AAOM: Qi-Unity Report

Welcome to the 4^th issue of the Qi-Unity Report. I would like to extend a sincere thank you for the participation of everyone. I’m pleased to say the AAOM Board has determined it will continue to accept contributions from the profession-at-large, so we encourage you to submit updates you would like to provide via the instructions and submittal form found at the close of each report. Remember…they are due by the first Monday of each month.

My opening greeting of the September Qi-Unity Report provides a reprint of our HR-5688 and Resolution 814 update that was sent as an E-Blast on September 5, 2006. Members of the OM Community are invited to participate in a Task Force to address this issue. Update briefings will be provided at the AAOM Conference in scheduled at the Wigwam Resort and Spa, Litchfield Park (Phoenix) Arizona, October 19-23, 2006.

Problem Statement: As identified in AAOM’s E-blast dated, July 21, 2006, the AMA House of Delegates adopted Resolution 814 that called for the "Scope of Practice Partnership" to study the qualifications, education, and academic requirement of "limited licensure" health care providers and "limited independent practitioners". These include licensed acupuncturists, naturopaths, chiropractors and other allopathic providers that are not MDs, DOs, and dentists. Parallel bills are to be introduced into the state legislatures. Shortly after the AMA adopted this resolution, HR-5688 was introduced in the US Congress by Mr. SULLIVAN (for himself, Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas, Mr. BASS, Mr. SCHWARZ of Michigan, Mr. BURGESS, Mr. BILIRAKIS, and Mr. SESSIONS). The principal author’s press release is provided.

AAOM forms Task Force to combat AMA Actions: OM-Coalition of Patients Rights Collaborative (OM-CPRC)

If you have not registered to participate on the Task Force, please do so by viewing the full report. You will find the interactive submission form at the bottom of the report.

AA0M 2006 Expo Update Report
Expo 2006 will open its doors in just a little over three weeks, and conference planning – conference fever is intense! The conference will be held at the Wigwam Resort and Spa, October 19-October 23, 2006, Litchfield Park (Phoenix) Arizona. All CEUs have now been processed by NCCAOM (all classes approved), the California Acupuncture Board (classes M, N, T, & cc were disallowed; all others were approved) and Texas (classes C, J, N, Q, and V were disallowed; all others approved.) We want to draw particular attention to our pre-conference workshop, the Asian Medical Nomenclature Debates featured in the August issue of the Qi-Unity Report. This is a complex topic that will span a multi-year duration. A formidable panel was chosen to open the door to discourse and discussion for the purpose of beginning the exploration of transmission of Asian Medical texts to the West.

Below, please find Expo 2006 conference EBlasts sent over the past month. Collectively, you will find an array of information about workshops, registration, hotel reservations, exhibitor information and much more.

Interview with Steve Liu, LAc
AAOM is pleased to introduce its Qi-Unity Report. readers to Steve Liu, LAc, and President Emeritus of AzSOMA. Steve is a featured speaker at Expo 2006 on Laser Acupuncture – Theory, Research and Application (Class cc. Sunday October 22, 2006 from 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM).

News Release
THE AATAOM (AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR TEACHERS OF ACUPUNCTURE AND ORIENTAL MEDICINE) ANNOUNCES ITS FIRST ANNUAL MEETING TO BE HELD AT THE AAOM NATIONAL CONFERENCE IN LITCHFIELD, ARIZONA, ON SUNDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2006.

The meeting will be held to establish the direction and future goals of AATAOM, as well as encouraging new member enrollment and participation. The agenda will include items such as setting future meeting/conference schedules, topics of discussion important to the field, and electing the Board of Directors of AATAOM.

Meeting Information:
Where: Palo Verde South at the Wigwam Destination Resort and Spa in Litchfield, Arizona
When: Sunday, October 22, 2006, 10 AM - 12 Noon

AATAOM is the national news, information, and educational association supporting the development and advancement of the teachers of acupuncture and Oriental medicine. We welcome member input and provide a unique forum for educators, institutions, students, and leaders in the teaching field to share ideas, concerns, strategies and innovative teaching methodologies.

Membership in AATAOM is open to anyone interested in supporting the acupuncture and Oriental medicine teaching profession and the future of Oriental medicine. Help shape the future of AOM education by becoming a member today at www.aataom.org. For more information, please visit our website at www.aataom.org or call us at 512-454-0006.

News Release
HAOMA (HISTORY OF ACUPUNCTURE & ORIENTAL MEDICINE IN AMERICA) MEETING TO BE HELD AT THE AAOM NATIONAL CONFERENCE IN LITCHFIELD, ARIZONA, ON THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2006

HAOMA (History of Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine in America) is a project of FAAM (Foundation for the Advancement of Asian Medicine), a non-profit organization whose purpose is to document and preserve the history of AOM medicine in America through video, audio, written word, and collection of historical objects.

