FSOMA Attends ASA Conference and Fly In

The American Society of Acupuncturists (ASA) held their annual conference in Washington DC April 5-8.  The meeting began with a national council meeting with representatives from 34 states and DC.  ASA is supported by state associations who gather to share ideas and challenges of the acupuncture profession nationally.  Representing FSOMA at the conference were: President Galina Roofener, Membership Chairman Dickie Walls, and Cynthiaann Hayes-Hurst, Advocacy Chairman.   

Discussion was centered around efforts to support HR4803, the Acupuncture for Our Seniors Act.  This bill will allow licensed acupuncturists to be authorized providers of Medicare benefits.  There are many reasons why this is important for our profession.  Recognition by Medicare will:

BREAKING NEWS

Use of Acupuncture More Than Doubles

Originally presented in webinar format by David Bibbey, LAc. The webinar is available to all FSOMA members here. Log into your membership account to gain access.

In today's digital age, where information is readily available at our fingertips, local newspapers remain a powerful platform for community engagement. As a healthcare practitioner, sharing your expertise through newspaper articles can be a game-changer for your practice and community outreach. In this guide, we'll walk you through the essential steps of crafting compelling articles for submission to your local newspaper.

In today's climate of heightened expectations in healthcare, patients are seeking seamless experiences that begin before they even step foot in your practice. 

But how can you begin to virtually develop a strong rapport with a potential patient and guide them along their healthcare journey? It starts with a concise, consistent, and current online presence. 

This article was created from Building Better Business webinar: Business Budgeting 101

Edited by: Dr. Rachel Siditsky, AP, FSOMA Editor

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.  

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.

How to Network Within Your Community
Guest Blogger Michael Stephenson

Oriental practices, like acupuncture, offer many benefits to human health. As a practitioner, you are in a unique position to bring these benefits to the mainstream. You get to help people while doing something you enjoy. But, it’s not all fun and games. Sometimes, you have to focus on the business aspect. Networking is one of these.

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: