Dry Needling Update, Conference, Dāo Needle Class & Other AAC News

Message from the President: Dry Needling & Injection Therapy Updates

Mark VanOtterloo

Dear members, friends and supporters:

On behalf of your volunteer board of directors, we are thankful for your support as we advocate for your right to practice Traditional East Asian Medicine (TEAM) in the state of Colorado and to advance the reputation of Acupuncture as a safe and effective healthcare option. We are informing the public and policy makers with an accurate and unified voice for the practice of TEAM as the use of holistic medicines continues to grow.

We are only as strong as our membership, so please spread the word to your fellow acupuncturists and supporters to join. The membership numbers and donations that we receive from you are the basis of our strength. If you are not yet a member, or your membership has lapsed, please take a moment now to join us.

Join Now

Dry Needling

I am excited to inform you that our lawyers have submitted to the court what we hope will be our final round of legal briefing in our lawsuit to overturn the Colorado PT Board’s rule authorizing dry needling. If we win, Colorado would become the first state to have an existing dry needling regulation legally overturned. We need your help today to raise the funding that we need to see this precedent-setting lawsuit through to the end. While we have already defeated the PT’s Board’s motion to dismiss our case, and also defeated the Physical Therapy Association’s motion to intervene in the case, our final hurdle is to win the court’s agreement that Colorado statute quite simply does not allow physical therapists to insert acupuncture needles. A big thank you to those of you who have already generously donated. If you haven’t yet had a chance, please take a minute now and make a contribution online to protect the safety of Acupuncture patients today and into the future. Also, see the article about the 15 CEU Dāo Needle Certification class later in this newsletter–part of the proceeds will benefit our Legal Fund.

Donate Now

Procuring Substances for Injection Therapy

From 1999 until 2014 acupuncturists were using DORA’s Director's Policy regarding what substances where permissible to use. While some substances were listed, it contained the line: "Injection therapy is the injection of sterile herbs, vitamins, minerals, homeopathics, or other similar-type substances into acupuncture points by means of hypodermic needles." Practitioners and pharmacies had some liberty with "other similar-type substances" when it came to ordering. Now that we are detailing all specific substances, we are running into the issue that specific types of injections that have been used for more than 15 years are now being denied access due to conflicts with Federal law.

In January of this year, we met with DORA regarding this subject and we are attempting to prepare a bill to add limited prescriptive authority to our practice act with the assistance of our new DORA Interim Program Director Abi Gaskins. We have also met with the Colorado Medical Society (CMS) Scope of Practice Subcommittee and are continuing to discuss with them language that will allow us to obtain these substances from FDA regulated outlets. We will continue to keep you apprised of our progress on injectables. Please “Like” the Acupuncture Association of Colorado’s Facebook page, click on “Follow” and turn on notifications by hovering over the “Following” button until a drop-down menu appears and select Notifications “All On”.

As always, thank you for your membership and continued support.

Mark VanOtterloo, DAOM, L.Ac., Dipl. OM
President, AAC Board of Directors
president@acucol.com
(970) 214-6683

Conference Chair Report: Last Call for Volunteers!

 Erika Schultz

This year we will be celebrating our 35th year of bringing Acupuncturists from Colorado and around the country together for learning and connecting. As your new Conference Chairperson I am excited to be leading the charge on this and have been impressed by the enthusiasm expressed by past conference attendees.

Mark your calendar for April 21^st - 22^nd, 2018 when Jeff Nagel, MA, L.Ac., Dipl. Ac. will be our presenter at the 35^th annual conference. Jeff is trained in the 8 Branches of Chinese Daoist Healing Arts, Medicine, Internal Martial Arts and Life Sciences. He is an experienced long-time practitioner, well-seasoned and generous teacher-researcher of AOM, and a Qigong cultivator and healer. People who have learned from Jeff in the past have raved about him, and he was very high on the list of requested instructors by last year’s attendees.

This is an excellent opportunity to get involved. The conference is one of our largest fundraising events all year and we have some even more exciting ideas for increasing these efforts. Do you want to be a part of it? Do you want to make a contribution to the future of acupuncture in your state?

This is our LAST CALL for committee volunteers. We are the verge of forming teams of people who will make an important contribution to this year’s conference. If you want to take part please text your name, email and phone number to me at (720) 460-0766 by Friday October 20th, 2017, and we will include you in our Kick-off Meeting to be scheduled this month.

We expect that his conference will be outstanding on every level, and are looking forward to having you join us.

Kind regards,

Erika Schultz, L.Ac., Dipl. OM, CAN
Conference Chair, AAC Board of Directors
conferencecomm@acucol.com
(720) 460-0766

Dāo Needle Class November 11^th – 12^th in Boulder:
A New Style of Acupuncture and Acupuncture Needle
15 CEUs & A Portion of Class Proceeds
Will Benefit the AAC Legal Fund! 

Dāo Needle Therapy is a unique modality that bridges ancient east Asian techniques and modern biomechanical therapies. Its therapeutic basis lies in biomechanical tests to identify musculoskeletal, neuromuscular and fascial imbalances; patient positioning to allow better access to dysfunctional tissue and a more effective treatment; and dynamic palpation to evaluate mobility, motility, and mechanical threshold of tissue. A specialized needle is used to break up scar tissue, change the mechanical threshold of ashi points, remodel tissue and break the muscle energy crisis. Dāo Needle Therapy brings Traditional Chinese Medicine meridian therapy into a new era.

Diagnostic Testing

Participants will learn a variety of advanced musculoskeletal diagnostic tests such as muscle testing, range of motion, movement analysis, functional tests, and advanced dynamic palpation. Participants will explore how to identify, map, and use the fascial system and its corresponding meridians, while developing a deeper understanding of how ashi points can be used as a diagnostic guide and therapeutic meter. Practitioners of Dāo Needle Therapy use biomechanical and postural tests to identify and mark a patient’s ashi points.

Original Modality

After marking a patient’s tender points in a specific area, practitioners insert and quickly remove a specialized needle. It is common that 90% of ashi points will no longer be tender immediately after treatment. The remaining points that are still tender are then needled one more time. This result-driven technique resets neurological responses and restores function to muscles. Dāo Needle Therapy will change the way you see and treat pain. 

“I can honestly say that over the last 27 years of study and practice in this medicine, your training ranked high up on my list of all-time favorites. Your enthusiasm is contagious, your knowledge of the subject is broad and deep, and what’s impressive is how I feel after receiving Dāo Needle therapy. Often times, training can be superb, however devoid of real clinical results. This is definitely not the case with Dāo Needle Therapy! I would fully recommend your training series for any practitioner whether they have been in practice 2 days or 40 years."

- Greg Lane, DACM, LAC
Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine
Director of Clinical Services, Pacific College of Oriental Medicine
Completed San Diego Dāo Needle Course, 2017

A Unique Needle

Participants will learn the anatomy of the specialized acupuncture needle used in Dāo Needle Therapy. Its unique bevel edge allows for a different penetration into the skin. Similar to Biomedical Acupuncture, Dāo Needle Therapy creates a lesion in the soft tissue that then releases cytokine/chemokine and neuropeptides to initiate local acute inflammation, which activates local blood circulation. However, the needle penetration is very shallow compared to other acupuncture styles and is more focused on the fascial lines, ashi points (tender points), and their corresponding meridians.

Inventor and Instructor

Dāo Needle Therapy® was developed by Brian Bowen, L.Ac., CMT, PAS. He is the founder and owner of Integrative Health Inc., Dāo Needle Therapy®, and Outch Ointment.

During his 19 years in practice, Brian has specialized in musculoskeletal issues, collaborating with osteopaths, chiropractors, manual therapists and postural alignment specialists. He has studied neuro-muscular therapy, structural integration, myofascial release, active release technique, cranial sacral therapy, postural alignment therapy, functional movement repatterning, Dr. Tan method, dry needling, 5-Element and much more.

Please join us at the class and help us thank Brian for his generous offer to donate a portion of the proceeds of this class to the AAC Legal Fund!

Approved for 15 CEUs by NCCAOM and California

AAC Members receive 10% off registration. Discount code is on the Member Benefits page of Acucol.com.

(You must be logged in to see this page, which is under the Members tab of the Acupuncturists heading on the homepage. If you have trouble logging in, please contact Charissa at info@acucol.com (303) 572-8744.)

For questions about the class call (303) 577-9977 or email info@daoneedle.com.

Register at www.daoneedle.com

Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (AOM) Day is October 24th! 

Want a FREE Professionally-Designed Press Release for your clinic?

AOM Day is a great opportunity to raise awareness and generate interest in your practice.  But it can only help you if you have the tools to maximize the opportunity.  One way to make the most of this national holiday is to submit a PRESS RELEASE  to your local news outlets to let them know how you are celebrating, such as with a special offer or event.  

I teamed up with Felicia Slattery, Business Communication Coach, to create a professionally designed Press Release Template for AOM Day for my clinic that we are offering absolutely FREE to AAC members.

Don’t miss this easy marketing opportunity!  Click here  (and be sure you’re logged in) to see the free AOM press release, and adapt it to your clinic's AOM Day offers or activities.  

(You must be logged in to see this page, which is under the Members/Membership Benefits tab of the Acupuncturists heading on the homepage. If you have trouble logging in, please contact Charissa at info@acucol.com or (303) 572-8744.)

There are more AOM Day marketing ideas available at http://aomday.org/get.html

We wish you a happy and successful AOM Day!

Erika F. Marie, L.Ac., Dipl. Ac.
Public Relations Chair, AAC Board of Directors
prchair@acucol.com
(720) 593-1593

Support Your “TEAM” by Getting Involved!

Your Volunteer AAC Board of Directors

Would you like to help further Traditional East Asian Medicine (TEAM) in Colorado? Join a committee! Several AAC committees are looking for members interested in helping us advance our profession. Have fun and support your all-volunteer AAC Board of Directors by joining a committee. For example, you could help coordinate the 2018 AAC Conference, assist with Fundraising, help increase Membership, or promote our profession through Public Relations. Contact Charissa, the AAC office manager at info@acucol.com with the subject line: "I want to help!" and she’ll get you to the right committee chairperson.

Call for Featured Guest Articles!

Do you write about Acupuncture or Traditional East Asian Medicine? Would you like to share your knowledge, drive traffic to your blog or clinic, and gain an online publication with us? Starting in January 2018, the AAC newsletter will be monthly instead of quarterly. Each month will include a “Featured Guest Article” written by one of our members. To submit an article, you must be a current dues-paying member of the AAC. To learn more, contact Erika F. Marie, Chair of Public Relations, at prchair@acucol.com with "AAC Featured Guest Article Submission" as your subject line.

Professional Spotlight: AAC PR Chair Presents at International CAM Meeting

Erika Fayina Marie, LAc., MSOM, Dipl. Ac., and AAC Public Relations Chair, traveled to North Carolina on September 18th, 2017, to present her scientific abstract for publication at the 5th International Meeting on Complementary and Alternative Medicine & Therapies. Her abstract and well-received breakout session, “Saving Organs and Restoring Lives with Integrative Medicine: The Treatment of an Infant with Diamond-Blackfan Anemia (DBA) and Her Mother with Immune Dysfunction and Kidney Failure,”  illuminated the power of an integrative approach for "unbelievable" clinical results. Erika specializes in autoimmunity and other complex conditions at her clinic, Chiyu Center, located in Longmont, Colorado. She is also a professional speaker and would be happy to speak to your group about how to practice truly remarkable integrative care. Reserve time on her clinic or speaking schedule by calling (720) 593-1593 or emailing erika@chiyucenter.com.

Would you like to be the next AAC member featured in our “Professional Spotlight?” Contact Charissa, the AAC office manager, at info@acucol.com with your spotlight submission of 150 words or less. Don’t forget to include a photograph along with your clinic and contact information! Submit via the body of your email with the subject line:  "Professional Spotlight".

The Fall Issue of Meridians Journal is Ready for Members!

The fall issue, v. 4 no. 4, of Meridians: The Journal of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine is now available for AAC members to read on our website! Digital issues of this peer-reviewed, Medline compliant journal are available free to you as a valuable benefit of being an AAC member. Log in to read the Fall issue. (After logging in, scroll down under the Acupuncturists tab to Members, then select Meridians Journal at the bottom of the menu at right.) Having trouble logging in? Contact Charissa at info@acucol.com or (303) 572-8744.

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Dry Needling Update & Other AAC News

Message from the President: Dry Needling,
PT Board Review, Injection Therapy

Dear members, friends and supporters:

On behalf of your board of directors, we are thankful for your support as we continue to advocate as your voice to protect our right to practice Chinese Medicine in the state of Colorado. We continue to inform the public and policy makers on an accurate and unified voice for the practice of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine as complementary medicines grow. We are very thankful for your membership as we are aware that our profession in Colorado can only be as strong as our members. Please spread the word to your fellow acupuncturists and supporters to join. Your Acupuncture Association of Colorado is only as strong as our numbers of members and the donations that we receive from you.

JOIN NOW

Dry Needling: I have good news for you all– the judge denied CCAPTA's motion to intervene in our legal challenge to the Physical Therapy Board’s regulation allowing dry needling! This was the second positive ruling in our favor so far, following our first win that came when the judge denied the State Physical Therapy Board’s motion to dismiss our case. The case is proceeding and we appreciate those of you who have helped support the case through your donations. (Please see the special thank you further down in this newsletter.) We appreciate your continued support as this case progresses and further legal expenses are incurred.

DONATE NOW

Physical Therapy Sunset Review: As you may be aware, DORA has begun a sunset review of physical therapy. (For those who are not aware, a sunset review is an evaluation of a program or agency by its regulating body. It allows the regulating body to assess the effectiveness and performance of the program or agency and determine the need for its continued existence.) We are working to provide information as a part of this review relating to injuries that have occurred as a result of dry needling since we believe it is important that DORA has an accurate view of patient injury reports. If you are aware of injuries related to dry needling please let us know. Also, if you were not aware, DORA has an online form (below) for reporting any practitioner complaints.

DORA Report a Complaint

Procuring Substances for Injection Therapy: We continue to work on obtaining the right to procure injectables following the passage of our injectables bill last year. The process has been long and intricate, involving several stakeholders and many meetings. This June we participated in a preliminary meeting with the Colorado Medical Society (CMS) Scope of Practice Subcommittee in order to further solidify our ability to procure injectable substances. We will continue to work with the CMS subcommittee to discuss with them the language that will provide more access for Colorado acupuncturists from FDA regulated outlets. We will continue to keep you apprised of our progress on this subject. Please “Like” the Acupuncture Association of Colorado’s Facebook page, click on “Follow” and turn on notifications by hovering over the “Following” button until a drop down menu appears and select Notifications “All On”.

As always, thank you for your membership and continued support.

Mark VanOtterloo, DAOM, L.Ac., Dipl. OM
President, AAC Board of Directors
president@acucol.com
(970) 214-6683

Conference Report: Important Changes for 2018!

This year’s 34^thAnnual AAC conference with Kiiko Matsumoto was a big success with 137 attendees and 18 exhibitors. Post conference evaluations showed attendees were overall happy with the venue and food again this year. Some people had a hard time understanding Kiiko’s accent. We also experienced problems with the skills of the hotel’s camera crew who were projecting Kiiko’s demonstrations onto large screens. We are always doing our best to provide a quality experience for our attendees and continue to learn how to improve from year to year.

The plan for 2018 has changed, and we ask you all make note of this in your calendars. Due to scheduling conflicts at the Marriott, our conference will be held there on April 21^st-22^nd, 2018, not the following weekend as previously planned. Lonny Jarrett is not able to join us for the new 2018 dates as they fall on his 60^th birthday. The good news for Lonny Jarrett fans is that we have booked Lonny for 2019. The conference will remain at the Marriott Westminster and be held April 13^th-14^th, 2019.

We are excited to announce that our presenter for 2018 will be Jeff Nagel, MA, L.Ac., Dipl. Ac. Jeff is trained in the 8 Branches of Chinese Daoist Healing Arts, Medicine, Internal Martial Arts and Life Sciences. He is an experienced long-time practitioner, well-seasoned generous teacher-researcher of Acupuncture-Oriental Medicine and a Qigong cultivator and healer. Jeff has studied extensively with several well-known masters and doctors including Daoist Grand Master Share K. Lew, the 23^rd generation of the Yellow Dragon Monastery, China. He is designated as a practitioner and teacher by the AAAOM Pioneers & Leaders in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine acknowledging his contributions to the field.

He has taught at a number of state, national and international conferences. Jeff lives in San Diego, California, where he has a private practice and is the director of and a teacher with the Golden Dragon Health Association offering classes in Classical Chinese Medicine Daoist Style and Qigong around the U.S. and abroad. We expect that his seminar will be outstanding on every level, and look forward to having you join us.

In closing, I have greatly enjoyed my time volunteering for you as Conference Chair for the past four years. It has been my goal to add as much organization as possible to our conference planning so as to offer the best possible venue, education, socializing and networking experiences for you and to help move our medicine forward in Colorado. This year I have taken the position of Treasurer and am passing the baton to Erika Schultz. Please join me in welcoming her.

Kind regards,

Stephanie Shober, L.Ac., Dipl. OM
Outgoing Conference Chair / Treasurer
AAC Board of Directors

treasurer@acucol.com
(303) 471-9355

_______________________________________________________

Meet the New Additions to the
AAC Board of Directors

Your AAC Board of Directors does the important work of keeping the organization running and working for all acupuncturists across the state. Board members are volunteers who must be current AAC members, are elected by the membership at our annual conference and serve for a term of three years. The board meets twice per quarter and alternates meetings between Denver and Boulder. A complete listing of our current board is listed on the Board of Directors page of the AAC website.

We are pleased to Introduce the new board members elected in April:

New Vice President, Liz Spetnagel, DAOM, LAc., is the lead acupuncturist for Centura Health Integrative Medicine. In addition to treating patients, she serves as an adjunct faculty member at the Family Medicine Clinic/Residency program at St. Anthony North Health Campus. Liz also practices at St. Anthony Hospital in Lakewood as part of the CHPG Breast Center. Liz is focused on expanding acupuncture accessibility for Centura patients, both inpatient and outpatient. Personal goals include creating opportunities for fellow East Asian Medicine practitioners as well as bringing options to mainstream medicine to address the crisis around pain management and opioid addiction. Liz hopes to utilize her skills and position in helping the AAC work towards legislation that would make acupuncture a covered benefit under Medicaid and Medicare.

New Secretary and Membership Chair Linda Machol, MSTOM, L.Ac., had a yoga and meditation background before becoming certified in Integrative Sports Medicine and pain management from Five Branches University. She also trained in China. Her other specialties include Skin Care and treating Infertility. She has two offices, one in Cherry Creek and one in DTC. Linda is an advocate for educating patients and western doctors to help them understand the very important role Asian Medicine and acupuncture can play in our healthcare model today. She believes this education must include that Asian Medicine addresses the whole body concurrently, treating both root and branch and including nutritional/dietary changes along with a blend western modalities for lasting results. Linda is very excited to be a part of realizing the AAC’s vision for Colorado.

New Conference Chair is Erika Schultz, LAc, ACN is passionate about helping people become empowered in their health through nutritional and acupuncture healing. She owns and operates two practices: Paramount Wellness in Denver, CO, and Lakeland Acupuncturist in Pinckney, MI. In Denver as the only advanced trained practitioner in a customized nutritional therapy called Nutrition Response Testing she specializes in identifying and addressing root causes of un-resolving chronic health conditions. In Pinckney, MI, her objective alongside two other associate acupuncturists is to make an impact on the increasing reliance on opioid medications by providing private and community style acupuncture treatments to the community. As Conference Chair, Erika hopes to increase knowledge, advocacy and comradery amongst acupuncturists in the state of Colorado.

New Public Relations Chair Erika Fayina Marie, L.Ac., Dipl. Ac., is a licensed acupuncturist in Colorado and Oregon, an Integrative Medicine Consultant, and a Traditional Usui Shiki Ryoho Reiki Master. At her Chiyu Center in Longmont she specializes in reversing auto-immunity and complex disease and restoring health of both adults and children. In patient care, Erika draws upon her training in Classical Chinese Medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tan-style Acupuncture, Kiiko Matsumoto Acupuncture, Five-Element Acupuncture, Naturopathic Iris Evaluation, Shonishin and more. She also holds certification in Constitutional Facial Acupuncture. Prior to her medical career, Erika graduated the United States Military Academy at West Point, where she earned a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Engineering Psychology in 2002. During this time, she designed, analyzed, and conducted multiple randomized-controlled trials. Erika is excited to spearhead important integrative medicine initiatives and promote the safety and proper regulation of acupuncture as a time-honored and effective medicine. 

New Board Member Sandi Lyman, Dipl. Ac., L.Ac. is the owner of MAI Acupuncture Clinic in Buena Vista, Colorado. Working in a rural area brings everything through the door: from 4th generation ranchers to couples looking to start a family. Specializing in digestive troubles, hormone balance, and pain management, Sandi loves helping the people of the High Rocky Mountain Region feel their best. Before studying acupuncture, Sandi worked for over 10 years in healthcare policy as a consumer advocate and communications specialist. She looks forward to using these skills to help the AAC to increase public interest and insurance coverage for acupuncture.

New Student Representative Cherron Dow-Chacon is a student in her last year at the Colorado School of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Denver. She eagerly awaits her graduation in the spring when she hopes to begin her work bringing this amazing medicine to women of all social and economic classes. Cherron received her BS in Physiology from the University of Arizona and has a unique background in western science and patient care. She joined the board as the second student member this year to assist the other wonderful student member, Brittany Chowning, and because she believes in the work the AAC is doing and thinks more students should get involved!

_______________________________________________________

A Special Thank you to Our Donors

The AAC is grateful to every single person who has donated time, effort and money to support our Legal Fund. Our endeavors to protect and further the safe and legal practice of acupuncture in Colorado would not be possible without all of us coming together and contributing however we can. We would like to recognize here a special group of donors who have generously supported us this year with Gold and Platinum donations. Every effort was made to contact donors for permission to use their names, so please forgive us if we somehow missed you.

 Platinum donors  $500+

Michael Lay - Uptown Acupuncture, Denver
Anonymous Donor – CSTCM, Denver
Anonymous Donor – Minneapolis, MN

Gold Donors $250+

Allison Suddard Briggs  - Performance Acupuncture, Evergreen
Andrew Maloney - Jade Mountain Health, Boulder
Carol LeCroy - Acupuncture Plus, Denver
Dayna Larson - Traditional Chinese Medical Clinic, Fort Collins
Karen Marks - Alpenglow Acupuncture, Wheat Ridge
Patty Polman - Jing Japanese Acupuncture, Denver

3­­ Anonymous Donors – Boulder
3 Anonymous Donors – Denver
Anonymous Donor – Broomfield
Anonymous Donor – Cedaredge
Anonymous Donor – Conifer
Anonymous Donor – Colorado Springs
Anonymous Donor – Littleton
Anonymous Donor – SWAC, Boulder

Big thanks also go out to the following members of the AAC Board of Directors who donated not only dollars, but also many hours of their time in calling acupuncturists across the state asking for support of the AAC and our Legal Fund:

Kimberley Benjamin, Brittney Chowning, Mark Costello, George Graf, Kristen Grayce McGary, Yvonne Piper, Scott Richardson, Robin Schiesser, Stephanie Shober, Mark VanOtterloo

Donate Now

_______________________________________________________

The Summer Issue of Meridians Journal is Ready for Members!

The summer issue, v. 4 no.3, of Meridians: The Journal of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine is now available for AAC members to read on our website! Digital issues of this peer-reviewed, Medline compliant journal are available free to you as a valuable benefit of being an AAC member. Log in to read the Summer issue. (After logging in, scroll down under the Acupuncturists tab to Members, then select Meridians Journal at the bottom of the menu at right.) Having trouble logging in? Contact Charissa at info@acucol.com or (303) 572-8744.

Meridians Journal Clinical Pearls Call for Submissions

Topic for the Winter 2018 Issue: How do you treat complex regional pain syndrome in your clinic?

Practitioners:  Please submit your short (approx. 500 words) Clinical Pearl on this topic by or before Nov 1, 2017. See the Meridians Journal website for details.

AAC Membership There are options to becoming a member of the AAC. You can make a once yearly payment or use our automatic monthly payment option. Join us now! Become a Member If you have any questions, please feel free to call Charissa Haines at the AAC Office at (303) 572-8744  or email at info@acucol.com

Thank you for supporting our advertisers!

 

Last Day to Register for Kiiko Matsumoto at the 34th Annual AAC Conference is Sunday, April 16th!

Stephanie Shober

Kiiko Matsumoto

Don't miss this opportunity to connect with more than 120 of your colleagues April 22nd - 23rd as we learn from world-renowned acupuncturist Kiiko Matsumoto. There are so many reasons to join in:

• The AAC is offering member registration fees at a steep discount compared to standard Kiiko Matsumoto classes. Our member regular rate is $300 where normal rates to learn from Kiiko range between $365 - $419!
• OR save even more money by registering with a friend. The Buy One Get One Half Price offer means getting 14 NCCAOM approved PDAs from this TCM master for only $225 apiece!
• The 2017 Exhibitor Hall has more Exhibitors than ever! Come see the latest TCM tools, technology, supplies and resources from eighteen organizations.
• AND, we have a game this year: Any attendee who visits every Exhibitor booth will be entered into a drawing to win a FREE CASE OF SEIRIN NEEDLES - a $100 value!
• Our venue, the beautiful Marriott Westminster, has a fresh farm to table kitchen. Each day attendees enjoy a complimentary, delicious soup and salad bar luncheon.
• Saturday Evening's Complimentary Wine and Beer Reception will be just as big a hit this year as it was last year!
• Dr. Dave's is back! Have fun bidding on several different Dr. Dave's tinctures at the Silent Auction table.

We are so excited for this conference, which will be a wonderful opportunity to connect with peers, get energized and learn amazing things. We will also be holding elections for the board of directors at our annual meeting on Saturday (see article below). I look forward to seeing you all there!

Kind regards,
Stephanie Shober, L.Ac., Dipl. OM
Conference Chair, AAC Board of Directors
conferencecomm@acucol.com
(303) 471-9355

Message from the President: Dry Needling, Injection Therapy, ASA National Organization

Dear members, friends and supporters:

Dry Needling Update: As we expected, last month the State Physical Therapy Board moved to dismiss the case we filed in February on procedural grounds and is doing everything possible to avoid a substantive ruling from the court on whether dry needling is within the statutory scope of physical therapy as defined by the Legislature. Just this week the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) also filed documents asking to intervene in the case and filed a proposed procedural motion of their own to dismiss the case. AAC’s legal team filed a great brief this week opposing the motion to dismiss the case and will continue working hard to get a court ruling on the substance of whether the Colorado Legislature ever intended to let physical therapists insert acupuncture needles into their patients.

If you’re already an AAC member, please make a special donation today and help support our efforts to enforce Colorado law! Many of you have already been generous in your donations and we thank you for your contributions.

Donate Now

If you’re not a member, please join the AAC today and stand with us in this important effort that will be closely watched across the United States. We are only as strong as the support we receive from our members and friends.

Procuring Substances for Injection Therapy: Following the passage of our injection therapy bill last spring we had many meetings with DORA about making the necessary rules. DORA did prepare and sign into effect a list of allowed injectable substances, rules for training and changes to the pharmacy practice act that were intended to enable us to purchase injectable substances again. Details can be found in the January 2016 newsletter archived under the News/Classes tab of acucol.com. Unfortunately, according to federal law many injectables considered compounded require a patient-specific prescription, and this is still hindering our ability to procure substances. We may need to pass a bill next session to get prescriptive authority just for these substances. We have met with the lobbyist from the Colorado Medical Society, but will need to present proposed language to their Scope of Practice committee in May. Also, Lorraine Lucero has recently replaced Leanne Duffy as the Acupuncture Program Director at DORA. Our legislative committee will continue researching a possible bill giving us prescriptive authority with the goal of resolving our issues in procuring substances for Injection Therapy. We will continue to keep you apprised of our progress on this subject. Please “Like” the Acupuncture Association of Colorado’s Facebook page, click on “Follow” and turn on notifications by hovering over the “Following” button until a drop down menu appears and select Notifications “All On”.

American Society of Acupuncturists: Vice President Mark Van Otterloo and I represented the AAC membership at the annual ASA meeting last month in Philadelphia, PA. The meeting was very productive and we were able to collaborate with other national entities including the NCCAOM, CCAOM, and ACAOM. The ASA continues to have a representative on the CPT code committee and is tracking items that impact Acupuncturists. As an AAC member  you are automatically a member of the ASA. One of the many benefits of this is that you have free access to the peer-reviewed Meridians Journal of AOM in the member’s area of the AAC website. The ASA is proving to be a valuable asset to our organization and it is representing us well at a national and even global level. We hope you see the value in it, too. In light of this, with your approval we will raise membership dues slightly next year to account for our ASA membership, the cost of which is based in part on how many members we have. Because our relationship with the ASA is a non-competing model, the increase will be a very small amount compared to joining a separate national organization ($5-$10 instead of $100). Please visit their new website at www.asacu.com to see the many resources available and read their second annual report.

Just one great benefit of our ASA membership is that you can read issues of the peer-reviewed, Medline-compliant Meridians: The Journal of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine for free in the member area of our website. Once you are logged in to acucol.com, go to the dropdown menu under Acupuncturists to Members and a dropdown menu will appear on the right, with Meridians Journal at the bottom. The Spring 2017 issue is now available!

Thank you for your membership. There is strength in numbers and although there are roughly 1300 licensed acupuncturists in Colorado, only about 20 percent are AAC members. Our volunteer organization works on behalf of ALL acupuncturists and is hindered by lack of funds caused by low membership, so it is important to let our colleagues know we need them to join us in order to enable us to keep working with DORA and the legislature, and to educate the public about the benefits of choosing a trained, qualified acupuncturist.

Kimberley Benjamin, L.Ac., Dipl. OM
President, AAC Board of Directors
President@acucol.com
(970) 214-6683

The AAC Needs You: Serve on the AAC Board
Elections are on April 22nd!

The AAC Board of Directors is looking for a few good volunteers to round out our dedicated board team. Our board does the important work of keeping the organization running and working for all acupuncturists across the state. We are supported by a part-time office manager as well as bookkeepers/accountants and we retain a lobbyist for legislative issues, but the direction of the organization and all decisions are made by the volunteer board composed of acupuncturists like you. Board members must be current members and are elected by the membership to serve for a term of three years. We meet once or twice per quarter and alternate meetings between Denver and Boulder.

Why is it important to take a turn serving on the board? Here are just a few reasons:

The board is dedicated to protecting and furthering the safety and reputation of Acupuncture for the benefit of practitioners and patients, as currently evidenced by our recent pursuit of a petition to the Physical Therapy Board.

Without our organization acupuncturists may have lost the right to be licensed in Colorado. Thanks to our membership and board, led by then Legislative Chair Anne Chew, we were able to work with a lobbyist to get our Practice Act Sunset Review passed in 2012. If we had become de-regulated it would have been a huge step backward for our profession as we would no longer be licensed in Colorado and could not obtain malpractice insurance or bill health insurance companies.

We have much more work to do in supporting practitioners and educating the public and prospective patients. We need more person power to coordinate participation in health fairs and other public relations opportunities.

What are the benefits to serving on the board?

Feel good knowing you are contributing to furthering your profession while having fun getting to know and working alongside fellow acupuncturists.

Be “in the know” and have your finger on the pulse of the current issues facing our profession on the state and national level.

Get free registration to the annual AAC conference (including the 14 CEUs) as well as any class that is sponsored by the AAC.

Receive PDA credits toward NCCAOM recertification for serving your profession when your term is complete.

Learn from and receive referrals from fellow board members.

Elections for new board members will be held at the AAC annual meeting during lunch at our conference on Saturday, April 22nd. You need not be registered or present at the conference to run for the board. If you are interested please contact President Kimberley Benjamin at President@acucol.com or (970) 214-6683.

Get Your "Acupuncture Over Opioids" Stickers!

We know that acupuncture is a powerful tool to treat chronic pain and address the current painkiller epidemic. At the AAC Conference next weekend for a donation to the AAC Legal Fund you can get one or more "Acupuncture Over Opioids" UV-resistant stickers to spread the word about our medicine. Look for the stickers at the registration table!

AAC Membership There are options to becoming a member of the AAC. You can make a once yearly payment or use our automatic monthly payment option. Join us now! Become a Member If you have any questions, please feel free to call Charissa Haines at the AAC Office at (303) 572-8744  or email at info@acucol.com

Thank you for supporting our advertisers!

 
AAC Files Legal Petition to Repeal Dry Needling Rule & Registration is Open for Kiiko Matsumoto!

         

Kimberley Benjamin, AAC President

Dear members, friends and supporters:

I am pleased to announce that the Acupuncture Association of Colorado (AAC) and the Colorado Safe Acupuncture Association (CSAA) filed a legal petition in December to repeal the Colorado Physical Therapy Board’s regulation allowing physical therapists to practice acupuncture with almost no training or clinical experience. We do not believe this regulation is legal since nothing in the PT scope of practice adopted by the Colorado Legislature allows the insertion of acupuncture needles or other invasive devices.  Since 2012 Rule 211 has claimed that physical therapists can engage in “dry needling” with a mere 46 hours of training.  After seeing the results, such as the Olympic skier who received a pneumothorax during a Colorado “dry needling” session, the AAC and the CSAA believe we must take action to protect public safety and acupuncture’s hard won reputation as a safe and effective practice.

For this legal effort succeed we need your help today.  

If you’re already an AAC member, please make a special donation to directly support the critical work our legal team is doing on your behalf.

If you’re not a member, please join the AAC today and stand with us in this important effort that will be closely watched across the United States. You may also wish to make an additional donation in support of this cause.

Please, help us meet our goal of raising $25,000 in the next 30 days by making a donation today of $1000, $500, $250 or whatever you can afford. Consider donating a day’s income from your clinic or even just the cost of one treatment. We are only as strong as the support we receive from our members and friends. 

Click Here to Donate

Professional and student members can read a copy of the AAC and CSAA’s legal petition from the Acupuncturists dropdown menu of our website. (You must be logged into the website to see this page. If you have trouble logging in, please contact Charissa at info@acucol.com or (303) 572-8744. Your membership may have lapsed when we moved to the new membership platform last year.)

You let us know that this is an important issue to you and we are working hard to address it. This fundraising effort is being spearheaded entirely by your volunteer board of directors, eleven acupuncturists who, like you, care about the safety of patients and the future of acupuncture in our state. You may be receiving a call from a board member asking for your support. We also need help making calls to the 1400 acupuncturists in the state. If you would like to help in this effort, please contact me or Fundraising Chair (and President Emeritus) Scott Richardson at fundraisingchair@acucol.com or 720-974-0392.

Thank you to so many of you who have already committed to support this effort, we have a real opportunity to set a national precedent that protects patients and the future of acupuncture in Colorado and beyond. Along with the AAC, the mission of the CSAA is to work with newly licensed acupuncturists and acupuncture students to promote, encourage and advocate for the safe and effective practice of acupuncture in Colorado in a manner that protects public health and safety. If you would like to become a member of the Colorado Safe Acupuncture Association, please contact Kristin Grayce McGary at safe.needles@gmail.com or (928) 213-4311.

I look forward to working with you on this, and to seeing you at our 34th annual conference in April for an awesome seminar with Kiiko Matsumoto! And as always, thank you for your membership and continued support.

Kimberley Benjamin, L.Ac., Dipl. OM
President, AAC Board of Directors
President@acucol.com
(970) 214-6683

 

Registration is Now Open for Kiiko Matsumoto at the 34^th annual AAC Conference in Westminster April 22-23, 2017!

Stephanie Shober                                                                                            Kiiko Matsumoto                                                                            

The AAC is pleased to announce that registration is now open for Kiiko Matsumoto at our 34^th annual conference April 22^nd and 23^rd, 2017 at the Westminster Marriott. Her two-day seminar is entitled Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex and 9-Star Energy (14 NCCAOM PDA / California CEU pending). 

Kiiko Matsumoto was the most requested presenter in the AAC’s 2016 conference attendee evaluations, so we were very happy to make this happen. Additionally, this year our conference will have two 9-foot by 12-foot presentation screens showing live video of Kiiko for all of her instruction and demonstrations to ensure all attendees can easily see what is happening onstage. We have been able to arrange for this audio/visual upgrade and still offer an AAC-member registration fee that is more than $100 less than the usual fee for a Kiiko Matsumoto seminar.

About the class:

The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) is an area of the brain that has recently been the subject of research in chronic pain conditions. Using fMRI imaging to study this part of the brain, Western Medicine researchers have shown that patients with chronic pain have less density in the DLPFC compared to healthy individuals. While the initial cause of the pain may be confined to the site of injury, i.e. low back or knee or wrist – this is where the person feels the pain – over time the communication between the area of injury and the brain becomes part of the chronic-pain-complex. Understanding this connection allows for new treatments and better understanding of chronic pain. In addition, this area also corresponds with mood disorders that often accompany chronic pain such as anxiety, fear and depression.

Using her research into the acupuncture points located in this area of the head, Kiiko Matsumoto found a strong connection between modern understanding of the DLPFC and Classical Chinese medicine. Looking into the etymological development of the ancient Chinese characters used to name points in the region of the DLPFC, she has been able to devise powerful and effective treatment strategies for a wide variety of chronic pain conditions. Through practical experience she also discovered a close relationship between the treatment of this area and changes in symptoms for patients with digestive disorders such as IBS, Crohn’s and more. During her workshop, she will share her discoveries and treatment strategies as well as demonstrate how to apply them.

Read more about Kiiko, the conference and registration here.

We are so excited for this conference, which will be a wonderful opportunity to connect with peers, get energized and learn amazing things. This conference is expected to sell out, so register early. I look forward to seeing you all there!

