ACAM Integrative Medicine (IM) Blog

Go Social: The Benefits of Professional Networking

I have attended many professional conferences, but what continues to astound me after planning and executing 10+ ACAM conferences is the long-lasting camaraderie that our guests build with one another. The complementary, alternative, and integrative medicine community is such an open group of indviduals that have such a spectacular common goal of wellness through whole body approaches that it is always a pleasure to see practitioners and corproate supporters that I have the pleasure of working with throguhout the year get to meet each other and continue to strengthen their bonds conference after conference.

Of course, attending an ACAM conference is primarily about receiving cutting edge research straight from industry experts. However, we strive to provide a robust experience for attendees to satisfy their educational, business, and personal interests when they join us. Whether you are meeting old friends or enjoying the company of physicians you are meeting for the first time, we want you to make memories and provide a network of experts and thought leaders you can rely on.

We are infusing this concept into the core of our upcoming spring meeting by:

1. Inviting new members and attendees (and long-time ACAM members!) to participate in our mentorship program and an introductory reception.
2. Encouraginy you to join us for pre-conference and General Session activities by saving with passport packages.
3. Inviting anyone attending the General Session through regular a la carte and passport package rates to ask a colleague to join them in the General Session for $399, a 50% savings!
4. Providing breaks and lunches in the exhibits areas and centralizing these areas with education so you will be able to find business solutions for your practice.
5. Hosting the Friday evening Havana Nights reception to provide your mind much needed rest!

Our events are ever evolving based on feedback we receive from our guests. Anyone who missed the opportunity initially can still participate through our online survey! 

 

About the Conference

ACAM will be hosting our Spring conference May 29th - June 2nd at the beautiful Westin Diplomat Resort in Hollywood, FL. 

Pre-conference workshops will be hosted Wednesday, May 29th and Thursday, May 30th. Topics include Basic Chelation Therapy, Integrative Psychiatry, Lyme Diseas & Biotoxin Illnesses Co-Presented by BioResource, Inc, and Hands-On Hyperbarics Presented by International Hyperbarics Association. 

ACAM's General Session, Mitochondria in Health and Disease:  A Clinician's Guide to Diagnosis and Treatment, is designated for 12.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ and will be hosted Friday, May 31st - Sunday, June 2nd. 

Join ACAM in welcoming Dr. Gervasio "Tony" Lamas on Saturday, June 1st at lunch where he will discuss the ground breaking Trial to Assess Chelation Therapy, which he served as study chair for.

Please visit www.acamflorida.com for more information and contact ACAM at 1-800-532-3688 with any questions. See you there!

 

In Good Health,

Megan Marburger, Director of Operations

ACAM Welcomes John Dearlove as Advisor to the Board of Directors

ACAM welcomes John Dearlove as an Advisor to its Board of Directors. Mr. Dearlove brings a wealth of experience servingt the integrative medicine community to ACAM. He has served as CEO of mercola.com and founded and managed a marketing and communications agency for over 20 years. More recently Mr. Dearlove has created Health Realizations Inc. 

"John brings years of business experience and passion to our organization," states Michael Boutot, Executive Director of ACAM. "I have grown to appreciate his level of knowledge in our industry and his professionalism," added Boutot. "I am honored to be invited to participate on the ACAM Advisory Board," stated Dearlove. He continued, "I have found ACAM to be a group of the most open and inviting physicians. This is an organization of medical professionals truly focused on advancing the cause of integrative medicine and I welcome the opportunity to assist ACAM in disseminating cutting edge information on the prevention and remission of disease."

Please join ACAM in welcoming John Dearlove!

ACAM Welcomes Naturopathic Physicians Into Professional Membership

The complementary, alternative, and integrative medicine community has always been comprised of forward thinkers committed to treating a patient well using the latest research. ACAM has experienced an influx of interest from naturopathic doctors (NDs) during the past few years and have had the opportunity to welcome many as faculty and as attendees at our conferences. 

It is with tremendous pride that we announce that our voting membership, historically composed of MDs and DOs, has voted by nearly a 9-1 margin to provide full active voting professional membership to licensed naturopathic physicians. Licensed naturopathic physicians have been provided professional affiliate membership at ACAM in the past, but did not have voting rights relative to membership measures.

