centre in New Delhi, India. Dr. Kapur looks forward to seeing many colleagues again at AAMA’s Symposium in Atlanta this April.
Alternative Medicine Seminars will be holding the seminar series for spring 2012. The series will include seminars in auricular medicine and VAS (vascular autonomic signal) training. Auricular medicine is a highly sophisticated and intellectually appealing energetic technique that can enrich physicians’ understanding of the energetics of the living system. A homeopathy seminar is also included in the spring series to help practitioners integrate homeopathic remedies into their practices. These are FDA approved and known for their safety and simple administration..
Check out, “The Triumph of New Age Medicine,” profiling Dr. Brian Berman of the Center for Integrative Medicine in The Atlantic.
The International Congress on Medical Acupuncture and Related Techniques will be held in Athens, Greece on May 25-27, 2012. Registrations and applications for oral and poster presentations will be available soon via www.ICMART2012.org. Future Congresses will be in Vienna in 2013 and likely in Istanbul in 2014, then Indonesia in 2015. AAMA members are encouraged to attend and present in the Athens Congress.
Editor-in-Chief Dr. Richard Niemtzow of the journal, Medical Acupuncture, is seeking volunteer reviewers to review manuscripts. Reviewers will access manuscripts online. Reviews must be completed and returned within one business week. Reviewers successfully completing a series of timely, high-quality reviews may be invited to join the Editorial Board (at the discretion of the editor in chief). Please send brief qualifications and contact information to n5ev@aol.com.
Jay Sandweiss, DO, FAAMA, will present, “An Integrative Manual Approach to Cervical Spine Pain and Dysfunctions,” Feb. 18-19, 2012 at Probility Physical Therapy in Ann Arbor, MI. Neck pain and dysfunction is a frequent complaint in primary care medicine. An algorithm of treatment will be presented that includes manual muscle testing, tender point analysis, trigger point analysis, motion testing, anatomical positioning analysis and more.
As part of AAMA membership, members are being offered access to more than 400 journal articles categorized by disease/health application that promote the efficacy of acupuncture. Contact The Helms Medical Institute at mafp@hmieducation.com to obtain your unique password to access this information anytime. Then go to http://hmieducation.com/home and click on "Published Articles." Scroll down to "View Articles Not in the Public Domain."
Please send news items and photos to bart.ortberg@dowdenmanagement.com.
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AAMA Chapter News
Arizona
Arizona Chapter meetings are held at 9 am the second Saturday of the month at Dr. Martha Grout’s office, Arizona Center for Advanced Medicine, 9328 E. Raintree Drive, Scottsdale, AZ 85260. For details, call 480/240-2600 or e-mail drmartha@arizonaadvancedmedicine.com. There are monthly speakers on topics related to medical acupuncture, as well as Chinese and Functional/Integrative medicine. Email Dr. Grout to get on the email list for meeting announcements.
California
Chapter officers are working hard to come up with innovative ideas for CME credits. They are continuing their membership drive to make the Chapter stronger. Academy members interested in joining the California Chapter are encouraged to contact President Haleh Sheikholeslami, MD, at calchapaama@hotmail.com.
Georgia
The Georgia Association of Medical Acupuncturists will hold its Annual Academic Meeting Sept. 29-30, 2012 in Atlanta, GA (place TBA announced at a later date). The invited speaker is well-known national/international author, academician and clinical acupuncturist, Dr.Richard Tan of San Diego.
GAMA invites everyone to visit their website to learn more about their organization’s philosophy, mission, events and much more. Their site includes a “Member” page, which includes contact information for each GAMA member. For information regarding membership and seminars, contact GAMA President Carlos Parrado, MD, at parrado.pena@att.net.
Illinois
The goal of President Lorene Wu, MD, DiplAc, and Secretary/Treasurer Anthony DeLorenzo, DO is to provide education and support to members. They plan to interface more with the wider acupuncture community by serving on the Illinois Acupuncture Board and by attending meetings of the local acupuncture society.
Meetings are held every other month at Memorial Hospital in LaGrange, IL.
Maryland
Joan Ordman, MD, FAAMA, is president of the Maryland Society of Medical Acupuncturists. The chapter offers educational programs and wants to increase participation. Treat yourself to a nice evening. It is free, and members whose dues are paid receive a nice free meal. The lecture is on the Chapter. Contact Dr. Ordman at jordman@aol.com to join MSMA.
Ohio
The Ohio Chapter will be hosting a seminar on biomedical acupu ncture by Dr. Yun-Tao Ma at the Alliance Institute for Integrative Medicine in Cincinnati,OH, Oct. 6-7, 2012. The Chapter is looking forward to accepting new members.
Ohio Chapter members would love to see more active participation of the current membership. Please join them and invite medical acupuncture colleagues. Formore information or questions, contact President Dr. Steve Amoils at Steve.Amoils@myhealingpartner.com.
New Jersey & Pennsylvania
John Kohler, MD, FAAMA, is the president of the Pennsylvania Chapter. Visit www.pamedicalacupuncture.com/ for details on this chapter.
Washington State
“We are encouraging you to instill a little new blood and energy into our Washington State Chapter,” said J. Kimber Rotchford, MD FAAMA. “Is anyone out there willing to be an officer and take over the reins? There is a little bit of money in our bank account, and we do need to figure out how best to spend it? You can best contact me at JKRotchford@gmail.com.”
Click here for an up-to-date listing of AAMA Regional Chapter officers, their contact information, Websites and members. Think about joining a Chapter to learn more about medical acupuncture specific to your area. And if there’s not a Chapter in your region, please consider forming one by contacting Jim Dowden, AAMA executive administrator, at administrator@medicalacupuncture.org. Chapters provide fellowship, professional camaraderie, education and curbside consults.
Chapter representatives, please send your news and photos for the AAMA Newsletter via e-mail to bart.ortberg@dowdenmanagement.com.
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Employment Opportunities
·Anita D Spitz, MD, DABMA, is interested in recruiting another physician to work in her practice. Ideally, this would start as job sharing with Dr Spitz, but lead into a transition of the practice completely being owned by the new doctor. She's in Titusville, FL, 35 minutes from the Orlando Airport, and generally can get anywhere in Orlando in just under an hour. She has been in solo practice for 12 years, all the time integrating medical acupuncture into her family practice. She takes some insurance and does significant cash business, too. Her practice is going well, but as she transitions to working less, she doesn't want to lose patients. This would be a great opportunity for someone who would like to be in solo practice with the ability to move into an established practice. The local hospital is very near and offers colleague and community support. She can be reached at AnitaDSpitz@cfl.rr.com.
·Holistic medical practice for sale in beautiful Boulder, CO. Superb location, well-established patient base, turn-key operation. For more information, visit http://www.stillmountain.com/sale.
List any medical acupuncture-related job vacancies or practices for sale here free by contacting AAMA Staff Associate Barton Ortberg.
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