Table of Contents:
- HR-5688 Update
- AAOM's 2006 Expo Update
- AAOM's Student Organization (AAOM-SO) Update
- Interview with Steve Liu, LAc
- AATAOM First Annual Meeting
- HAOMA Meeting at AAOM Expo
- AAOM Welcomes New Clinical Staff Editorial Board
- Acupuncture Program Sets Smooth Sail in Unchartered Territory
- Book Review- How to Make the Rest of your Life the Best of your Life
- Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Day
- ACAOM Update
- AB-3014 (CA) Sent to Governor's Desk
- APHA Annual Meeting
- Tai Sophia Institute Workshop
- Society for Integrative Oncology Annual Conference
- Integrator Blog
- Trager for Self-Healing: A Practical Guide for Living in the Present Moment
Greetings OM Members and Colleagues:
Welcome to the 4th issue of the Qi-Unity Report. I would like to extend a sincere thank you for the participation of everyone. I’m pleased to say the AAOM Board has determined it will continue to accept contributions from the profession-at-large, so we encourage you to submit updates you would like to provide via the instructions and submittal form found at the close of each report. Remember…they are due by the first Monday of each month.
My opening greeting of the September Qi-Unity Report provides a reprint of our HR-5688 and Resolution 814 update that was sent as an E-Blast on September 5, 2006. Members of the OM Community are invited to participate in a Task Force to address this issue. Update briefings will be provided at the AAOM Conference in scheduled at the Wigwam Resort and Spa, Litchfield Park (Phoenix) Arizona, October 19-23, 2006.
Problem Statement: As identified in AAOM’s E-blast dated, July 21, 2006, the AMA House of Delegates adopted Resolution 814 that called for the "Scope of Practice Partnership" to study the qualifications, education, and academic requirement of "limited licensure" health care providers and "limited independent practitioners". These include licensed acupuncturists, naturopaths, chiropractors and other allopathic providers that are not MDs, DOs, and dentists. Parallel bills are to be introduced into the state legislatures. Shortly after the AMA adopted this resolution, HR-5688 was introduced in the US Congress by Mr. SULLIVAN (for himself, Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas, Mr. BASS, Mr. SCHWARZ of Michigan, Mr. BURGESS, Mr. BILIRAKIS, and Mr. SESSIONS). The principal author’s press release is provided.
AAOM forms Task Force to combat AMA Actions: OM-Coalition of Patients Rights Collaborative (OM-CPRC)
Committee Members:
- Chair: Rebekah Christensen, AAOM ED;
- Co-Chair: To be determined by OM-CPRC;
- National Associations: (Board Member - one representative each);
- State Associations: (Board Member – one representative each);
- Public Members: (one public member per state – designated by the Board of Directors of each state association);
If you have not registered to participate on the Task Force, please do so by viewing the full report. You will find the interactive submission form at the bottom of the report.
AA0M 2006 Expo Update Report
Expo 2006 will open its doors in just a little over three weeks, and conference planning –
conference fever is intense! The conference will be held at the Wigwam Resort and Spa,
October 19-October 23, 2006, Litchfield Park (Phoenix) Arizona. All CEUs have now been
processed by NCCAOM (all classes approved), the California Acupuncture Board (classes M,
N, T, & cc were disallowed; all others were approved) and Texas (classes C, J, N, Q, and V were
disallowed; all others approved.) We want to draw particular attention to our pre-conference
workshop, the Asian
Medical Nomenclature Debates featured in the August issue of the
Qi-Unity Report.
This is a complex topic that will span a multi-year duration. A formidable panel
was chosen to open the door to discourse and discussion for the purpose of beginning the
exploration of transmission of Asian Medical texts to the West.
Below, please find Expo 2006 conference EBlasts sent over the past month. Collectively, you will find an array of information about workshops, registration, hotel reservations, exhibitor information and much more.
OM Expo 2006 Features Series - Holistic Pediatrics
OM Expo 2006 Features Series - Laser Acupuncture
Expo 2006 – Full Conference Program
Exhibitor Invitation / Contract
Online Overnight Room Reservations
KPC is the U.S. office for Kaiser Pharmaceutical Co in Taiwan. KP is one of the most established, respected producers of concentrated Chinese herbs in
all of China. Modern scientific processing methods and rigorous quality control set KPC Herbs apart from all other
sources of Chinese herbs. KPC Herbs provides the following products to qualified Chinese herbalists, acupuncturists,
and practitioners of Chinese Medicine: Granules and Powder, Tablets, and Capsules. Visit http://www.kpc.com.
OM Students:
To better understand the broad-based activities underway by AAOM’s Student Organization (AAOM-SO), view this update provided by AAOM-SO Leadership. If you are a student of Oriental Medicine, becoming a member of the AAOM-SO will allow you to participate with member schools from across the US covering myriads of activities that impact you now as a student of OM, and as a future professional of OM. Read more about the activities of the AAOM-SO at the AAOM Expo 2006!
Student Volunteers Get Conference Time FREE!
The AAOM ’06 Phoenix Expo & Conference presents Healing Body Mind & Spirit, October 19–23, with an international host of extraordinary guest speakers. Students nationwide can volunteer to help at the AAOM Phoenix Expo and get equal conference time FREE!!! Opportunities are still available to help out Thursday – Sunday. Tasks include greeting guests, helping with registration and sign-in, assisting in the vendor exhibit hall, and providing general information and directions. Volunteers are allowed to leave in time to attend workshops. Lunch is provided for those shifts involving this time. A brief training session for volunteers will be held Wednesday, 10/18/06 at 7:00 P.M. at the Wigwam Resort & Spa. This opportunity is made available through the AAOM Expo Conference Work Study Program, which focuses on encouraging and empowering students nationwide to participate in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine professional conferences and events. A full brochure of all available workshops is online. To volunteer, please call the AAOM at 866-455-7999.
The AAOM-SO ByLaws will be unveiled at a historic presentation during the AAOM-SO Student Caucus Meeting at the AAOM Phoenix Expo & Conference on Saturday, October 21st at 10:00 A.M. This is truly a celebration event! For the first time ever the Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine Profession has a National Student Organization. The creation of the AAOM-SO ByLaws seals the formal initiation and presents the foundational cornerstone for this new organization. All students nationwide are invited to attend the Expo ’06 Student Caucus Meeting, Ceremony and Celebration. In addition, the AAOM is enabling all student members, who attend the AAOM-SO Student Caucus, to attend all workshops and conferences on Healing Mind, Body & Spirit, from Friday, October 20th – Sunday, October 22nd for just $65.00 – an amazing opportunity! Plan to attend; you’ll want to be there! Student membership also is available through the Student Services icon on the AAOM home page – still just $30.00.
The AAOM is planning a special day to honor students nationwide at the upcoming Phoenix Expo & Conference. Throughout the day on Friday, October 21st, activities and announcements will be dedicated to student members and attendees from across the country, who are collaborating in their efforts with the new AAOM-SO and its parent organization, the AAOM, to improve their professional knowledge, improve their professional service, increase their cooperative professional efforts, and help increase the awareness of Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine across the US. Special introductions and rounds of applause will be offered for all students and the new AAOM-SO at the General Session Opening Meeting, Pow Wow on Friday, and the Awards Ceremony on Saturday evening. Join us and enjoy a day of appreciation and recognition as a student, as well as good luck wishes from the AAOM for much future happiness and success through all your years of Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine practice.
The AAOM ’06 Expo & Conference will be held at the beautiful Wigwam Resort & Spa in Litchfield Park, AZ (just outside Phoenix). Students have the opportunity to stay with up to five persons per room (two double beds plus free roll-away bed) for just under $50.00 per night (taxes not included). This means two nights and three days of conferences - Friday to Sunday - for under $100.00. Students can post an announcement on the AAOM forums if they have a room to share or are looking for a room to share. Plan to be there, have tons of fun, and room-share!
Interview with Steve Liu, LAc
AAOM is pleased to introduce its Qi-Unity
Report readers to Steve Liu, LAc, and President Emeritus of AzSOMA.
Steve is a featured speaker at Expo 2006 on Laser Acupuncture – Theory, Research and Application (Class cc.
Sunday October 22, 2006 from 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM).
Steve Liu, LAc, has a BS in Electrical Engineering, San Jose State University, San Jose, CA. He specializes in Laser Acupuncture in Tucson, Arizon and has written articles on Laser Acupuncture, published in the California Journal of Oriental Medicine (CJOM), by the California State Oriental Medical Association (CSOMA). Dr. Liu is President of the Arizona Society of Oriental Medicine and Acupuncture (AzSOMA).
By: Rebekah Christensen, AAOM ED
Q: What do you see as the three top issues facing state association leadership?
A: I am currently in the process of establishing a leadership tank which will be similar to a think tank for the Washington DC political elites. My idea of having a leadership tank is to guarantee the leadership future for our association in Arizona. I believe that the #1 problem facing each statewide association in this country is that people do not get involved. A lot of people do not even join, let alone volunteer, their service to the association. For instance, our Board is made up of 7 members who are hard working individual volunteers and find time and energy regardless of how busy they are. In order to guarantee a continual supply of valid and good leadership to ensure the survival of the association, I proposed having a leadership tank model. I think this will be a good approach.