Kind regards,
Stephanie Shober, L.Ac., Dipl. OM
Conference Chair, AAC Board of Directors
conferencecomm@acucol.com
(303) 471-9355

______________________________________________

Please Support Our Advertisers!

 
 Message from the President:  
 Website is Live, Dry Needling &
 Strategic Partnerships

      Kimberley Benjamin

Happy Fall, everyone!

Your volunteer board is working diligently on your behalf and continues to meet regularly at CSTCM in Denver, with board members that travel from as far as Fort Collins and Colorado Springs. We could use more help and welcome member participation, so if you would like to join us, please check our Facebook page for meeting event announcements or contact board Secretary Robin Schiesser at secretary@acucol.com or 720-432-5373.

NEW WEBSITE IS LIVE!

The new AAC website is up and running!  We would like it to be a useful resource for you, and it is still a work in progress. If there is something you would like to see that is missing, please let us know. After we transferred the member data to the new site you may have received a notice to renew your membership before it was due. Thank you for your patience as we iron out the kinks in the system.

If you have have not had a chance to log in to the new site yet, please do so at your earliest convenience to make sure your directory profile appears as you would like it to and that your information is correct. The public can search this directory by type of treatment, technique, specialty or keyword under Find an Acupuncturist. On the new site you can make changes to your profile immediately without waiting for them to go through the AAC office manager. If you have any questions or difficulties please contact Charissa at info@acucol.com or 303-572-8744 for assistance.

DRY  NEEDLING

We would like to thank everyone who donated and made pledges to our legal fund at our annual conference last April. Our attorney is making great strides in his research of the best options to address dry needling in Colorado. We appreciate your support in helping us with the attorney fees, which are adding up in spite of his generously providing us with a substantial discount. If you still need to pay your pledge or would like to donate, every dollar helps. If you are paying a pledge, please note that in the comment box provided.

Click Here to Donate

On the national level, the American Society of Acupuncture (ASA) of which you are a member by virtue of your AAC membership, recently adopted a policy regarding dry needling. Read the policy here.This policy joins a growing list released by organizations such as the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. These policies are helpful in educating our patients and the public about safe needling.

STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS

Last month Past President Scott Richardson and I presented along with other AAC board members to Charlie Sheffield, executive director of the Colorado Association of Health Plans and five major health insurance carriers. Our presentation included our extensive training as acupuncturists and the clinical and cost effectiveness of acupuncture in the treatment of various conditions such as migraines, chronic pain, substance abuse and depression. We are planning further meetings with individual insurance companies to continue to promote acupuncture as a viable and reimbursable benefit for their customers. Scott is also continuing to develop our relationship with Colorado Insurance Commissioner Marguerite Salazar to pursue expansion of coverage for acupuncture services.

ASA UPDATE

The American Society of Acupuncture Board of Directors will be present at Pacific Symposium in San Diego October 25­ - 30, 2016 to build professional community relationships as it is one of the largest national events for our community. If you are attending the symposium, feel free to introduce yourself to ASA board members as an AAC member (and therefore an ASA member) and let them know your priorities for our profession.

The ASA website is in beta. We will announce the site when it is live so you can stay in touch with the activities of this vital national organization and the benefits it provides us as members. See the announcement below about reading the Meridians Journal on the new AAC website.

The 2017 Annual Meeting for the ASA is scheduled for ­March 17 & 18, 2017 in Philadelphia, PA. The AAC will send two delegates to represent Colorado in the business conducted at the meeting.

ELECTION 2016

No matter who you support in this critical election year it is important to exercise your right to vote. Make sure that you are registered! Please see the article below and consider volunteering for candidates who support acupuncture in these last few crucial weeks before the election. Our combined efforts are necessary to successfully represent and further our profession. Thank you for your time and energy.

Kimberley Benjamin, L.Ac., Dipl. OM
President, AAC Board of Directors
President@acucol.com
(970) 214-6683

 

 
  Colorado State Elections:
  2016 Voter and Volunteer Guide

             

       George Graf

The fall 2016 general election is less than a month away, but it is not too late to connect and volunteer for state senate and state house representative candidates.

There are many tight legislative races in Colorado this general election and the AAC is doing all we can for state legislative candidates who advocate for acupuncturists. We are asking you, AAC members, to contact campaigns in your districts and give your time by phone banking, giving a personal money contribution or canvassing neighborhoods. This would be great exposure for us professionally and can really make a difference for these legislative campaigns that operate on shoestring budgets. Representative Pete Lee in House District 18 shared with me that the best contribution a volunteer can make is walking the district and knocking on doors.

An election is not the best time to bend our candidates’ ears about the issues we are facing. Our best approach is to introduce ourselves as acupuncturists who are supporting them, expressing an interest in learning more about their platform. They will remember us and our efforts when they are in office, and be more open to hearing from us when they are in a position to help.

Though we have had bipartisan support for certain legislative bills, the AAC generally supports the Democratic candidates as historically they have overwhelmingly been the proponents of issues surrounding the acupuncture profession.

Below are the candidates in key races that you can contact. To determine what is your senate and house district go to www.ballotpedia.org.

Senate District 19 features a candidate rematch in a closely divided district. Incumbent state Sen. Laura Woods (R) is running for re-election. She faces former state Sen. Rachel Zenzinger (D) in November. Rachel Zenzinger is a proponent of acupuncture. The AAC supports Rachel Zenzinger. You can contact Rachel at 7725 Marshall St., Arvada, CO 80003, (303) 748-0770, RachelforColorado@Gmail.com, http://www.rachelforcolorado.com

Senate District 25 features an open seat in a swing district. Incumbent state Sen. Mary Hodge (D) is not running for re-election due to term limits. Former state Rep. Kevin Priola (R) faces former state Rep. Jenise May (D) in November. Denise has served on the Finance Committee and Public Health Care and Human Services. The AAC supports Jenise May and she can be contacted going to http://jenisemay.com

State House District 30 the Republican incumbent is running for re-election in a swing district. Incumbent state Rep. JoAnn Windholz (R) is running for re-election. She faces Dafna Michaelson Jenet (D) in November. In 2014, Windholz narrowly defeated Jenise May (D), the former incumbent, by a margin of 50.3 percent to 49.7 percent.

According to the Colorado Independent, the district is one of two races that could determine which party controls the state House (District 31 is the other notable race).

The AAC supports Dafna Michaelson Jenet. Dafna can be contacted by going to http://dafnaforcolorado.com

State House District 31The Democratic incumbent is running for re-election in a swing district. Incumbent state Rep. Joe Salazar (D) is running for re-election. He faces Jessica Sandgren (R) in November.In 2014, Salazar narrowly defeated his Republican opponent by a margin of 50.5 percent to 49.5 percent. The AAC supports Joe Salazar and Joe can be contacted by going to www.salazarforhd31.com

Other races are not as tight but they still need our help, below is the list of retiring incumbents with seats up for grabs:

Senate Partisan Breakdown: Democratic Party (17) Republican Party (18)

Incumbent state senators that are NOT running for re-election in 2016. Those incumbents are:

Incumbent not running			AAC General Election Candidate
Mark Scheffel	Republican	Senate District 4	Christina Riegel
Rollie Heath	Democrat	Senate District 18	Stephen Fenberg
Jessie Ulibarri	Democrat	Senate District 21	Dominick Moreno
Linda Newell	Democrat	Senate District 26	Daniel Kagan
Morgan Carroll	Democrat	Senate District 29	Rhonda Fields
Pat Steadman	Democrat	Senate District 31	Lois Court
Michael Johnston	Democrat	Senate District 33	Angela Williams

Colorado House of Representatives elections, 2016

House Partisan Breakdown: Democratic Party (34) Republican Party (31)

Incumbent representatives that are NOT running for re-election in 2016. Those incumbents are:

Incumbent not running			AAC General Election Candidate
Daniel Kagan	Democrat	House District 3	Jeff Bridges
Beth McCann	Democrat	House District 8	Leslie Herod
Max Tyler	Democrat	House District 23	Christopher Louis Kennedy
Dominick Moreno	Democrat	House District 32	Adrienne Benavidez
Dianne Primavera	Democrat	House District 33	Matt Gray
Su Ryden	Democrat	House District 36	Mike Weissman
Kathleen Conti	Republican	House District 38	Robert Bowen
Rhonda Fields	Democrat	House District 42	Dominique Jackson
Brian DelGrosso	Republican	House District 51	Jody Shadduck-McNall
Kevin Priola	Republican	House District 56	Matthew Snider
Edward Vigil	Democrat	House District 62	Donald Valdez

                                                                         

Source: www.ballotpedia.org

If you have questions, please feel free to contact me. No matter who you support, please get out and vote—your voice matters!! Thank you for your time and efforts.

George Graf, L.Ac., Dipl. OM
Legislative Committee Chair
LegislativeComm@acucol.com

 

Reminder: Kiiko Matsumoto at the
34^th Annual AAC Conference

  Stephanie Shober                                                                                                                                                                            Kiiko Matsumoto

We’d like to remind you that Kiiko Matsumoto will be joining us for our 34^th annual conference, which will be held April 22-23,  2017, once again at the beautiful Marriott Westminster. Watch for our announcement when registration opens in early 2017.

Kiiko Matsumoto is the founder of Kiiko Style Acupuncture and is considered to be a "living Master of Acupuncture". She is well known for her ability to integrate the work of some of the most famous Japanese masters into her practice for the last three decades. Her style of acupuncture focuses on treating the root cause with emphasis on the entire body rather than a single symptom. As a result, patients find Kiiko's treatments to be effective and long lasting.

Her dedication to researching and understanding the Chinese medical classics makes her one of the foremost authorities on the subject of acupuncture. Kiiko's passion for sharing her research makes her a popular and sought after teacher. Her students find her seminars to be practical, fun and dynamic.

Conference attendees were so pleased with this year’s presenter, Lonny Jarrett, that we are bringing him back April 28-29, 2018. Mark your calendars!

Stephanie Shober, L.Ac., Dipl. OM
Conference Committee Chair
ConferenceComm@acucol.com

Message from the President: New Website, Dry Needling, and Strategic Partnerships

 

Kimberley Benjamin

Happy summer, everyone!

Your volunteer board is working hard on your behalf throughout these warm days, and continues to meet regularly. If you would like to join us, please check our Facebook page for meeting event announcements.

NEW WEBSITE

Our new website is under construction and the website committee is dedicated to providing you with a helpful site as well as one that will be informative for the public, including a user-friendly searchable list of member acupuncturists.

Please look out for an email this weekend asking you to reset your password for the website. The email will be coming from AAOC@wildapricot.org, but the reply-to email will be info@acucol.com. Your username will be your email address. The front end of the site will not look different until the back end is complete, so don’t be alarmed that it looks the same. We will send you another email when the new site is live. In the meantime please sign in and update your information when you receive the email this weekend.

DRY NEEDLING

I would like to thank everyone who donated and made pledges to our legal fund at our annual conference. Our attorney is continuing to research the best options to address dry needling in Colorado. We appreciate your support in helping us with the attorney fees, which are adding up in spite of his generously providing us with a substantial discount. If you would like to donate, every dollar helps.

On the national level, The American Medical Association adopted a policy regarding dry needling at their recent annual meeting. “Lax regulation and nonexistent standards surround this invasive practice. For patients’ safety, practitioners should meet standards required for licensed acupuncturists and physicians,” AMA Board Member Russell W. H. Kridel, M.D. said in a press release.

The official policy reads: RESOLVED, That our American Medical Association recognize dry needling as an invasive procedure and maintain that dry needling should only be performed by practitioners with standard training and familiarity with routine use of needles in their practice, such as licensed medical physicians and licensed acupuncturists.

Additionally, the American Society of Acupuncture (of which you are a member by virtue of your AAC membership) is working on a statement regarding dry needling that is expected to be released soon. Please watch our Facebook page.

STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS

Last month past AAC President and current Director-at-Large Scott Richardson and I met with the Colorado Medical Society to continue finding ways our organizations can support each other. This advantageous relationship began during our efforts to pass our injectables bill and update pharmacy policies so that we could regain the ability to procure injectable substances. (If you missed the announcement—the DORA Director has signed the policy and trained individuals may once again obtain injectable substances from Colorado pharmacies.)

Scott, along with Vice President Mark VanOtterloo, Legislative Chair George Graf and Public Relations Chair Kristin Grayce McGary also met with Charlie Sheffield, executive director of the Colorado Association of Health Plans, to build relationships and work toward greater reimbursement of acupuncture in Colorado. Mr. Sheffield will facilitate further meetings with insurance carriers so we can educate them about how licensed acupuncturists can help with various health concerns.

OPIOID CRISIS

In both of the aforementioned meetings we also addressed the very current topic of opioid overuse and abuse, and how acupuncture can help with this crisis by treating chronic pain and addiction, which is both concerning to physicians and costly to insurers.

