September 2014 - Colorado School of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Colorado School of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Newsletter
Volume 2, Issue 76
September 2014
Welcome to the new class of students for the Fall 2014 Trimester. Good luck to all students who will be taking the
NCCAOM Exams in 2014. We are always looking for articles about Oriental Medicine from mainstream
newspapers, magazines, cartoons, etc. Thanks again to those who have contributed articles and cartoons. We are
also looking for articles written by our students, graduates, and faculty. Also, please let us know other things you
would like to see in the CSTCM Newsletter.
Newsletters come out three times a year at the beginning of each trimester in January, May, and September. We
are trying to e-mail all newsletters to graduates. If you are receiving a paper copy of the newsletter and not an
emailed copy, please send us your e-mail address to [email protected] . Please help us save on postage and
save some trees too. The newsletter is also always available on the CSTCM website.
CSTCM NEWS
Honors List for Spring 2014
The Honors List recognizes scholastic achievement
in any given trimester for accelerated and full-time
students (12 credits or more) whose average
percentile of all courses taken for that trimester was
94% (3.7 GPA) or better, with no Incompletes. The
Honors List will be noted on student‟s transcripts and
posted on the bulletin board. M.S.Ac. and M.S.T.C.M.
students are listed by their earliest enrolled course.
Trimester 1 – Kathleen Blazek, Danisha Bogue,
Meghan Cooper, Stephanie James, Vonda Muncy,
Elizabeth Prescott, Isaac White;
CSTCM Summer Barbeque July 12, 2014
“How do you know what I know? You are not
me.”
Zhuang Zi, Warring States Period
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Trimester 2 – Whitney Dwyer, Jeffrey Lum, Amy
Malone;
Trimester 3 – Thaddeus Haas, Brian Duncan;
Trimester 4 – Jennifer Cleveland, Julie Johns;
Darlene Zwolinski;
Trimester 5 – Yolanda Dickinson, Janice
Poloway;
1
CSTCM News
7
CSTCM Alumni Corner
Trimester 6 - Chris Dyer, Molly Gibson, Jennifer
Luther;
10
National & International OM News
Trimester 7 – Kalin Davidov, Caitlin Gordon;
11
Recent OM in Mainstream Media
Trimester 8 – None
12
AOM in Medical Journals & Research
Trimester 9 – Nancy Imig, DiAnna Kelsey.
15
America on Drugs
suggest activities they would like to see for all school
members to participate in. Any ideas?
The Academic Achievement Award
recognizes the student with the highest average
percentile of all courses taken for the year and is
awarded annually at the Chinese New Year Open
House.
Office hours for all administrators for this trimester
are posted on office doors and can be found on our
website http://www.cstcm.edu/ or call 303-329-6355.
Other times are available by appointment. We are
doing our best to accommodate students with
convenient office hours that meet both students and
administrative needs. The easiest way to be sure of
talking to someone in the administrative office is to
make an appointment. Students and faculty can
always use the Message Center on the door of 302 to
drop a note through the mail slot in the door at any
time and you will receive a prompt reply. We will
make every effort to ensure all voice mail messages
are returned within 24 hours. Please let
Administrative Director, Vladimir DiBrigida, know
if you are having any problems with messages or emails.
The 2013 Academic Achievement Award went to
Jennifer Luther. Madelina Scotto and Chris Dyer
were runner-ups.
The Academic Dean’s Office hours for
appointments this trimester are posted as noted
above. Please make an appointment if you would like
to talk to the Academic Deans or Assistant Academic
Dean, also other times are available by appointment.
Anything related to students, faculty, classroom
instruction, or the curriculum should be taken to the
Academic Dean‟s office.
The CSTCM Fall 2014 Graduation Ceremony will
be Sunday, December 21, 2014. We wish those
graduates success in the Oriental Medicine
profession. See the announcement for more info.
Again, please contact faculty member Anna Tsang
to volunteer to work on the CSTCM Herb Garden
Project, or for more info on the garden greenhouse
We encourage all faculty, students, and graduates to
participate in this project. Anna can always use some
volunteers.
The Clinic Director’s Office hours for appointments
this trimester are posted as noted above. Other times
are available by appointment. Concerns, problems,
or questions relating to Acu Moxa Techniques,
Forum, Clinical Observation or the Student Clinic
should be taken to the Clinic Director.
We continue to plan Winter/Spring, Summer, and Fall
Trimester social events. The Winter/Spring event will
always be the Chinese New Year Open House and
Potluck and the summer event has been the Dragon
Boat Festival and a barbeque at school. In the Fall
Trimester, we have been having a free clinic day for
National AOM Day, October 24 and a bowling night.
Anyone who has other ideas should contact
Administrative Director, Vladimir DiBrigida. Some
other ideas that have been suggested are a picnic, or
something scheduled around National Herb Day,
October 14.
Yan Jing Supply Store hours this trimester are:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 9:30 –
9:00 pm; Friday 9:30 - 5:30 PM (closed 1:00 - 1:45
PM for lunch); and Saturday 12:30 - 7:00 PM.
Don‟t forget Tai Ji Quan on Friday‟s from 4:30 - 5:30
pm and Qi Gong on Saturday‟s from 8:00 - 9:00 am
and the combination of Tai Ji/Qi Gong on Fridays
6:00 - 7:00 pm. Students must take the required
number of hours as part of their curriculum and hours
taken above the requirements are free. All others pay
$5 per class. The classes are open to the public.
We continue to work very hard to increase the
sense of community among students, graduates,
administration, and faculty. We encourage
students, graduates, and faculty members to →
continued
“From caring comes courage.”
