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Alternative Health News
Clinical Data Registries Deserve Your Attention
If you follow U.S. health care policy-making at all, it's easy to get distracted by the unknown fate of the Affordable Care Act right now. However, while this battle is carried out among our elected officials, the marketplace continues to move toward rapid change in health care delivery.
Moving TCM Into the Future
As I look back on many of the projects that I have done, it seems that the hardest part of the project is its completion. Often the finish takes more effort than the start, and this is certainly true with regard to the WHO-ICD-TM-11 diagnostic codes.
Denied Care: The Art of the Appeal (Pt. 3)
Part II: Response to Negative IME / File Reviewer Comments.
Ethical Herb Practices: Prescribing Custom Formulas
The uniqueness of Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine (TCHM) is the opportunity to design custom formulas for each patient's presenting and constitutional patterns. But is this our common practice in the modern pharmacy?
We Get Letters & Email
We Don't Need a Name Change; "A Ridiculous Article"; Professional Treason.
Knee Therapy: Art or Science?
In a recent issue of New York Times Magazine, a Mount Sinai hospital advertisement was headlined: "Knees are like car parts. It's better to get replacements from the original manufacturer."1
A Statement From the NCCAOM
We are at a critical juncture in our profession. Many acupuncturists are doing well and acupuncture as a whole is getting more mainstream publicity; however, there are those in our profession who are not succeeding.
A Daily Strategy for Heavy-Metal Detox
In modern society, we are constantly exposed to heavy metals such as cadmium, lead and mercury. These heavy metals have no essential biochemical roles in our body, and conversely, can cause us a great deal of harm if they build up to toxic levels.
The Opioid Epidemic: It's Time We Stand and Fight
While I am not an expert on opioids or the opioid epidemic, I do have personal insights on this important subject. In 2009, I suffered a burst appendix on a cruise ship and had to undergo an emergency – and life saving – surgery in the small town of Progresso, Mexico.
Give Your Patients the Ergonomic Advantage
Prolonged sitting contributes to low back pain (LBP) and is a health risk.

News in Brief
3rd President of Life West Named; Unique Center to Open.
How Medical Integration Affects Patient Outcomes
Integration is defined as "the act or instance of combining into an integral whole." Integral is defined as "belonging as part of the whole." When considering the concept of medical integration, this is an important point to consider.
Expanding Our Scope: Perception vs. Reality
Theaetetus proposed that "Knowledge is nothing other than perception." Our brains reflect what we are feeling, even if that's not what really happened.
No Yin, No Yang, Only Qi
The ancient Chinese authors of the Su Wen and the Ling Shu left a road map for the practice of Chinese medicine. Part of the map is the foundation diagnostic model of Chinese medicine: Yin-Yang.

RAND Report: Chiropractic Scores Big in the Military
A RAND Corporation research report on availability, documentation, coding, credentialing / privileging practices, and demand for CAM services at military treatment facilities shows chiropractic enjoying substantial success within MTFs in terms of availability, utilization and effectiveness.
The 3 P's of Practice Profitability
I once addressed a large gathering at a three-day conference in Chicago. There were a few hundred people in the room, all having flown in from all over the world.
Attorneys General to Insurers: Cover Acupuncture
U.S. attorneys general representing nearly 40 states / territories have taken an important step in combating the opioid epidemic, highlighting nondrug pain management options – and increasing insurance policies toward and coverage of acupuncture and other conservative treatment options.
An Invaluable Practice Tool: The New-Patient Calculator
Your marketer (or you) is whipping up a promotional storm. Your team is attending events and activities. You're in the community. You're running a budding chiropractic practice and you've read all the marketing guides.
The Luo Vessels: Restoring Connectivity
When I was a novice acupuncture student my teacher suggested a seemingly radical way of working clinically. My training was highly focused on understanding the acupuncture channel systems of the body, especially the so-called "secondary vessels."
The Scarcity Mindset: The #1 Reason Your Practice Is Not Working
What if I told you there is only one thing getting in the way of you becoming a successful acupuncturist? Yes, only one! And what if I told you the majority of you have no idea this is happening, but you're doing it over and over and over again.

