Channels-Newsletter-Winter-2011

Posted on December 8, 2011

Channels Newsletter – Winter 2011

In This Issue

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President’s Letter, Winter 2011

By Kiem Schutter, TCMABC president

AGM

Did you miss the Annual General Meeting in October? Make sure you set aside time for the next one! A huge “Thank You!” to:

Eastern Currents Distributing and Bema Botanicals for helping to sponsor the event
Epicurian restaurant for hosting our recent AGM Soiree
Dr. Peter Wood and Poppi Sabhaney for organizing the wonderful music at the event
Dr. Warren Fischer for making the trip down from the Kootenays for a fantastic and informative CE lecture
The members for taking the time to coming out and participate in the AGM

We welcome Dr. Shannon Larson as our new secretary. Shannon has been doing a fantastic job in her new role and we are all looking forward to working together.

A special “Thank You!” to Brigid Ting for all of her dedicated hard work as the secretary not only for our association but for the joint association project, as well. Brigid’s attention to protocol and hard work has definitely served us all very well and we were very lucky to have her as a board member. We wish Brigid every happiness in her retirement.

Website

The website has been a B-I-G project that has demanded a ton of time and energy. We have been retooling and making it more user friendly – both for the board in terms of the back end use of the website, and for members and the public who access it. Our new and improved website is up and running now and we are currently in the process of adding more content over the next few weeks. We hope both you and your patients will take advantage of it. I encourage all the members to go on the website over the next few weeks and give us your feedback: what do you like about the site? how does it look and function for you? How can we improve it more?

Amalgamation and Networking

TCMABC has been quietly working with the QATCMA on a few projects and we have sat down for a few brainstorming sessions recently. We have been discussing our direction and our goals, and I believe that in that spirit we will continue to work together and that something amazing will come of it.

Membership Benefits

Our Treasurer, Poppi Sabhaney, is working with insurance companies to get point injection coverage, which is an important thing the TCMABC will be able to offer to our members in the new year.

New Directions

We are looking forward to the direction for the Association in the upcoming year: there is a lot happening and the year of the dragon promises to be action-filled, in classic Dragon style!

Are you planning to attend the CTCMA AGM in January? It is your opportunity to give input, offer comments and suggestions. It is also an excellent chance to re-connect with colleagues, former schoolmates, and others from our TCM community. Get involved – you’ll be glad you did!

Kiem

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AGM Report

By Shawn Poppi Sabhaney and Beverly Osachoff

Thanks to everyone for coming out to the 2011 TCMABC Annual General Meeting, held in October at the Epicurean Cafe in Kitsilano. The event was a smashing success with TCMABC members travelling all the way from Grand Forks, Vancouver Island, and Nelson to attend.

We welcomed many new members, plus Dr. John Stan of Eastern Currents Distributing, Dr. Phillip Lin and Julian Liu from Bema Botanicals, and Dr. Weidong Yu from the QATCMA.

JOINING TEAMS

It was a pleasure to have Dr. Weidong Yu, QATCMA President join us as our guest for the festivities. Weidong gave an impromptu speech, giving us a glimpse into his thoughtful insights and visions for a united future for our profession here in BC. Hearing his words gave fresh incentive to our amalgamation efforts because together we can help our TCM community to grow and prosper. We look forward to the strength of a united professional community we will build with our new friends and members.

ELECTION of OFFICERS AGM 2011

2011 – 2012 Board:

Kiem Schutter, President
Avery Yackel, VP
Kevin Preston, Membership
Shawn Poppi Sabhaney, Treasurer
Shannon Larson, Secretary
Beverly Osachoff, Editor, Communications
Michael Cote, Member-at-Large

AGM AFTERPARTY

After all the business and learning, we enjoyed getting to know each other over some nice food and good wine. Later we were treated to a rich musical dessert featuring Ms. Jaclyn Guillou and a delightful cluster of musicians. We could have listened to that rich voice and stylish combo for days! We are all looking forward to our next soiree.