Lao Zi
2
YOGA
CSTCM Library News & Update
Free Meditation, Yoga, & Therapeutic Hoop Dance
is offered by CSTCM students on Thursdays. Yoga is
one Thursday per month at 6:00 pm; Hoop Dance is
one Thursday per month at 6:00 pm; and Meditation
is one Thursday per month at 7:00 pm. See the flyer
for more info. The classes are in Classroom G&H
(downstairs).
Library hours for the Fall 2014 Trimester are:
Monday and Friday 9:00 am – 7:00 pm; Tuesday,
Wednesday 9:00 am – 10:00 pm; and Thursday 9:00
am – 7:00 pm; Saturday 1:30 – 6:30 pm. The Library
Guidelines handbook is available in the library to
answer any questions about procedures.
If anyone has any Oriental medicine or holistic
medicine books or journals they would like to donate
to the library, we would deeply appreciate it. Also,
western medicine books or journals published in the
last 5 years would be appreciated. We keep hoping
the theft of library books will not be as much of a
problem as in the past. Please contact Assistant
Academic Dean, Edie Newall or Administrative
Director, Vladimir DiBrigida, who have oversight of
the Library, if you have any questions or comments
about the library. Input is always welcome.
We will continue offering Free NCCAOM Exam Prep
Workshops in 2014 for CSTCM students and grads.
The workshops are offered on Sundays, with
Acupuncture 9:00–12:00 PM and Chinese Herbal
Medicine 1:00–4:00 PM. Fall workshops are
September 14 & September 28. Contact the Clinic
Director‟s office for more info and see the 2014
CSTCM NCCAOM Exam Prep Workshop flyer.
The library continues to welcome students, faculty,
and graduates to visit, browse the books and
resources, and find what most interests you. There
are over 10,000 books and other items to assist with
your studies, and meet the information needs of
students and faculty.
2014 CSTCM SCHOOL EVENTS
Fall Open House - September 18
AOM Day – October 25
Deck the Halls – November 29
Student library staff are in the library during the lunch
hour and from 5 pm to clinic closing, as well as on
Saturdays from 1 – 6 pm. They can help with any
information needs and make book recommendations
to fit student preferences.
Bowling – December 6
Fall Graduation – December 21
See flyers for more info.
Check-out PubMed
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/ for more than
21 million citations on biomedical and alternative
medicine (including AOM).
The Free Weekly Tutoring will continue this
trimester with the extra hour and is open to all
students. The tutor will be Assistant Clinic Director
Jim Harris, L.Ac. Wednesday‟s 12:00 to 2:00 pm. If
you have any questions or comments about tutoring,
please contact the Academic Dean, and also see the
Free Weekly Tutoring flyer.
See the new Townsend Letter complete index 19832013.
Library Book Review
No reviews
The Free Proficiency Exam Study Workshops will
continue this trimester. The workshops will be on
Mondays, 10:00 – 11:00am. See Flyer
Thanks to the following people who donated
books to the library in 2014: NA
Students should check out the Trudy McAlister
(Scholarship) Fund website at:
http://triskeles.org/contact-us or
http://triskeles.org/phil tmf scholarship fund.asp
Gold is tested by fire, and man is tested by gold.
Traditional Chinese Proverb
3
Welcome to the new co-Academic Deans: CSTCM
Assistant Academic Dean & grad Camille Rodriguez
was promoted to Academic Dean and CSTCM grad
Marsha Pruett (02); both are now co- Academic
Deans.
Welcome to new faculty members: J. David Cornett,
Ph.D., is teaching Intro to Biology; Kenneth Dole,
MHS, is teaching A&P 1 and Western Medical
Terminology; and CSTCM grad Heather Conway
(09), is teaching Western Medical Referral;
New Student Orientation – May 2014
Welcome new clinic and teaching assistants: CSTCM
grad Shannon Stevens (12) is assisting in Acu
Meridian & Point Practicum 1 & 2.
Welcome the following new Grad Care Clinic
practitioners: CSTCM grads Caitlin Dilli (13), Sarah
Spearman (12), and Scott Turpin (13).
Welcome to the following new Observation
Practitioners: CSTCM grads Caitlin Dilli (13), Sarah
Spearman (12), and Scott Turpin (13).
We often find personal items left in classrooms
and around the school. The CSTCM Lost & Found
is located in the Receptionist’s office. Also,
students should always put their name in
textbooks for easy identification in case they are
lost. Anyone could claim a textbook if it doesn’t
have a student’s name in the book.
The CSTCM Internal Arts Club formed by student, now
graduate and faculty member, Joe Wollen, has been taken
over by current student Bradley Larsen. The goal is to
spread awareness of internal arts and offer the community
the chance to learn traditional Tai Chi Chuan of all styles,
as well as Qi Gong and push hands. Thanks to Bradley for
Acupuncture on an elephant at the Singapore Zoo
organizing this club. We encourage everyone to participate.
continued
4
NCCAOM news and exam dates, Clean Needle
Technique Courses, CSTCM policy changes,
student representative meetings, faculty meetings,
etc. The bulletin boards are organized into sections
like CSTCM workshops, other workshops, housing,
for sale, national organizations, etc. Also you can use
the suggestion boxes in the hall by classroom A and
in the library for suggestions or comments. A reply to
suggestions will be posted on the board periodically.
CSTCM PROCEDURES/POLICIES
The following is repeated in every newsletter to remind
everyone of a few important policies and procedures.
Please remember the file holders in the hall across
from classroom A. Most forms and procedure/
guideline handouts that a student might need are
stocked in these file holders. Students should
inspect these forms and handouts and make sure
they are using the most recent versions. Please notify
the office if any file holders are empty.
