April is National Autism Awareness Month, and this is an opportunity to showcase the ways in which Chinese medicine helps to serve different populations. When working with autism spectrum patients many can struggle with speech, touch, and sensory processing. As practitioners, we have many tools to help navigate these aspects of working with autism spectrum patients while providing a comfortable and safe environment in our offices.

Speech/Communication:

Autism spectrum patients may find it difficult to process information quickly to respond to lengthy questioning. Perhaps they may be able to process the questioning and information but find it challenging to communicate appropriate/accurate responses in real time. The beauty of Chinese medicine is the ability to treat someone without requiring them to dive deep into conversation or answer questions to check off the symptom/presentation needed to write a formal diagnosis, which may be the case in a western medical setting. If a patient struggles with verbal communication or they are nonverbal but read or write and consent to treatment, there are tools at our disposal to use for intake. This includes pulse diagnosis, tongue diagnosis, facial reading, and channel palpation. These tools all provide great diagnostic insight of the patient's current pathology. Utilizing pulse and tongue diagnosis has been a great way to form a diagnosis and treatment plan without requiring an autism spectrum patient to verbally communicate in depth responses if they prefer not to or are unable to. As a practitioner treating autism spectrum patients, I will still communicate with the patient what I am going to do and ensure an appropriate form of consent prior to placing my hands on their wrist for pulse diagnosis or any kind of physical touch, just as I would for all my patients. Physical cues for consent could be the patient rolling up their sleeves/bottom of pant leg, extending their arms out on the table or a head nod. The patient may also have a notebook where they write responses and consent to treatment.

Have you ever wanted to work with Veterans or First Responders? This article offers a “glimpse” of what is possible within the scope of our practice, providing practical, safe and repeatable positive outcomes for those who serve us so well.

Who: Those in the military have served our country; first responders such as local law enforcement or sheriff’s office as well as the fire department also serve our society. Their commitment and sacrifice to maintain the freedoms we all hold dear deserves our dedication. Over the last 4 years, my work has evolved to assist those who have served, providing a multidisciplinary approach for those who desire direction and help for their mind, body, soul, and spirit.  

January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month in the United State. According to the National Cervical Cancer Coalition (NCCC), more than 14,000 women in the United States are diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer annually.  

Chinese Medicine has been found to offer relief to people experiencing side effects of cancer treatment.  Some of the most common side effects of cancer treatment are fatigue, nausea, pain, and loss of appetite. 

The “Surprise Act” is a new Federal consumer protection law that protects patients from costly out-of-network billing charges related to emergency and urgent care treatment expenses.  Effective Jan 1, 2022, the federal law protects patients from “balance billing” practices that allow hospitals, outpatient facilities and transportation companies to bill patients for amounts not paid by insurers for covered and non-covered service by out-of-network providers.  

WHAT IS BALANCE BILLING?

"When a provider bills you for the difference between the provider’s charge and the allowed amount. For example, if the provider’s charge is $100 and the allowed amount is $70, the provider may bill you for the remaining $30. A preferred provider may not balance bill you for covered services."¹

Over the last 25 years, I have specialized in TCM Ophthalmology and Ophthalmic Acupuncture.  I have made quite a few significant clinical observations through diagnostic testing, treatment, and direct feedback from my patients.  In my clinical practice, I incorporate TCM ophthalmology and Functional Medical Ophthalmology.  

Functional medicine uses methods to measure how weak (yin) or stressed (yang) the body’s organs, glands, and systems may be.  Among these include blood sugar, adrenals, thyroid, pituitary, oxidative stress, inflammation hydration, ATP-energy production, and contributing metabolic-hormonal issues.  Both TCM and Functional Medicine look to uncover patterns of disharmony.  The idea is to uncover deeper patterns and underlying pathologies that contribute to the patients’ symptoms and conventional biomedical diagnosis of glaucoma.

Written by Chase Howard, Esq. from the Florida Healthcare Law Firm

On July 9, 2021, President Biden signed a far-reaching Executive Order that could have a significant impact on the acupuncture industry.  Under the Executive Order, President Biden: