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By Charles Ignacio Roman

According to an article in the China Daily dated November 11, 2008, “The World Health Organization (WHO) issued a declaration in Beijing on Saturday calling for its member states to integrate traditional medicine (TM) into their national health systems.” The organization summarized the role of traditional medicine in healthcare systems and highlighted the progress, challenges, and future direction of its development in the "Beijing Declaration." It also recognized traditional medicine as “one of the resources of primary healthcare services to increase availability and affordability, as well its contributions in improving the health of those targeted in the United Nation's Millennium Development Goals.”

What does this mean for the acceptance of acupuncture and Oriental medicine? At the very least, it suggests a trend in a direction of broader acceptance, with the implication that “traditional medicine” not only currently exists as the primary medicine in many societies but increases its “availability and affordability.” This is an oblique acknowledgement that many countries in the world cannot afford the high price of allopathic care or, alternatively, will need to bridge whatever economic gaps exist with traditional care for places that do not have robust national health-care infrastructures in place. “Traditional Medicine” also means making whatever economic infrastructure one has available work.

While it’s difficult to know precisely how the “Beijing Declaration” will affect AOM acceptance in the U.S., one can reasonably see a trend toward greater international acceptance of complimentary and alternative medicines. With president-elect Obama seeking to restore some lost credibility in the last eight years of isolationist rule in the U.S. and with a Democrat majority in congress, declarations of this kind could very well impact domestic health care policy in the U.S.

International Links for November, 2008

Editorial Note: The following excerpt derives from the ASNY newsletter and is printed here with ASNY permission.

In October, ASNY attended the AAAOM conference in Chicago. We met with other state leaders in the Council of Presidents meeting and participated in the reorganization of their structure and relationship to the AAAOM. Michael Jabbour (V.P.) joined the AAAOM bylaws committee to help them refine their goals and missions. We also met privately with the legislative director of the AAAOM and discussed how to best move forward with the Hinchey Medicare _ FECA bill.

In November, ASNY spoke, along with NYSAC and the United Alliance of Professional Acupuncturists at the ATCMS Summit conference in Flushing, Queens. We also met with and spoke with representatives from the Washington, DC political community.

By Joe Calhoon

Our world will never be the same. Recent economic and political events have created a new playing field for business success. In order to make the most of the current realities, leaders must adapt to the changing marketplace and engage the capacity of their people to achieve business results.

It all starts with a plan; better yet, a Dynamic Business Growth Plan.

Developing a clear and simple plan will strengthen employee morale, increase productivity and improve profitability. This planning process won’t take long. The plan will fit on a single page. It will be easy to communicate. It will keep your team on track and, most importantly, it will be easy to adjust as the economy improves. An effective planning system is the most reliable predictor of business growth – it keeps everyone on the same page and ultimately leads to higher performance.

To develop your plan and get your team on the same page, start by answering these six questions:

What are you trying to build? (Vision)
Vision is your desired future state. You must look beyond the current realities to your more promising future. A vision ignites people’s passion and harnesses their unique strengths to grow the business.

1. What business you’re in.
2. What products and services you offer.
3. Who you’re trying to serve.
4. The scope of operations (local to global).

If you don’t agree on these four elements, it will be difficult for your team to make meaningful progress.

Here is the vision of Apple Computer: “Apple is committed to bring the best personal computing products and support to students, educators, designers, scientists, engineers, business persons and consumers in over 140 countries around the world.”

What is your purpose? Why do you exist? (Mission)
Mission is purpose. Mission motivates. The root word of motivation is “motive.” Motive is why you do what you do.

Unfortunately, many mission statements are too long; they make a good cure for insomnia. A mission statement works best when it’s short and clear. It should fit on a t-shirt; it should be ten words or less.

The mission of Federal Express is: “The world on time.”

Here is an effective way to define your mission. Simply ask the question, “Why not just shut this organization down, close the doors and sell off the assets?” This gets to the core of why you’re in business - your mission.

How will you treat each other moving forward? (Values)
Values define code of conduct. An appropriate set of values defines what’s acceptable and what’s not acceptable in the way you treat one another. Values build strong relationships and create high-trust organizations. With a strong set of values, employees will often receive greater acceptance, appreciation and respect at work than in many other areas of their life.

Lou Holtz is recognized as one of the world’s most successful college football coaches. Lou understands adversity. He has never taken over a winning team, yet, within two years, every one of his teams played in a Bowl game. Many attribute his success and the character of his players to these three values – do what’s right, do your best and treat others as you want to be treated.

Vision, mission and values are long term; they don’t change much over time.

How will you measure progress? (Objectives)
Objectives are the numbers that measure progress. Think of the dashboard in your car. Your business needs a dashboard, a set of indicators that tell you how your business is doing.

Jack Welch is widely recognized as the most effective executive of the 20th Century. He said, “Too often we measure everything and understand nothing. The three most important things you need to measure in a business are customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction, and cash flow.” Those are your three core measures.

In fact, businesses that obsessively focus on meeting the needs of those three stakeholders – customers, employees and owners (CEO) – while developing their leaders are 756 times more profitable than comparison companies (according to a study reported in Corporate Culture and Performance).

What are the categories of work to be done? (Strategies)
Strategies are the high-level choices you make that determine the course you’re going to follow. Usually you will have between three to seven categories of work to be done in the next year or so.

There are many ways to write strategies, but here’s a method that is simple and effective.

1. Define your strategic categories. They might be called marketing, human resources, innovation, productivity, etc.
2. Start with a verb and clearly define the end in mind.
3. Use the words “by” or “through.”
4. Identify your strategic choices.

This marketing strategy helped Wilson Auctioneering double their revenues in one year – “Reposition Wilson Auctioneering through television advertising and focus on bigger deals.”

Larry Grill, VP of Corporate Services for Alabama Power, recently explained his leadership philosophy. “The further you go up the corporate chart, the greater your responsibility to serve others. Unfortunately, many leaders lose the ego battle and undermine their own effectiveness. Leadership is best described as servant leadership.”

Leaders serve the employees who serve the customers, which improves the bottom line. This is a winning strategy for any business.

Who will do what by when? (Priorities)
Priorities translate strategies into results. Priorities define who needs to do what by when.

Unfortunately, many business plans are lengthy documents that sit on a shelf collecting dust. Almost every plan is missing the most important element: priorities.

Priorities start with a verb, end with a date and have something measurable in between. Priorities include problems to solve, goals to achieve or capacities to develop. For example: “Finish vehicle maintenance by 12/19/08.” “Sell $200K in new business by 11/28/08.” “Complete marketing plan by 12/5/08.”

In closing, here are three principles that help leaders engage employees, accelerate growth and increase profits.

No Involvement, No Commitment – Involve your team to a greater extent as you move through the six elements. In other words, you want your team less involved in creating vision, more involved in creating strategies and priorities.

Progress, Not Perfection – Your plan does not have to be perfect for your team to make significant progress. You will reach a point when it is best to quit planning and start achieving.

80/20 Principle – Focus your team on the 20% of your activities that produce 80% of your results. Keep asking, “What is most important?” Then, do that.

Only 12 percent of businesses have a business growth planning process in place. By answering these six questions and getting your team on the same page, you develop a significant competitive advantage. The key to higher performance is developing your Dynamic Business Growth Plan and consistently achieving your most important priorities. You will be building a more effective team and a stronger capacity to prosper in the years ahead. Now, go for it!

Joe Calhoon is the President of PriorityAdvantage™ – the smartest way to run a business. He has 25 years of experience working with business owners and business leaders who want to develop higher performing organizations. In addition to helping start more than 20 new business ventures, Joe has served 500 different organizations on four continents including 3M, Best Buy and Ritz Carlton Hotels. He is co-author of both “On the Same Page,” and “Prioritize!” For more information visit www.joecalhoon.com or call 816-285-8144.

Trust Your Teammates: Everyone Wins

By Mark Eaton, former NBA All Star

Trust is essential in today’s business world. Every day people talk about how important trust is, yet few know how to create it. Trust comes when people know they can count on you. Trust comes when people know you’re there for them. When people protect each other, there is trust – it’s that simple. When you’re committed to others and their well-being, you can expect an extraordinary commitment in return.

In the NBA, basketball players follow the concept of “sticking together.” They know by protecting each other, working collaboratively and standing united against the competition, their chances of winning greatly increase.

In business, the only way you can do your job effectively, be creative and be innovative is when you know that someone has your back. When you’re confident someone is watching out for you, you’re more willing to take risks to increase the bottom line. Unfortunately, in most companies, people are just there to collect a paycheck. There’s no creativity, no innovation and no risk-taking, all because there’s no sense of trust among team members. After all, if you know no one is backing your ideas, why try to implement them? The chance of failing is too great.