Check out the CSTCM website http://www.cstcm.edu.
It continues to be updated. Please give any
comments to Vladimir. We have added a “Study
Aids” section to the CSTCM website. We will
continue to add various links for helpful sites to assist
students with study aids. We will soon have a new
website; really we will.
If anyone is experiencing phone messages or e-mails
not being returned, please notify Vladimir DiBrigida
with details of the problem.
We have had a lot of problems in the past with the
computers and printers in the library. Please treat
them like they were your own. They continually seem
to crash and need repair. Most areas of the school
have wireless access for laptops; let us know of any
problems.
Please do not make over 8 copies at a time on the
copier in the library (Room 202). The cost is 10 cents
per copy. We have always had a usage policy, but
the copier still gets over-used and always seems to
need service. If you need to make over 8 copies, you
must get permission from the Receptionist, the
Librarian, or the library staff. Also, please do not print
over 3 pages on the printer in the library. The copier
in the Administrative Office is not for student use.
Clinic Forum - July 2014 - Jim Harris
Please make every effort to pick up around you when
class is over and put back any tables and chairs that
have been moved around. We also have had
problems with the classrooms and the building being
left unlocked, which has led to theft problems.
Please, please, everyone make every effort to check
that all windows are closed, the classroom doors are
locked by the last person leaving the classroom, the
handicap side door, and the building front door are all
locked by 10:30 pm. The treatment tables in the
classrooms also need to need to be locked up every
night. Also, please turn off all lights at the end of the
night classes and turn up/down thermostats.
We want to continue to encourage all faculty,
students, and graduates to join our state (AAC)
http://acucol.com/ and national (AAAOM)
www.aaaonline.org organizations to help support
Oriental medicine in the U.S. Applications are
available in the office or apply on-line. Our profession
is relatively small in numbers and everyone has a
voice as to the direction it will take in the future.
Don‟t forget the "What‟s New Board" in the hall by
classroom A. This is a way for the administration to
communicate with students concerning issues like →
5
UPCOMING 2014 WORKSHOPS
CSTCM scheduled workshops for 2014:
- Distal Method Acupuncture for the Treatment of
Disease, Nate Mohler, L.Ac., October 12;
- Building and Preserving Wealth: Money Smarts,
Getting Out of Your Own Way, Michael
Gaeta, D.Ac., October 26;
- Micro-current Point Stimulation (MPS): Pain
Management and Scar Release Therapy,
Rory Oetomo, L.Ac., PT, November 1-2;
- The Power of Integrating Five Element
Acupuncture with TCM; Abbye Silverstein,
L.Ac., November 16;
- Starting Up Right: Preparing to Create a Strong
Practice, Michael Gaeta, D.Ac., L.Ac.,
December 7
Clinic Forum - July 2014
Scholarships for OM students
Also see the flyers for the NCCAOM Exam Prep,
CSTCM Proficiency Exam, and Tongue & Pulse
workshops; free for all CSTCM students and
graduates.
Evergreen Hua-Tou Scholarship (deadline 11/30/13)
https://www.evherbs.com/evshop/index.php?option=c
om_content&view=article&id=112
All workshops and registration are available on our
website. Parago Jones is working on arranging more
workshops for 2014. Suggestions for workshops can
be submitted to him. For more information see the
flyers on the bulletin board as they are posted and
check the CSTCM website.
Mayway Scholarship Program
https://www.mayway.com/store/scholarship.jsp
Nuherbs Scholarships
http://www.nuherbs.com/giving/scholarship
Tylenol
www.tylenol.com/page.jhtml?id=tylenol/news/subptys
chol.inc
CSTCM received a very nice thank you letter from
the University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical
Campus for supporting their CAM elective allowing
residents to be treated, shadow Clinic Supervisors in
the student clinic, and meet with the Clinic Director,
Parago Jones for questions about AOM. They said
this elective was one of the most popular among
internal medicine residents. They will continue
offering the elective in the 2014-2015 academic year.
AARP
www.aarp.org/aarp-foundation/ourwork/income/womens-scholarshipprogram/?cmp=RDRCTWSC_feb6_2012/content/view/1/1/
AAUW (Women only)
http://www.aauw.org/what-we-do/educationalfunding-and-awards/
CSTCM STUDENT SERVICES
Students can show their CSTCM ID Card and receive
a free drink with a purchase at Chipotle; Apple,
Microsoft, and Dell may still be giving discounts with
an ID card; and standard discounts still apply around
town like movie theaters and some restaurants.
Please let us know if you find any other discounts so
we can inform everyone. All CSTCM student services
can be found in the CSTCM Student Services Guide.
continued
6
2014.
ALUMNI CORNER
What are all you graduates doing out there?
Any CSTCM Diploma graduates, who wish to obtain
the M.S.T.C.M. or M.S.Ac. Degree, must meet all
admissions requirements and curriculum of the
programs at the time they enter the program. They
should get a catalog from the office and submit an
application and application fee. Graduates who are
interested can also get an information sheet from the
office on their Transfer Credit into the programs and
courses they will need to take. The Fall 2014
Trimester begins September 1, 2014. Contact the
office for a schedule. There are currently 13
graduates from the old Diploma program who have
graduated with their M.S.TCM or M.S.Ac. Degree.
We are interested in what our graduates are doing
and your classmates and schoolmates would be
interested also. Please let us know if you appear in
any articles or on TV, publish anything on OM, teach
any workshops, or are on the faculty or administration
of another OM school.