Our first meeting on this idea is this Sunday, and we are trying to come up with procedures and protocols on how to "home grow" leaders; we are going to try to nourish these people to eventually become leaders of the organization because without leaders there is no voice leading this profession, and therefore no organization. Any state association can look to AAOM as a role model. Because of their strong, outstanding leadership year after year, the organization is now in the driver’s seat for the entire national agenda representing all TCM/OM practitioners.
Another issue facing our state leadership is the communication with our members. Besides email alerts, functions such as a conference and the Chinese New Year party, and the newsletters, we in Arizona also organize several “mixers” that target state northern, central, and southern regions. The mixer party is run by our regional representatives who are also part of board makeup. Its main function is to meet association board members and discuss issues and concerns. It reaches an audience face-to-face that otherwise would not be accessible to many members due to traveling constraints. In other words, the association board meets the members, not the other way around. It’s a win-win situation, and distant members appreciate the effort.
The third issue would be the communication between the state and national associations. There will be incidences that the state association will need help from the AAOM to lend ammunitions for a battle of state OM legislation. And often the AAOM will pass on legal alerts or action alerts to states. I am not sure that the communication channels which are in place are able to effectively handle issues that arise. In Arizona, we are fortunate to have a board member who is also a board member of the AAOM. Through him we are in a much better place to have a more effective dialogue between the two associations. One way to help is to designate a state board member who can be a liaison to the national association and establish an email alert system that can transmit national association messages quickly and effectively. The state regional representatives can follow up with phone calls or emails.
Q: Can you describe some of the differences in how Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is practiced in the United States as opposed to mainland China?
A: We already knew that in China TCM treatments are often given daily and the government picks up a big share of the cost. Unlike in China, many American patients can only afford a treatment once or twice a week, and usually pay out of their own pockets. Another difference is that in TCM care is readily available in any hospitals regardless whether they are Western- or TCM-oriented clinics.
In 2000, I traveled to Shanghai and had an opportunity to visit several very reputable hospitals there. What impressed me the most was the degree of integration of TCM and western medicine. For example, a top TCM hospital has an MRI facility while a top surgical hospital has an acupuncture and herbal department. When a woman was admitted for uterus bleeding, she was first examined by an Ob/GYN doctor and given a western procedure to stop the bleeding. Then she was referred to an acupuncturist and herbalist downstairs for more treatments. Later she was discharged with Chinese herbs to take home. Later that day I ran into a woman doctor giving tuina to an infant patient in the pediatric ward. I remembered that I had heard from a top official at the hospital (in a speech to foreign visitors at a dinner) that he was working hard to transform this hospital to be the most integrated hospital in the Asia. That was six years ago. I often wonder if this will ever happen in the United States.
However, it is changing here in America. Many of my acupuncturist friends in California are practicing in Kaiser hospitals. I had a patient who got pregnant after receiving Western fertility treatment in conjunction with acupuncture in a Mayo Clinic Hospital. I live in Tucson, the home town of Dr. Andrew Weil, guru of the integrative medical program at the University of Arizona, where acupuncture is taught along with traditional Western medicine. I dream of one day having a clinic where an MRI facility is right next to a TCM clinic so patients can have a clear western diagnosis and receive acupuncture treatment and other TCM modalities under one roof.
Q: How do you bridge these two worlds?
A: Sometimes I felt the two worlds in terms of TCM and Western medicine integration could never meet in this country under current insurance payment structure and Western medical referral system. If a doctor does not refer patients to a TCM practitioner and an insurance company does not pay for acupuncture and herbal treatments, the majority of American patients would never be told of the benefits of TCM care and may only be able to afford short duration treatment even they find it helpful.
However, I am seeing a trend among our profession that bridges the two worlds. The first I call vertical and the second horizontal. The vertical involves the personal development that may include continuing education in both TCM and Western medical fields. Often in seminars sponsored by TCM associations and schools I see side-by-side contrast and comparison of Western diagnosis and TCM explanation of these diagnoses. The TCM practitioners learn new language and knowledge of the latest development in some difficult modern Western diseases. Two shining examples are TCM treatments of depression and autoimmune diseases . Horizontal development is for TCM practitioners to meet and network with Western medical doctors proactively. I have often called doctors that my patients like and asked them to have lunch with me. During such processes trust and understanding are earned on both sides, and as a result patients receive the best of treatment options from both worlds. Maybe, just maybe, that in the near future there will be a joint conference between AMA and AAOM – what a beautiful thought!
Q: What is the current status and future of laser acupuncture in the practice of OM. It's origin - it's current status - it's role in the future?
A: It’s widely known that acupuncture points, or acupoints, can be stimulated by many forms of energy such as heat and electricity, and mechanical pressure other than needles. Using laser light to stimulate an acupoint to treat diseases is a fairly new idea in this country, although it has been practiced in China and Europe for over 30 years. I first encountered laser acupuncture on a trip to Beijing in 1999.A patient was holding a fiber optic cable with one end of the cable plugged into an electronic device and the other at an acupoint behind the ear lobe (SJ-17). I later found out the device emitted laser light, and the patient came to treat his Bell’s Palsya facial paralysis condition. I asked patient how he was doing. He told me that he had received many courses of needle acupuncture treatments and recovered greatly. He was then left alone to use laser acupuncture to treat by himself once a day every day to further help his recovery. . I was very impressed due to the fact the patient was actually left alone to treat himself with minimum supervision by medical staff.
University of Graz in Austria recently published their 5-year study of laser acupuncture and found the modality to be very effective and patient-friendly because there are no piercing needles involved. According to their report there are 5 European countries are conducting laser acupuncture studies. The procedure is painless, non-invasive, and “green” – no physical materials such as tubes and needles are disposed of after each treatment. I do not believe laser acupuncture will ever replace traditional needle acupuncture, but I wholeheartedly believe it will play a significant role in OM practice. There are too many people will never get the benefit of TCM because of they are needle-phobic. What the modality needs in the future is more research for its clinical applications. The infrared laser acupuncture lends itself to be an excellent tool in a true double-blind study due to the fact that both practitioners and patients can not see the invisible infrared light. I see the 21st century to be the century of photons just as the 20th century was the century of electrons. With that in mind, I am organizing an association to dedicate to the education, innovation, research, and application of laser acupuncture with hope that in the near future it will become another tool as fantastic as needle acupuncture for all TCM practitioners.
Q: How do you view the importance of membership in both a State and National association?
A: I am the President Emeritus of our state association in Arizona and a member of the AAOM. Any practicing acupuncturists should at least belong to both their State and National Association - AAOM because these are the bodies that represent acupuncture professionals and the practice of OM. I cannot see any reason why a practitioner would not. I think it is very important to be a good practitioner and educator. That way we can always keep ourselves up to date as far as state and national agendas and regarding the knowledge they receive through the CEUs offered by these organizations.
My patients often ask me for a referral to an acupuncturist in another state, and I am sure most acupuncturists have this experience, too. You know what I tell them? Since most of time I do not have the answers, I simply tell them to Google the state association or the AAOM website for its list of members. Then it will be another state or national association member that gets the referral, not the non-members. I encourage you to get involved by joining your respective state association and the AAOM.
Q: How can the AAOM best assist our state associations?
A: One time I had a discussion with Rebekah at a meeting in Phoenix. In the meeting I proposed to her that the the AAOM help state associations develop a referral network. Here is how I imagined the referral network to work: Anytime a patient wants to have a referral from his/her acupuncturist in another state or city the acupuncturist is not familiar with, the acupuncturist can log in to AAOM’s website and search for any affiliated state member that fits the requirements such as zip code and telephone area code. AAOM’s site will come back with a list that shows the closest acupuncturists’ contact information and the driving distance in miles. The listed acupuncturists will automatically receive an email with the referring acupuncturist's email address and name. When the patient actually shows up at the referred clinic, their treatment history can be requested through email. The patient will then feel comfortable that these two acupuncturists are focused on the care of him or her. This is a win-win-win situation for the states’ member acupuncturists and the AAOM, as an appreciated match-maker.
News Release
THE AATAOM (AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR TEACHERS OF ACUPUNCTURE AND ORIENTAL MEDICINE)
ANNOUNCES ITS FIRST ANNUAL MEETING TO BE HELD AT THE AAOM NATIONAL CONFERENCE IN LITCHFIELD, ARIZONA,
ON SUNDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2006.
The meeting will be held to establish the direction and future goals of AATAOM, as well as encouraging new member enrollment and participation. The agenda will include items such as setting future meeting/conference schedules, topics of discussion important to the field, and electing the Board of Directors of AATAOM.
Meeting Information:
Where: Palo Verde South at the Wigwam Destination Resort and Spa in Litchfield, Arizona
When: Sunday, October 22, 2006, 10 AM - 12 Noon
AATAOM is the national news, information, and educational association supporting the development and advancement of the teachers of acupuncture and Oriental medicine. We welcome member input and provide a unique forum for educators, institutions, students, and leaders in the teaching field to share ideas, concerns, strategies and innovative teaching methodologies.
Membership in AATAOM is open to anyone interested in supporting the acupuncture and Oriental medicine teaching profession and the future of Oriental medicine. Help shape the future of AOM education by becoming a member today at www.aataom.org. For more information, please visit our website at www.aataom.org or call us at 512.454.0006.