New FAA Medical Exam: An Opportunity for Chiropractic
Chiropractors are eligible to perform the Federal Aviation Administration's new BasicMed medical exam for private pilots provided they are considered a "chiropractic physician" by their state chiropractic licensing board and state scope provisions include the ability to perform the basic components of the exam.
Risk vs. Reward in the Multispecialty Practice
Owning a multispecialty practice (MD/DC/NP) comes with risk, just like any business. And as you might consider, the larger your business, the more it expands out into your community, the more income you generate, the greater the risk.
Why Maintenance Matters
I like being right. As a publisher, you have to be right the vast majority of the time. The other times are filled with apologies and published erratas, which at the very least tend to be embarrassing.
Scare Tactics: The Problem With "What the Health?"
I have received many questions about the movie "What the Health?" from meat-eaters and people who know I am a meat-eater. In particular, they want to know if meat is safe.
Patient Care Gone Wrong: 5 Overused Procedures
How many of these tests / procedures do you perform or order? They may be unnecessary, at least in certain circumstances. As part of the "Choosing Wisely" campaign, an initiative of the ABIM Foundation and Consumer Reports, the American Chiropractic Association has released a list of five tests and procedures chiropractors commonly order or perform, but are not always necessary.
Eat to Sleep: Nutrition Guide
Every night, millions of people have trouble falling and/or staying asleep. Traditionally, this is caused by stress, anxiety, caffeine, a lack of physical activity or overstimulation before bed, as well as by nighttime discomfort or pain.
Women's Hormones: A Guide to the Cycle and Infertility (Part 2)
The third phase is referred to as the luteal phase, and is regulated by the Spleen Qi and Kidney Yang. The hyper thermal phase is marked by high body temperatures and lasts for about 14 days.

Massive NIH Grant to Study Benefits of SMT for Back Pain
The National Institutes of Health has awarded a $14 million grant to the University of Minnesota and University of Washington to study the benefits of spinal manipulation for back pain vs. standard medical care (including prescription medication).
The Perils of the "Oh, While You're at It" Phenomenon
Evaluation and management rules regarding documentation of a patient's chief complaint(s) indicate the chief complaint(s) should "usually" be stated in the patient's own words.
Acupuncture and the Treatment of Spinal Stenosis
In the "Huangdi Nanjing" (The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine) the Dai Mai (Belt Vessel) is described as encircling the waist, and is the only horizontally-flowing meridian, with a main function of regulating the movement of qi upward and downward in the body.
What's the Public Perception of a Multispecialty Practice?
Surveys have been performed to help determine the attitude of the American public toward the medical profession as compared to the chiropractic profession. Not surprisingly, medical doctors tend to rate higher than chiropractors in several key categories.
Ohio Work Comp Clamps Down on Spine Surgery
The Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation has issued a rule change regarding payment for lumbar fusion surgery, effective Jan. 1, 2018, that only authorizes surgery after the injured worker has received at least 60 days of conservative care for low back pain.
Lumbopelvic Fixation: Address the Lattisimus
Ouch! I just got zapped again in my left lumbopelvic (LP) region. Shocking pain and muscle failure caused me to drop to my knees. HVLA moves are painful and don't relieve the problem. I pull out my adjusting tool and go to town ... but only get temporary relief.