Are any graduates interested in forming a
committee to create an alumni association?
Please contact the Academic Dean if interested.
Graduates, did you know that CSTCM receives 1-2
referral requests for acupuncturists each day? That‟s
a potential of many new patients yearly. We will
gladly provide your clinic information to these callers.
Please send us your clinic information by sending
your business cards, and in writing or e-mail
([email protected] ) to request to be placed on the
referral list. We need your name, name of clinic,
address, phone number, treatment specialties, etc.
Also, we are working on the CSTCM website and are
adding a section for all of our grads with links to their
clinic and website. If you are interested in having a
link to your website, please email us the website link
to ([email protected] ). For more information contact
the Receptionist, Kirsten Weeks.
Missing Grads
Melissa D’Arrigo (98), Patricia Householder (93),
Darin Levine (98), Scott Misegadis (05), Mike
Mitchell (96), Martin Pahl (96), Hyo Jin Park (05),
Ai Sato (98), Kaeryn Silvera (03), Cari Saloch (99),
Jessica Steyn (99), Jeffrey Taylor (99), Alejandra
Vidarte (98), Cindy Wells (95).
We continue to update our graduate database and
want to be sure graduates receive surveys,
newsletters, and flyers for upcoming workshops.
Please contact the Academic Deans or Vladimir
DiBrigida if you have not talked to them recently.
CSTCM currently has 550 graduates (218 Diploma
grads, 283 M.S.T.C.M. grads, and 49 M.S.Ac. grads).
Again, we really would like to do more alumni
updates each newsletter, as this has been a popular
part of the newsletter. We would appreciate it if
graduates would send us a brief note about what they
are doing, marriages, births, etc. and contact info
(phone or e-mail). We are sure other classmates and
graduates would be interested, especially those that
haven‟t stayed in contact. This alumni column could
also be about students who have just graduated and
what they have decided to do about practicing.
Graduates can send us a note (attention George
Kitchie) by mail, fax 303-388-8165, or e-mail
[email protected].
We are so sorry to announce the passing of CSTCM
grad Karen Reising (07). She passed away in
Virginia.
CSTCM grad Chris Harrison (93) graduated from
the American College of TCM‟s DAOM Program and
is now working at the college as a Doctoral Program
Academic Assistant and Continuing Education
Coordinator.
CSTCM grad MK Christian (96) was featured in a
whisperingtree.net article on NADA and ear
acupuncture.
Any CSTCM graduates who need transcripts
should go to http://cstcm.edu/transcripts. You
can download and print the form, fill-out, and fax
to 303-388-8165, or email to [email protected].
CSTCM grad Marc Hanson (98) reports that he is
loving Hawaii.
CSTCM grad Martha Lucas (01) had an article
published in Acupuncture Today; Anti-Aging:
Educating Your Patients About The Skin, May →
continued
7
We would like to thank all CSTCM students, grads
and faculty who have referred prospective
students to CSTCM. We deeply appreciate your
loyalty and help with student recruitment.
NCCAOM
Another reminder, you can download a Candidate
Handbook and Application and Recertification info at
the National Commission for the Certification of
Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM), at
http://www.nccaom.org/.
We are always looking for grads or others with a
bioscience background to teach bioscience
courses and those with 5 years or more
experience to teach TCM courses. If interested,
please submit a CV and call the Academic Dean
at 303-329-6355, ext 15.
Students don‟t forget to check out the NCCAOM Online Practice Tests ($60-75 / 90-day subscription).
NCCAOM Study Guides are updated (2014) and
posted on the NCCAOM website. An informational
exam webinar is on their website for students and
school officials.
We are still working on adding a list of our
graduate’s and their clinic contact information to
our website. We will send graduates a form to fillout to be included on the website. We will keep
you posted.
The NCCAOM is considering to only allow enrolled
students to take exams in their last term.
The NCCAOM is seeking feedback on the interest in
creating other certification programs, such as
Women‟s Health/Reproductive/Fertility, Integrative
Hospital-based Practice, Mental Health, Facial
Rejuvenation, etc.
The 2013 Job Analysis Report has been published at
http://www.nccaom.org/job-task-analysis-jtainformational-page. Random data showed that
respondents were: 70% female; median age 50; 77%
identified themselves as White/Caucasian; 10 years
median experience; 67% held a Dipl. Ac. only; 42%
were from the far west region; 26% worked 19 hours
per week or less and 4% worked 60 hours or more;
35% worked part-time or less due to not enough new
or returning patients; 59% were sole proprietors; 14%
were also massage therapists; 79% saw 0-10 new
patients per month; 28% saw 11-20 returning patients
per month; $95 median first visit; $70 median followup visit; median income $52,000.
CSTCM Photo Archives Graduating Class – Spring 1997
Todd (Greg) Bates, Fred Jennes, Stephanie
Kinsman-Kelsey, Susan Kraus, David Leaver
(Deceased), Kyle Liston, Robert Palmero, Lil
Pettinato, Ron Sokol, Anna Tsang; John Doss
pictured, but graduated Fall 1997.
CLEAN NEEDLE TECHNIQUE
COURSE SCHEDULE 2014
2014 CNT English Course Dates in Colorado:
Exam
Application
Deadline
Location
11/9/2014
9/9/2014
CSTCM
[See schedule on bulletin board for other dates, locations,
and most recent CNT info]
8
CCAOM
AAAOM
The Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental
Medicine (CCAOM) will hold their Fall; 2014 Meetings
in Oakland, CA, on November 10-13, at the
Waterfront Plaza Hotel. George Kitchie, Vladimir
DiBrigida will attend the meetings to represent
CSTCM.