Qualified naturopathic doctors who are existing members of ACAM have automatically been provided full benefits and new members will automatically be inducted into active voting membership. Benefits of membership include:

• Discounts on ACAM programming and our Certified Chelation Therapy (CCT) Examination
• Patient referralst hrough our Physician + Link system
• Complimentary access to Natural Standard, a $300 value
• 10% discount at the ACAM Store
• Discounts on books, such as savings of up to 50% on Dr. Alan Gaby's book,  Nutritional Medicine
• Opportunities to serve as a mentor, receive mentorship, and serve the Organization through committee work

To qualify for membership, doctors must have graduated from an accredited medical school and professional members must operate in a state that licenses them. Naturopathic doctors who have graduated from an accredited program, but operate in a state that does not currently license naturopathic doctors may still join ACAM as affiliate members.

Please visit membership.acamnet.org for more information regarding benefits and eligibility. Please contact ACAM's membership coordinator, Fatima Quintero, with questions at 1-800-532-3688 x1061 or by emailing Fatima.Quintero@acam.org.

ACAM welcomes NDs to active membership and leadership fully supports your committment to patient care. Following are welcome messages from ACAM leadership. 

Those who attend ACAM conferences, those who design our conferences, whether they be allopaths, osteopaths, or naturopaths are striving for intellectual honesty in the practice and educational arena of medicine. This to me means we look at nutritional and environmental influences on illness and health; areas that are the core of naturopathic training. Many of us have naturopaths within our offices and see the validation of their profession by universities where they work side by side with their MD/DO colleagues. 

- Neal Speight, MD,  ACAM President

 

Over the years, we have watched the practice of naturopathic medicine evolve into a highly sophisticated, rigorous practice model, with defined standards and scientific substantiation. There is increased legitimization of the field via recognition of naturopaths by universities and government programs like the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Many ACAM physicians already cooperate successfully with NDs in integrative group practices. Their training and orientation complement the scope of services patients can draw upon. 

- Ronald Hoffman, MD, ACAM Past President and current member of the Board of Directors

Many NDs feel more at home at ACAM than with our membership organization; we are a diverse population of providers with diverse modalities...The quality of our continuing education is attractive to a variety of providers and I believe we will continue to attract a substantial membership of NDs if we are respectful and willing to treat NDs equally as peers. Certainly, as an ND myself, I feel that I have been treated as a peer, I think I have proven that over the years as a Board Advisor. I believe that we as NDs have a lot to teach and contribute to ACAM as well as a lot to learn. The stakes in our current healthcare catastrophe are too high to be exclusive and I believe it is to our benefit to act inclusively for our sustainability as well as our visibility.

- Lyn Patrick, ND  ACAM Board Advisor and Education Planner

 

ACAM To Welcome Gervasio "Tony" Lamas, MD to Spring Conference

 

Gervasio Lamas, MD

 

It is with great enthusiasm that ACAM announces that we have the distinct pleasure to host Gervasio Lamas, MD to our upcoming Spring 2013 conference and tradeshow. Dr. Lamas will be speaking on Saturday, June 1, 2013 as a special lunchtime presentation during ACAM's General Session proceedings.

Dr. Lamas will be discussing the Trial to Assess Chelation Therapy (TACT) which was a multi-center international collaborative study initiated in 2009. Sponsored by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) and National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), Dr. Lamas was the lead investigator to determine the safety and effectiveness of EDTA chelation therapy in individuals with coronary artery disease. Dr. Lamas will be covering the TACT findings and its impact on the integrative medicine.