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My View From Here

By Ralph Stephens, BS, LMT, NCBTMB

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Other Articles

Debunking the Myth: Is Massage Licensing Necessary?
  May, 2017 (Vol. 17, Issue 05)
A Continuing Problem: Making Sense of Continuing Education
  April, 2017 (Vol. 17, Issue 04)
Expanding Regulation in a Shrinking Profession
  February, 2017 (Vol. 17, Issue 02)
It's About Health
  November, 2016 (Vol. 16, Issue 11)
It Is Time
  September, 2016 (Vol. 16, Issue 09)
Death & Health: Very Strange Bedfellows
  August, 2016 (Vol. 16, Issue 08)
Making Things Better
  May, 2016 (Vol. 16, Issue 05)
History Repeats Itself
  April, 2016 (Vol. 16, Issue 04)
Electile Dysfunction: Setting a Dangerous Precedent
  February, 2016 (Vol. 16, Issue 02)
Change is the Only Constant
  November, 2015 (Vol. 15, Issue 11)
FSMTB: Falling Down on the Job
  September, 2015 (Vol. 15, Issue 09)
Having the Opportunity to Change a Client's Life
  July, 2015 (Vol. 15, Issue 07)
How Often Should You Treat?
  May, 2015 (Vol. 15, Issue 05)
If You Bet the Ranch, You Might Just Lose It
  April, 2015 (Vol. 15, Issue 04)
Mismatched Solutions to Our Most Pressing Problems
  February, 2015 (Vol. 15, Issue 02)
For-Profit Chain Schools Find Themselves Under the Gun
  November, 2014 (Vol. 14, Issue 11)
It's Time to Stop Being Needy
  September, 2014 (Vol. 14, Issue 09)
Learning the Right Way to Get Started in this Business
  July, 2014 (Vol. 14, Issue 07)
Understanding Stimulus Response by Engaging with Readers
  May, 2014 (Vol. 14, Issue 05)
Finding a Bridge to Somewhere
  April, 2014 (Vol. 14, Issue 04)
Is Hours and Hours of Education Really the Answer?
  February, 2014 (Vol. 14, Issue 02)
It's Time to Stop Chasing Rainbows
  November, 2013 (Vol. 13, Issue 11)
It's Time to Start Bursting the Education Bubbles
  July, 2013 (Vol. 13, Issue 07)
Encouraging a Call for Cure in the New Year
  February, 2013 (Vol. 13, Issue 02)
Where Did All the Graduates Go?
  November, 2012 (Vol. 12, Issue 11)
The ELAP Project vs. The Seven Deadly Sins of Massage Education
  August, 2012 (Vol. 12, Issue 08)
Moving Massage Therapy Toward a Brighter Future
  July, 2012 (Vol. 12, Issue 07)
Challenging Sacred Cows, Round Two
  February, 2012 (Vol. 12, Issue 02)
Do You Take Supplements? Kiss Them Goodbye
  January, 2012 (Vol. 12, Issue 01)
Challenging Sacred Cows
  November, 2011 (Vol. 11, Issue 11)
Stop the Music
  July, 2011 (Vol. 11, Issue 07)
Massage in Decline
  May, 2011 (Vol. 11, Issue 05)
Time for Change
  February, 2011 (Vol. 11, Issue 02)
The Ugly Quilt Grows
  November, 2010 (Vol. 10, Issue 11)
Falls to Remember
  September, 2010 (Vol. 10, Issue 09)
Marching Toward Therapeutic Irrelevance
  July, 2010 (Vol. 10, Issue 07)
The Corruptibility of Facts
  March, 2010 (Vol. 10, Issue 03)
Heart on the Bottom Line
  January, 2010 (Vol. 10, Issue 01)
Year-End Observations of Our Profession
  December, 2009 (Vol. 9, Issue 12)
Immorality Reigns
  September, 2009 (Vol. 9, Issue 09)
Upsetting the Health Care Pyramid
  July, 2009 (Vol. 09, Issue 07)
An Opportunity and a Double Cross
  May, 2009 (Vol. 09, Issue 05)
Health Care Reform and the Massage Profession
A Crisis Too Great to be Wasted
  March, 2009 (Vol. 09, Issue 03)
It's All in Your Mind
  January, 2009 (Vol. 09, Issue 01)
Economic Crisis: Be Aware, Get Prepared
  November, 2008 (Vol. 08, Issue 11)
Peak Politics