Check out the American Association of Acupuncture
and Oriental Medicine (AAAOM) website at
www.aaaomonline.org. You can also checkout job
postings on their website. The AAOM is also on
Facebook at @aaaomonline. We encourage all
graduates, administrators, students, and faculty to
join the AAAOM to support the profession.
CCAOM offers a CEU course on-line. The 3 credit
course is titled CNT and Blood-Borne Pathogen
Review and the cost is now $50, including course &
certification; satisfies NCCAOM safety & ethics
requirement. The course can be found at
www.CCAOM.org.
The AAAOM is still requesting donations to fund
lobbying efforts related to OM on issues.
The AAAOM has added special discounts with
Stericycle for needle disposal as a new member
benefit.
CNT courses are being offered in China and Korea.
According to Acupuncture Today, the AAAOM „s new
President and interim Vice President are attempting
to rebuild from the previous months of turmoil.
AAC
The AAC has an e-mail discussion group. It is only
open to AAC members. You can send an e-mail
introducing yourself to [email protected]
or [email protected] .The
AAC address is 4380 Harlan St, Suite 203, Wheat
Ridge, CO 80033, phone 303-572-8744. Their
website is http://acucol.com/ , and e-mail to
[email protected]. The AAC is also now on Facebook
at Acupuncture Association of Colorado.
ACAOM
The Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and
Oriental Medicine (ACAOM) website,
http://acaom.org/ . The website lists all accredited
and candidate programs, ACAOM news, frequently
asked questions, with other areas still under
development.
ACAOM has approved the Standards for a First
Professional Doctorate (FPD) degree in Acupuncture
and/or Oriental Medicine.
The AAC now has their newsletter online at their
website and membership renewal is available on the
website.
ACAOM continues to work on the Revised Masters
Standards. They will soon apply to USDE to add
Distance Education courses.
Student membership is free while being enrolled.
Go to http://acucol.com/amember/signup.php.
AAC‟s Annual Conference 2015 will be Saturday,
April 25 in Colorado Springs. See the website for
details.
We encourage all graduates, students,
administrators, and faculty to join the AAC in
order to support the profession.
shu da hu sun san
Literally: When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter.
Usage: When a leader loses power, his followers
become disorganized. This proverb id often used to
describe fair-weather friends.
CSTCM Student Interns - February 2014
9
ITM
NATIONAL AND
INTERNATIONAL ORIENTAL
MEDICINE NEWS
Institute of Traditional Medicine (ITM) on-line has an
internal java based search engine to quickly find any
topic. Check out the ITM website:
http://www.itmonline.org/. The ITM Start Group
Journals are one of the best OM journals published,
especially related to Chinese herbal medicine. The
full set is in the library in 3-ring binders, from 1999 to
2005, when they stopped publishing the journal.
Kentucky received full licensure for acupuncturists,
changing from a certified to a licensed profession.
PRACTICE MANAGEMENT
The following is from an article by Timothy I. Suh, in
The American Acupuncturist, Spring 2014, titled
Practice Management in Acupuncture and Oriental
Medicine.
ACUPUNCTURE TODAY POLLS
Acupuncture Today did the following polls over the
past few months:
The author stated that practice management courses
are a rarity in AOM schools. One small study showed
that 30% of participants suggested business and
practice management courses were needed to help
prepare for the first year of practice and 34% wanted
to learn practice management through a mentorship
process.
What is the biggest issue affecting the profession
in 2014?
Increased research to prove the efficacy of
acupuncture
Greater inclusion of acupuncture in managed
healthcare plans
Dry needling
Licensure issues
44%
44%
36%
8%
In another small study, 58% worked 30 hours or less
per week; 27% worked 31 to 40 hours per week; and
15% worked more than 40 hours per week. 25%
stated they net less than $10,000; 59% stated they
net $40,00 or less; and 40% stated they grossed less
than $40,000.
Are you currently involved in taking a stand
against dry needling in your state?
Yes
No
Planning on it
43%
38%
19%
The survey showed that 65% too at least one
practice management course outside of their AOM
program; 15% took 3-4 courses; and 11% took more
than 10 courses.
What areas of training do you think most
acupuncturists need more of?
Business classes
Acupuncture methods
Legal issues
63%
25%
12%
This survey ultimately suggests that many data
factors indicate that there may not be an association
between AOM practice management courses taught
and the financial success of the AOM practitioner
How do you market yourself?
As an acupuncturist
As an Oriental medicine doctor
As a TCM practitioner
As a healer
66%
16%
14%
4%
You can subscribe to their free e-newsletter at
acupuncturetoday.com. Check their classifieds for
Practices for Sale and Job Opportunities.
From wonder into wonder, existence opens.
Lao Zi
10
RECENT ORIENTAL MEDICINE
IN THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA
EMERGENCY: TRUE STORIES
FROM THE NATION’S ERS
ABC, A Close-up Look at Acupuncture for Pain,
4/2214; Time, New Medicine: At on Ohio hospital,
patients get herbs as well as drugs, 4/28/14;
Prevention, Answers: Lower Back Pain, Submit to
Needles, May 2014; Townsend Letter, Researcher
Finds Acupuncture Effective or any Conditions, May
2014; Natural Health, There‟s An Herb For That
(Dang Gui, Gui Zhi), May/June 2014; Put a Pin in It
(acupuncture), Sept/Oct 2014; PBS, Channel 12,
KBDI, Chinese Medicine Master, 6/11/14; Denver
Post, Fitness: Ayurveda? Reiki? They May Hold
Relief (Acupressure, Acupuncture), 617/14; Your
Hub: Urban Herbs, Medicine About the Community,
7/31/14.