The world of professional basketball offers the perfect learning example: In basketball, one person’s job is to guard the basket. As long as that person is doing his job, his teammates up the court can take risks and try to steal the ball from the other team. If they’re unsuccessful with the steal and the competition happens to get by them, they can count on the person guarding the basket to protect the team and keep the rival from scoring.

If the team members can’t count on each other, they’re not going to take risks. They’re going to play it safe. They’ll stay in front of their man, do their best to not let him score, and stay in a defensive mode rather than taking an offensive position and going for the score.

The same is true in business. People may have some good ideas, but they don’t voice them because they don’t feel protected. They don’t feel that sense of trust or appreciation, so they stay under the radar and do just enough to not get fired. They become clock-watchers who only care about themselves and their own agenda. As a result, you have a company filled with people who know only how to complain and whine rather than take action and responsibility. Now you no longer have a team; you only have divisiveness.

If you want people in your company to not only think of new ideas but also execute them, then they need to feel supported. Protecting your teammates is a key ingredient in the NBA, because if you don’t have that trust, then things quickly fall apart. For businesses to succeed, they need the same mentality. If you want your company to grow, to change, to innovate, to succeed, and to rise to the top of your industry, then you can’t afford to have a bunch of people playing it safe. You need the creativity and entrepreneurial spirit that comes when trust abounds.

So if you’re ready for your company to go from a “playing it safe” rookie to an innovative all-star champion, then consider the following suggestions.

1. If you’re an employee, encourage fellow employees to step out and take risks.
What would it be like if everyone on your team truly felt safe? If you want to be invaluable, be the person people can count on. If you want to have enduring relationships, look out for others. Put others first. When you protect others, they take risks. They know they won’t be criticized should they fail. When you protect others, you create an environment of safety and freedom. That’s what supports innovation and the immediate response required in a world and market characterized by incessant change. When you protect others you sometimes give up an opportunity or put yourself on the line. But when you do that, you show people you care. Therefore, let people know that they have your trust and support, even if that’s not the prevalent culture. Remember that change has to start somewhere.

2. If you’re in management or a supervisory position, become a protector.
Encourage your people to come to you with ideas. When you decide to implement one of the ideas, let your employees know you completely support them. Win or lose, you’re there for them. If you must, think of your employees as your children. As a parent, your first priority is protecting your young. Just like children, adults do their best when they feel cared for and safe. So if you want peak performers, create an environment where everyone feels safe. The ideal manager is like the coach who stands up for his team. The ideal manager who creates an atmosphere of trust is really creating a space where people will exceed expectations.

3. Observe how behavior changes in the workplace with the implementation of this concept.
One glimpse of trust starts a wellspring of performance and confidence. Think about it … if your supervisor said to you, “That’s a great idea. Take this project on. You have my complete support,” how would you feel? You’d probably feel a sense of shock, and then a sense of eager anticipation. You’d be excited and quick to tell others on your team what just happened. Then your co-workers would think, “Wow. I have an idea, too. I want to talk to the boss about it.” So one simple gesture of trust can create a sense of energy and enthusiasm in the workplace, which is really what everyone wants. The more management communicates with their staff that they’re creating an environment of trust, the more ideas and innovation that people will bring to the table.

The Keys to Performance and Success
Trust and loyalty are what distinguishes a team from a group. They’re what make relationships irreplaceable and irresistible, and people invaluable. When you fight for another person and transcend your self-interest, you change the world.

Trust comes when people know they can count on you…that you’re there for them no matter what. When people protect each other, trust is inevitable. It’s that simple. When you commit to protecting others, you can expect an extraordinary commitment in return.

Trust sets people on fire. When you defend another, you find courage that you didn’t know you had. Fighting for someone else and doing more for others than you do for yourself brings out the best in yourself. And that’s where you find the win. It’s called the magic of teamwork.

AUTHOR INFORMATION
Joe C. Chang, MAOM, DiplOM, LAc, is a second-generation acupuncturist. Currently, he is working as an acupuncturist at the Ft. Bliss Restoration & Resilience Center, Ft. Bliss, TX. This center is a two-year pilot program that provides an integrated approach in the treatment of post-deployment soldiers who are diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He is the first acupuncturist in the United States to be selected for this program. His successes as an acupuncturist at the Ft. Bliss Restoration & Resilience Center- William Beaumont Army Medical Center led to the integration of acupuncture as a treatment modality for PTSD at the Ft. Hood Restoration & Resilience Center at Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center. He is an invited speaker at the upcoming American Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine’s International Conference. He has co-authored for Occupational Therapy International and Medical Acupuncture, and he is a member of the Military Acupuncture Society for Military Physicians.