News Release
HAOMA (HISTORY OF ACUPUNCTURE & ORIENTAL MEDICINE IN AMERICA) MEETING TO BE HELD AT THE
AAOM NATIONAL CONFERENCE IN LITCHFIELD, ARIZONA, ON THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2006
HAOMA (History of Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine in America) is a project of FAAM (Foundation for the Advancement of Asian Medicine), a non-profit organization whose purpose is to document and preserve the history of AOM medicine in America through video, audio, written word, and collection of historical objects.
All those interested in this effort are invited to join the meeting. The agenda will include discussing the goals of the organization, future direction, methods of documenting the history, collaborations with state associations, schools, and national organizations, and establishing a Board of Directors.
Meeting Information:
Where: Arizona Room at the Wigwam Destination Resort and Spa in Litchfield, Arizona
When: Thursday, October 19, 2006, 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
For further information or questions, please call 512-784-7414 or email acuaoma@aol.com.
AAOM Welcomes New Clinical Staff Editorial Board
In June of 2006, the AAOM implemented a three-tiered editorial process to oversee the
publishing of the American Acupuncturist, the Qi-Unity Report, the AAOM Website and
acupediaonline.org, as well as special projects requiring editorial oversight and review.
The Peer Review Board provides strategic
direction, policy development/oversight, and
editorial oversight. The AAOM Clinical Staff Editorial Board
supports the activities
of the AAOM Peer Review Board. In-house AAOM editorial staff serve as liaisons between
the functions of the Peer Review Board and Staff Editors.
Welcome Aboard: We invite you to greet our new staff editors and share in the hard work and effort in their clinical editorial assistance in the publishing Volume 37 of the American Acupuncturist, and the American Acupuncturist News Edition – a Special Issue on Chinese Medical Nomenclature.
Congratulations Clinical Editorial Staff, and a hearty welcome aboard! We ask that you also take a look at AAOM Clinical Staff Editor, Dr. Jeannette Painovich, DAOM, LAc, MA article entitled: Acupuncture Program Sets Smooth Sail in Unchartered Territory, or the Qi-Unity Report’s first book review, Make the Rest of your Life the Best of your Life, conducted by AAOM Clinical Staff Editor Rebecca Wallace, LicAc (MA).
 |  |
| Fall '06 - Vol 37 | Fall '06 - Vol 37 News Edition |
AAOM Peer Review Board: William Morris, OMD, MSEd, LAc; Gene Bruno, OMD, LAc; Christine Chang, MTOM, DiplAc/CH/OM; LAc, Atara Noiade, MSci, LAc, DOM, AP; Bonnie Povolny (VT), and AAOM Staff: Rebekah J. Christensen, ED, Managing Editor and Lynn Eder, Staff Editorial Coordinator
Acupuncture Program Sets Smooth Sail in Unchartered Territory
By: Dr. Jeannette Painovich, DAOM, LAc, MA
September 1st marked the two year anniversary of the acupuncture fellowship program at Good Samaritan Hospital where doctoral students from Emperor’s College of Traditional Oriental Medicine (ECTOM) have been treating patients on the acute rehabilitation unit and at times, the emergency room. Given that this clinical externship was instituted in unchartered territory, there was mild trepidation intermixed with many high hopes that the initial objectives of the program would be met. The first goal of the program was to assimilate acupuncturists into the treatment teams in the both the acute rehabilitation unit and emergency room. Achieving the first objective would then afford the next purpose which was to provide the doctoral students with an opportunity to treat a unique patient population from which they could truly grow as clinicians. The third and fourth goals were to educate the patients and western medical staff on the benefits of Traditional Oriental Medicine (TOM) and through this program, increase the awareness of TOM to the general population as a whole. The last goal, which should inherently be present whenever we employ TOM, was to enhance treatment outcomes, increase patient satisfaction and overall quality of life.
Assimilating into the acute rehabilitation unit has been and continues to be a smooth process. The acupuncturists on the floor are seen as an important modality in the patient’s recovery and have been successfully integrated within the unit’s treatment team approach. There have even been times when the acupuncturists and physical therapists have simultaneously treated patients. When asked to comment on her current experience at Good Samaritan Hospital, Asha Randall, a doctoral candidate stated that, “First of all, I believe the interaction between the western medical personnel and DAOM candidates has been very encouraging and positive. They have welcomed us into their midst and are respectful of what we do. There is an ongoing dialogue between the hospital staff and 'us'...as we spread the word and they see the results...”
The emergency room, albeit a perfect setting for acupuncture intervention, had some inherent procedural problems given the nature of the environment. Legally, an acupuncture treatment cannot ensue until it is ordered by the ER physician. Unfortunately, the patients that could be readily been helped with acupuncture, such as those presenting with musculoskeletal, migraine or gastrointestinal complaints, would at times take hours to be seen because patients are attended to by the physician in order of there emergent nature. Because of the extended wait for treatment orders, it was felt that the students would be better served on the acute rehabilitation unit where the patients are in abundance and readily available. However, if the doctoral student population increases and issue of transition time could be remedied, treating in the ER will be reinstituted. The ER medical staff is seemingly anxious for our return after being readily impressed by the doctoral student’s ability to reduce a dislocated ankle pain free with the use of acupuncture as well as wake up a patient in ten minutes who had been in a drug induced stupor for the previous twelve hours!
Treating conditions rarely seen in the outpatient setting as well as treating the acute onset of ill health has definitely provided the doctoral students with unique clinical training. They consistently have treated conditions such as stroke sequelae, post-operative total hip and knee replacements and post-surgical back pain but unique conditions such as west nile virus, rabdomyolysis, guillien barre, amputation related pain, normal pressure hydrocephaly and paraplegia have also seen, just to name a few. Because patients on the acute rehabilitation unit are usually admitted for two to three weeks, the students have witnessed both the immediate and culmination of their treatment effects as well as the effect of the whole team approach to healthcare. Todd Gibson, a current DAOM acupuncture fellow, put it nicely when he stated, “It's nice to work on more serious cases such as those found in the hospital setting. I enjoy watching the patient’s progress. I feel like I'm regaining a lot of the passion I had 8 or 9 years ago”. Don Buck, a recent graduate from the charter ECTOM doctoral cohort stated that, “The unique patient population I treated while at Good Samaritan Hospital definitely enhanced my skills as a clinician as well as allowed me to recognize the how effective acupuncture is in the acute care setting.”
Educating both the patients and medical staff alike to the benefits of acupuncture and oriental medicine is strongly stressed in this program for two reasons. Having a presence in the western medical setting provides an exceptional opportunity to educate persons about TOM and as a profession we must take advantage of this captive audience. The other benefit of stressing education in this setting is that it forces the students to become proficient in understanding and translating western medical terminology into a TOM language lay people and the biomedical world can understand. Continuous communication in this fashion infuses a level of confidence into the students that they will be able to employ throughout their career.
When employing a program such as this, the long term goal was to increase the visibility of acupuncture and TOM to both the hospital staff and general population. After slow but steady progress, this began to happen. Due to the success of the program, the hospital administration has dedicated resources to help obtain funding to increase acupuncture coverage in the hospital so that a two year pilot study can be conducted. It is the hospitals hope that between an increase in program marketing as well as funding for the study proposal that word of this leading edge acupuncture program at Good Samaritan Hospital will be spread to the general population and medical world alike.
Increased patient satisfaction attributed to their acupuncture experience was one of the main reasons the hospital administration and staff took notice of this program. Given today’s increase in medical expenditures as well as a growing trend in patient dissatisfaction with the healthcare, our system is in need of interventions that can positively impact patient care. By in large, the patients treated with acupuncture reported positive experiences and truly felt that acupuncture enhanced their recovery. Don Buck also stated when reflecting on his Good Samaritan experience that, “one of the best parts of the program was seeing the patients eyes light up when they would get immediate pain relief or more function in a limb after a treatment”.
Dr. Jorge Minor, Medical Director of the acute rehabilitation unit summed up the programs success when he stated that “Patients are pleased with the addition of acupuncture as a treatment modality in the menu course of therapies for such conditions as stroke, trauma and pain management. More physicians are becoming aware of our services and quite interested in the studies we hope to conduct in the near future. Our long term goals for the program include trying to secure an NIH grant with which to conduct research on acupuncture in the inpatient setting”.
Ideally our entire profession will benefit, along with the students, educational institution and biomedical world, from the learning experience that the first two years of this program have provided. This doctoral fellowship has successfully demonstrated that a collective presence in the hospital setting can provide a powerful avenue for increasing visibility of the profession as well as positively impacting patient care. That being said, it is my hope that this program will provoke similar externships to be instituted around the country. As we work together to integrate into more hospitals or similar healthcare settings, the value of our medicine, not only in direct patient care but for the wellbeing of the healthcare system as a whole, will be exponentially realized.
Any inquiries about this article can be directed to Jeannette Painovich at Painovich@aol.com.
Dr. Jeannette Painovich, DAOM, LAc, MA, began her studies in Traditional
Chinese Medicine in 1997 and completed her Masters Degree in 2000 and her
Doctorate in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine in 2006. She has been in
private practice in Los Alamitos and Los Angeles, California for the past
six years. In Los Alamitos, Jeannette has a family medicine based practice
with an emphasis in women’s health where she also serves as the Director of
Integrative Medicine for the Sklar Center for Women’s Wellness. In Los
Angeles, her specialty is hospital-based medicine and is the founder and
director of the Emperor’s College of Traditional Oriental Medicine’s
inpatient doctoral fellowship program at Good Samaritan Hospital. Prior to
beginning her career in TCM, Jeannette worked as a masters degreed exercise
physiologist for 12 years at Good Samaritan Hospital and specialized in
cardiovascular disease.