In a book titled – Emergency: True Stories from the Nations ERs,
by Mark Brown, M.D., emergency-room doctors and nurses from
across the United States share their most memorable stories from
today’s war zone of medicine: the emergency room. The following
is an ongoing column in the newsletter from the book.
Perseverance
A young male entered the walk-in entrance to our ER
one busy Sunday afternoon shift, holding a hand over
a bloodstained shirt. When the overwhelmed triage
nurse didn‟t acknowledge him for several minutes, he
calmly walked to the registration desk and informed
the startled clerk that he had been shot in the chest.
After the man was rushed to our trauma room, his
unluckiest-ever story unfolded.
CELEBRITIES & AOM
Vincenzo NIbali, of Team Astana, won the Tour de
France this year. He touts how little details like
getting acupuncture treatments can make a
difference. Team Astana appeared to be the only
team to bring its own acupuncturist. Team members
are treated twice a day, once before stages and once
at night.
It seems that he had been depressed for several
weeks, and two days earlier he had decided to
commit suicide. He took a bottle of Valium and a fifth
of vodka and fell asleep in his bed, fully intending to
never wake up again. Unfortunately, the combination
was not lethal, and he did wake up, albeit 36 hours
later, with a tremendous hangover. Deciding that
something else was needed to complete the job, he
filled up the bathtub, got in, and slit both wrists with a
razor blade. Alas, the bleeding was all venous and
clotted off after several minutes, leaving him sitting in
a pink-tinged lukewarm bathtub.
Last year, singer Carnie Wilson, used acupuncture
to treat Bell‟s Palsy.
AOM APPS
All apps available from
http://www.apple.com/iphone/from-the-app-store/
and many other app sources.
He climbed out of the bathtub and decided to hang
himself from the dining room light fixture using his
belt. The light fixture tore from the ceiling and he
crashed to the floor with such force that he fell
through the dining room floor into the basement.
Battered but not beaten, he looked around the
basement for something to finish the job. He found a
.22 caliber bullet but no gun. He decided to hold the
bullet with a pair of pliers and, pressing it against his
sternum, took several whacks at the compression
end of it, with a ball-peen hammer. On the third
whack the bullet went off. He fell to the floor and
looked down to see a bullet hole on the left side of his
chest. After lying on the floor for 20 minutes, he
decided that maybe he really did not want to die and
drove himself the ER. The bullet had bounded off a
rib.
NA
Akron, Ohio
11
AOM IN MEDICAL JOURNALS &
RESEARCH AT MAINSTREAM
UNIVERSITIES
MD DOCTORS TALK ABOUT
THEMSELVES
In a book titled M.D. Doctors Talk About Themselves, by medical
Arthritis Research & Therapy, Arthritis Knee Pain Eased by
Chinese Medicine, July 2014
Brain Imaging & Behavior, Verum and sham acupuncture affect
different brain regions, April 12, 2014
Clinical & Experimental Ophthalmology, Acupuncture may
improve vision in patients with retinitis pigmentosa, May 2014
Clinical Rehabilitation, Tai chi improves balance in Parkinson’s
patients, February 11, 2014
British Medical Journal, Acupuncture outperforms counseling
and usual care for depressed patients with pain, May 2014
International Journal of Women’s Health, Acupuncture for
women’s reproductive health, March 17, 2014
Journal of the American Geriatric Society, Tai chi improves
cognitive function in elders, January 2, 2014
Journal of the Federation of American Societies for
Experimental Biology, Acupuncture Lowers Hypertension - New
Biology, April 23, 2014
Journal of Caffeine, Caffeine inhibits analgesic effect of
acupuncture, 2013
Journal of Clinical Endocrinology, Chinese herb reduce
progression of diabetes, February 2014
Menopause, Acupuncture better than herbs for menopausal hot
flushes, May 13, 2014
Spine Journal, Acupuncture effective for sciatica, October 4,
2013
Whipps Cross University Hospital and University College of
London Hospital, Acupuncture Controls Overactive Bladder,
July 2014
World Journal of Gastroenterology, Acupuncture effective for
IBS, February 21, 2014
journalist John Pekkanen, doctors are portrayed by a portrait that
sometimes damns, sometimes exalts but always humanizes the
men and women who spend their lives meeting human suffering
head on. The true stories come from interviews with doctors from
all over the country. The following is an ongoing column in the
newsletter from the book.
Colleagues (continued)
A woman called me at home at midnight and said
she‟d just heard about me, and that I sounded like
just the doctor she‟d always been looking for. She
said she‟d been to dozens of doctors for her problem,
but none of them were understanding. I asked her
what her problem was.
“There are electric shocks emanating from my body,”
she said “They‟re from a powerful, evil force,
probably the CIA.”
There‟s a neurosurgeon at my hospital I really don‟t
like, so I explained to her that I was an internist and
told her she really needed to see a neurosurgeon.
Then I gave her his name and telephone number and
told her to call him.
INTERESTING BIOSCIENCE
STUDY WEBSITES
YUNNAN BAIYAO FORCED TO
REVEAL SECRET FORMULA
Images for A&P http://www.google.com/search?q=anatomy+physiolog
y&start=10&hl=en&sa=N&rlz=1T4GGLD_enUS312U
S312&biw=999&bih=504&prmd=ivnsb&tbm=isch&tbo
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Yunnan Baiyao was developed in 1902 in Yunnan
Province, by Qu Huanzhang. In China it enjoyed a
similar reputation to the discovery and development
of penicillin in the West.