 

About Dr. Gervasio "Tony" Lamas

Gervasio A. (Tony) Lamas, M.D., is chief of Columbia University Division of Cardiology at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, Fla. and author of the TACT trial report.   Dr. Lamas is the Chairman of Medicine at Mount Sinai Medical Center and Chief of the Columbia University Division of Cardiology at Mount Sinai Medical Center. He received his B.A. in Biochemical Sciences cum laude from Harvard College and his M.D. with honors (AOA) from New York University. He completed his Internship and Residency at the Brigham and Women's Hospital of Harvard Medical School, where he later served as Assistant Professor of Medicine. During the last decade, he has enrolled thousands of patients in more than a dozen U.S. and international trials in order to improve cardiac care and prevent death and disability from heart disease. He served as Chairman of the Mode Selection Trial in Sinus Node Dysfunction (MOST), a trial that led to profound changes in cardiac pacemakers. He served as Co-Chairman for the Occluded Artery Trial (OAT), and Study Chair for the Trial to Assess Chelation Therapy (TACT), a $30 million trial sponsored by the National Institutes of Health. He has authored over 300 scientific publications, and maintains an active clinical practice in Miami Beach and Key Biscayne.

 

About the Conference

ACAM's Spring 2013 Conference and Tradeshow will be hosted at the Westin Diplomat Resort in sunny Hollywood, FL Wednesday, May 29th - Sunday, June 2nd.

ACAM will offer pre-conference workshop learning opportunities in the areas of Lyme Disease & Biotoxin Illnesses, Basic Chelation Therapy (Heavy Metal Toxicology), Integrative Psychiatry, and Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment presented by International Hyperbarics Association (IHA) on Wednesday, May 29th and Thursday, May 30th.

Our General Session, Mitochondria in Health and Disease: A Clinician's Guide to Diagnosis and Treatment, is designated for a maximum of 12.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ and will be hosted on Friday, May 31st - Sunday, June 2nd. Dr. Lamas will be our guest speaker at Saturday's lunch. All General Session attendees are automatically registered to hear this discussion.

ACAM will also be hosting its Certified Chelation Therapy Examination, is partnering with the Certification Board For Nutrition Specialists to host their examination, and will offer a multitude of bonus learning and networking opportunities.

For more information please visit www.acamflorida.com. 

Whitaker Wellness Seeking a Dedicated Physician in Newport Beach!

We are a world-renowned integrative Medical Clinic in Newport Beach seeking a dynamic full time or part time Physician to join our team. We are dedicated to improving the quality of life for our patients by providing integrative medical treatment.

We offer a professional and dynamic work environment along with benefits including group medical, dental, and vision, 401k, paid vacation, and employee discounts on medical services as well as vitamin supplements. We also offer competitive compensation within the Orange County area.

Qualifications:

• Valid California medical license
• Experience with alternative medicine is a plus
• Experience with Prolotherapy and PRP is a plus

For immediate consideration please email your curriculum vitae and salary history to rcawley@whitakerwellness.com or fax to (949) 476-1478. All candidates will get a response. 

Practice website: http://www.whitakerwellness.com/

Integrative Center Seeking Caring Physician

 We are a well established, privately owned integrative center that specializes in hormone replacement therapy, detoxification protocols (including chelation), chronic illness, allergy, adrenal insufficiency, thyroid disorder, and more. Our facility is newly refurbished, approximately 3000 sq ft, and located in a historical hotel in beautiful downtown Tarpon Springs.  The staff is well organized, dedicated, and has been together as a team for 13-15 years. We are looking for a physician with excellent communication skills with patients, staff and colleagues. There are currently two other integrative physicians, an ARNP, two nurses and support staff.  The position is full time or part time.  Ideally, starting part time and increasing the patient base to a full time position.  No hospitals, holidays, or evenings. Salary is competitive. Our patients office visits are 30 or 60 minutes  allowing you time to listen, discuss, and establish an appropriate treatment plan.  We are "non-participating status" with Medicare but do accept assignment.  All other patients are cash basis.

Interested applicants please contact:

Laurie Chapman

(727) 786-1661

chapmanlaurie@hotmail.com

Vital Well-Being Center, Inc.

210 So Pinellas Ave., Suite 106

Tarpon Springs, FL 34689

www.vitalwell-beingcenter.com

Preventive and Integrative Medicine in Beautiful Lake Tahoe, NV

South Lake Tahoe, Nevada is a wonderful resort community in the beautiful Lake Tahoe basin. Surrounded by incredible natural terrain with world-class snow skiing, golfing, hiking, boating and minutes to the beaches of Lake Tahoe. It is one of the most desirable places in the world to live. Tahoe has small town hospitality and the big city amenities including world famous entertainment. And no state income taxes!