AAOM Book Review
How to Make the Rest of your Life
the Best of your Life
-Mark Victor Hansen (Co-creator of Chicken Soup for the Soul’ series)
-Art Linkletter (Host and Author of Kids Say the Darndest Things
Book Review by:
Rebekah Christensen, AAOM ED
Rebecca Wallace, Lic.Ac, MAOM, AAOM Staff Editor
Interview with Mark Victor Hansen by:
Rebekah Wallace
The AAOM was contacted by the publicist for this book to provide a review for our membership. Our initial questions were; “What does this book have to do with our Medicine. How could it be of clinical value to our profession?”. An impromptu meeting across the country and flight delays gave entrée to what I felt would be a cursory review, but led to a cover to cover reading with highlighter firmly in hand. In a most unique, but substantive manner, How to Make the Rest of your Life the Best of your Life should be a “must read” for the myriads of baby boomers practicing this medicine, but beyond that, it is a book that can be recommended again and again to your patients – of all ages.
Written in two-parts, the premise of the book is achieving an optimum life in your “Second Prime”, or reinventing life so that it is at “full volume in full color.” Part I addresses the Eight Great Myths of Growing Old, and Part II advises not turning back, but rather rewinding the clock. This book offers a radical new paradigm in our thinking of aging, quality of health, quality of life, purpose, and contribution. But further, they offer not only a depth of medical statistics, scientific break-throughs and resources on aging, but equally address the emotional and spiritual core. They combine this information with self-assessments and worksheets that take the book from passive readership to action plan. At 94, Art Linkletter demonstrates that one can not only live longer, but live better. He is one of the founders for the UCLA Center for Aging, worldwide spokesman for World Vision, Chairman of USA Next and still lectures more than 50-times a year. His wisdom…”Don’t ask me when I’m going to retire. Retire to What? I love what I’m doing because I think it matters…don’t stop living and learning.”
As practitioners we have chosen this career as our life’s work by swimming against the tide of life. Mark Victor Hansen states in his foreword of the book “We want to help you make a difference that leaves a lasting legacy. It’s time to be inspired to serve your enlightened self-interest – meaning you take care of yourself, your loved ones, your company, your community and then as many others as possible to make the world better. We offer you a future of all that you ever imagined and more, much more.” From my perspective, he delivered upon this commitment. Why? As a person that has always considered myself to live and work outside “conventional thinking,” I had never stopped to assess the myths of old age that had been woven so seamlessly into my fabric of life. That “buy-in” had occurred without thinking. But for me, this book generated a quantum shift in what I considered to my eminent “first” retirement in the next 10 years.
This book becomes of particular interest to practitioners in our field where the concept of “paradigm shifts” is applied to health and healthcare for the aging and seniors. It is refreshing to see the issue of the over-prescribing of pharmaceuticals for seniors so directly addressed and presented to a lay audience. Too often this issue is considered untouchable because the concept of older people changing their lifestyles and reducing the numbers of medications they take goes against our social stereotype of the aging. While they of course acknowledge the value and importance of some medications, and emphasize using extreme care when considering changing a prescription plan, the book also tells it like it is: “what some call the “pharmaceutical” industry is now focused on selling “continuity” drugs that you take forever. We remember when you took a drug for a week, got better, and stopped taking it”. They stress the need to take control of achieving a healthy lifestyle through knowledge, lifestyle changes, and alternative medicine: “We are where we are at, because “the American health-care system is prescriptive, meaning it’s all about waiting for disease to develop and then treating it with chemotherapy, surgery, or drugs. We are a society that focuses on ‘curative care’ rather than ‘preventive care.’…You have to sally forth on your own to find an “alternative” practitioner to help you develop a healthy lifestyle.” Even the word alternative rankles one of the health practitioners interviewed for this book in which she states: “There is only one medicine. I want to practice health medicine, not disease medicine.” It bluntly portrays “the obscenely profitable drug industry – where you don’t just have capitalism completely out of control, you have a cabal that professes to care about your health while trying to convince you to dump more powerful drugs in your system. We know seniors who take thirty, forty, or even fifty prescription medications a day. But it doesn’t have to be that way. A huge part of this book’s mission is to help you understand that you don’t need to depend on drug companies for a health Second Prime.”
The only diminishing aspect of the book found were the highlighted areas conveying “senior humor.” For me they seemed awkward and highly distracting, and detracted from rather than adding to the valuable message this book conveys. In the midst of these humorous highlights was one by J. L. Kuntz addressing senior humor and stating: “I often press the delete button without regret, knowing that the same joke, or one similar, will reappear in my e-mail queue.” I agree, I would rather press the “delete button” on this aspect of the book. But having said that, even this considerable distraction does not diminish what this book has to offer. It is a wonderful and rich book that artfully blends science; inspiration, hope and faith, role models, and myriads of resources and tangible tools to “Live long and Prosper”. It’s a book well worth reading, but more important, a tool you can use in your practice to pass on to your patients. Not only does it fortify why our patients sought our care in the first place, but it fortifies that their decision to do so was correct. It’s a substantive roadmap and guide between office visits. Your patients can even pass this book on to their family and friends.
What I liked about this book beyond the paradigm shift in thinking about retirement and old age is that it comes from such credible sources outside our profession, but speaks so keenly to the problems that we face. It displays the issues within our health care system, drug industry, research, and the bias against alternative medicine, yet recognizes that it is the foundation for the future of health, and emphasizes the necessity for self responsibility of patients to be "in partnership" with us as practitioners. The strength and credibility of this type of advocacy for our profession is rare…use it! How to Make the Rest of your Life the Best of your Life is a highly credible and inspirational tool to educate, inspire and support us as practitioners and the patients we serve. A copy of this book review would be a good information tool to provide in your patient information packages.
Interview conducted with Mark Victor Hansen by Rebecca Wallace, Lic.Ac, MAOM, AAOM Staff Editor
RW: You obviously did quite a bit of research in preparation for this book. We were wondering what information you came up with that was most surprising to you?
MVH: Well, first of all I am healthy, happy, holistically involved. Matter of fact I have my acupuncturist’s number in my cell phone! And herbs are so medicinal - I used to be the top salesperson for a company when it was just herbal called Enrich International, and I did so well that I was making $2 million a year so I’m totally hooked on this. To answer your question, once Art and I started doing this we interviewed 38 experts in different zones and genres and found there is break through after breakthrough – breakthroughs now in life extension that if you live long enough – the theory or cliché now is that you can live forever, (but we couldn’t put that in the book because there’s no hard documentation and then it’s a claim and we’re a drug company!). The exquisite exciting thing is that there are breakthroughs and I’m taking a lot of them now – I believe in them, we wrote them up in the book and we’re the only book that I know that lists all the 200 herbs someone ought to have for life extension, It’s done by the top pharmacologist who wrote a book called Be Bold Don’t Get Old. She is 89 years old and she looks like she’s 30. She is totally into nutraceuticals and out of the pharmaceutical business. She is not against pharmaceuticals if you need them, but against the overuse of pharmaceuticals, which Art and I are totally in line with, and against continued use. The drug companies in the last decade have changed from ‘let’s do something that’s a solution’ to ‘let’s do something that’s going to get you hooked on this and believing that you need it forever’, and the doctor gets his 5th and the drug companies make greater fortunes. That’s why I like Chinese Medicine – because you pay them to stay well and you can go in if you do get sick. The other guy who is doing it right as far as we’re concerned and is a close friend and neighbor of mine in Hawaii, Dr. Earl Bakken. Bakken owns Medtronics and is 87 or 88 years old. I have him speak at my seminars whenever we’re in Hawaii – he loves my audiences. He is the guy who invented the pacemaker in 1957 and 14,000 other neurological and cardiological devices. He built the first holistic hospital with 100 million dollars of his own money. He says that allopathic medicine is only 15% enough. The other 85% includes herbal, the Kahunas with shark cartilage, acupuncture, electronic medicine like myoscope and acuscope all the way up to Jin Jin Jitsu- theoretically the Japanese art form of rebuilding your DNA and RNA.
In short, we have medicine becoming, rather than holistic, (Dr. Bakken says) let’s call it integrative, and let’s for the first time look at the whole person and integrate all the disciplines and modalities, use the ones that get the results, and get rid of the pain in the patient! Unless the patient is getting a 2ndary payoff fom his or her pain and they don’t want to get well. If you look at the Christian model - I’m not here to solicit or anything – but the first thing Christ said 57 times in the New Testament is ‘Do you want to be well?’ He didn’t heal anyone unless they said they wanted to be well. One of the things Art and I are saying is ‘one of the ways to stay healthy is you’ve got to work, you’ve got to contribute.’
RW: We were really interested in this term ‘Questers’ you use, which you define as people who have made a sudden career change or life change because they reassessed their lives and decided they needed a different direction – someone wanting to make a change in life because they don’t feel completely fulfilled or that they are contributing as much as they would like to.
MVH: Most people are there – exactly. If you don’t keep contributing, or you’re an empty nester, or any of those things, the tendency to become dependent on pharmaceutical drugs, or actual drugs, or liquor is very, very high. In other words you subordinate your life to something less than rather than more than. We’re saying if we can get you to optimum health, get the qi energy running, you’re going to feel better, do better, and serve better.
RW: We resonate with this concept as practitioners because a lot of us have taken on this career as a life change. Many OM practitioners studied medicine at 30, 40, 50 years old after having been in a career that was unfulfilling for them.
MVH: What Art and I are saying is that everyone is entitled, for the first time in history, to a Second Prime. Now most people’s prime is 25-55, we’re saying Second Prime is probably 55-95 which no one else is saying, this is brand new stuff. We’re saying, if you’ve always known that health is your art but you thought you had to be a policeperson or fireperson or whatever to keep the babies fed, now it’s your shot! Go back to school, get into lifelong education, which is something that is not that popularized. I just came from all the senior centers down in Florida, and those guys bought the wrong model! They bought the model of ‘I’m over the hump! I get to fish every day, play golf every day, play cards all day long, waste all my time’. My guess is that maybe 5% of people in the world have healing power, maybe higher. Take 5% out of just the American population of seniors, that’s 5 million people that could go back to school and do really great stuff. I would love everyone in your profession to know that they can come to my seminars, or Art’s seminars, or neither of ours, but everyone needs to keep going to seminars their whole lives, and I think you guys need to put out the call that makes everyone instantly better off. Your letter said you serve 20,000 practitioners. So let’s say that one can serve 1,000 people, then you’re not anywhere near all that we need.
RW: What did you consider to be the most revealing or alarming health statistics you came across?
MVH: Art Linkletter has raised $100 million for Alzheimer’s, and is the Chairman of the UCLA Alzheimer’s Center. 1% of Americans at age 65 have Alzheimer’s. At 85, half of Americans have it. At 100, 99% have it. Now, the major reason looks like they are not challenging themselves. There are 6 million people with it, by 2040 there will be 24 million and it will double every year thereafter. First of all, in my mind that’s not OK. Everything I am is intellectual property – thinking. And I get paid a lot for thinking! You say, ‘well, you’re a very rich man’. Well yeah, and I made my money by using my mind! No one has ever lived this long in such quantities so it couldn’t be tested, and they used to call it senility, which is just s lack of memory so it’s not a real good definition. I’m saying – stepping out on prediction - that if we keep them working and challenged at something that they want to do - Art and I say ‘don’t work/play, play/play at your work’. What if we got them to work, what if they went for regular acupuncture, what if the acupuncture kept the qi energy going and working in the body, wouldn’t that energize the mind? (I’m asking as well as telling at the same time)
RW: Absolutely, but I think that energy requires utilization at the same time, which is what you talk about.
MVH: That’s what I’m saying – you’ve got to have a challenge. If the people would give themselves the challenge rather than – FDR didn’t mean to set up a bogus system but everybody was dead at 47. Art should have been dead at 47 so he’s doubled up on age, and he does get acupuncture too I’m told. What if we got a lot of people to a) challenge themselves and b) get acupuncture – let’s say that we might be able to push Alzheimer’s back 10%. We now have the positron emission tomography (PET) test that can test at 55 100% for Alzheimer’s now. Let’s say we had 100 people in a test, maybe 10% might be able to turn off what the PET predicted. What if it was the best case scenario and we got it down to no cases? Hospitals wouldn’t be happy because they make a lot of money with those people, but the families would sure be happy.
Second would be diabetes. All the research shows that the answer is exercise. Be buoyant, happy, energize and exercise at least a half hour every day.
RW: What myths of aging would you most like this book to dispel?
MVH: I think sexlessness is the #1 myth of aging. I believe it is totally a mind-set, all sex is in the mind anyhow. We interviewed Dr. John Gardner who said that exact line, and he’s correct – world’s greatest adventurer and explorer and goal-setter, and a good friend. The point being, generations like my parents’ generation,(and I’m not picking on my parents per se) but the generation all bought into ‘sex is for procreation’. Now, having just been at the villages, [senior centers in Florida] the #1 problem they have is STDs, and these people are all over 65! The point is, people are staying sexually active for the first time in history at these ages. The first 100.000 years of humankind no one lived past 18, at the turn of the 1900s it was about 30 years old, and all of the sudden when the industrial age started people made it to 47, and now we’re at 77 so we’ve literally added about 30 years more, and with good herbs and homeopathics and medical breakthroughs it could be even more. Life long sex is a new game that Art and I are talking about, and it’s a better game. I don’t know why anyone would want to give any of that up! And to have life-long sex and life-long everything, you need to have lifelong education - I never thought of that until right this second. If you have life-long education, you’ll probably do life long exercise, life long sex, and life long healthcare.
RW: What is the most current scientific thinking on the question of genes vs. lifestyle choices when it comes to aging?
MVH: The hard research says it’s 30% genes and 70% lifestyle. We use the ‘Old Geezer’ test which starts with ‘do you smoke?’ and if you smoke you’ve increased your real age. If you’re obese you’ve increased your age. Both those are 10 years each. We’re teaching 3 kinds of aging, one of which is biological and you can do stuff that is negative to your human biological age or positive. Positive stuff is exercise, and we know by testing that you add 7 years to your life with massage. I am guessing that you guys could prove with testing that acupuncture could add 3-7 years if you keep your qi on, wouldn’t you? I predict that when the research is in we’re going to find that 7 years is added to the lifespan for someone who does regular acupuncture. Art and I are saying that you want to have quantity of life and quality of life. Is your life still high quality? The only way you can have quality of life is if you are ageless and have friends of every age – that’s that whole sense of belongingness.
Art’s had all of his best friends die, all names that you’d know if you’re old enough – Jack Benny, and Bob Hope was his partner, and on and on and on –Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, and all the presidents he’s ever worked with, including Nixon and Reagan. Art calls me kid – he does it with tongue-in-cheek – he’s not being disrespectful or saying he knows more than I do or anything. He does, but he’s not saying that! But at 94, he’d say I’m one of his best friends now. He says, “you better not die,” and I say, “if I do will you do my eulogy?” He said “yeah,” and I said “if you die I’ll do yours.” He is the best eulogy-giver – he did Steve Allen’s and Ronald Reagan’s – he’s done some pretty important eulogies. And everybody likes him and comes up to him after and says, ‘will you do mine?’ and he says, “I don’t even know you!” I had never met anyone before who was in demand for eulogies.
RW: What is the most valuable lifestyle change to achieve an optimum Second Prime?
MVH: Exercise. What we’ve discovered is that you’ve got to exercise 6 days a week minimum, almost an hour a day. 3 days a week aerobically and 3 days a week anaerobically, and one of those days every week has got to be 4 hours, which really is a stretch but that de-ages you 20 years. I’m a mountain climber and hiker and I’ve done Whitney and just finished Kilimanjaro in Africa so for me it’s not a stretch. The one that works for most people is dancing, where they go out and dance for a couple hours. We haven’t met but if we did and there’s dance music you’d see I’m a pretty good dancer – at least most people think so and women say, ‘wow you can really last a long time!’
RW: What do you see as the role of alternative medicine in achieving an optimum Second Prime?
MVH: I will even say you can’t have a great Second Prime unless you’re into alternative medicine. In alternative medicine I would include Oriental Medicine, herbs, homeopathic, massages, (I get at least one massage every week), reflexology, and alternative dental care. Dental care alone adds 10 years to your life, but I’m talking about the ancillary stuff – teeth whitening. Because if many of your teeth look yellow, you look at yourself and feel you look old. Everybody today, male and female, at least here by Hollywood, colors their hair, myself included. Art too – if he had wispy white hair rather than brown (cuz I’ve been with him when his hair wasn’t colored) and he looks older.
And the other alternative is you’ve got to be contributing to something that moves your heart, because the minute you do that you de-age 10-20 years. When Art goes on stage (he likes to talk) he de-ages. I’ve seen that 3 times. This is an alternative health thing too. Art loves to talk to an audience. It winds him up and it winds me up and it’s our right livelihood. I took my kids to see Victor Borg on his 89th birthday, because I knew he wasn’t gonna last that long and I had loved him a long time. We were in the first row and we saw him off in the wings and he was all sort of decrepit, and the minute they said his name, he came out and he de-aged 30 years and he did a phenomenal show. The closest I could get to that that everybody can see is out here - we have the Palm Springs Follies which you’ve got to be over 75 to perform in and you had to have been a superstar in Broadway or the Rockettes or Hollywood, and these women are dancing and looking good and their legs are – they’re all like Ann-Margret (do you know who that is?). Ann-Margret says she dances 4 hours a day and there’s no way I can prove that, all I can say is in pictures (I don’t know her in person) she looks dynamite! And I don’t think her pictures are airbrushed. And the other one we all know – Tina Turner, she’s 68 and I watched her in concert when my kids were little and then recently.
RW: A lot of the recommendations in the book revolve around taking control or responsibility for your own health, attitude, aging process, etc. Where or why do you think people have lost control of their health?
MVH: The big reason is the American medical establishment – all the commercials on TV saying that if you take this colored pill you don’t have to worry, you’ll be happy, you’ll be vital – the words they put on TV! I was watching a commercial the other day when I was exercising and it talked about re-enabling, empowering, invigorating, it had like 12 words and I thought ‘hell, I don’t even know what that pill is and I have no idea what it does but I want one of em!’ The pharmaceutical industry deals with masking symptoms, and they may cause greater problems, especially colonically speaking. It’s been said that 87% of disease starts in the colon. Take a simple thing like antibiotics – simple meaning they’re overused – you come in with a virus and get prescribed an antibiotic which does no good. I don’t get sick – I haven’t been sick in 25, 30 years. I drink pomegranate juice and a quart of 29 green grasses every day to up my alkalinity. If you checked my pH I’m right on 7 or somewhere near. Most people are not doing that because they’ve bought into the fact that they can go take an aspirin for a headache when they’ve got a headache because their transverse colon is probably constipated, probably because they’ve got pills sitting in their diverticuli stalling stuff. The body is always honest. It is meant to work. I really believe it is meant to work. Some of my staff had hamburgers for lunch, and I had a spinach salad with cranberries and glazed walnuts and very little dressing. They go, ‘why do you always eat green stuff?’ And I say ‘because green stuff is healthy! You guys have a lot of pain that I don’t have!’ I’ll put my energy against anyone’s, with the exception of Art – at 94, I’d have to say he’s got as much energy as I do. I want to have as much energy as I have now or more, and he’s a living example. You want quality and quantity in life, but without pain or age. Some of these guys on other radio interviews have said ‘well I’m sure you’ve got the same aches and pains as we do’ and Art says, “no, not Mark and me”. He’s not rude, but he says ‘no, we don’t buy into that one’. I mean, if I have back pain, I go to my acupuncturist.
RW: Why do you think this issue of loss of control of health, attitude, aging process, is an issue now?
MVH: Well, first of all, the insurance companies have bollixed this thing up and we’ve let them. They’re stealing money and have changed the system from one that worked to one that’s totally dysfunctional. Medicare and Medicaid is going up 15% a year. I did one talk for a major HMO and it’s the only client in all my years – and I’ve worked for everybody! I worked for Microsoft, Sun Microsystem, for a lot of billionaires, and it was the only company I’ve ever worked for that had 2 bodyguards on the Chairman of the Board because they were doing sleazy stuff, and as a result I won’t work for them any more. They’re practicing medicine that’s standard operating procedure, that has nothing to do with anything except the pharmaceutical dictates of our time. I took pictures because I couldn’t believe the guy needs 2 bodyguards. And he needs 2 bodyguards because a lot of people were pissed because they killed their relatives! Including – I lost my father-in-law to an HMO– I’m one of the guys that’s really ticked! I’ve seen that they practice sub-standard medicine based on what they can pay rather than taking care of the patient. Now, did my father-in-law take care of himself? No. Was he an angry person? Yes. Did he need to have his qi turned on so he could turn off his anger? Yes! But once he had the stroke, they didn’t do anything right as far as I’m concerned. Versus Earl Bakken – he won’t let any of his Drs. On Waimea on the Big Island of Hawaii practice unless they do a biochronology. Your biochronology goes 1-5000 and unless they’re over 4000, meaning they’re at peak times, he doesn’t let them operate in his hospital. You and I know that we work the emergency room docs on 24 hour shifts – they’re burnt out, they’re coffeed up, running acid, you don’t know what problems they’ve had at home, but they’re humans so they have problems. Whatever the deal is, they may not be centered or glorious – they may not have their qi turned on. I think you ought to interview Earl!
RW: Do you think this loss of control of health is something that’s particular to the Baby Boomer or aging population?
MVH: Yes, because we charge way too much money for old people. My mother-in-law - at 87, she doesn’t believe any of what we’re talking about, she is on Kaiser Permanente because she’s a government employee, and she goes to a different doctor every day to hear something different. I say ‘you’re way over-medicating yourself’, and she says, ‘well you’re not that kind of doctor.’ I say ‘but one of us is healthy and one of us isn’t!’ You have to participate in your health – it’s a co-venture with you and a practitioner, and if you’re not telling the doc what that doc did and all the medicines, and you’re buying prescriptions at different pharmacies and taking all of it, you’re over-medicating yourself, charging the system , and you’re thinking the system doesn’t charge back. Well it does – it charges me because I’m paying for insurance for people like you who are doing something that’s counter-productive to your own health. My mother-in-law is typical because that generation grew up and bought into a belief system that if you get sick, you go get a pill. I’m taking a lot of pills but they’re all herbal! Including 100,000 units of cayenne to keep my blood thin, ginko biloba, coenzyme Q10 to keep my heart functioning the way I want it to function.
RW: What would you like to get across to acupuncturists in the US? Why do you think it’s important for us to read this book or recommend it to our clients?
MVH: That’s three questions – first of all what I would recommend to you all is that you learn how to market. Marketing means outreaching with the most powerful tool in the world, which is stories. Obviously I’m in the story business with Chicken Soup for the Soul, stories I write in all my books, and in all my tapes and videos. The most powerful marketing which has been under-utilized in my opinion is – and every acupuncturist that would do it ought to come to my seminar on Mega Speech Marketing. The reason MDs have so much power is that they’ve decided to go out and speak for themselves. Of the 570,000 MDs out there there’s 100,000 out speaking at least once a week somewhere, because they are told and trained to do it, and you all have under-utilized your gift of articulation. There’s plenty of places to speak and opportunities. I would like to teach every acupuncturist how to do it because I want everyone to make sure they get acupuncture treatment. I would like 100% of America to get acupuncture. Am I indicting your industry? Yeah. Do I have a vested interest? Yeah! But here’s the vested interest – if you come to one of my seminars and for any reason don’t like it, at the end of the seminar you get your money back. If it doesn’t do everything we promised and a whole lot more you get your money back. And we teach you how to network, and we have the only world-class faculty of any seminar center in the world. And the subset is you ought to write a book. Most acupuncturists have written books for other acupuncturists. Show me a best selling book about why everyone needs acupuncture. It’s got to be a little easy-to-read book that is embraced by millions. It may take 10,000 of you to write books to find one that really works, but if you come to my seminar it will take a lot less. Someone will get it.
Why utilize our book is real simple. There’s only one place you can live and that’s the future. If you live in the future you live there with either high health or low health. If you want to live in high health, we’re in absolute alignment with you individually and collectively to get you into high health and recommend that your patients get into high health because America has got 100 million of us, one third of us, over 50 years old. That’s wonderful because no culture has ever done that. That’s terrible because those people think they’re all going to the happy hunting grounds of the promised land of retirement. We’re saying retirement is dangerous. Ed McMahon is a close friend of ours, and he’s got the biggest contract or his life at 82. We interviewed Jack Lalanne who sold 150 million juicers last year, and Jack Lalanne at 92 looks great, wakes up every morning and does 1000 pushups. Now he is totally into the alternative health stuff. Because he was a pimply faced kid and then got into all this. So these guys are all saying the same thing – if you stop working, you’re going to die. So for all the acupuncturists who have said ‘well I’ve made no money because…’ whatever they did – and hopefully all of you understand that you’re supposed to give 10%, save 10%, and invest 10%, and if you do that over a lifetime you’re going to become vastly rich no matter how much money you make. If you save a dollar a day over a lifetime it’s $25,000, but if you save a dollar a day and invest 10% it’s $2,750,000, and if you invest 20% it’s a billion dollars! Acupuncturists get sucked into thinking they’re just acupuncturists – or let me jump off of acupuncturists for a minute. When I grew up my daddy was a baker with a limited education, fairly illiterate because he came from Denmark. He was working 18 hours a day and there was no such thing as a seminar on how to make your little bakery into a big bakery and into an empire so it owned you more than you owned it. The danger with acupuncturists, and I’ve been to 6 or 7 of them, is that they all let the business own them. And I teach that you’ve got to own the business. You either master money or money will master you. It’s not if you’re a good or bad person – these are principles you’ve got to learn, and they’re not taught in Oriental Medical school. I’ve been to China – matter of fact I’ll be working in China Sept. 14-21 again with the Prime Minister. They teach the wrong thing there. In the Orient they all work 100 hours a week and they die very young. And I’m opposed to dying young. And I’m opposed to working 100 hours a week! We all have to do it once in a while but it’s not a good habit.
RW: This has been great, and I very much appreciate an outside perspective on the profession. I definitely agree with a lot of what you’re saying, and I think we do need a shift in focus, and it’s a nice added bonus to the end of the interview.
MVH: Well I want to help out your industry, because I’m pro-it, so is Art. Someday I would love to come in to talk just so I can teach the business of the business. The practitioners I know don’t make a lot of money because they’ve got a poverty-conscious fee, and they don’t understand that they better be doing investments from day one that makes money outside your business. The practitioner that is free and independent is ultimately a better practitioner. I am pro every professional but I want the professional to do so well that he or she is not sucked into the business owning him or her.
For more information check out Mark Victor Hansen’s website @ markvictorhansen.com.
NATION’S LEADING ACUPUNCTURE AND ORIENTAL MEDICINE ASSOCIATIONS
CELEBRATE ACUPUNCTURE AND ORIENTAL MEDICINE DAY Alexandria, VA, September 20, 2006 – Five of the nation’s leading Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (AOM) organizations are collaborating to promote Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (AOM) Day on October 24, 2006. Acupuncture and Oriental medicine is a complementary and alternative health care treatment that has been shown to provide many therapeutic benefits.
These five organizations include the National Certification Commission of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM), the American Organization for Bodywork Therapies of Asia (AOBTA®), American Association of Oriental Medicine (AAOM), the Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Alliance (AOMAlliance), and the Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (CCAOM). These associations are all committed to providing safe and effective delivery of AOM treatments and therapeutic techniques.