It has always been designated as a Class-1 protected
traditional Chinese medicine formula, which allowed
its producer to keep the formula a secret.
A&P Practice Questions http://academic.pgcc.edu/~aimholtz/AandP/P
racticeQuestions/ANPquestions.html
Guidelines for the publication of ingredients were
revised and Yunnan Baiyao reluctantly published the
ingredients. It showed that Yunnan Baiyao contained
the potentially toxic caowu or duanchangcao. The
producer explained that it was safe after the
company‟s unique processing of the herb.
A&P Review Questions –
http://ansonbiology.info/A&P_Review_Question_eBooks/3600+_Review_Questions_Volume2.pdf
Bioscience Flashcards http://www.flashcardexchange.com/
The China FDA issued a notification last year that all
Chinese medicinal drinks that contained
ingredients classified as toxic must have continued
Anatomy Quizzes (also for iPhone/iPad) –
http://www.mobilefiledownload.com/anatomy-quiz-16-iphone-ipad-and-ipod-touch/
12
funding is key to addressing any physician shortages,
will lead to the production of more residents, and
reduces financial burden imposed by becoming a
physician. This wisdom results in advocacy for
increasing DME funding, but DME financing does
little to offset the cost of training physicians.
Residents essentially pay the full cost of their
training, while the DME program simply transfers
money to recipient hospitals. IME is more
controversial, in terms of both the accuracy of the
costs that are reimbursed and the underlying
concept.
ingredient notes that detail the toxins and a warning.
PREPARED TRADITIONAL
CHINESE MEDICINES
GUIDEBOOK FOR TREATING
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Chinese TCM experts plan to compile a guidebook
for clinical application of ready-made TCM medicines.
The project will be carried out by scholars from the
State Administration of TCM, China Press of TCM
and China Academy of Chinese Medicine Sciences.
Some economists believe that residents, not the
hospital where they obtain their training, bear the full
cost of their education; they accept lower wages
during training that offset training‟s significant costs.
For example, if the total cost of training a resident is
$80,000 annually but his or her services generate
$130,000 in hospital revenue, then the resident would
appropriately be paid a salary of $50,000, the
difference between the two.
The compiling and publishing of the book is aimed at
standardizing the use of TCM, which has helped
Chinese people overcome plagues in ancient times
and has proved effective in treating modern diseases
including SARS and H1N1 influenza in recent years.
Prepared TCM medicines are in pills, capsules,
tablets, oral liquids or granular forms.
THE ECONOMICS OF
GRADUATE MEDICAL
EDUCATION
Why are residents paid wages whereas medical
students pay tuition? Both receive some amount of
training and education and provide some amount of
services, but the relative valuation of and time
devoted to services received and services provided
differs dramatically. Medical students provide
relatively minor amounts of service, acting mostly as
apprentices or observers. The primarily receive costly
education in basic and clinical sciences; thus they
pay tuition.
The following is taken from an article in The New
England Journal of Medicine, June 19, 2014.
A central health care-related policy question for the
US is whether the federal government‟s role in
financing graduate medical education (GME)
increases the number of physicians trained and
influences their specialty choices by subsidizing the
cost of training. Total federal GME funding amounts
to nearly $16 billion annually. Medicare is the largest
federal government contributor to GME, providing
$9.5 billion and almost $3 billion for direct medical
education (DME), to pay the salaries of residents and
supervising physicians, and about $6.5 billion for
indirect medical education (IME), to subsidize the
higher costs that hospitals incur when they run
training programs. Federal Medicaid spending adds
another $2 billion for GME, and an additional $4
billion comes from the Veterans Health
Administration and the Health Resources and
Services Administration. States support GME through
nearly $4 billion in Medicaid spending.
Residents receive some direct educational benefits,
and their practice during training can incur costs for
the hospital. But, residents provide substantial
amounts of service to patients, thereby generating
substantial revenues for their hospitals, particularly
after their first year of residency.
A different justification for federal residency funding is
that it provides hospitals that treat indigent
populations with a needed financial infusion. But, the
Affordable Care Act can provide these people care,
so that justification is weakened.
Ultimately, it is important to recognize that achieving
st
the goals that have been deemed desirable for 21 century health care will require much more than
expanding the GME program under the pretext of
solving the physician shortage.
The conventional wisdom is that increasing GME →
13
cost that must be recouped from customers. Some
argue this cost should be eliminated from figuring the
cost of the drug.
YOUR SHOES CAN TELL YOUR
AGE!
Try this and see:
Others critics argue that taxpayers subsidize about
half of company research costs through credits and
deductions granted to drug companies. Also, many
clinical trials are funded by the National Cancer
Institute and foundations.
1. Take your shoe size (no half sizes, round up)
2. Multiply it by 5
3. Add 50
4. Multiply by 20
The industry price is also based on a sample of the
most costly fifth of new drugs, not the average for all
drugs.
5. Add 1013
6. Subtract the year you were born
Critics say that clinical trials in cancer are smaller and
shorter than trials for other diseases, so trial costs
should be smaller.
The first digit is your shoe size and the last 2 digits
are your age!
But, sometimes the age can come up 1 year younger
than you are. Maybe that is good.
Estimated costs for research are inflated by backing
in a large estimate for the cost of basic research, say
critics. No accurate estimate exists because the costs
of discovery vary s much, from an inexpensive luck
break to a costly 30-year search before a new drug is
discovered.
It is shoe magic.
CANCER RX: THE $100,000
MYTH
The article suggests that pharmaceutical companies
are price-gouging. In addition, some companies raise
the prices on some of their older drugs by 20% to
25% a year.
