AAMA Newsletter, May 2000

In this issue

AAMA Newsletter
Serving the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture
September 2000

Member News

After a two-year study, British Medical Association’s Board of Science and Education recently concluded that family physicians should be trained in acupuncture because it’s effective in treating back and dental pain, nausea and vomiting, and migraine. This recommendation that acupuncture be incorporated into the National Health System represents a sea change in the opinion of the country’s medical establishment. Visit: http://www.bma.org.uk.

Yamamoto New Scalp Acupuncture by Toshikatsu Yamamoto, MD, PhD, and Helene Yamamoto, SRN, is now available through AAMA’s Bookstore at the discounted practice member price of $110.50. This 200-page book may be classified as a somatic representation or microsystem comparable to other well-known microsystems such as ear, mouth, nose, hand or foot acupuncture. Call the Academy for an order form.

Jay Sandweiss, DO, now has a weekly radio show called Dr. Jay’s Integrative Medicine Hour from 7-8 am Tuesdays on KFNX 1100-AM in Phoenix and 10-11 am on WALE 990-AM in Providence, RI. Shows can also be heard at: doctorjaysandweiss.com.

F. Kennedy Gordon, MD, of South Orange, NJ, specializes in sports medicine and provided medical care at the US Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid, NY in August. Acupuncture was one of the treatment modalities used for athletes.

Bryan L. Frank, MD, and Marshall Sager, DO, attended the ninth World Congress of International Council of Medical Acupuncture and Related Therapies (ICMART) in Vienna, Austria in May. Dr. Frank presented a plenary presentation on the Legislative Status of Medical Acupuncture in the USA, and also a clinical workshop on Integrating Neuroanatomy and Energetic Physiology in Acupuncture. Both courses were well received by attendees, who were interested to learn of political challenges that US physicians face as well as their approach to clinical acupuncture. Most of the European clinical presentations were from anatomic and TCM acupuncture traditions, as well as acupuncture microsystems. Acupuncture research and basic science also were well presented.

The AAMA Board will consider a request by ICMART to join the Council, comprised of about 16 nations in Europe, Japan and Brazil. Canadians were accepted into the Council at this meeting, and the Australian Medical Acupuncture Society is considering participation as well.

Members participating in AAMA’s referral program will be happy to hear that 938 inquiries came into national headquarters in April, 1,069 in May, 768 in June and 767 in July from patients seeking medical acupuncturists in their area. The toll-free number that patients are calling for referrals is 800/521-2262.

AAMA President Bryan Frank, MD, and Secretary Hiroshi Nakazawa, MD, were recently invited to give a seminar to Japanese physicians and acupuncturists in Hamamatsu, Japan. Hosted by Dr. Yasuyoshi Mamiya, 20 practitioners met for three days of didactic and clinical teaching. The seminar was developed to acquaint Japanese practitioners with training and orientation common to AAMA members. Dr. Frank presented topics on neuroanatomic acupuncture and local pain treatments, energetic and multiple paradigms of acupuncture traditions, and the integration of local and energetic acupuncture. He also presented an overview of auricular therapy. Dr. Nakazawa translated. Additionally, he presented on scalp acupuncture, ion cord pumping, hara diagnosis and clinical pearls.

Academy members of at least five years can pass on their knowledge by participating in the new Curbside Consult Program. Newer members will contact participants with questions. To join, request a practitioner response form (323/937-5514).

AAMA Secretary and Board member Hiroshi Nakazawa, MD, presented the talk, “Review in Acupuncture Treatment of EENT Entities,” and his personal collective experiences in treating patients with Sjogren’s syndrome, diplopia and tinnitus on June 20 at Maryland Society of Medical Acupuncture.

Medicalacupuncture.org is ranked 22,528 out of 755,823 domains contained in WebsMostLinked.com database. That organization is an independent rating system ranking all domains on the Internet by popularity, which is a factor of the number of links pointing to the URL on other web pages. Physicians with a website are asked to add a link to AAMA’s site.

