AAMA Newsletter, May 2000

In this issue

AAMA Newsletter
Serving the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture
September 2000

Board Certification in place

American Board of Medical
Acupuncture offers exam this fall

The organization, development and process for the implementation of Board Certification in medical acupuncture by the American Board of Medical Acupuncture has been completed.

One of the highest priorities identified by AAMA members, the development of the Board Certification procedures and policies are explained in a booklet that was recently mailed to the membership. An application form and affidavit were also included.

“Chairman Marshall Sager, DO, and the ABMA Board of Trustees have worked diligently to develop a process to certify appropriate training and experience in medical acupuncture,” said AAMA President Bryan Frank. “I encourage all physician acupuncture practitioners who are eligible to apply for Board Certification at this time through the material the Academy offices mailed to the membership.”

Dr. Sager noted, “Development of these standards has been a complex and time-consuming task, as we have attempted, as fully as possible, to make them compliant with those of the American Board of Medical Specialites.” Officially, however, the Board Certification is not recognized by ABMS because it requires that a residency program exist.

AAMA membership is not required to apply for Board Certification, and there is no difference in the $750 fee for members vs. non members: $500 for the Exam and $250 for the application. If you have already passed the Proficiency Exam, you only need to pay $250 for the application processing.

Requirements: Completed application, $750, three letters of reference, a copy of your medical license and 300 documented hours of acupuncture training (200 course and 100 clinical). ABMA is reviewing courses to preapprove offerings as meeting this standard. It is anticipated that the UCLA, Canadian Acupuncture Foundation and various programs in New York State will eventually be approved, among others. Applications will be reviewed by ABMA, and approved individuals will be contacted.

“I encourage all who are not yet eligible to pursue certification as a measure of professional accomplishment in medical acupuncture,” Dr. Frank said, “and to advance our profession.”

Dr. Sager concluded, “The ABMA has met its goal of establishing Board Certification at the start of the new millennium. Please join us in making medical acupuncture Board Certification an unparalleled standard of excellence.”

For another copy of the Board Certification information, call the Academy (323/937-5514) or visit: medicalacupuncture.org.

ABMA has scheduled Certification Exams in Phoenix in December and in New Orleans in March 2001 (see Events/CME Database).

Acupuncture ‘goes to the dogs’

Member treats ill dog that can
detect onslaught of heart attacks

Narda Robinson, DO, DVM, recently received national exposure when she had the opportunity to treat a special dog that has saved its owner’s life several times by early detection of a heart attack.

“Dakota is a service dog—one of just a few that can sense when their people are having heart attacks,” Dr. Robinson explained. “The thinking is that they can detect an enzyme released from the heart when a myocardial infarction is in progress, well before the person may be aware of the problem.”

Dakota’s owner is Michael Lingenfelter of Dallas. The golden retriever is 6.5 years old.

“Mike had already sustained massive damage to his heart previously from heart attacks,” Dr. Robinson explained, “and if he can preserve what he has left with the help of his dog Dakota detecting them early, he will live longer. So Dakota essentially has saved Mike’s life over and over again.”

Good Morning America had planned to do a story about this dog’s abilities as a special service animal when Dakota was diagnosed, in Dallas, with lymphoma and subsequently given a grave prognosis. That’s when ABC put Lingenfelter in touch with the Animal Cancer Center at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, where Dr. Robinson is the veterinary acupuncturist.

After meeting CSU medical oncologist Greg Ogilvie, DVM, Lingenfelter learned that there were treatment options for Dakota that might help him live longer while maintaining a good quality existence. Before treatment began, the two were flown to New York for the interview, and later the national news show came to CSU for the followup.

CSU has the largest and most advanced veterinary cancer treatment facility in the world. One of the most innovative aspects of the Animal Cancer Center at CSU is its inclusion of complementary therapies such as acupuncture, alongside state-of-the-art conventional cancer care.

“I performed acupuncture on Dakota for pain relief, immune stimulation and overall improvement in energy and vitality,” she explained. “ABC filmed me doing acupuncture, and during the interview, I described the mechanisms of acupuncture, etc. They were quite impressed that Dakota didn’t require any pain medication throughout the course of his treatment.”

The dog’s original prognosis was very poor. However, with the help of a full course of chemotherapy and radiation, by the time treatment was over, the tumor—which was in the mediastinum—was no longer visible on radiograph.

Because Lingenfelter wants his canine pal to have all the rest he needs, he is looking for another service dog to add to their family, said Robinson, who was chairman of AAMA’s 2000 Symposium in Orlando. She added that in addition to being able to detect myocardial infarctions in the early stages, service dogs are also used by people with epilepsy where they can sense that their person is about to have a seizure. Their ability to detect melanoma is also a promising area under investigation.

Study: Acupuncture helps cocaine treatment

A recent study by Yale showing that acupuncture is an effective treatment for people addicted to cocaine created quite a buzz in the medical field as well as in the media, such as CNN.com, USA Today and New York Times.Finding results were published in Archives of Internal Medicine reports in August. They showed that patients who receive therapeutic acupuncture treatments, along with counseling, were more likely to have cocaine-negative tests than those who didn’t.

In a CNN article, Yale Medical School researchers reported that of patients studied, 53.8% of those receiving the acupuncture technique tested free of cocaine during the last week of treatment, compared with 23.5% and 9.1% in the two control groups. The eight-week study involved 82 participants.

Treatment protocol involves auricular acupuncture, where 4-5 small needles are inserted into points corresponding to the lung, kidney and nervous system. In addition to cocaine, acupuncture has been used during the past 20 years to treat addictions to opiates, tobacco and alcohol.

To read CNN’s feature (which contains links to the study and to AAMA), click here
To read the study, click here Note: AMA now requires a login to view past articles. The volume is 160 number 15 article # ioi90746.

Go to next page >