ARTICLES

Efficacy of Acupuncture for Treating Cocaine Addiction: A Review Paper

PubMed Abstract | PMID: 16368661

By Kim YH, Schiff E, Waalen J, Hovell M

Acupuncture is being used in more than three hundred treatment facilities for treating substance abuse including cocaine addiction. Previous review papers could not evaluate the role of acupuncture for treating cocaine addiction because of lack of clinical trials at the time. Since then, several important studies were conducted in the field. This paper reviews existing clinical trials using acupuncture to treat cocaine addiction. The existing evidence fails to document the benefit of acupuncture in treating cocaine addiction as the sole treatment. Further efforts to document the efficacy of the NADA protocol to treat cocaine addiction as the sole treatment should be re-evaluated. There is a limited amount of evidence showing possible benefits of acupuncture when used as an adjunctive therapy to complement existing substance abuse treatment program. Future efforts should concentrate on systematic studies investigating the role of acupuncture as an adjunctive treatment for cocaine addiction. In addition, more formative research exploring the efficacy of different types and protocols of acupuncture treatments for cocaine addiction should be thoroughly investigated.

Reprint available through AIMC Berkeley Learning Resource Center. PMID: 16368661

Efficacy of Acupuncture for Treating Knee Osteoarthritis

From Alternative Medicine Alert | May 2005

By Yoon-Hang Kim, MD MPH DABMA, Consulting Physician at the Institute for Health and Healing, California Pacific Medical Center, in San Francisco.

A significant amount of data exists supporting the effectiveness of acupuncture for treating OA of the knee. The recently completed phase III trial strongly supports the role of acupuncture for treating knee OA .... read more

Efficacy of Acupuncture for Treating Back Pain

From Alternative Medicine Alert | July 2004

By Yoon-Hang Kim, MD MPH DABMA

Back pain is the fifth most common reason for all physician visits.(1) The direct health care expenditure for treating back pain is estimated to be more than $20 billion annually and as much as $50 billion per year ... read more

Acupuncture for the Treatment of Depression

From Alternative Medicine Alert | March 2005

By Yoon-Hang Kim, MD MPH DABMA

A significant amount of information exists on the effectiveness of acupuncture for treating depression. The chain of evidence, from neurotransmitter involvement to clinical trials, supports biological plausibility and efficacy .... read more

The ABC’s of AOM

By Benjamin Dierauf, MS LAc
Immediate Past-President, CSOMA

The deluge of acronyms in the profession of AOM (Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine) can make for an alphabet soup that can be difficult to digest, for some causing St qi reversal and others more serious imbalances such as isolationism and apathy. Learning these acronyms is a challenge that must be overcome if one is to begin to understand one’s place in the world of AOM. The following is a basic primer for further exploration.

California Professional Associations

CSOMA (California State Oriental Medicine Association) – The largest of the state professional associations, and the only association with an office and full-time staff in Sacramento, CSOMA publishes the California Journal of Oriental Medicine and the CSOMA Source and puts on two conferences per year in Northern and Southern California. (www.csomaonline.org)

AKOMAC (Association of Korean Oriental medicine and Acupuncturists of California) – Represents primarily Korean speaking practitioners.

UCPCM (United California Practitioners of Chinese medicine) – Represents primarily Chinese speaking practitioners in Northern California.

CCAA (California Certified Acupuncturists Association) – Represents primarily Chinese speaking practitioners in Northern California.

CAMA (California Acupuncture Medical Association) - Represents primarily Chinese speaking practitioners in Southern California.

CAAM (California Association of Acupuncture Medicine) - Represents primarily Chinese speaking practitioners in Southern California.

JAAC (Japanese Acupuncture Association of California) - Represents primarily Japanese speaking practitioners in California.

CAOMA (Council of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Associations) – An umbrella organization of associations, CAOMA serves as a forum for association leaders to share information and resources and provides a unified voice to legislators and policy makers. Members include UCPCM, AKOMAC, CAMA, CAAM, JAAC, and AARI (Acupuncture Association of Rhode Island). (www.acucouncil.org)

State Regulatory Boards

CAB (California Acupuncture Board) – The constitution of this country allows states to regulate the activities of their professions by promulgating laws and regulations unique to their specific situation. In California, laws are created by either the state Senate and Assembly and signed into law by the governor, passed by voter initiative, or result from case law that stems from judicial proceedings. The CAB is charged with developing and implementing regulations for the AOM profession that conform to the laws of the state. (www.acupuncture.ca.gov)

FAOMRA (Federation of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Regulatory Agencies) – Provides an organization through which member state agencies that regulate AOM may work together to share information and resources. (www.faomra.org)

National Professional Organizations

AAOM  (American Association of Oriental Medicine) – The only 501(c)6 non-profit that represents the AOM profession nationally. (www.aaom.org)

AOMA (Alliance of Oriental Medicine and Acupuncture) – a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization endeavors to support and reflect the whole community of AOM, not just professional practitioners. (www.AOMAlliance.org)

NGAOM (National Guild of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine) – An affiliate of the OPEIU and the AFL-CIO, provides testimony to policy makers around the country with particular regard to patient access and reimbursement issues, with the assistance, expertise, and high-level political connections of organized labor. (http://64.78.56.99/med/ngaom.asp)

AOMNC (Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine National Coalition) - A new for-profit corporation (membership is always free), AOMNC’s primary objective is to get 'qualified acupuncturists' approved by Congress as 'Statutory Medicare Providers,' along with the approval for acupuncture services. AOMNC has been active in beginning attempts at ending discriminatory reimbursement practices against 'qualified acupuncturists' and their patients on state and national levels. (www.aomnc.com)

OM Educational Accreditation Bodies

ACAOM (Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine) – The Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ACAOM) is the national accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to accredit Master's-level programs in the acupuncture and Oriental medicine profession. As an independent body, ACAOM accredits first professional Master's degree and professional Master's level certificate and diploma programs in acupuncture and first professional Master's degree and professional Master's level certificate and diploma programs in Oriental medicine with a concentration in both acupuncture and herbal therapies. [description provided by ACAOM]

NOMAA (National Oriental Medicine Accreditation Agency) - is in the process of applying for national recognition by the U.S. Department of Education to accredit first degree entry-level OM professional doctorate programs and specialty boards.

Other National Organizations

NCCAOM (National Commission for the Certification of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine) – a 501(c)6 non-profit business league, examines and certifies practitioners of acupuncture, Chinese herbology, and Asian bodywork therapy. Certification through their acupuncture exam is required for practice in most states outside of California. Passage of the CNT (Clean Needle Technique) Exam, administered by the CCAOM (see below), is one of the requirements to sit for this exam. The NCCAOM does not break down the examination results of its exams on a school-by-school basis. (www.nccaom.org)

CCAOM (Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine) – a 501(c)6 business league, represents the interests of some of its member schools to policy making bodies. The CCAOM derives a significant portion of its revenue from the administration of its CNT exam ($125/student). (www.ccaom.org)