The Acupuncture Society of America in cooperation with NCCAOM and the Acupuncture Now Foundation has issued an information sheet on the benefits of using acupuncture to address America’s painkiller epidemic. You can see the info sheet here:

AcupunctureBeforeOpioids_ver2.0

Lastly, 2016 is an election year, so please see the article below about volunteering for candidates who support acupuncture. Our combined efforts are necessary to successfully represent and further our profession. Thank you for contributing your time and your precious Qi!

Kimberley Benjamin, L.Ac., Dipl. OM

President, AAC Board of Directors

President@acucol.com

(970) 214-6683

___________________________

 

Colorado State Elections: 2016 Voter and Volunteer Guide

George Graf

The fall 2016 general election is imminent, now is the time to connect and volunteer for state senators and state house representatives.

There are many tight legislative races in Colorado this general election and the AAC is doing all we can for state legislative candidates who advocate for acupuncturists. We are asking you, AAC members, to contact campaigns in your districts and give your time by phone banking, giving a personal money contribution or canvassing neighborhoods. (Please see the table later in this article.) This would be great exposure for us professionally and can really make a difference for these legislative campaigns that operate on shoestring budgets. Representative Pete Lee in House District 18 shared with me that the best contribution a volunteer can make is walking the district and knocking on doors.

An election is not the best time to bend our candidates’ ears about the issues we are facing. Our best approach is to introduce ourselves as acupuncturists who are supporting them, expressing an interest in learning more about their platform. They will remember us and our efforts when they are in office, and be more open to hearing from us when they are in a position to help.

Though we have had bipartisan support for certain legislative bills, the AAC generally supports the Democratic candidates as historically they have overwhelmingly been the proponents of issues surrounding the acupuncture profession.

Below are the candidates in key races that you can contact. To determine what is your senate and house district go towww.ballotpedia.org.

Senate District 19 features a candidate rematch in a closely divided district. Incumbent state Sen. Laura Woods (R) is running for re-election. She faces former state Sen. Rachel Zenzinger (D) in November. Rachel Zenzinger is a proponent of acupuncture. The AAC supports Rachel Zenzinger. You can contact Rachel at 7725 Marshall St., Arvada, CO 80003, (303) 748-0770, RachelforColorado@Gmail.com, http://www.rachelforcolorado.com/

Senate District 25 features an open seat in a swing district. Incumbent state Sen. Mary Hodge (D) is not running for re-election due to term limits. Former state Rep. Kevin Priola (R) faces former state Rep. Jenise May (D) in November. Denise has served on the Finance Committee and Public Health Care and Human Services. The AAC supports Jenise May and she can be contacted going to http://jenisemay.com

State House District 30 the Republican incumbent is running for re-election in a swing district. Incumbent state Rep. JoAnn Windholz (R) is running for re-election. She faces Dafna Michaelson Jenet (D) in November. In 2014, Windholz narrowly defeated Jenise May (D), the former incumbent, by a margin of 50.3 percent to 49.7 percent.

According to the Colorado Independent, the district is one of two races that could determine which party controls the state House (District 31 is the other notable race)

The AAC supports Dafna Michaelson Jenet. Dafna can be contacted going to http://dafnaforcolorado.com

State House District 31 The Democratic incumbent is running for re-election in a swing district.

Incumbent state Rep. Joe Salazar (D) is running for re-election. He faces Jessica Sandgren (R) in November In 2014, Salazar narrowly defeated his Republican opponent by a margin of 50.5 percent to 49.5 percent.

The AAC supports Joe Salazar and Joe can be contacted going to http://www.salazarforhd31.com/

Other races are not as tight but they still need our help, below is the list of retiring incumbents with seats up for grabs:

Senate Partisan Breakdown: Democratic Party (17) Republican Party (18)

Incumbent state senators that are NOT running for re-election in 2016. Those incumbents are:

Incumbent not running			AAC General Election Candidate
Mark Scheffel	Republican	Senate District 4	Christina Riegel
Rollie Heath	Democrat	Senate District 18	Stephen Fenberg
Jessie Ulibarri	Democrat	Senate District 21	Dominick Moreno
Linda Newell	Democrat	Senate District 26	Daniel Kagan
Morgan Carroll	Democrat	Senate District 29	Rhonda Fields
Pat Steadman	Democrat	Senate District 31	Lois Court
Michael Johnston	Democrat	Senate District 33	Angela Williams

 

Colorado House of Representatives elections, 2016

House Partisan Breakdown: Democratic Party (34) Republican Party (31)

Incumbent representatives that are NOT running for re-election in 2016. Those incumbents are:

Incumbent not running			AAC General Election Candidate
Daniel Kagan	Democrat	House District 3	Jeff Bridges
Beth McCann	Democrat	House District 8	Leslie Herod
Max Tyler	Democrat	House District 23	Christopher Louis Kennedy
Dominick Moreno	Democrat	House District 32	Adrienne Benavidez
Dianne Primavera	Democrat	House District 33	Matt Gray
Su Ryden	Democrat	House District 36	Mike Weissman
Kathleen Conti	Republican	House District 38	Robert Bowen
Rhonda Fields	Democrat	House District 42	Dominique Jackson
Brian DelGrosso	Republican	House District 51	Jody Shadduck-McNall
Kevin Priola	Republican	House District 56	Matthew Snider
Edward Vigil	Democrat	House District 62	Donald Valdez

 

Source: www.ballotpedia.org

If you have questions, please feel free to contact me. Thank you for your time and efforts.

George Graf, L.Ac., Dipl. OM

Legislative Committee Chair

LegislativeComm@acucol.com

_________________________

 

Kiiko Matsumoto at the 34^th Annual AAC Conference

Stephanie Shober

We are so excited that Kiiko Matsumoto will be joining us for our

34^th annual conference, which will be held April 22-23, 2017, once again at the beautiful Marriott Westminster.

Kiiko Matsumoto is the founder of Kiiko Style of Acupuncture and is considered to be a “living Master of Acupuncture”. She is well known for her ability to integrate the work of some of the most famous Japanese masters into

Kiiko Matsumoto

her practice for the last three decades. Her style of acupuncture focuses on treating the root cause with emphasis on the entire body rather than a single symptom. As a result, patients find Kiiko’s treatments to be effective and long lasting.

 

Her dedication to researching and understanding the Chinese medical classics makes her one of the foremost authorities on the subject of acupuncture. Kiiko’s passion for sharing her research makes her a popular and sought after teacher. Her students find her seminars to be practical, fun and dynamic.

Conference attendees were so pleased with this year’s presenter, Lonny Jarrett, that we are bringing him back April 28-29, 2018. Mark your calendars!

Stephanie Shober, L.Ac., Dipl. OM

Conference Committee Chair

ConferenceComm@acucol.com

 _______________

Your Free Summer Issue of the Meridians Journal is Ready for Download!

 

The summer issue, v. 3 no. 3, of Meridians: The Journal of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine is now online! This and all issues of the peer-reviewed, Medline compliant journal are available free to you as a valuable benefit of being an AAC member. To access your download just click on “Register” to create a new account at their website and self-certify that you are a member of a State Association. You will be able to place an “order” for the zero-cost PDF downloads. You do not have to do this for each issue, just the first time. After initially registering, all you have to do is log in when a new issue is uploaded.

If you have any questions about access to the online issues, please feel free to contact the webmaster, Brian Smither, atwebmaster@meridiansjaom.com. He will be happy to assist you so you can read this issue and all issues of Meridians JAOM.

Clinical Pearls Call for Submissions

Topic for our Fall 2016 Issue: How Do You Treat Cuts, Abrasions and Local Infections in Your Clinic?

Practitioner, please submit your short (approx. 500 words) Clinical Pearl on this topic by or before August 1, 2016.

View the Submission Details at the MJAOM website and submit to: cpeditor@meridiansjaom.com

 

Thank you for supporting our advertisers!

 

 

• Conference Update: Record Numbers & Annual Meeting

  Stephanie Shober

  This is my third year volunteering on the AAC Board and it has been an honor. The knowledge and dedication of my fellow Board members are consistently impressive. We do need help from our community of fellow acupuncturists to avoid the burn-out that can happen when so few people are doing so much work. We do also have fun together, so please consider volunteering for a committee! You can do so at the conference or by contacting us by phone or email at any time.

  The upcoming 33rd Annual Acupuncture Association of Colorado Conference being held April 23^rd -24^th in Westminster has set another attendance record of 150 (at press time) for our state conferences! We are looking forward to learning from author and Chinese Medicine scholar Lonny Jarrett. Registration closes April 15^th and there will be no registration at the door, so register now if you haven’t already.

  The annual conference is held in April for a couple of reasons. In election years, an early conference allows us time to come together as a group to hear about issues and candidates that effect Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine in time to take action. We also hope by following spring break time, the April conference finds many people in town and able to attend.

  The annual business meeting of the Association being held during the lunch break on Saturday is a requirement of our by-laws and the one opportunity each year that we have to all come together to learn what is happening legislatively for our profession, discuss important issues and set goals. Our conference is also a fundraiser that, along with membership dues, keeps us going.

  If you cannot attend the conference, please consider coming to the annual meeting from 12:30 – 2:00 on Saturday the 23^rd at the Westminster Marriott. You must RSVP for yourself only by April 20^th to stephanie@wholehealthcenters.com using an email subject line stating your full name and "RSVP Annual Meeting." Only members are allowed at the annual meeting, so please make sure your membership is current by logging in to www.acucol.com or contacting Charissa at info@acucol.com or 303-572-8744. (Lunch is provided for conference attendees only and is not available for purchase at the meeting, so please plan accordingly.)

  I look forward to spending time together with fellow acupuncturists and learning new things from Lonny’s sessions. See you there!

  Kind regards,
  Stephanie Shober, L.Ac., Dipl. OM
  Community Committee & Conference Chair
  AAC Board of Directors

   
  

  ________________

  Message from the President: Dry Needling, ASA & Website Updates

  Kimberley Benjamin

  Thank you to those of you who will be attending our conference this year with Lonny Jarrett. Along with membership dues, the conference helps support the AAC’s activities and expenses, and we appreciate your support.

  Dry Needling: The AAC has spent the last year researching our options regarding Dry Needling. There will be a full report at our annual members’ meeting at 12:30 on the 23^rd during the conference. We hope you will come even If you cannot register for the entire conference. Please see the Conference Update in this newsletter for more details and annual meeting RSVP information. If you would like to contribute to the cause please contact me directly and/or donate here.

  

  American Society of Acupuncturists: Board member Scott Richardson (President Emeritus) and I represented the AAC membership at the annual ASA meeting last month in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The meeting was very productive and we were able to collaborate with other national entities including the NCCAOM, CCAOM, and ACAOM. You may have heard about the launching of NCCAOM’s Academy of Diplomates. It was created to serve the Diplomates and will not charge membership dues. Its intention is to work cooperatively and synergistically with all AOM professional associations in support of the AOM profession.

  The ASA worked very closely with the NCCAOM as they created the Academy and has a strategic relationship with them. The ASA continues to have a representative on the CPT code committee and is tracking items that impact acupuncturists. They also have representatives attending the ISO (International Standardizations Organization) meetings which have special groups working on products used in Chinese Medicine.

  An in-depth report was also presented detailing how Dry Needling is impacting acupuncture patients nationally. Some of this information will be relayed in our annual meeting.

  The ASA is proving to be a valuable asset to our organization and it is representing us well at a national and even global level. We hope you see the value in it, too. In light of this we may raise membership dues this year to account for our ASA membership, which is based in part on how many members we have. Because our relationship with the ASA is a non-competing model, meaning our members are automatically members of the ASA and benefit from their work without having to pay separate dues, the increase will be a very small amount compared to joining a separate organization. If you would like to read the full report on the ASA activities you may access it on our Facebook page.

  Website update: The board has voted to move our antiquated website and membership data from its current platform to an updated platform. We were able to find a cost-effective solution to upgrade the look and user experience while increasing functionality. Please keep an eye out for emails regarding this process as everyone will need to sign on to the new platform to make sure your information was ported over accurately. This will take place after the conference, most likely sometime in May or June. Some announcements are made more rapidly on Facebook, so please “Like” the Acupuncture Association of Colorado’s Facebook page and turn on notifications by hovering over the Like button until a drop down menu appears and choose Notifications “All On”.

  Thanks again for your membership and support. We would not be able to do this without you.

  Kimberley Benjamin, L.Ac., Dipl. OM
  President, AAC Board of Directors
  President@acucol.com 
  (970) 214-6683

  ___________________________

  Finance Update & Looking for Our Next Treasurer

  Katie Robinette

  The Acupuncture Association of Colorado is looking for their next Treasurer! You can be a part of the executive team of the AAC and help the board to protect and advance the acupuncture profession in Colorado. Bookkeeping skills are a plus, but the association does have bookkeepers as well as an accountant who prepares our taxes. As the current treasurer, I will give you thorough training and will be your teammate until you feel comfortable in your new role. Join a dynamic group of people working for positive change! If you have any questions or would like to discuss the possibilities of this volunteer position, please email me at Treasurer@acucol.com.