  September, 2008 (Vol. 08, Issue 09)
Suffering for Profit
  July, 2008 (Vol. 08, Issue 07)
Resistance Is Futile
  May, 2008 (Vol. 08, Issue 05)
Beware of the Backlash
  March, 2008 (Vol. 08, Issue 03)
A Pivotal Year in Massage Therapy
  January, 2008 (Vol. 08, Issue 01)
Why Not Health and Wellness
  November, 2007 (Vol. 07, Issue 11)
Help Grow a Pearl
  September, 2007 (Vol. 07, Issue 09)
Where It’s Been, Where It’s Going
  July, 2007 (Vol. 07, Issue 07)
Scope It Out
  May, 2007 (Vol. 07, Issue 05)
What Discipline?
  March, 2007 (Vol. 07, Issue 03)
Winter Wonderland
  January, 2007 (Vol. 07, Issue 01)
Let Them Eat Chemicals!
  November, 2006 (Vol. 06, Issue 11)
Interesting Times
  September, 2006 (Vol. 06, Issue 09)
Put Your Hands on Your Monitor, Part Two
  July, 2006 (Vol. 06, Issue 07)
Put Your Hands on Your Monitor – Part 1
  May, 2006 (Vol. 06, Issue 05)
Education – Where Does Advanced Begin?
  March, 2006 (Vol. 06, Issue 03)
It's About Health
  January, 2006 (Vol. 06, Issue 01)
The Shoe's On The Other Foot Now
  November, 2005 (Vol. 05, Issue 11)
Bad Dog and Good Dog Let Out
  September, 2005 (Vol. 05, Issue 09)
Spa Issues and a Request
  July, 2005 (Vol. 05, Issue 07)
Exciting Times
  May, 2005 (Vol. 05, Issue 05)
What Scope of Practice?
  March, 2005 (Vol. 05, Issue 03)
Medical Massage and More, Part II
  January, 2005 (Vol. 05, Issue 01)
Medical Massage and More, Part I
  November, 2004 (Vol. 04, Issue 11)
Of Cabbages and Kings
  September, 2004 (Vol. 04, Issue 09)
We've Made It!
  July, 2004 (Vol. 04, Issue 07)
Is It Time to Implement Levels of Education?
  May, 2004 (Vol. 04, Issue 05)
A Trade or Profession?
  March, 2004 (Vol. 04, Issue 03)
No Danger Here?
  November, 2003 (Vol. 03, Issue 11)
Privacy Doublespeak
  September, 2003 (Vol. 03, Issue 09)
Changing Focus
  July, 2003 (Vol. 03, Issue 07)
Why Sell Ourselves Short?
  June, 2003 (Vol. 03, Issue 06)
Healthy Dissent and Alignment
  April, 2003 (Vol. 03, Issue 04)
Of Parables and Other Things
  March, 2003 (Vol. 03, Issue 03)
It Won't Hurt for Long
  February, 2003 (Vol. 03, Issue 02)
Interesting Times
  January, 2003 (Vol. 03, Issue 01)
No Better Time Than Now
  December, 2002 (Vol. 02, Issue 12)
Giving Thanks
  November, 2002 (Vol. 02, Issue 11)
Pulling Up the Ladder
  October, 2002 (Vol. 02, Issue 10)
Beyond the Rub
  September, 2002 (Vol. 02, Issue 09)
Hey, Doctor Wanna-Be's
  August, 2002 (Vol. 02, Issue 08)
Massage Education Failing, Part V
  July, 2002 (Vol. 02, Issue 07)
Massage Education Failing, Part IV
  June, 2002 (Vol. 02, Issue 06)
Massage Education Failing, Part III
  May, 2002 (Vol. 02, Issue 05)
Massage Education Failing, Part II
  April, 2002 (Vol. 02, Issue 04)
Massage Education Failing
  March, 2002 (Vol. 02, Issue 03)
Protecting Freedom of Health Care
  February, 2002 (Vol. 02, Issue 02)
Hopeful Views and Empowering News
  January, 2002 (Vol. 02, Issue 01)
Why We Do What We Do
  December, 2001 (Vol. 01, Issue 12)
The Real Purpose of Insurance
  November, 2001 (Vol. 01, Issue 11)
Money and Ethics
  August, 2001 (Vol. 01, Issue 08)
Advice to Future Massage Therapists
  June, 2001 (Vol. 01, Issue 06)
Debunking Insurance Myths
  May, 2001 (Vol. 01, Issue 05)
We Are One! Let's Act Like It
  April, 2001 (Vol. 01, Issue 04)
Will Research Prove Our Point?
  February, 2001 (Vol. 01, Issue 02)
Work More for Less
  January, 2001 (Vol. 01, Issue 01)
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