First Professional Doctorate Survey

The AAAOM is gathering information from the AAAOM membership to assess opinion on the First Professional Doctorate issue.

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. –Northwestern Health Sciences University is in the midst of a groundbreaking research education project focused on integrating research into the practice of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). The project is being funded by a major grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM). The grant, totaling more than $750,000, will be awarded over a period of four to five years.

The project is a collaborative effort between Northwestern and the University of Minnesota. Roni Evans, DC, MS, dean of research at Northwestern’s Wolfe-Harris Center for Clinical Studies, and Mary Jo Kreitzer, PhD, RN, Director of the Center for Spirituality and Healing at the University of Minnesota, are leading the project.

The broad objective of the CAM Education project is to facilitate “Evidence Informed Practice” (EIP) among CAM practitioners. Northwestern didn’t coin the phrase Evidence Informed Practice, but it is unique among other CAM education institutions in focusing on EIP. Other institutions teach an “Evidence Based Medicine” approach, which relies heavily on research evidence to inform clinical practice. In the EIP model, all forms of evidence matter, not just research.

“The EIP approach is very broad in scope, and considers all forms of ‘evidence’ as important in informing health care,” emphasizes Dr. Evans. This includes the clinician’s own experience, the historical experience of a profession, clinical findings, patient preferences, and research. Importantly, research is viewed as a resource, and is only one piece of the clinical puzzle. “Our approach stresses the importance of the clinician practicing his or her ‘art’ where all of these pieces are skillfully brought together to provide the appropriate care to the patient,” Dr. Evans says.

Northwestern has long demonstrated a strong commitment to research, but this project takes a first step toward integrating research into the academic programs at Northwestern and adds a stronger emphasis on critical thinking into the educational and clinical programs.

The scope of the project includes:

• establishing an EIP focused student research curriculum;
• establishing an EIP focused faculty development program;
• establishing an EIP focused post-graduate program;
• offering EIP practical experiences; and
• systematically evaluating the objectives at the program level.

Who benefits from a project of this magnitude? The changes generated by the project will impact Northwestern students, faculty and practitioners, but patients will receive the biggest benefit. “The patient is really at the center of Evidence Informed Practice. They are the ones who ultimately benefit from a clinician who effectively balances the different types of information that must be taken into account in clinical decision making,” states Dr. Evans.

During the first year, work on the project included building strong institutional commitment and participation; evaluating and analyzing the competencies, needs and skills, and potential barriers for faculty and students; creating plans and timelines for foundational course development; and securing approval for a second year of funding.

Next steps will focus on re-designing existing research-related courses to include tools to help students use research in clinical practice, and adding a critical thinking component to courses throughout the curriculum. Faculty development is already in progress, with opportunities for professional development related to teaching research-related coursework and critical thinking, and to provide tools and resources to help faculty efficiently find and use research in the classroom and in clinical practice. Additionally, online learning opportunities will be created for practitioners in the field to learn more about Evidence Informed Practice.

According to Dr. Evans, there is still much to accomplish in the relatively short time period established by the funding, but she expects the rewards to be great. “It’s been rewarding to experience the collaboration between faculty and students across programs toward the common goal of integrating critical thinking and research evidence into education. I believe this is going to distinguish Northwestern Health Sciences University as a leader in CAM education and in the health care marketplace.”

Northwestern Health Sciences University offers a wide array of choices in natural health care education including chiropractic, Oriental medicine, acupuncture, therapeutic massage and human biology. The University has nearly 900 students on a 25-acre campus in Bloomington, Minnesota.

Free Teleclass Wednesday December 10, 2008 at 5 PM Pacific Time

An Introduction to Ramp Your Practice in 90 Days for practitioners ready to grow their practice to the next level is being offered by Nina Price, MBA, L.Ac., CPCC. Nina is a practice building coach and Licensed Acupuncturist who helps holistic practitioners become more effective in marketing their practices.

This teleclass is an introduction to a 12 week teleseminar which will help both new practitioners and seasoned veterans develop or improve their marketing plan, create new and interesting content, and to actively grow their practices.

By Elisa Behnk, AAAOM-SO Vice President of Communications

Attending the AAAOM conference in October opened my eyes to the incredible variety of benefits AAAOM provides to me as a student. My “Top 5,” are:

1. A focus on students! I was amazed that a large portion of the AAAOM membership is comprised of students, largely due to increased efforts over the past year to develop more awareness about AAAOM among acupuncture and TCM schools across the country. At the conference I found that—specifically for students—AAAOM:

• Awards academic scholarships,
• Offers potential publishing venues,
• Creates a national stage for student presentations on academic programs and research, and
• Affords professional and leadership-development opportunities through national engagement on issues facing our field.

