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Winter Newsletter - 2015
WINTER 2015 - CHINESE NEW YEAR
INDEX - IN THIS ISSUE
- CHINESE NEW YEAR
- ACUPUNCTURE: A GROWING PROFESSION
- AGM REMINDER APRIL 26TH
- DRY NEEDLING REPORT/PNEUMOTHORAX
- CEU's/ SEMINARS AVAILABLE THROUGH EDMONTON AND CALGARY
- COMPLETION OF OHS HANDBOOK
CHINESE NEW YEAR
Dear fellow CAAA members:
We would like to wish everyone all the best and a prosperous year ahead as the Chinese New Year
begins. Much change and growth has been seen during the last year of development for the CAAA. It is
further to our goal of seeing the profession continue to grow in terms of strength and numbers while
spreading increased awareness of acupuncture and Chinese medicine.
GROWING PROFESSION
Acupuncture profession has experienced a steady growth since self-regulation in 2011. The
growth is reflected not only in the number of registered acupuncturists in Alberta, but also
increased public awareness of and increasing demand for acupuncture.
While acceptance and recognition is increasing among the public, health professionals,
insurance companies, and the overall society over time, the CAAA has also identified some
areas that need further improvement. The CAAA will make continued efforts to promote the
www.acupuncturealberta.ca
Address: #201, 9612 – 51 Ave. NW, Edmonton, AB
T6E 5A6
Phone: 780-466-7787
profession by setting high standards of practice, education, competency and ethical conduct. In
this way, public interest will be best served and the profession will earn increased pubic
confidence.
AGM REMINDER
Please be reminded that 2015 CAAA Annual General Meeting is scheduled for conduct on Sunday, April
26th at Red Deer Lodge (4311-49th Ave., Red Deer). As usual, two educational seminars will be offered
to our members in the morning. A detailed agenda will be posted on the CAAA website once available.
We encourage as many members to attend as possible.
PNEUMOTHORAX BY DRY NEEDLING - REPORT
The Health Quality Council of Alberta recently released a report on dry needling practices in Alberta.
While dry needling does not necessarily reflect a semantical role of how acupuncturists provide therapy,
this review still serves as precautionary advice.
The Safe Practice of Dry Needling in Alberta report is a summary of a review conducted in response to a
request by the College of Physical Therapists of Alberta. The independent review looks at adverse
outcomes, such as pneumothorax, arisen from dry needling practices. It also identifies four issues related
to dry needling practice in Alberta, which, if addressed, will contribute to the improvement of quality and
safety of needling techniques.
The report is useful for any healthcare professional authorized to practice dry needling in Alberta. It can
be found on the HQCA’s website and here.
The report also mentioned the difference between Dry Needling and Traditional or Classical Acupuncture,
which will be helpful to answer the question from some CAAA members.
Dry needling is a broad term that refers to a technique using solid filament needles to puncture the skin
for therapeutic purposes. It includes a range of approaches, such as trigger point dry needling,
intramuscular stimulation, or similar treatments used by some accredited health professionals other than
an acupuncturist.
Traditional/Classical Acupuncture is a system of diagnosis and treatment. The diagnosis is based on a
comprehensive Chinese theory of energy balance. The treatment involves insertion of small solid needles
into the skin at specific points on the body to produce therapeutic effects. It is an ancient form of Chinese
medicine.
CEU's
The membership services committee along with assistance of the CAAA has worked at bringing routine
featured guest speakers to both Edmonton and Calgary. Our ambition is to uphold a minimum of 10
scheduled events for both Edmonton and Calgary for this coming year. Many topics have been discussed
at length associated with the practice of acupuncture and TCM. A variety of speakers have offered their
www.acupuncturealberta.ca
Address: #201, 9612 – 51 Ave. NW, Edmonton, AB
T6E 5A6
Phone: 780-466-7787
time to deliver talks ranging from treatment techniques, concussion assessments, herbal remedies,
business marketing strategies and so on.
We encourage registered acupuncturists to please consider committing to some of these CEU events, as
they are worth attending and learning from. Furthermore, if members are uncertain about receiving
notifications for such events, please contact our administration offices to update your information (ie.
email address).
OHS Handbook
Further to the discussion about Occupational Health and Safety guidelines in the fall newsletter, the
CAAA would like to update all registered acupuncturists with a finalized OHS handbook that can be
accessible here
http://acupuncturealberta.ca/pdfs/HandbookOccupationalHazardsControlsAcupuncturists2014-2.pdf
This reference manual was developed by the CAAA with funding support from Alberta government. It has
been derived as a profession-specific summary of information contained in the five volumes of Best
Practices in Occupational Health and Safety in the Health Care Industry (produced by the Government of
Alberta). The complete documents can also be found at
http://www.employment.alberta.ca/SFW/6311.html. It has been modified and expanded through a grant
from Alberta Human Services (Workplace Health and Safety).
www.acupuncturealberta.ca
Address: #201, 9612 – 51 Ave. NW, Edmonton, AB
T6E 5A6
Phone: 780-466-7787