In the United States, the use of acupuncture and Oriental medicine is at an all-time high. According to a recent study conducted by the National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Complementary & Alternative Medicine, an estimated 36 percent of U.S. adults use some form of alternative therapy, 25 percent of whom have tried acupuncture. In addition, 64 percent of physicians have referred patients to certified practitioners of alternative therapies, including acupuncture and Oriental medicine, and more than $17 billion is spent on alternative therapies annually. Both the National Institutes of Health and the World Health Organization list acupuncture as a proven treatment for dozens of health conditions, including osteoarthritis, infertility and asthma.
“Acupuncture and other traditional Oriental medicine therapies such a Chinese herbology and Asian bodywork therapy are gaining momentum and popularity at a rapid pace,” said Kory Ward-Cook, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of NCCAOM. “Misconceptions about these areas of practice still exist. We want to take the mystery and fear out of making the decision to seek acupuncture and Oriental medicine therapies. This is why we are excited to join forces and form a partnership with AOM leadership organizations to celebrate AOM Day.”
The public interest and awareness that occurs with the celebration of AOM Day goes a long way toward dispelling the myths and misperceptions surrounding Oriental medicine and acupuncture. “AOM Day affords us a focused opportunity to communicate the health benefits, diversity and history of this medicine alongside those whose efforts are pivotal to the advancement of Oriental medicine in the U.S.,” said Rebekah Christensen, Executive Director of AAOM.
“The AOMAlliance is proud to be a long-time supporter of AOM Day,” said Michael R. McCoy, Ph.D., Executive Director of AOMAlliance. “We welcome our common effort, with like-minded organizations and individuals across the country and around the world, to call attention to the important benefits of this amazing approach to health care.”
“From the inception of this event four years ago, both national and international interest in commemorating this day continues to grow,” said Lixin Huang, MS, President of CCAOM. “This growth reflects increased recognition by the general public and health care professionals of AOM treatments.”
“AOBTA® supports AOM Day as an opportunity to unify our professions to educate all interested parties of the breadth and depth of Asian Bodywork Therapy (ABT) and Asian-Oriental medicine,” said Debra Howard, Dipl. ABT (NCCAOM), President of AOBTA.
For more information about AOM Day or about each participating organization, please visit www.AOMDay.org.
About AOBTA® - The American Organization for Bodywork Therapies of Asia (AOBTA®) is a professional membership organization which promotes the distinct professional identity of Asian Bodywork Therapy (ABT) and its practitioners while honoring a diversity of disciplines that are rooted in the principles and assessments of Qi (life force energy). AOBTA® serves its community of members by supporting appropriate credentialing; defining scope of practice and educational standards; and providing resources for training, professional development, and networking. AOBTA® advocates public policy to protect its members. AOBTA® also promotes public education on the benefits, ethics, and principles of ABT. For more information about AOBTA®, please visit www.aobta.org.
About AOMAlliance - The AOMAlliance is a membership organization dedicated to improving the health of the American public through acupuncture and Oriental medicine. It is organized as a 501(c)(4), a social welfare organization. This reflects the philosophy, mission, and goals of the founders of the organization to create an organization that supports and reflects the whole community of AOM, not just professional practitioners. It sees itself as an inclusive "village" of everyone who uses the principles of energetic medicine in their lives and work. Our "village" is one of rich texture and diversity. This includes licensed AOM practitioners, detox specialists, Asian body workers, vendors of AOM products and services, teachers and colleges of AOM, herbalists, MD acupuncturists, consumers and others interested in AOM and who are committed to bringing AOM to others. The AOMAlliance maintains its commitment to place patients first and the belief that freedom to practice, based on standards of competency, clear differentiation of title and training, and appropriate referral, provides the best choices to consumers and the best healthcare to society. The AOMAlliance is proud of its commitment to the profession. For more information about AOMAlliance, please visit www.aomalliance.org.
About AAOM - The American Association of Oriental Medicine (AAOM) was formed in 1981 to be the unifying force for American acupuncturists who are committed to high ethical and educational standards, and a well regulated profession to ensure the safety of the public. Incorporated as a 501(c)(6) Professional Corporation, AAOM is governed by a 12-person board of directors and has fourteen standing committees. The AAOM represents and advocates on behalf of the professional Oriental Medicine provider in order to ensure that the well being of the public is protected, and to ensure that Oriental Medicine providers are given their rightful place in the healthcare system. For more information about AAOM, please visit www.aaom.org.
About CCAOM - The Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine is the national membership association for colleges and programs of acupuncture and Oriental medicine (AOM) in the U.S whose mission is to promote excellence in AOM education. Established in 1982, the Council currently comprises a membership of 50 AOM institutions, all of which are either fully accredited or in candidacy status for accreditation with the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ACAOM), the national accrediting body for the AOM field. The Council’s member colleges are spread throughout 19 states in the U.S. Within the framework of ACAOM’s accreditation standards, these colleges offer training in a diversity of AOM traditions, including the traditional Chinese, Japanese, Five Element, Korean, and Vietnamese traditions. The Council’s colleges are also very active in providing AOM services to the public through their on-site clinics and more than 100 off-site clinics in local communities throughout the U.S. For more information about CCAOM, please visit www.ccaom.org.
About the NCCAOM – The National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM) is a non-profit organization established in 1982. Its mission is to establish, assess, and promote recognized standards of competence and safety in acupuncture and Oriental medicine for the protection and benefit of the public. It is a considerable professional achievement to earn the Diplomate designation. NCCAOM Certification indicates to employers, patients, and peers that one has met national standards for the safe and competent practice of acupuncture and Oriental medicine as defined by the profession. The first NCCAOM Comprehensive Written Examination (CWE) in Acupuncture (ACP) was given in March 1985. Since its inception, the NCCAOM has certified more than 17,000 Diplomates in Acupuncture, Chinese Herbology, Asian Bodywork Therapy, and Oriental Medicine. For more information about NCCAOM, please visit www.nccaom.org.
ACAOM Update
The Commission at its August meeting agreed to re-establish its doctoral
Task Force to develop proposed standards for a First Professional Doctorate (FPD) and a proposed transition
plan for moving from the MA to the Doctoral level.
The ACAOM Doctoral Task Force includes representatives from AAOM, FAOMRA, NFCTCMO, CCAOM, World Federation, etc. There is a tentative plan to meet in early 2007.
The doctoral task force has developed proposed competencies for first professional doctorate that include the competencies for master's programs, but also include additional compunctions relative to the emerging complex multi-disciplinary settings practitioners might find themselves; for or example hospital based practice or practices in integrative settings. The task force report was the subject of two public hearings and a third and final public hearing will occur in conjunction with the AAOM Expo 2006, at the Wigwam Resort and Spa, Litchfield Park (Phoenix) Arizona. The meeting will be held on Saturday, October 21, 2006, from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM.
ACAOM has retained Dr. Karen Kershenstein to serve as a consultant to the Task Force as it completes its work. As background, Dr. Kershenstein served for decades as the prior Bureau Chief of the USDE Accreditation and State Liaison Department, is a recognized expert in the USDE recognition process and in accreditation, and serves as a consultant to many accrediting agencies. She serves as a Commissioner on a few accrediting bodies and currently consults for the Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors, an organization of approximately 50 specialized accrediting agencies.
The profession and the public will have ample opportunity to provide input as the TF conducts its work.
ACAOM wishes this to be a fully transparent process and is committed to insuring that
the profession, regulators, educators, and the public will have ample opportunity to provide input
as the task force conducts its work.
AB-3014 Sent to Governor's Desk
We are writing you today to advise that AB 3014 has been sent to the Governor’s desk for signature. Just as we
have requested, and you have provided your advocacy over the past several months, we are once again requesting
that you take a few moments to fax and email one last letter of support. Your letter should be sent to the
Governor and his Los Angeles Director, Bill Greer. Their contact information is provided in the article.
http://www.aaom.org/pressroom.asp?pagenumber=48251
American Public Health Association Annual Meeting
The American Public Health Association (APHA) is holding its annual meeting in Boston this year. The Alternative and Complementary Health Practices (ACHP) section, an APHA group dedicated to advancing integrative health solutions in public health systems, is looking for state licensed, insured acupuncturist to provide free mini-treatments at the conference. Volunteers will work a half-day shift (morning or afternoon) on November 6th or 7th. The sessions will be conducted at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. Over 13,000 leaders in public health attend the meeting, many from the region. This provides good exposure for our medicine and for the acupuncturists working at the conference.
If you have questions please contact Dr. Adam Burke at aburke@sfsu.edu (415-338-1774). To apply
as a volunteer please fax AAOM a copy of your license and insurance coverage and days/times of
availability. We will respond with final details. Thank you!
Tai Sophia Institute Workshop
Redefining Health, a two-day weekend seminar, provides participants with skills that enable them to
re-examine themselves, their work, and their relationships. Tai Sophia Institute President Robert
Duggan and Chancellor Dianne M. Connelly conduct this workshop that draws on tenets of Western and
Eastern philosophies. Participants learn as many as 20 practical skills that they can put to use
immediately to make positive changes in their lives. Past participants, who have included business
executives, teachers, and healthcare practitioners, say the seminar has shown them ways to be more
effective and fulfilled in their professional and personal lives. The workshop is scheduled for
Date and Time: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., Saturday, October 7, 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Sunday, October, 8. It takes place at the Institute, 7750 Montpelier Road, Laurel, MD. Cost is $140 and 12 CEUs are available. For nurses 15 contact hours are available. To register, or for more information call 410-888-9048, Ext .6611.