  The association continues to do well with its currently limited funding. A large portion of our budget goes to paying our lobbyist, Leo Boyle, who has been working on our behalf for over a decade. He is a seasoned professional, is well-known and well-liked at the capitol, and we couldn’t have passed our injectables bill without him. We were able to negotiate a lower base rate with him for 2016, which will only increase if he needs to take legislative measures for us. Happily, our monthly payment plan to the attorneys who researched and drafted our injection therapy bill will be completed this year. Another cost-saving measure we took this year was to convert to a virtual office when the rent on our Wheat Ridge office was about to be raised more than 100 percent.

  Our research into the Dry Needling issue has been expensive. We will be discussing the results of our research at length during our annual members-only meeting being held Saturday, April 23 at 12:30 PM during the AAC Annual Conference lunch break. If you would like to know what is happening around this issue and voice your opinion, please join us. A full financial report is also shared at this meeting. See more details and RSVP information in the Conference Update in this newsletter. The annual conference not only provides CEUs and sense of community for Colorado acupuncturists, but is also a fundraising opportunity for your professional association.

  Thank you, and I look forward to seeing you at the conference and/or the annual meeting!

  Katie Robinette, L.Ac., Dipl. OM
  Treasurer, AAC Board of Directors
  Treasurer@acucol.com

  ________________________________

  Injectables Update

  Following the passage of our bill last spring we have had many subsequent meetings with DORA regarding making the necessary rules. DORA prepared a list of allowed injectable substances, rules for training and proposed changes to the pharmacy practice act that will enable us to purchase compounded substances again from in-state companies such as College Pharmacy. For more details on the rules, training requirements and pharmacy act changes please see the January Newsletter in the Blog section of acucol.com.

  At this time we are still waiting for the Director of DORA to sign the new rules and changes into effect. Our President Emeritus Scott Richardson has been following up with DORA acupuncture program director Leanne Duffy on a regular basis and was told on April 7th that there is no new information yet, but that she has been emailing the Director "regularly" on the topic. The Director is expected to sign the rules into effect by April 23^rd  (a deadline set by the date of our October 23^rd meeting), so we should be able to procure injectables by the end of the month! We will continue to keep you apprised of our progress on this subject. Please “Like” the Acupuncture Association of Colorado’s Facebook page and turn on notifications by hovering over the Like button until a drop down menu appears and choose Notifications “All On”.

  
  

  
  

  _______________________

  Order Your Year of the Monkey T-Shirt by April 24^th!

  

  The beneficial effects of Acupuncture have gained recognition among other health professionals, but are still largely misunderstood by insurance companies and law makers. The AAC is working to keep Acupuncture safe and legal in Colorado. Our efforts at this critical time in our profession are costly. You can support Acupuncture and Oriental medicine in our state by purchasing this cool T-shirt that celebrates the Year of the Monkey. If you missed the opportunity earlier this year to purchase one, please help us reach our second goal of 50 t-shirts before April 24th. You should then receive your shirt before May 12th. (There is a $5 shipping fee in addition to the cost of the shirt.)

  Click Here to Purchase your T-shirt!

  Even if you don't want a T-shirt you may still make a donation here.

  

  Thank you for your support!

  __________________________________

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• 
  

Lonny Jarrett at the 33rd Annual Acupuncture Association of Colorado Conference at the Marriott Westminster

Lonny Jarrett

The AAC is pleased to announce Lonny Jarrett will be joining us in Denver April 23-24, 2016 at the Westminster Marriott for a two-day seminar entitled Treating Trauma with Chinese Medicine: Untying the Knot.

About the class:   In this class Lonny will discuss how to diagnose and treat trauma with Chinese medicine. We will consider the heart/kidney axis as the physiological foundation of stability and how to restore integrity to this most important relationship. Lonny will emphasize the importance of the practitioner's awareness of the dimension of self that is never wounded or traumatized as a gold standard in diagnosis and treatment. In this regard, the practitioner's own integrity will be considered as the root of efficacy in treatment. The class will be rooted in an appreciation of the core dimensions and capacities of the self, including the spirit, ego, emptiness, soul, conscience, and the will.

About Lonny: Lonny S. Jarrett, M. Ac., author of Nourishing Destiny, The Inner Tradition of Chinese Medicine and The Clinical Practice of Chinese Medicine has been practicing in Stockbridge, Massachusetts since 1986. He is a founding board member of the Acupuncture Society of Massachusetts and a Fellow of the National Academy of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. He holds a master's degree in neurobiology and a fourth-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do. He was recently featured in the text, "The Great Work of Your Life: A Guide for the Journey to Your True Calling" by best-selling author Stephen Cope. Lonny hosts NourishingDestiny.com, an online community for 3000 practitioners of Chinese medicine worldwide.

The Conference Schedule

Saturday, April 23
7:30 – 8:30       Registration / Visit Exhibitors & Silent Auction Booth
8:30– 10:30      Lonny Jarrett Treating Trauma with Chinese Medicine: Untying the Knot
10:30 – 11:00    Break
11::00 – 12:30   Lonny Jarrett Treating Trauma with Chinese Medicine: Untying the Knot
12:30 – 2:00      Complimentary Lunch / Acupuncture Association of Colorado Annual Meeting
2:00 – 4:00       Lonny Jarrett Treating Trauma with Chinese Medicine: Untying the Knot
4:00 – 4:30       Break
4:30 – 6:30       Lonny Jarrett Treating Trauma with Chinese Medicine: Untying the Knot
6:30 – 7:30       Complimentary Evening Reception

Sunday, April 24
8:00 – 8:30       Visit Exhibitors / Silent Auction Closes
8:30– 10:00      Lonny Jarrett Treating Trauma with Chinese Medicine: Untying the Knot
10:00 – 10:30   Break
10:30 – 12:00    Lonny Jarrett Treating Trauma with Chinese Medicine: Untying the Knot
12:00 – 1:00      Complimentary Lunch / Silent Auction Items Awarded
1:00 – 3:00       Lonny Jarrett Treating Trauma with Chinese Medicine: Untying the Knot
3:00 – 3:30       Break
3:30 – 5:00       Lonny Jarrett Treating Trauma with Chinese Medicine: Untying the Knot

Venue / Lodging

The conference will be held at Marriott Westminster, 7000 Church Ranch Blvd., Westminster, CO 80021

• The AAC has arranged room rates of $119/night beginning Friday, April 22^nd.
• Please make your reservation before Tuesday, March 22^nd to guarantee a room at this rate.

Click here to book your room

Please click here for more information and to register!

________________

Message from the President: Dry Needling, Injectables and the ASA

Kimberley Benjamin

Hello and Happy New Year! We are so excited to have Lonny Jarrett coming to our conference to share his knowledge with us. Please reserve your place early, as last year we sold out and we want everyone who would like to learn from him to have the opportunity to do so.
Dry Needling: The AAC continues to explore the very important and current topic of Dry Needling. Research of safety issues as well as historic legislative and policy documents is costly. If you would like to contribute to the cause please see our T-shirt campaign below and/or contact me directly at President@acucol.com or (970) 214-6683. We will give you a full report on this topic at our annual meeting in April. Even if you can’t attend the entire conference please join us for our annual meeting 1:00 - 2:00 on Saturday, April 23rd at the Westminster Marriott.

 

Injectables: We continue to work on obtaining the right to procure injectables following the passage of our bill last spring. The process has been long and intricate, involving several stakeholders. We have participated in meetings leading to DORA preparing a list of allowed injectable substances, rules for training and proposed changes to the pharmacy practice act that will enable us to purchase compounded substances again from in-state companies such as College Pharmacy.

 

List of proposed substances:
(1) Dextrose; (2) d-glucose; (3) Enzymes except urokinase; (4) Glucose; (4) Homeopathic Substances (to only include those that are within the US Pharmacopia);  (5) Hyaluronic Acid; (6) Minerals; (7) Saline; (8) Sarapin; (9) Sodium chloride; (9) Sterile water; (10) Traumeel; (11) Vitamins; (12) Cyanocobalamin; (13) Lidocaine; (14) Marcaine (Bupivacaine Hydrochloride) with or without epinephrine; (15) Oriental Herbs; (16) Procaine; and (17) Vitamin B-12.

 

There are additional substances that were not specifically listed previously. For work with oriental herbs injectables, practitioners must have completed herbal training and be a NCCAOM Oriental Medicine diplomate or be California certified. Practitioners also need to maintain current First Aid and Basic Life Support CPR certification and be trained in the use of oxygen and intramuscular epinephrine. One only needs to be trained in oxygen and IM epi for the substances known to have adverse reactions (12-17), and be trained in herbs for injecting herbs. Proposed change to the pharmacy practice act:

(a) An in-state prescription drug outlet shall only distribute a compounded product to:

(1)  Practitioners licensed and located in Colorado and authorized by law to prescribe the drug

(2) Colorado licensed/registered acupuncturists, direct-entry midwives, or naturopathic doctors who are located in Colorado and authorized by law to obtain the drug.

The Director of DORA has up to six months from our last meeting on October 23rd to sign the rules into effect. So it could be as late as April before we are able to obtain injectables again. We will continue to keep you apprised of our progress on this subject. Make sure you are following us on Facebook and are signed up for our Yahoo Group to get the most timely updates.

ASA: The next American Society of Acupuncturists meeting will be held March 3rd and 4th in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The AAC will be sending two representatives to participate. This important newly-formed national organization helps keep our fingers on the pulse of AOM issues and to have a voice in the progress of our profession nationally and globally. Because the AAC is a member organization of the ASA, AAC members get free issues of the peer-reviewed Meridians Journal of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. See the announcement below about the winter issue, ready now for download.

Thank you for your continued support and membership, and I look forward to seeing you at the conference in April.

Kimberley Benjamin, L.Ac., Dipl. OM
President, AAC Board of Directors
President@acucol.com (970) 214-6683

___________________________

Order Your Year of the Monkey T-Shirt by January 24^th!

The beneficial effects of Acupuncture have gained recognition among other health professionals, but are still largely misunderstood by insurance companies and law makers. The AAC is working to keep Acupuncture safe and legal in Colorado. Our efforts at this critical time in our profession are costly. You can support Acupuncture and Oriental medicine in our state by purchasing this cool T-shirt that celebrates the Year of the Monkey. Please help us reach our first goal of 50 t-shirts before January 24th. You should then receive your shirt by February 11th. (There is a $5 shipping fee in addition to the cost of the shirt.) You may also make an additional or separate donation to our cause. Thank you for your support!

Click Here to Purchase your T-shirt!

_____________________________

Finance Report: Stretching our Funds and Looking for Our Next Treasurer

Katie Robinette

The association is doing well with its limited funding, however we still needed to dip into our savings in 2015. A large portion of our budget goes to paying our lobbyist, Leo Boyle, who has been working on our behalf for over a decade. He is a seasoned professional, is well-known and well-liked at the capitol and we couldn’t have passed our injectables bill without him. We were able to negotiate a lower base rate with him for 2016, which will increase if he needs to take legislative measures for us. We are continuing to pay the attorneys who researched and drafted our injection therapy bill on a monthly payment plan.

Our continued research of the Dry Needling issue is expensive. We would also like to have enough funds for educational outreach to the public about the benefits (safety and otherwise) of seeing a licensed acupuncturist, and we have discussed hiring an executive director to help our all-volunteer board represent you more effectively and efficiently. However, our funds are currently stretched to the max. Please help us to increase our membership by spreading the word about how active our association truly is and also see the T-shirt campaign in this newsletter. We also hope you will attend our annual conference, which not only provides CEUs and sense of community for Colorado acupuncturists, but is also a fundraising opportunity for your professional association.

The Acupuncture Association of Colorado is looking for their next Treasurer. You can be a part of the executive team of the AAC and help the board to protect and advance the acupuncture profession in Colorado. Bookkeeping skills are a plus, but the association does have bookkeepers. As the current treasurer, I will give you thorough training and will be your teammate until you feel comfortable in your new role. Would you like to join a dynamic group of people working for positive change? If you have any questions or would like to discuss the possibilities, please email me at Treasurer@acucol.com. Thank you, and I look forward to seeing you at the conference!

Katie Robinette, L.Ac., Dipl. OM
Treasurer, AAC Board of Directors
Treasurer@acucol.com

________________________________

Your Free Winter Issue of the Meridians Journal is Ready for Download!

The winter issue, v. 3 no. 1, of Meridians: The Journal of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine is now online! This and all issues of the peer-reviewed, Medline compliant journal are available free to you as a valuable benefit of being an AAC member. To access your download just click on “Register” to create a new account at their website and self-certify that you are a member of a State Association. You will be able to place an “order” for the zero-cost PDF downloads. You do not have to do this for each issue, just the first time. After initially registering, all you have to do is log in when a new issue is uploaded.