All those interested in this effort are invited to join the meeting. The agenda will include discussing the goals of the organization, future direction, methods of documenting the history, collaborations with state associations, schools, and national organizations, and establishing a Board of Directors.

Meeting Information:
Where: Arizona Room at the Wigwam Destination Resort and Spa in Litchfield, Arizona
When: Thursday, October 19, 2006, 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM

For further information or questions, please call 512-784-7414 or email acuaoma@aol.com.

AAOM Welcomes New Clinical Staff Editorial Board
In June of 2006, the AAOM implemented a three-tiered editorial process to oversee the publishing of the American Acupuncturist, the Qi-Unity Report, the AAOM Website and acupediaonline.org, as well as special projects requiring editorial oversight and review. The Peer Review Board provides strategic direction, policy development/oversight, and editorial oversight. The AAOM Clinical Staff Editorial Board supports the activities of the AAOM Peer Review Board. In-house AAOM editorial staff serve as liaisons between the functions of the Peer Review Board and Staff Editors.

Welcome Aboard: We invite you to greet our new staff editors and share in the hard work and effort in their clinical editorial assistance in the publishing Volume 37 of the American Acupuncturist, and the American Acupuncturist News Edition – a Special Issue on Chinese Medical Nomenclature.

Congratulations Clinical Editorial Staff, and a hearty welcome aboard! We ask that you also take a look at AAOM Clinical Staff Editor, Dr. Jeannette Painovich, DAOM, LAc, MA article entitled: Acupuncture Program Sets Smooth Sail in Unchartered Territory, or the Qi-Unity Report’s first book review, Make the Rest of your Life the Best of your Life, conducted by AAOM Clinical Staff Editor Rebecca Wallace, LicAc (MA).

AAOM Peer Review Board: William Morris, OMD, MSEd, LAc; Gene Bruno, OMD, LAc; Christine Chang, MTOM, DiplAc/CH/OM; LAc, Atara Noiade, MSci, LAc, DOM, AP; Bonnie Povolny (VT), and AAOM Staff: Rebekah J. Christensen, ED, Managing Editor and Lynn Eder, Staff Editorial Coordinator

Acupuncture Program Sets Smooth Sail in Unchartered Territory
September 1st marked the two year anniversary of the acupuncture fellowship (clinical externship) program at Good Samaritan Hospital where doctoral students from Emperor’s College of Traditional Oriental Medicine (ECTOM) have been treating patients on the acute rehabilitation unit and at times, the emergency room. … Ideally our entire profession will benefit, along with the students, educational institution and biomedical world, from the learning experience that the first two years of this program have provided. This doctoral fellowship has successfully demonstrated that a collective presence in the hospital setting can provide a powerful avenue for increasing visibility of the profession as well as positively impacting patient care.

Book Review- How to Make the Rest of your Life the Best of your Life
Written in two-parts, the premise of the book is achieving an optimum life in your “Second Prime”, or reinventing life so that it is at “full volume in full color.” Part I addresses the Eight Great Myths of Growing Old, and Part II advises not turning back, but rather rewinding the clock. This book offers a radical new paradigm in our thinking of aging, quality of health, quality of life, purpose, and contribution. But further, they offer not only a depth of medical statistics, scientific break-throughs and resources on aging, but equally address the emotional and spiritual core. … How to Make the Rest of your Life the Best of your Life is a highly credible and inspirational tool to educate, inspire and support us as practitioners and the patients we serve. A copy of this book review would be a good information tool to provide in your patient information packages.

ACUPUNCTURE AND ORIENTAL MEDICINE DAY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Sabrina Shannon 714/573-0899 ext. 27, Sabrina@echomediapr.com

NATION’S LEADING ACUPUNCTURE AND ORIENTAL MEDICINE ASSOCIATIONS CELEBRATE ACUPUNCTURE AND ORIENTAL MEDICINE DAY

Alexandria, VA, September 20, 2006 – Five of the nation’s leading Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (AOM) organizations are collaborating to promote Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (AOM) Day on October 24, 2006. Acupuncture and Oriental medicine is a complementary and alternative health care treatment that has been shown to provide many therapeutic benefits.

ACAOM Update
The Commission at its August meeting agreed to re-establish its doctoral Task Force to develop proposed standards for a First Professional Doctorate (FPD) and a proposed transition plan for moving from the MA to the Doctoral level.

The ACAOM Doctoral Task Force includes representatives from AAOM, FAOMRA, NFCTCMO, CCAOM, World Federation, etc. There is a tentative plan to meet in early 2007.

The doctoral task force has developed proposed competencies for first professional doctorate that include the competencies for master's programs, but also include additional compunctions relative to the emerging complex multi-disciplinary settings practitioners might find themselves; for or example hospital based practice or practices in integrative settings. The task force report was the subject of two public hearings and a third and final public hearing will occur in conjunction with the AAOM Expo 2006, at the Wigwam Resort and Spa, Litchfield Park (Phoenix) Arizona. The meeting will be held on Saturday, October 21, 2006, from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM.