Kiem (President) and Poppi (Treasurer)

Harris and Michael (Vancouver Island Rep)

Peter (Past President), Kevin (Membership), Shannon (Secretary), Kiem (President)

Brigid (Past Secretary) with fellow TCMABC'ers

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Continuing Education Lecture by Dr. Warren Fischer

By Beverly Osachoff and Shawn Poppi Sabhaney

We were fortunate to have Dr Warren Fischer speak at the AGM, and were even able to record his fascinating CE lecture which will be found exclusively in our members section on the TCMABC website. Dr Fischer’s talk was very enlightening and turned into an intimate Q/A session covering many aspects of the nature of Qi and some of the misconceptions that we default to when we speak to our patients about it.

Of all our ideas about Qi, or what we interpret it to be, Dr Fischer reminded us to ‘think of Qi as relationships’. Whether we are speaking of Organ Qi, yin/yang, or simply Qi as a concept; it is always about the relationships that Qi allows and provides. When we speak of “Heart Qi”, for example, we must consider the interaction of the heart organ with blood, the lungs, the kidneys, and the shen spirits.

We mistakenly like to use the term “energy”. Qi, Warren reminds us, is technically “not a thing” – it is not like an indefinable gaseous fluid-like something underlying and composing all things or we would be able to measure or quantify it. Qi, like the San Jiao, is all about functionality and dynamic processes. We cannot measure these dynamic interactions with a voltmeter.

When we consider Qi, we must think in terms of “the dynamic interaction between two things”, which is what the written character implies. All phenomena such as yin/yang are understood to be the result of its subtle motions and transformative powers. Qi is both flowing and immeasurable, predictable and inclined to follow established protocols and even timelines.

One strength of Chinese medicine is its inductive nature with its ability to weave distant or seemingly obscure variables together to see the larger picture. Using methods such as tongue and pulse diagnosis, we see the relationships between organs, the patient and the environment, the clinician and the patient, and ultimately, our treatment protocol. This process itself is a perfect example of Qi manifest.

Thanks, Dr. Fischer for your commitment to strong fundamentals and keeping our craft pure.

PS… Be sure to listen to the recording of the complete lecture – link coming soon!

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Herb of the Month

Name the monthly mystery herb correctly and your name will be entered to win a prize donated by one of our fine sponsors. The draw will take place at our board meeting in January 2012. Winner’s name and correct answer will be posted on our website

Q: Which Chinese herb commonly used to treat wind-damp arthritis is also effective at reducing serum cholesterol, improving heart contractility, stops coughing, and has recently become a helper herb in formulas for Lyme disease?

Acupoint of The Month

Q: Which acupoint is used to treat vomiting when over-the-top-consumption of alcohol is a causative factor?

Send your answers to our Editor. Please include your name and a phone number]

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Natural Health Products (NHP) – Cooperative Spirit at Round Table Discussions with Health Officials

By Beverly Osachoff, TCMABC Editor

Members of our TCM community came together in October with officials from Health Canada and National Health Products Division (NHPD) to discuss the future of regulations that affect herbs and natural health products.

Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq gave the message that she “wants members of our TCM community to know she is listening”. Members who attended the meeting said they felt it was a positive encounter with government officials sincere about respecting TCM herbs and formulae as well as our expertise in the use of these substances. TCMABC member Dr. Peter Wood who attended the meeting said he felt “hopeful optimism” that Health Canada is actually trying to understand TCM. “At least”, he says, “they are talking to the right people”.

NHPD’s mandate and territory
The NHPD was created to “protect the public”. Their “territory” is limited, however, to products that are accessible to the general public. They have reviewed common medicinals like garlic and vitamins – things considered “safe enough to take without supervision”. Their job is to ask questions about quality of herbs, efficacy, and potential complications of overuse or misuse. Certainly, in the case of energy drinks for example, NHPD regulators face a quagmire of issues in attempting to determine how to monitor sales and consumption. Do these products work? Are they safe to drink? For who? How much is too much? We all know there are dangers and significant potential for abuse, especially by youngsters.

Can products be trusted?
NHPD officials raised concerns about undisclosed adulterants – a serious problem that is in the news again after a Pan Am games medalist recently tested positive for a banned substance that was not listed on the label of a supplement product. This clearly is not an issue exclusive to TCM. It needs examination under Canada’s labeling laws where criminal charges can be laid for undisclosed ingredients. This is a global SAFETY issue with the potential to affect innocent consumers. We affirmed that government agencies must look beyond our shelves before someone becomes seriously injured, or worse.