With almost 50% of AAMA members having e-mail, staff wants to make sure we have correct addresses. Please check your listing that’s in the Member Roster of the Academy’s website: Find an Acupuncturist. A Change Address form is provided for e-mail and roster updates. That form can also be used to join the patient referral program and the “aama-cases” e-mail list. AAMA’s website also contains a list of each state’s regulation to practice acupuncture.

US News and World Report (July 24-31 issue) published a letter to the editor from Robert Schulman, MD, outlining the work he and Drs. Ann Cotter and Robert Harmon did culminating in the August 1999 issue of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinics of North America. The letter was in response to the magazine’s June 12 cover story, “Conquering Pain.”

The next introductory weekend of Medical Acupuncture for Physicians is Nov. 16-19, 2000 (with an optional clinical intensive Nov. 20 for $350) in Santa Monica. Home study is from November to April 2001. Clinical sessions follow March 30-April 8, 2001 in Atlanta; April 20-29, 2001 in Santa Monica, and May 11-20, 2001 in Dallas. Cost is $5,100, with deadline of Oct. 15 for receipt of application. This course has been accredited for up to 300 hours of Category 1 CME. Graduates of prior courses can attend an additional clinical unit for $2,500. For more details, call 510/649-8488.

Dr. Stephen E. Straus, new director of NCCAM NIH, presented a “state of the NCCAM” address at the National Advisory Council meeting earlier this year. Ted J. Kaptchuk, OMD, addressed the importance of acupuncture research, noting extensive clinical studies since the ‘70s and more than 500 randomized controlled trials. Dr. Straus cited the center’s support of the establishment of the White House Commission on CAM Policy as one of its accomplishments. In July, President Clinton appointed 13 physicans and others to the commission.

AAMA President Bryan Frank, MD, and President-elect Marshall Sager, DO, recently met with Dr. Straus in Bethesda, MD. The meeting was initiated by Dr. Straus’ call for input from stakeholders in the CAM world: patients, providers, insurers, etc. Drs. Frank and Sager are hopeful that their positive dialogue may lay the groundwork for cooperation in future areas, including public and professional education, scientific symposia, and clinical and basic acupuncture research.

Jai S. Lee, MD, was one of 15 members nationwide who served on an Ad Hoc Committee for the Grant Applications of NCCAM NIH Feb. 10-11 in Bethesda, MD. Dr. Lee, chairman of the Department of Anesthesiology at St. Agnes Heathcare in Baltimore, also gave the opening lecture, “Medical Acupuncture for Pain Management” as a guest speaker at the eighth annual meeting of the Society of Biomedical Research in Rockville, MD.

AAMA honorary members (inadvertently omitted from the latest directory) include Daniel Bossut, DVM, of Durham, NC; Robert Leichtman, MD, of Baltimore; James L. Rowland, MD, of Lees Summit, MO; Timothy J. Smith, MD, of Berkeley, CA, and Richard J. Kroening, MD, of Reno, NV.

AAMA now offers a link on its website to Audio Digest’s site for audio tapes for physicians, which are eligible for CME. Place your order through the member only area for a 10% discount. For more details, contact Michael Landes (mlandes@andesslezak.com).

S. Krishna Madireddi, MD, a Resident at the University of Texas in occupational medicine, is seeking data on using acupuncture for workman’s comp injuries: Which states have approved this as reimbursable? Who are the major carriers? What has been your ease in obtaining authorization and numbers? Since the study is being done under the aegis of UofT, it’s expected to benefit members in negotiating with carriers in the future. Send input to 12357 Chapman Road, Tyler, TX 75708 (smadired@uthct.edu).

Editor Richard Niemtzow, MD, seeks articles for Medical Acupuncture. See submission guidelines on any journal’s inside cover.

Russ Erickson, MD, hopes to nudge rehab physicians into doing some needed studies through his paper, “Stroke Treatment by Acupuncture,” in Britain’s Acupuncture in Medicine, after which it will be posted on AAMA’s website. He also reports that Liberty International—via Acupuncture Insurance Services of Illinois—lowered premiums from $1,600–$1,100 (for $1 million–acupuncture only; $5 million total) covered by American Continental Insurance.

Send your news to editor Barton Ortberg (bdortberg@aol.com)

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