If you have any questions about access to the online issues, please feel free to contact the webmaster, Brian Smither, at webmaster@meridiansjaom.com. He will be happy to assist you so you can read this issue and all issues of Meridians JAOM.

Clinical Pearls Call for Submissions: How Do You Treat Erectile Dysfunction in Your Clinic?

Practitioners, please submit your short (approx. 500 words) clinical pearl addressing this topic by or before February 1, 2016. Preview the Submission Details at the MJAOM website and submit to: cpeditor@meridiansjaom.com __________________________________

Making the Case for Acupuncture Instead of Opiates

Brittney Chowning

Chinese medicine is a beautiful and natural way to approach health and healing. One of the most notable and well-researched applications of acupuncture treatment is to relieve pain. Any kind of discomfort can be considered pain, including physical and emotional. As many of us are aware, our current society has a quick-fix mentality. When we have acid regurgitation we are prescribed a pill, when we are in pain we are prescribed a pill, when we are depressed…and so on. This method has led us down a rabbit hole leading to addiction, dis-ease and overdose. In the state of Colorado alone an average of thirty five people die from opiate use each month. As practitioners of Oriental Medicine it is our duty not only to treat those that come to us for healing but to educate them and our communities about healthier ways of living.

Joe Brady, L.Ac. and Jacqui Shumway, M.A. of the Young Living Institute in Denver are preparing a report to present later this month to the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing demonstrating that Chinese medicine is more effective than opiates in treating pain. Their goal is to persuade the CHCPF to encourage health care organizations to revise their strategies for the treatment of pain to include approaches such as acupuncture and other traditional therapies as a viable alternative to opiate prescriptions. They have been collecting high-quality research articles showing the effectiveness of acupuncture, Chinese herbs and adjunct therapies such as moxibustion, cupping and gua sha in the treatment of pain as evidence for this report. As healers we ultimately want to extend our wealth of knowledge of health and wellbeing to those that may not have had access to this kind of information. This progression is invaluable to the acupuncture profession and to the communities we serve. As we endeavor to educate and influence the institutions charged with caring for the public’s health we are headed towards a healthier and more productive future for the citizens of Colorado. If you are aware of any research articles, white papers or position papers that could be useful in the presentation, please e-mail me at studentrep@acucol.com at your earliest opportunity. Thank you.

Brittney Chowning, CSTCM Student
AAC Student Representative
studentrep@acucol.com

______________________________

Thank You For Supporting Our Advertisers!

Message from the President

Kimberley Benjamin

Hello, members and friends of the AAC!

 

Many of you have been waiting for a resolution to the procurement of injectables issue and I am happy to report that it is imminent. Our President Emeritus Scott Richardson and I have been in close contact with DORA, and next week there will be a Rules hearing at which a list of approved substances is expected to be presented by DORA as well any additional training that may be required. We should also have an answer about the manufactured vs compound debate. Please keep an eye on our Facebook page for an announcement after the October 23rd hearing.

 

 

I'm pleased to announce that the AAC has officially become a voting member of the newly-formed American Society of Acupuncturists . If you are a member of the AAC, you have the benefit of being represented at the national level by the ASA. This November, the ASA is sending a representative to the Society for Acupuncture Research (SAR) meeting in Boston. SAR is dedicated to improving the quality and increasing the awareness of research in acupuncture, herbal therapy and other modalities of Oriental Medicine. SAR’s Board is comprised of both clinicians and research scientists. The SAR board spends their time and resources keeping an eye on what’s happening in the field of acupuncture research, with an over-arching goal of identifying gaps between research and practice, opening dialogue about issues that affect the global Oriental Medicine community, and hosting public conferences. Our representative from the ASA will be there to continue building bridges between research of our medicine and how it can impact legislation and advocacy of our profession.

 

 

The ASA is simultaneously working on a Dry Needling committee at the national level to bring a national voice to the issues we are all challenged with. The AAC Board is aware and understands that our members are very concerned about the issues surrounding Dry Needling in Colorado and we are working diligently on your behalf to find the best path forward in our state regarding this topic. If you would like to be involved beyond your membership please call or email me directly.

 

 

Lastly, I'm very sad to let you know that the board of directors is mourning the loss of Fundraising Chair Sue West, who passed away suddenly last month. Please see the memorial article in this newsletter and keep her family in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you for your continued support and membership.

 

Kimberley Benjamin, L.Ac., Dipl. OM

President, AAC Board of Directors

President@acucol.com (970) 214-6683

 

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New Treasurer Needed: Get Experience Running a Non-Profit while Advancing Our Profession!

Katie Robinette

The Acupuncture Association of Colorado is looking for their next Treasurer! Be a part of the executive team of the AAC, and help the board to protect and advance the acupuncture profession in Colorado.  This board is very active and involved in many exciting projects.  Bookkeeping skills are a plus, but the association does have bookkeepers. As the current treasurer, I will give you thorough training and will be your teammate until you feel comfortable in your new role. Board members serve on a volunteer basis for a three year tenure. In that time, you will learn valuable skills for running a business from the financial side, which is rarely taught in acupuncture school, and much, much more. Are you ready to be a force for positive change? If you have any questions or would like to discuss the possibilities, please email me at Treasurer@acucol.com

Katie Robinette, L.Ac., NCCAOM Treasurer, AAC Board of Directors Treasurer@acucol.com

 

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From the Public Relations Chair

Hello Acupuncturists of Colorado!

Mark VanOtterloo

I am the Public Relations Chair for the AAC and have a few goals in mind for the remainder of 2015. To start with, I would like to strengthen the presence of the Acupuncture Association on online forums. This will highlight the extensive ways our association provides activism opportunities, creates community functions and nurtures acupuncture support. Please make sure you are following the AAC on Facebook to see important announcements and events. Additionally, joining the AAC Yahoo Group enables you to directly interact with your fellow AAC members and the board, and get special members-only announcements. Another major focus is to increase the percentage of Colorado acupuncturists who are members, as well as garnering non-practitioner support.AOM Day, October 24th, is quickly approaching. It is the perfect time to devise innovative ways to promote acupuncture to the public while growing your practice. Empathizing with different perspectives can inspire engaging ways to interact with the prospective AOM patients.

The NCCAOM and the American Society of Acupuncturists have created materials to help you educate your patients and community about Acupuncture and AOM.

Here is the link for free downloads of AOM Day materials: http://aomday.org/get.html.

If you are holding an event, you can list it for free here: http://aomday.org/programs.html.

If you have any questions or ideas please send me an email at PRCOMM@acucol.com.

Mark VanOtterloo, L.Ac., Dipl. OM

Public Relations Committee Chair

PRCOMM@acucol.com

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33^rd Annual AAC Conference at the Marriott Westminster

Stephanie Shober

We are pleased to announce that our 33^rd annual conference will be held April 23-24, 2016, at the beautiful Marriott Westminster. We have negotiated a $119 nightly room rate for attendees wishing to stay at the hotel. Follow this link to the Marriott Westminster website if you would like to check it out.

As previously announced, Lonny Jarrett, author of Nourishing Destiny, will be joining us for a two-day seminar entitled Treating Trauma with Chinese Medicine: Untying the Knot. We are so excited to have this internationally-renowned author and speaker as our educator for the weekend. At lunch we will conduct our annual meeting during which we’ll discuss important business and how we can build a stronger profession together in Colorado.

Looking forward to seeing you all in April, please stay tuned for registration information!

Stephanie Shober, L.Ac., Dipl. OM

Conference Committee Chair

ConferenceComm@acucol.com

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Your Free Fall Issue of the Meridians Journal is Ready for Download!

  The fall issue, v. 2 #4, of Meridians: The Journal of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine is now online! This and all issues of the peer-reviewed, Medline compliant journal are available free to you as a valuable benefit of being an AAC member. To access your download just click on “Register” to create a new account at their website and self-certify that you are a member of a State Association. You will be able to place an “order” for the zero-cost PDF downloads. You do not have to do this for each issue, just the first time. After initially registering, all you have to do is log in when a new issue is uploaded.

If you have any questions about access to the online issues, please feel free to contact the webmaster, Brian Smither, at webmaster@meridiansjaom.com. He will be happy to assist you so you can read this issue and all issues of Meridians JAOM.

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In Memory of Fundraising Chair Sue West

For those of you who are not aware, it is with great sadness that we bring you the news that AAC board member Sue West passed away quite suddenly September 1st after a brief battle with stomach cancer. Attendance at her memorial on September 11th in Castle Rock overflowed the room. It was a moving tribute to an amazingly dedicated and compassionate woman, wife, mother, friend, practitioner and AAC board member. So many people spoke eloquently of how she had touched their lives and facilitated healing on many levels.

She was incredibly passionate about Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine and devoted countless hours supporting our profession. For those of you who were lucky enough to get one of the AAC Acupuncture Presentation flashdrives at this year’s conference, you should know that this was just one of the multitude of projects Sue devised and coordinated. She would drive all over the state to talk with practitioners about what the association was doing and encourage them to get involved.

Sue's kind and caring presence will be sadly missed by so many. Those of us lucky enough to have served on the board with her recognize that she is irreplaceable. Her contributions to the AAC and our profession, her patients, family and friends are immeasurable. We have lost a true advocate and a shining light. Her family has informed us that in tribute to Sue, donations may be made to The Denver Hospice or Colorado Cancer Research Program.

Robin Schiesser, L.Ac., Dipl. OM

Vice President, AAC Board of Directors

VicePresident@acucol.com

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AAC Membership

There are options to becoming a member of the AAC. You can make a once yearly payment or use our automatic monthly payment option. Click on the link below.  

BECOME A MEMBER!

If you have any questions, please feel free to call Charissa Haines at the AAC Office at 303-572-8744 or email at info@acucol.com

 

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AAC Membership

There are options to becoming a member of the AAC. You can make a once yearly payment or use our automatic monthly payment option. Click on the link below.  

BECOME A MEMBER!

If you have any questions, please feel free to call Charissa Haines at the AAC Office at 303-572-8744 or email at info@acucol.com

My Mission as President: Value for our Members

Kimberley Benjamin

I am excited to have this opportunity to serve all of you in the coming year. We have a great team this year--some new people along with some veterans volunteering their time to work for you. Please welcome them and keep in mind that someday you may want to take a turn at serving your profession.  (Don’t miss the free e-book download at the end of this newsletter from James MacRitchie, a founding member of the AAC who wants to pass on some of what he’s learned in more than 35 years of practice.)

My goal this year is to effectively carry on the work that the AAC has done for years–to track policy and legislation to be sure we are protecting your scope of practice, and to educate policymakers and the public to build awareness of Acupuncture and Oriental medicine to help your practice prosper–to be the voice and the ears of acupuncturists in Colorado. My hope is to also update the AAC’s systems and policies to help future boards transition easier and give new board members the tools they need to further strengthen our profession.

In addition to this work, I’m proud that the AAC has been involved with the CSA (Council of State Associations) as they have gone through a lengthy process to start a new national association to help support our profession. After much debate and discussion the new organization has been named the American Society of Acupuncturists (ASA). They have had three teleconference meetings to date and the AAC is tracking their progress.

By being a member of the AAC you are automatically a member of the newly-formed ASA and have national and international representation. For example, Vice-Chair Eric Buckley recently attended the International Standards Organization Technical Committee meeting in Beijing as a part of the U.S. ISO delegation to work on standards directly related to TCM.

One of the concrete benefits you are already receiving from the ASA as an AAC member is free access to the peer-reviewed journal Meridians Journal of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. Please see the summer issue announcement further down in this newsletter.

Another inherent benefit of being involved with the ASA is that we are constantly informed of current issues facing our profession. Through the ASA we have received a survey being conducted by the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine on attitudes toward the use of the term “Oriental” to describe our medicine. You can take the survey here. Please feel free to share this with other practitioners and your patients to help us gain a better understanding of the cultural norms and attitudes towards this particular word, and what it means to our community. This research could influence evolution of the terminology of our field.

We are also learning how other states have approached getting included as an Essential Health Benefit under the Affordable Care Act and will use this information in our own efforts as we present to insurance companies and policymakers. We look forward to seeing additional value the ASA will add to our organization and membership.

The AAC board of directors is excited to work for you in the year ahead. Please don’t hesitate to contact me directly if you have any questions about what the AAC is doing or have ideas about how the AAC can better serve our profession.