NHPD wants OUR help
This coming year, the NHPD wants to hear from us– including importers, manufacturers and health care professionals – because we are all considered “users”. Watch for announcements on upcoming meetings and plan to get involved in any way you can. TCM professionals at the round table meetings suggested NHPD must handle TCM differently than over-the-counter consumer products because the two worlds are often far apart.

Why TCM is special
Health Canada understands that we compound and therefore customize the herbal products we sell and recognizes that we are uniquely trained to do this. It is crucial that we protect our unique ability to prescribe, compound and dispense our products and that we protect our access to materials we need. Dr. Michael Chung – a CTCMA board member, manufacturer of herbal products, and an active clinician – was a participant at the meeting. He feels that we can protect these rights through changes to our college by-laws that are already in process. “We should consolidate our compounding power by making this solidly part of our scope of practice. This is in our core competencies, but not in our by-laws.”

Grey Zones
I asked Dr. Chung how TCM practitioners could protect our prescription rights when we see, for example, Naturopaths using TCM classical formulae. Our prescription rights, he reminded me, are enshrined in our bylaws and only TCM herbalists or practitioners can do a proper TCM diagnosis. Basically, anyone can buy/sell TCM herbs because they are not considered “Drugs”. It is up to us as a profession to educate the public about why our methods get results.

Due Diligence vs. Witch Hunting
The line between practicality and necessity is not always clear, according to Dr. John Stan, another active participant at the round table. Dr. Stan is the owner of Eastern Currents Distributing, a major wholesale supplier to the trade and a TCM clinician himself. With over 350 applications stuck in process, John’s commitment is profound. I admire his patience as he explains that many very safe and basic herbal products are under threat because of rigid rules that do not quite fit modern circumstances.

An excellent example is the Blue Poppy herbals: while based on traditional formulae, these have been modified slightly from their original form to reflect modern changes in climate and lifestyle. Herbalists of old used more hot yang tonics like fu zi than we do today because the climate was colder. Likewise, we see a lot more yin deficiency and liver profusion in our clinics because of the pace and stresses of modern life. While these modern formulae have modest changes that any TCM herbalist would make routinely, the issue lies with regulators who have trouble understanding that the basic recipe is still the same. I shake my head and question why so much high-level scrutiny is necessary for such low risk products.

Situations like this where historically safe formulae are subjected to intense scrutiny creates unnecessary fears and distrust in the public. Given that these formulae are intended for professional use only and the dispensing TCM practitioner mitigates any potential risks, it is easy to question the fuss. We must be mindful of the line between safety and paranoid caution.

Education is the answer
Personally, I cringe a little every time I see a TV ad for Chiropractors or Naturopaths…where are we? As a TCM community, we need to create our own commercials, and we can only afford them when we join all the associations together. The “One Voice” may not be as important as The “One Bank Account”!

Meanwhile, anything we can do as individuals to educate the public about why TCM is safe, effective and affordable will surely help our cause. Let us work together to develop more public education lectures, workshops and public events. How can our prospective patients know the difference between acupuncture and so-called “medical needling” if we do not tell them? The same is true for TCM herbs: we must educate people about how their TCM professional is trained to diagnose, compound and dispense herbs safely – checking for interactions with medications, and ensuring their safe administration.

Thanks to all who participated
The TCMABC thanks Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq, representatives of NHPD and all the other participants for their respective contributions to this important meeting. Your efforts ensure a strong future for all of us.

Xie Xie Ni Men!

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9000 Needles Movie Review

By Poppi Sabhaney, TCMABC Treasurer.

My first professional acupuncture experience was at the ICTCMV student clinic. The patient was a late 20’s male with Bell’s Palsy. I remembered thinking to myself, “Is acupuncture really going to help that much?”. I feared only partial success at best. As one of several students watching in a cramped treatment room, we all gawked in awe as the needles were deeply inserted in a variety of amazing feats of angles on the patient’s face. While a needle was being manipulated from Si zhu kong towards Yu yao a single tear escaped from his eye, but he said “No, No. It’s good. I can feel it working!”, as he smiled to the group of onlookers. And after only one treatment the patient had regained slight facial movement.