The following is taken from an article in the AARP
Bulletin, May 2014.
Every patient with cancer wants the most effective
treatment, but drug prices have become staggering.
Eleven of the new cancer drugs approved in 2012
were priced above $100,000 annually, and a 20% to
30% copayment can make them unaffordable even
for well-insured patients.
Companies say that the high process reflects high
research costs, and the prices reflect the added
benefits of curing or controlling cancer. However, it is
questionable whether these new drugs are better
than the old ones. Only one of the 12 new cancer
drugs approved in 2012 helps patients survive more
than 2 months longer.
The most famous industry-sponsored estimate claims
that it costs on average $1.3 billion to develop a new
drug and get it approved. This includes the cost of
failures. Half that estimate is not research cost, but
rather a high figure for profits that companies would
have made if they had invested their research money
in stocks and bonds instead. Profits forgone is a
common way of estimating whether it is worthwhile to
undertake a new project. But some argue not a →
Five million babies have been conceived through
in-vitro fertilization since 1989. About half of
those babies were born in the past six years.
14
10% of Americans take 5 or more drugs daily; 50%
take at least 1 drug
Researchers have ID‟d a rare mutation that spurs the
growth of fat cells and spikes blood sugar. It could
lead to the group of symptoms known as metabolic
syndrome (obesity, hypertension, and Type 2
diabetes); but few people carry the mutation. DNA
isn‟t always to blame.
Solvents have been linked to memory problems 30
years after exposure in people whose jobs require
working with the chemicals. For the average joe, the
risk is unclear, so when you redo the living room,
protect yourself.
The skin of red grapes contains resveratrol, a
powerful polyphenol that has been shown in labs and
animals to fight cell aging. But researchers in, where
else, Chianti found that drinking wine did not alone
reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease or early
death.
AMERICA ON DRUGS
If you looked at only the numbers, you would think
the U.S. practically runs on Prozac and heart-related
pills. These are the most prescribed medications,
according to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC). Today, 50% of Americans take at
least one pill a day, and many of those drugs can be
lifesaving (or at least life-enhancing). But the CDC
report also pointed to troubling uptick in the use and
abuse of opioid painkillers, which can lead to
addiction and, in extreme, death from overdose.
BODY OF WORK
The following are some other facts from the CDC
report:
The brain has 85 billion neural cells and 150 trillion
synapses. These are its electrical connections, its
possibilities. Even if you add up the brain‟s entire
energy consumption, it‟s a mere 23 watts (for a
typical person consuming 2,400 calories daily). Still
the brain uses a whopping 20% of the body‟s energy
despite taking up only 2% of the body‟s mass.
Percentages of Americans ages 18 to 64 on:
Heart drugs 17.7%
Cholesterol lowering drugs 10.7%
Antidepressants 10.6%
Painkillers 10.5%
Acid-reflux meds 9%
The nervous system‟s activity, which peaks between
ages 22 and 27 and starts to diminish thereafter, is of
course the control system for a myriad other internal
motions. The well-known ones are our breaths and
heartbeats.
U.S. spending on prescription drugs $263 billion
The heart beats 2.5 billion times in a lifetime. The 5
quarts of blood an adult male continually pumps (4
quarts for women), flow at an average speed of 3 to 4
mph.
Vaccines work; only 2% of U.S. deaths are caused by
pneumonia and influenza
80% reduction in deaths from HIV since 1996, thanks
to effective anti-retrovirals
Reflex signals travel at 250 mph. Thought signals
travel at 70 mph. Pain travels at 3 mph. Lymph fluid
moves at ¼ inch per minute. Air intake averages 2
gallons per minute. Food travels through the
esophagus at ¾ inch per second. Urine flows 1/3 to
½ ounce per second. Blinking takes 1/10 second and
happens about 10 times per minute. The cell can
make a protein in 10 seconds. The fastest sneeze
was recorded at 102 mph and a sneeze can release
40,000 particles at high speed.
300% increase in use of prescription painkillers over
the past decade; opioid-overdose deaths
have tripled
In 1994, 0.8% of Americans under 18 were
prescribed ADHD drugs; in 2010, 4.2%
5% of insured Americans and 22% of the uninsured
failed to fill a prescription because they
couldn‟t afford it.
→
15
WORLDS TALLEST MAN
BEST SCHOLARSHIP SEARCH
ENGINES
Turkey‟s Sultan Kosen, at 2.51 meters (8‟ 3”) is the
world‟s tallest man. In 2013 he wed a Syrian woman
who is 1.7 meters (5‟ 7”).
Scholarship.com provides the best possibilities
overall but has many ads and mismatches. The
College Board‟s BigFuture.CollegeBoard.org is
fast, ad-free, but lists scholarships only
alphabetically.
His growth has resulted from a tumor affecting his
pituitary gland. In 2010, U.S. doctors treated his
tumor using gamma rays. In 2012, the doctors said
he has overcome his acromegaly, a rare hormonal
disorder. He must use crutches in order to walk.
Cappex.com gives useful info on competition for
awards and the effort needed to apply.
Zinch.com has the best designed website, easy to
use.
FastWeb.com clearly labels promotional
scholarships but is full of ads.
ADVERTISING
Mailed subscriptions are available to the newsletter
at a cost of $20.00 per year / 3 issues.
ADVERTISING RATES
Ads must be digital.
Full Page
7.25w x 10.25
Half Page
7.25w x 5
Quarter Page
3.5w x 5
Business Card
2 x 3 1/2
Simple classified ad up to 6 lines
16
$100.00
$60.00
$35.00
$15.00
$10.00