Kimberley Benjamin, L.Ac., Dipl. OM
President, AAC Board of Directors
President@acucol.com
(970) 214-6683

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Injection Therapy Update

Scott Richardson

Thank you all for your patience as we are trying to restore procurement rights of sterile substances for injection since our bill HB 1360 passed this spring. We have been calling local pharmacies and distribution centers letting them know of the recent change, but we are still waiting for DORA to promulgate rules and publish an official list of substances (this was part of the bill that was passed). We have been in contact with DORA on a weekly basis trying to expedite this process and resolve any concerns they may have on setting hours of training. If you want the most up-to-date information or would like to have a better explanation as to why this process is taking so long I invite you to contact LeAnne Duffy at DORA, as she is their Program Director of Acupuncture.  Her contact information is: (303) 894-7796, leanne.duffy@state.co.us.

It MAY be possible to order some products like cynocobalamin and lidocaine from College Pharmacy. We do not know for sure yet. We also have a contact from McKesson that is looking for a couple of acupuncturists to open up accounts to make sure the kinks are worked out for ordering from there. They have B12, Lidocaine, Epi-Pens, and more.

McKesson Medical Surgical
Brad Becker
Account Manager
cell phone (303) 596-1416
brad.becker@mckesson.com

The bottom line is that it won't be official until DORA finishes their part, but we look forward to letting you know when that happens!

Scott Richardson, L.Ac., Dipl. OM
AAC Immediate Past President
IPPresident@acucol.com

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What goes on at AAC Board Meetings?
Building a Stronger Profession–Together!

Yvonne Piper

The AAC meets every six weeks to discuss important issues that affect our members and to explore and coordinate actions we can take to support our profession in Colorado. Below is a brief summary of what was discussed during our last meeting.

• We are happy that our efforts have allowed us to procure injectables now! We continue to work with the pharmacies & DORA to complete the list of substances we need. Resources for procuring injectables will be listed on the Resource page of our website.
• Board members have been trying to make sense of the OSHA requirements and will continue to post information to Yahoo Groups, Facebook and the AAC website. Please see Membership Chair Sa’bura Goodban’s article in this newsletter for more info.
• The AAC voted to engage Brent Foster, who was the lead attorney on the successful cases to stop PT’s from dry needling in Washington and Oregon, to research case law and statutes in Colorado. He will be working with Kari Hershey, a Colorado attorney. They will submit a brief on legal options and the strength of any possible suit. The estimate for this work is $2,000 - $2,500. If it is decided that legal action is warranted we will need to raise at least $25,000 to proceed.
• The AAC continues to build and maintain relationships with companies that offer discounts, services, greater exposure and fundraising collaboration to acupuncturists such as Blue Poppy, BancTek, ZenVault and Colorado Medical Waste. Fundraising Chair Sue West is exploring how we can become a part of the Amazon Smile program as well.
• Sue is also continuing to work on presentations to insurance companies and decision makers regarding getting Acupuncture included as an Essential Health Benefit under the ACA. Former board member Anne Chew is assisting with this. They welcome any help.
• The AAC now has two student representatives who help us with fresh insight to our profession by offering us their time and feedback as well as involving the student bodies at Colorado acupuncture schools. Brittney, the student rep at CSTCM has conducted a student survey and is organizing the results. She is also setting up a student Facebook page.
• We are pleased to continue working with Charissa Haines, who provides the AAC with administrative services. Charissa fields all of your emails, phone calls and mail, helps members join and renew membership, sends out announcements and newsletters, and helps maintain or website and organize our annual conference. Thank you, Charissa!

Now is the time to come together to build a strong profession. Please help us make our profession stronger by volunteering some time. If you would like to help the AAC with any of these issues, please contact me using the information at the end of this article.  All AAC professional and student members are more than welcome to attend AAC board meetings. Space is Limited - Please RSVP if you would like to attend the next meeting:

Saturday, July 18^th 10am – 12pm

The Colorado School of Traditional Chinese Medicine
1441 York St.  #202
Denver, CO 80206
Room E (Located in the right corner across from the student clinic)

To RSVP text message me at (720) 387-9522 with your name and email address, or email me at omwellnessllc@gmail.com

Yvonne Piper, L.Ac.,Dipl. OM
AAC Secretary

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Annual Conference Update:
2015 Feedback & Lonny Jarrett in 2016!

Stephanie Shober

Thanks to everyone–attendees, speakers, and sponsors–for a fantastic 2015 AAC conference featuring Jeffrey Yuen, Daisy Dong and Bruce Levy. Thanks particularly to:

*  Golden Flower Chinese Herbs for the $100 Gift Certificate raffle item
*  Blue Poppy for sponsoring Saturday's lunch
*  Lhasa OMS for donating three cases of Seirin needles to encourage new membership in the      AAC and for sponsoring Sunday's lunch
*  Far East Summit for sponsoring Saturday's breaks
*  American Acupuncture Council for sponsoring Sunday's breaks

We are listening! Here is a sampling of the attendee feedback we received:

Good job remarks:

• Awesome all around: timing, preparedness, breaks, everything! Felt that all attendees were respectful, interested in material, and happy to be here.
• Best lunches ever! Great job!
• Good job. Well organized. Great meeting.
• Great experience! Thank you all for your hard work!
• Great to bond with other practitioners. Great speakers.
• Liked the location and lunch provided was a very nice bonus!

Needs work remarks:

• The “lecturing at students” style kind of has its limits. Smaller groups? Conference style? Discussion groups?
• Start at 8AM so we can get out by 5:30-6:00.
• Chairs were very hard for the long lectures. Very uncomfortable.
• Location far from central. Why Colorado Springs? Otherwise, very nice.
• Need more restroom facilities.
• Room too long & narrow. Back tables too far from speaker.  Hotel was nice by atrium very noisy.
• Very crowded on our first day.

We thank you for your comments and will use them to shape future events.

SAVE THE DATE - April 23-24, 2016!

We are excited to announce that Lonny Jarrett will be joining us in Denver next year for a two-day seminar entitled Treating Trauma with Chinese Medicine: Untying the Knot.

Lonny will discuss how to diagnose and treat trauma with Chinese medicine, considering the heart/kidney axis as the physiological foundation of stability and how to restore integrity to this most important relationship. Lonny will emphasize the importance of the practitioner's awareness of the dimension of self that is never wounded or traumatized as a gold standard in diagnosis and treatment. The class will be rooted in an appreciation of the core dimensions and capacities of the self, including the spirit, ego, emptiness, soul, conscience, and the will.

Lonny S. Jarrett, M. Ac., author of Nourishing Destiny, The Inner Tradition of Chinese Medicine and The Clinical Practice of Chinese Medicine has been practicing in Stockbridge, Massachusetts since 1986. He hosts NourishingDestiny.com, an online community for 3000 practitioners of Chinese medicine worldwide.

The conference will be held in the Denver area, and details about the venue will come later this year. Like this year, we will contract with a hotel that is attractive, well-maintained, and economical. We will find a ballroom with a larger capacity and better layout for accommodating the large crowd that we are. Looking forward to seeing you all there!

Stephanie Shober, L.Ac., Dipl. OM
AAC Conference Chair

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Are you prepared? The Colorado
Acupuncture Medical Reserve Corps is!

Every day there are more stories about natural disasters such as fires, floods, tornados and earthquakes. Not only is our planet demonstrating this volatile state, so are we, its inhabitants and caretakers. There seem to be increasing stories of wars, riots and shootings. As practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine, we understand the principles and relationship of EXTERNAL and INTERNAL energies. We understand how to bring balance to our patients on an individual basis, but what can we do globally in the wake of so many disasters and traumas? You already have the tools to make a difference─your skills and knowledge of acupuncture. Colorado has a unique way for you to apply those tools. It’s known as the Colorado Acupuncture Medical Reserve Corps (CAMRC).

All 50 states have Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) units, however Colorado has the nation’s first acupuncture-based, federally approved unit that deploys either on its own or with Behavioral Health units in response to disasters within the state. The CAMRC has responded to numerous disasters and events to assist in the immediate healing and long term recovery of the communities and people affected. As a result of the success with this program, other acupuncturists who have witnessed it or heard about it have requested assistance from the CAMRC to begin the process of creating acupuncture-based or integrated units in other states. Some of the more recent efforts outside of Colorado: Maryland has assembled a team of seven L.Ac.’s who have been NADA or AWB (Acupuncturists Without Borders) trained, and will be treating First Responders at this month’s MRC conference. In addition, a small group of acupuncturists have responded to the flooding in Texas, and there have been other states in contact to prepare for future needs.

In Colorado we currently have 58 L.Ac.’s who have taken the CAMRC training, including the FEMA ICS 100/700 courses and become part of the CAMRC Team through the Colorado Volunteer Mobilizer. The CAMRC schedules three or four weekend training courses (with free CEUs) per year as well as an annual mock drill for disaster response. This year’s drill will be held on October 4, 2015, and will be deploying teams to three different locations (Colorado School of TCM, Southwest Acupuncture College, and the Institute of Taoist Education and Acupuncture). Even if you have not yet taken the CAMRC training course you can still be involved as a volunteer evacuee for the drill and experience treatment from our response teams. This is a great opportunity to learn what it is all about and how you can use your knowledge and skills to bring hope and healing in times of need.

There is also a general CAMRC meeting at 3:30 pm this Sunday, July 19^th at Southwest Acupuncture College in Boulder (6620 Gunpark Dr, Boulder, CO 80301) if you would like to get involved.

You may also contact our outreach coordinator, Monica Edlauer, for more information at boulderacupuncture@comcast.net or (303) 859-7556

http://acucol.com/acupuncture-medical-reserve-corp/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/CAMRC/

Steven Shomo, L.Ac., DOM
CAMRC Training Coordinator
zenmedic9@gmail.com

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Your Free Download of the Summer Issue of Meridians Journal is Ready!

The summer issue, v. 2 #3, of Meridians: The Journal of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine is now online! This and all issues are available free to you as a valuable benefit of being an AAC member. To access your download just create a new account at their website and self-certify that you are a member of a State Association. You will be able to place an “order” for the zero-cost PDF downloads. You do not have to do this for each issue, just for the first time you access them. After initially registering, all you have to do is log in when a new issue is uploaded.

If you have any questions about access to the online issues, please feel free to contact the webmaster, Brian Smither, at webmaster@meridiansjaom.com. He will be happy to assist you so you can read this issue and all issues of Meridians JAOM.

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Student Rep Update: New Student Facebook Page Under Construction

Brittney Chowning

Hey there acupuncture students–I hope everyone is having a great summer! I have a couple of updates about student matters that could be of interest to you. I put a survey out to the acupuncture students of Colorado at the beginning of the year. Thanks to those of you who participated for all your efforts and responses. The results are in! The only problem is I couldn't think of a simple way to get the results to the student population. I'm working on creating a Facebook page for acupuncture students in Colorado where we can post questions/responses from us to the AAC, updates on legal information, the AAC meeting minutes, and more. I think it's important to stay involved and informed even at the student level. Eventually the acupuncture field in Colorado will depend on us to thrive. So, let's start building our community! The page will be up and running by the end of July. If you have any other burning questions or would like to get involved you can always e-mail me at studentrep@acucol.com, or if you attend SWAC in Boulder, you may like to reach out to our new rep Allicen Maier at studentrep2@acucol.com.  We look forward to connecting with you!

Brittney Chowning
AAC Student Representative, CSTCM

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Free E-Book Download to AAC Members

The Adventures of an Acupuncturer: 35 Years Behind the Needle
A Clinical Autobiography of Qigong Acupuncture

By James MacRitchie

James MacRitchie

 In writing a ‘Press Release’ for this book–a brief introduction and overview–I reflected on who it was most written for. As somewhat of an autobiography I realised that patients, students, friends and family may find it of some relevance, but the principal audience is the members of the Acupuncture Association of Colorado–not least because I was a member of the AAC from its beginning. Who else would be more interested in what it has to say–technically, practically and professionally? And it contains my ‘practice secrets’, which helped keep me in full-time practice in Boulder for over 30 years. These may be of some curiosity to other practitioners.

The Adventurers of an Acupuncturer is the story of 35 years of ‘working with energy’ with a wide variety of patients...my clinical autobiography of how Qigong became integrated with Acupuncture...and a personal means of summarising life as a practitioner so far. I began Acupuncture practice in 1977, in London, England. In 1981 I took what was to be a one-year sabbatical to Boulder, Colorado. A third of a century later I finally returned to my hometown of Liverpool in 2013. During these years I discovered Qigong, and over the course of time integrated it into my clinical practice. This book is the story of those adventures.

My hope is that you will find this text of some value, and that it will provide another perspective on combining Acupuncture and Qigong in clinical practice. And also that it is accepted in the spirit of homage to practitioners everywhere who are doing, and pioneering, this most astonishing and miraculous work with the energy system.

This e-book can be downloaded free at www.globalqiproject.com.

Please note that it is 4+ MB in size, so may take a little while to download.

Jim MacRitchie
jamesmacritchie@gmail.com
phone: UK 44 (0)79-13-20-89-59

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