ACAOM has retained Dr. Karen Kershenstein to serve as a consultant to the Task Force as it completes its work. As background, Dr. Kershenstein served for decades as the prior Bureau Chief of the USDE Accreditation and State Liaison Department, is a recognized expert in the USDE recognition process and in accreditation, and serves as a consultant to many accrediting agencies. She serves as a Commissioner on a few accrediting bodies and currently consults for the Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors, an organization of approximately 50 specialized accrediting agencies.

The profession and the public will have ample opportunity to provide input as the TF conducts its work.

ACAOM wishes this to be a fully transparent process and is committed to insuring that the profession, regulators, educators, and the public will have ample opportunity to provide input as the task force conducts its work.

AB-3014 Sent to Governor's Desk
We are writing you today to advise that AB 3014 has been sent to the Governor’s desk for signature. Just as we have requested, and you have provided your advocacy over the past several months, we are once again requesting that you take a few moments to fax and email one last letter of support. Your letter should be sent to the Governor and his Los Angeles Director, Bill Greer. Their contact information is provided in the article.

If you have questions please contact Dr. Adam Burke at aburke@sfsu.edu (415-338-1774). To apply as a volunteer please fax AAOM a copy of your license and insurance coverage and days/times of availability. We will respond with final details. Thank you!

TAI SOPHIA INSTITUTE WORKSHOP
Redefining Health, a two-day weekend seminar, provides participants with skills that enable them to re-examine themselves, their work, and their relationships. Tai Sophia Institute President Robert Duggan and Chancellor Dianne M. Connelly conduct this workshop that draws on tenets of Western and Eastern philosophies. Participants learn as many as 20 practical skills that they can put to use immediately to make positive changes in their lives. Past participants, who have included business executives, teachers, and healthcare practitioners, say the seminar has shown them ways to be more effective and fulfilled in their professional and personal lives. The workshop is scheduled for

Date and Time: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., Saturday, October 7, 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Sunday, October, 8. It takes place at the Institute, 7750 Montpelier Road, Laurel, MD. Cost is $140 and 12 CEUs are available. For nurses 15 contact hours are available. To register, or for more information call 410-888-9048, Ext .6611.

Biographical Information: Duggan and Connelly are co-founders of the Institute. He is the author of Common Sense for the Healing Arts. She conducts workshops internationally and is the author of Traditional Acupuncture: the Law of the Five Elements, All Sickness is Homesickness, and co-author of Alive and Awake: Wisdom for Kids.

About Tai Sophia Institute: Founded in 1975 as an acupuncture school, today Tai Sophia Institute has more than 900 alumni practicing acupuncture, herbal medicine and other healing arts around the country. Its current enrollment totals more than 320 graduate students in its Master of Acupuncture, Master of Science in Herbal Medicine, and Master of Arts in Applied Healing Arts programs. In addition to the degree programs, the Institute offers a wide variety of wellness programs that are open to the community. The Institute also maintains clinics for acupuncture treatment and herbal consultations.

Society for Integrative Oncology
The Society for Integrative Oncology (SIO) will hold its annual conference November 9-11, 2006, at the John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center, in Boston, MA. SIOis a multi-disciplinary organization of professionals dedicated to study and facilitating the cancer treatment and recovery process though the use of complementary therapies. The goal of the SIO’s Third International Conference is to educate oncology professionals and other healthcare stakeholders concerning the state of the art of integrative therapies. We think this program would be of great interest to your organization. Would you please post this information on-line and distribute to your members.

Trager for Self-Healing: A Practical Guide for Living in the Present Moment
Trager is a practical approach to living, not just a way to fix pain in the body. It works best when applied to all areas of life. In her book, Trager for Self-Healing: A Practical Guide for Living in the Present Moment, discussed is a variety of Mentastics, to include: 1) pausing, 2) mindful breathing, and 3) feeling the weight. If you use these three simple tools throughout your day you will feel differently. Your awareness of the Life Force flowing through your body/mind will grow and bloom, and in turn so will your empowerment, wellness, and creativity. This is the "Power of Presence."

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Let us face our fears and risk boldly in stepping beyond the safe world that binds us;
Let us live and breathe deeply and walk deftly at the edges of possibility;
Let us stretch beyond comfort, to challenge our existence;
Let us embrace the distant horizon until the edge of EARTH becomes our Shore.

PS: Don't miss Expo 2006, scheduled October 19-23, at the Wigwam Resort and Spa, Litchfield Park (Phoenix), Arizona. You'll find Exhibitor and Attendee Brochures online at www.aaom.org!

Each issue's deadline is the first Monday of the month. Submissions received after that date will be published in the next month's issue. PLEASE DO NOT DIRECTLY EMAIL SUBMISSIONS. Our interactive submission form provided as a direct link for your convenience. Thank you!