Biographical Information: Duggan and Connelly are co-founders of the Institute. He is the author of Common Sense for the Healing Arts. She conducts workshops internationally and is the author of Traditional Acupuncture: the Law of the Five Elements, All Sickness is Homesickness, and co-author of Alive and Awake: Wisdom for Kids.
About Tai Sophia Institute: Founded in 1975 as an acupuncture school, today Tai Sophia Institute has more than 900 alumni practicing acupuncture, herbal medicine and other healing arts around the country. Its current enrollment totals more than 320 graduate students in its Master of Acupuncture, Master of Science in Herbal Medicine, and Master of Arts in Applied Healing Arts programs. In addition to the degree programs, the Institute offers a wide variety of wellness programs that are open to the community. The Institute also maintains clinics for acupuncture treatment and herbal consultations.
Contact: Harry Bosk - 410-665-4787
Society for Integrative Oncology
The Society for Integrative Oncology (SIO) will hold its annual conference November 9-11, 2006, at the
John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center, in Boston, MA. SIOis a multi-disciplinary organization
of professionals dedicated to study and facilitating the cancer treatment and recovery process though the
use of complementary therapies. The goal of the SIO’s
Third International Conference is to educate oncology
professionals and other healthcare stakeholders concerning the state of the art of integrative therapies.
We think this program would be of great interest to your organization. Would you please post this
information on-line and distribute to your members.
The Integrator Blog
As new on-going monthly feature, the Qi-Unity Report will feature articles of interest from The Integrator Blog. Biographical information on Publisher/Editor John Weeks is provided.
Sep 24, 2006 - Do We Need a Federal Office for Integrated Health Care? Take 2 Minutes for a New Vote on a Key Issue More…
Jul 26, 2006 - AMA Resolution Urges that MDs/Students Receive Info CAM Benefits and Risks: The Student Section of the AMA sponsored Resolution 306, urging the AMA to support more education on the "benefits, risks and safety" of CAM, in both medical schools and through continuing medical education. The AMA's House of Delegates removed some of the resolution's stronger language and adopted the position as policy. By John Weeks More…
Jul 8, 2006 - Pew Commission's Strategy Suggested for CAM-IM Turf Battles -Written by John Weeks A scope/standards issue between the AOM and chiropractic professions (see related IBN&R article) has led to a suggestion that the mid-1990s recommendations of the Pew Commission be used as guidance to break the wasteful energies of old, inter-disciplinary behaviors. This article looks at a few of those recommendations, and some commentary from a CAM-IM leader who was involved in that work. By John Weeks More…
Jul 5, 2006 - AAOM Challenges Chiropractic's Standard on 300 Hour Acupuncture Certification Amidst allied health and CAM discipline organizing against the AMA's campaign to restrict scope expansions of others, a national acupuncture and Oriental medicine organization fires a salvo across the CAM bow at the chiropractic profession's 300 hour acupuncture certification program. The focus is on respecting educational standards which can be the basis of competencies. Is there a way for CAM professions to resolve these differences without battling state-by-state? By John Weeks More…
Trager for Self-Healing: A Practical Guide for Living in the Present Moment
The "Power of Presence"
All around us is a life-giving, life-regulating power that always has been and always will be. Called the Life Force, it is the active aspect of the intelligence that is the Source of all life. The most healing, empowering, and creative act we can do for ourselves is to consciously connect to this force, which can only be experienced in the present moment. In the present moment connection is automatic.
Such a connection is not intellectual; it is a feeling. Having a mental understanding of the subject merely points the way to the experience; it is not the experience itself. “You can’t try to get it,” Dr. Milton Trager, developer of the Trager? Approach, said. “…to try is to fail. You don’t try. To try is effort and effort is tension. We don’t try. We just allow it to happen.”
This is a paradigm shift. Most are caught up in trying, in exerting as much effort as they can to get their desired outcome. Few have learned how to not try. They have no experience of what effortlessness feels like, and therefore even less experience being connected to the Life Force. People who consciously connect to the Life Force describe it as a feeling of peace, or lightness of being. Others use words such as stability, joy, empowerment, clarity, and a sense of homecoming. But whatever words we put to it, what matters is the feeling in our body/mind.
Trager is a practical approach to living, not just a way to fix pain in the body. Its practicality is its magic. Those who embrace the Trager Approach quickly learn that it works best when applied to all areas of life. For example, when we wash the dishes, or type at a computer, or lay hands on a client’s body, we do the same thing: we allow ourselves to show up in the present moment, and thereby “hook-up” to the feelings inherent in the Life Force. This is where our power comes from, and where lasting healing is accessed.
Trager is a practical approach to living, not just a way to fix pain in the body. Its practicality is its magic.. Dr. Trager called these tools Mentastics? (derived from the two words mental gymnastics). In my book, Trager for Self-Healing: A Practical Guide for Living in the Present Moment, I discuss a variety of Mentastics, but for now let’s look at the three most basic ones. They are: 1) pausing, 2) mindful breathing, and 3) feeling the weight.
They sound simple, but when used consistently the effect on our lives is profound. These tools will lead us out of our spinning mind and into a present moment experience where our negativity floats away, leaving peace. Imagine giving a speech and being able to release your anxiety, accessing instead clarity and joy. Imagine letting loose your apprehension over your aging mother’s health, and being able to access love and trust. Imagine after your vacation feeling overwhelmed by a three week back-log of work, then letting it go to be replaced by a sense of stability and lightness.
Before we can consciously connect to the Life Force, the first thing we need to do is apply the breaks to our doing, both in our mind and body, and…pause. Stop talking, stop walking, stop worrying, fretting, controlling, and…pause. A pause helps us to become the observer instead of the reactor. It is a gateway that opens our body/mind to the intelligent life-giving, life-regulating power all around us.
The second thing we do is…breath mindfully. After a pause we put our awareness on our breath, taking our attention from out there and placing it in here. With practice, we become centered, like being at the hub of a wheel. At the hub, our perspective broadens, becoming multifaceted. Our assumptions soften. We awaken to the realization that we are not the pains we feel, or the thoughts we have—they are only one or two spokes of our wheel—but are instead part of a interconnected web of consciousness.
Once we have paused our doing and our thinking and have centered ourselves through mindful breathing, we enter a present moment experience by feeling weight. When we pay attention to the downward pull of gravity we enter into the physicality of the here and now. The next time you are putting the groceries away, doing the dishes, or lifting a hammer, feel the weight as you move the object through space. The next time you are holding the hand of someone you love, pause, breathe, and feel its weight. Rather than holding it up, let it rest in your palm. You will experience a positive life-affirming sensation. This is a present moment experience.
Try it. Right now. Wherever you are.
- Pause. Let go of reading this article.
- Become mindful of your breath—like an umbrella opening and closing.
- Now shift your body from side to side. Feel its weight move through space.
If you use these three simple tools throughout your day you will feel differently. Your awareness of the Life Force flowing through your body/mind will grow and bloom, and in turn so will your empowerment, wellness, and creativity. This is the power of Presence.
Audrey Mairi is a Senior Trager Practitioner, tutor, workshop leader, electives teacher and author of Trager for Self-Healing: A Practical Guide for Living in the Present Moment, H J Kramer/New World Library publishers. For more information contact: www.audreymairi.com or www.newworldlibrary.com
Based on the book Trager for Self-Healing: A Practical Guide for Living in the Present Moment © 2006 by Audrey Mairi. Printed with permission of New World Library, Novato, CA. www.newworldlibrary.com
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In closing, let me leave you with these thoughts:
Let us face our fears and risk boldly in stepping beyond the safe world that binds us;
Let us live and breathe deeply and walk deftly at the edges of possibility;
Let us stretch beyond comfort, to challenge our existence;
Let us embrace the distant horizon until the edge of EARTH becomes our Shore.
Sincerely,
Rebekah Christensen,
Executive Director
PS: Don't miss Expo 2006, scheduled October 19-23, at the Wigwam Resort and Spa, Litchfield Park (Phoenix), Arizona. You'll find Exhibitor and Attendee Brochures online at www.aaom.org!
All of us want to see acupuncture and Oriental Medicine become a societal right and a healthcare choice for all by achieving enough awareness and acceptance to increase its stature. We feel a key in achieving this goal shall be derived through our communication and collaborative efforts; i.e., unity. As organizations, schools, practitioners, students and businesses of OM, we must all recognize that a direct benefit of honoring our interdependence through collaboration is decreased fragmentation and increased prominence of our profession within the healthcare community.
Who can Participate? As an AAOM member, you are being sent an invitation to participate by submitting to this collaborative news alert. You can access the submission form online by visiting www.aaom.org/?pagenumber=45160. Topics that will be published are varied. If you want to contribute something and don't know if it would be appropriate, just drop us an email or give us a call. AAOM's Editor-in-Chief, editor@aaom.org, will be happy to assist you or answer additional questions you might have.
Each issue's deadline is the first Monday of the month. Submissions received after that date will be published in the next month's issue. PLEASE DO NOT DIRECTLY EMAIL SUBMISSIONS. Our interactive submission form provided as a direct link for your convenience. Thank you!
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