(Picture of myself & Stephen Durell)

As the Vice President of the Michigan Society of Acupuncturists, I was able to attend the yearly conference of the American Society of Acupuncturists this month in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  Stephen Durell (MiSA President) & I had an amazing weekend there!  Here are some key take aways:

Friday – We met with the ASA Reps from each state.  This was an invigorating meeting, discussing where each state is individually and where we are headed nationally.  It was so comforting to know that we are all dealing with similar concerns due to the challenges our profession is facing.  Conversely, there were so many WIN’S and it was great to hear that people are having successful fundraisers, working well with legislators, and being leaders in our field!

Saturday – I started the day with 7:30 am Qi Gong!  Stephen had breakfast with the reps from Wisconsin.

Saturday Presentations on the following:

  • Integration & Collaboration – How acupuncture can Impact Healthcare Delivery & Contribute to New System Models of Providing Care

  • Technology in Acupuncture & Herbal Medicine Panel

  • Classical Medicine with Modern Conditions

  • AI for Marketing

On Saturday night, we went to a dinner with an amazing 5 piece jazz band.  Got to talk shop with other practitioners & enjoy some downtime!

From Brehan Crawford, I got the following TCM nugget:

Brain waves & Their Corresponding Elements – TCM Analogues to Neuroscience

Delta – Water – Deep dreamless sleep, capacity to recover, brain is the sea of marrow

Theta – Wood – Emotional processing, vision, imagination with no direction, natural state of toddlers

Alpha – Earth – Centered awareness, relaxed focus, friends/community, safety

Beta – Metal – Discernment, ability to say no, self editing

Gamma – Fire – Hearts radiance, divine inspiration, ability to bring heaven to earth

Sunday Presentations on the following:

  • Integrative Acupuncture in Obstetric Care

  • Research Panel – As much as we know our TCM language, to gain credibility & visibility in our healthcare paradigm, we need to speak THEIR language which is RESEARCH.  I’m going to include links below to great sites that can be so supportive in our practices.

  • NIH National Centers for Complementary & Integrative Health Updates

  • Jin Golden Panel

Acupuncture Research Websites

https://www.evidencebasedacupuncture.org/

https://www.convergentpoints.com/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39403098/

https://www.acu-track.org/

https://www.acupunctureresearch.org/

https://www.pcori.org/

The Goal of the ASA is as follows

“Advancing the profession practice of acupuncture as a whole system of medicine through advocacy, education and research”

I feel so proud of this volunteer organization and how they are elevating our career to the next level!