2. Relationships. AAAOM brings students and practitioners together in the same forum in a way we could never achieve independently.

In one conference session the practitioner sitting next to me was very helpful in defining and spelling Chinese terms for me. Turns out it was Acupuncture Desk Reference author David J. Kuoch. What a great introduction to two helpful resources! David, by the way, visited the Student Caucus on Saturday and donated to the student raffle a number of copies of his newly published Volume II.

The Student Caucus was itself a tremendous resource to the nearly 120 students attending the conference. Astute leadership insisted that we switch our seating at the catered lunch so that we could meet someone new from another school. Well, it worked! Now National University of Health Sciences is on my radar in a way it could not have been otherwise, and I have new collegial connections in Chicago.

At one of the gatherings, a colleague of mine told me that she met a practitioner from her town looking to expand his practice. She told me that traveling halfway across the country she found easily what she wouldn’t have discovered by staying home—an opportunity to join a practice when she graduates this spring!

3. Access to "the greats" from many different traditions. AAAOM is an open forum for our many varied healing traditions, which ultimately benefits all of our patients.

This year, Judy Worsley from the Worsley Institute, presented an extensive pre-conference session on Five Element Acupuncture theory and practice. The next day, Dr. Josephine Briggs, Director of NIH's National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), revealed how the agency is keenly focused on the question of research in our field. After noting some significant statistics^*, she announced that an acupuncturist is being named to the NCCAM board (we’re holding our breath for details!). The following day distinguished Georgetown professor and Washington litigator Sherman Cohn, Esq. traced the history of acupuncture in America from its earliest days through modern practice. His keynote speech at the banquet topped off an already engaging conversation around my table among professionals and students from California, Massachusetts, and Washington, D.C. about the joys and challenges of moving to a new town and cultivating a client base.

4. Thinking ahead … setting up a practice. Even though setting up my practice is over a year and a half down the road for me, I’m beginning to realize it is not too early to start thinking as a professional. At the conference I was able to attend sessions focused on practice-building, seminars on various diagnostic and treatment techniques, and I visited exhibitor booths where I picked up “painless needles,” herbal samples, reference tools, and information on practice-management software.

5. Thinking bigger … our role in the national health care discussion. The way I will be able to practice AOM when I graduate is largely a function of the policies and regulations governing health care practices.

AAAOM legal counsel Michael Taromina spoke about the challenges we now face, such as retaining access to herbs and demonstrating AOM safety. He hammered home the imperative to “show up at the table” in Washington, D.C., where health care policy is being made, particularly now, when a new president and his administration are building a platform for health that will soon impact the way we practice.

Investing your advertising dollars in The American Acupuncturist and the Qi-Unity Report makes good sense for so many reasons:

• Reach the practitioners who need your products and the students who represent the future. Our members anticipate each new copy of The American Acupuncturist with high expectations and retain past issues for reference. The Qi-Unity Report continues to offer the contemporary AOM articles practitioners have come to expect.
• Associate your company with the quality research of an official AAAOM publication. We continually publish articles that ensure excellence and benefit alternative medicine.
• Feed the growth of alternative health care. Your advertising dollars are a direct investment in the future of your business as they support the growth and sustainability of this medicine through the legislative, educational and practice management activities of the AAAOM, its members, The American Acupuncturist and the Qi-Unity Report.
• Stretch your advertising dollars longer, as interest in a quarterly professional journal endures longer than the limited shelf-life of newspapers. We get requests for The American Acupuncturist back-issues long after we have published more recent volumes, illustrating long-standing demand. Get 300% of the value of monthly advertising for a similar monthly rate, and extend the shelf life of your advertising. Your business membership also affords you advertising discounts on both The American Acupuncturist and the Qi-Unity Report.

Join our current advertisers to infuse growth into the field your products and services benefit. The reunified organizational force behind the AAAOM means more power toward serving the growth of alternative medicine.

With so much to gain, what better time is there to advertise in The American Acupuncturist and the Qi-Unity Report? Please contact me to learn more at (866) 455-7999.

Yours in Health,

Douglas Newton
Manager, Program Development and Business Services, AAAOM
866-455-7999
916-443-4766 (fax)
info@aaaomonline.org