Watching this documentary of a 40 year stroke victim work his way through 3 months of daily acupuncture treatments in China was like that moment, but with 100x more emotions. This movie is moving, inspiring and heart-wrenching all at the same time. It showcases TCM therapies as truly competent, effective and wondrous. Mix that with: determination, unconditional family love and the human struggle against adversity equals a great film that both educates and gives clinical evidence that practitioners and patients alike will benefit from and take away something to talk about.

The evening was a success, raising $300 that will go towards future TCMABC Acupuncture Education and Awareness Initiatives. The TCMABC plans to feature another showing of 9000 Needles early next year both here in Vancouver and in the Interior.

The TCMABC thanks Eastern Currents and Vancity for their door prize contributions and a special thanks to the ANZA for its generous donation of the venue. And of course, thanks to the members and their patients that were able to join us.

The TCMABC will be sponsoring a fabulous movie in a number of communities around BC as part of our ongoing efforts to help educate the public about the benefits of acupuncture and TCM.

Would you like to host 9000 Needles in your community? Contact Michael Cote our TCMABC Member-at-large for more info.

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CTCMA / MSP Record Keeping Worshop Review

By Poppi Sabhaney, TCMABC Treasurer.

I will be the first person to admit that any and all paperwork, while important, I consider a complete pain to accomplish. Regardless, it is vitally important to main a clear, concise report of what transpired with your patients’ care and visits.

I attended our licensing board’s (CTCMA) workshop for “RECORD KEEPING… the key to Effective Accountable Practice” with instructor Sandy Chernoff, from Soft Skillls for Success, which included a review of requirements for MSP Billing. I personally bill MSP quite a lot, and what many practitioners forget is that at some point you may be audited if you collect government monies. Like paying your taxes every year, random audits can happen. So I decided to find out what the minimum requirements are for record keeping.

The general point to the course was to teach good record keeping habits to ensure that both the practitioner and the patient have a clear document to point to in case of legal necessity. With an underlying theme that documentation is essential to have an effective and accountable practice. It gives a clear, consistent documentation that provides a “written memory” of what took place during each appointment.

Summary of what I learnt:

Document everything, and I mean EVERYTHING! Completed with detailed explanations for all treatments and the rationale behind it; it’s not enough to just have a few points randomly thrown down and a diagnosis. Your patient records reflect your level of patient care, the more details shows you have been listening and doing a proper diagnosis. In the end this gives greater validity to the efficiency of your practice and your level of competence as a TCM practitioner. Ask yourself, are you proud of your record keeping abilities, or would you be embarrassed if you were requested to present your patient records.
To get signatures for everything! Signatures showing that you and your patient both acknowledge said rationale and treatment plans. A signature for both agreements and disagreements. A signature if the patients refuses care, prescribed herbs or informed decisions, signatures, signatures signatures (or at the very least initials). This gives clear indication that informed consent and proper communication has been present throughout patient visits.
And having mentioned consent, of course making sure you have all needed documentation/templates such as: informed consent form, medical history forms, records of care and any other documents that you might feel may be prudent.

My review of the class was that the main focus, as the CTCMA should be, was how to make sure that you, as a practitioner, can and should protect yourself from legal prosecution in the unfortunate case of. Usually we are on the other side, looking inward at the CTCMA and saying how they don’t work for the practitioner, but here, the emphasis was on providing clear direction about what is expected of our profession in regards of documentation.

And from my personal opinion at a fundamental level, if we are in the business to provide consistent care then we must act and perform as professionals. The seminar was useful to remind practitioners that patient records allows for transparency to all parties involved, even independent third parties such as insurance or legal companies. And while patient records might be tedious, the extra five minutes goes a long way for peace of mind and our professional standards.

What Can You Share?

We are always in need of photos and articles that help educate or create discussion around important issues affecting our TCM community. Do you have clinical pearls to share? The more we share our knowledge, the stronger our collective skills become.

Your name and clinic info will be posted with your photos and articles – a really easy and free way to increase your Internet exposure and connect with colleagues. Send your submissions to: editor@tcmabc.org