We are a dermatologic and cosmetic practice and would like to add certain integrative and anti-aging medicine services. If interested, we would also like to train and incorporate you into the dermatology and cosmetic surgery practice.

Excellent compensation (95th percentile). Full benefits. No call. No weekends or holidays. Flexible hours. Incentive bonus plan. Company paid malpractice insurance. Generous CME allowance. Paid time off. Paid relocation expenses to winter and summer paradise. No HMO patients. No hospital rounds or meetings.

Here's your chance to live in magnificent Lake Tahoe, Nevada. If you are interested, please respond and email me your CV. I look forward to hearing from you.

E-mail or mail resume to: Ms Forster, PO Box 5910, Stateline, NV 89449 or southshoretahoe@aol.com.

Tampa, Florida Wellness Facility Seeks Integrative Nurse

We are in need of an experienced IV nurse to help set up our IV center and wellness facility .

We are looking for an LPN with good IV skills and a pleasant personality. We are opening up a new Wellness facility located in Tampa, Florida .

Interested candidates please respond to drsofficetampa@gmail.com

Who Is Your Primary Care Giver?

by Holly Lucille, ND, RN

We love this blog post by Dr. Holly! Perhaps it will inspire a conversation you can have with your patients...

What would you say if I asked you who your “primary care giver” is?

Would you fumble for your insurance card, strain to remember your doctor’s name or claim you don’t have enough money to have one?  Well, let me cut to the chase: aren’t YOU really supposed to be primarily in charge of taking care of yourself?  Huh..huh??  Well…..AREN’T you?   Uh huh….I though you might agree with me.

It makes sense, doesn’t it?  Still, countless times after I finish a lecture and there is a period of Q & A, I will have someone ask me what I think about this or that, usually it is a medication they are taking.  You see, I have gotten wise in my time and started to catch on to this manner of questioning so I shoot back right away and ask, “why are you asking”? Inevitably, every time, the person asking the questions admits to taking the medication about which they are asking.  So I, in turn, ask, “well, what do you think about it?” and they say….”I don’t know, my doctor has me on it”.  Here is where things get a little heated, because I get really serious and call them out, exclaiming, “WAIT! You mean to tell me that you are taking a medication that you don’t know how you feel about?!?!

Here is my point.  We all have to start taking 100% responsibility for our health.  Your doctor has every right to make a recommendation and prescribe anything, but after that, you are responsible for every thing that you put in your body- including (and especially) medications, what they are used for, what the side effects are, and everything else!

Here is some reframing I would like you to try when speaking about your healthcare. Instead of saying “my doctor has me on­­­­_____”, say “My doctor prescribed ______and I am choosing to take it.”  This ultimately empowers you as the “boss” of your body! That is what makes a great partnership when it comes to health, but ultimately, you truly are your own primary care giver.

The Kaplan Center for Integrative Medicine is Seeking a Full-Time Physician

Integrative Multidisciplinary practice in McLean, VA, specializing in the treatment of chronic pain and illness, is looking for a board-certified family medicine or internal medicine physician with a background in functional medicine to join our team.  The ideal candidate will also be experienced in prolotherapy.

Our medical team is comprised of physicians, a nurse practitioner, physical therapists, a psychotherapist, nurses and a dietitian.  We meet bi-weekly to coordinate patient care and to share treatment insights and recommendations.  We offer a comprehensive treatment approach that may incorporate:  OMT; Prolotherapy; PRP; Medical Acupuncture; Bioidentical Hormone Therapy; Psychotherapy; Physical Therapy; Craniosacral Therapy; Lymph Drainage; Nutritional Counseling.

As a fee-for-service practice, you will be seeing 10 to 13 patients per day in sessions that last from 30 to 60 minutes, you will have time to listen to your patients and talk with them about their symptoms, medical and social history, treatment plan, and life circumstances that might aid or hinder their recovery.