AAMA Newsletter
Serving the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture
May 2000

Physicians talk with company representatives (such as Chinese Health Institute, above) in the Exhibit Hall at the recent AAMA Symposium in Orlando

     Symposium attracts 425 physicians AAMA’s 12th Annual Symposium, “Unveiling the Mysteries of Acupuncture: Energetics, Myofascia and Neurophysiology,” drew more than 400 physicians to Orlando for a wide offering of Pre-Symposium classes, plenary sessions, workshops and more.

     Some sessions were so popular that they spilled into the hallway after adjourning. After “Comprehensive Acupuncture Therapy Without Needles,” Lowell Kobrin, MD, continued providing instruction to a participant (who removed his shirt) and onlookers.

     At the Annual Membership Meeting, President-elect Marshall Sager, DO, listed AAMA’s nine Chapters, adding several more are forming. (See MAAC Update on page 7.) “It’s very important that you get involved with MAAC,” he said, “and different people have different desires and interests.” To monitor legislation, contact Dr. Sager (pksager@voicenet.com). Legislative updates are available on AAMA’s website: medicalacupuncture.org.

HANDS-0N EXPERIENCE Jan Hendryx, DO, demonstrates gentle myofascial release techniques to speed recovery from trauma at AAMA's Symposium in Orlando.

     Membership Committee Chair Gene Hong, MD, reported that in April, AAMA had 1,728 members (with 1,800 expected at year-end). There were 1,615 members in April 1999. With efforts to retain and expand, membership is expected to see 10% annual growth. President Bryan Frank, MD, estimated that about 40% of all US physician acupuncturists now belong to the Academy.

      Between sessions, physicians visited the Exhibit Hall as well as the Academy Bookstore and new this year, logo product sales. Participants also enjoyed a hilarious skit, “Paradigms in Parallel,” and a steel drum band during the Saturday dinner and reception. Narda Robinson, DO, DVM, was this year’s event chair. Faculty included Steven K.H. Aung, MD, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; Sam Benjamin, MD, Stony Brook, NY; Kenneth Conklin, MD, PhD, Los Angeles; David Diehl, MD, Los Angeles; Bryan Frank, MD, Richardson, Texas; Joseph M. Helms, MD, Berkeley, CA; Jan Hendryx, DO, Bradford, PA; Lowell Kobrin, MD, Coos Bay, OR; Patrick Lariccia, MD, Philadelphia; Dexter “Butch” Levy, MD, Littleton, CO; John Motl, MD, Ft. Collins, CO; Narda Robinson, DO, DVM, Ft. Collins, CO; James (Kimber) K. Rotchford, MD, Port Townsend, WA; Jay Sandweiss, DO, Ann Arbor, MI; Nader Soliman, MD, Rockville, MD; Stephen M. Taylor, DO, Fort Worth, TX, and David Teitelbaum, DO, Fort Worth, TX.

     In 2001, AAMA’s Symposium will be in March in New Orleans.

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     Farshad M. Ahadian, MD, assistant professor of Anesthesiology, University of California, San Diego was awarded $50 for winning the MARF Case Study contest on the website: http://www.medicalacupuncture.org/member/cases/casestudies/abdominal.htm

     MARF is continuing to run a contest to encourage AAMA members to write up their case studies. The purpose is to increase the number of formal case studies for publication. Case submissions can also provide the groundwork for poster presentations at next year’s symposium in New Orleans. Each month or so, cases will be selected and posted on the AAMA website. There will be a form available to cast your vote for the best case study. The winner will receive $50 from MARF. An e-mail broadcast to all members will request votes from all online members. Access to the Internet is required to vote.
          To obtain information about formal case presentations, review the guide to submitting case studies, prepared by Patrick J. LaRiccia, MD, on the AAMA website at: http://www.medicalacupuncture.org/caseguide.htm You can also refer to recent editions of Medical Acupuncture for examples. These editions are online as well.
     “I’m looking forward to your case reports,” said webmaster James Rotchford, MD. “A library of these case reports will not only be of benefit to clinicians, but may also provide important information to researchers designing clinical trials.”

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