Your 2021 FSOMA Conference Speakers & Class Descriptions

Up to 23 FL CEUs & NCCAOM PDAs

Schedule at a Glance

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Chad Bailey is an Acupuncture Physician (A.P./ D.C.H.) and Tai Ji Quan/ Martial Arts Instructor (Sifu/ Guro) who works daily in his clinic, Shin Wellness, and teaches classes on Miami Beach. He has over 30 years of experience and has taught Morning Qi Gong and many other classes at previous FSOMA conferences for the past 10 years.

Morning Qi Gong on Sat & Sun (Ba Gua 8 Internal Palms Circle Walking Qi Gong) - Qi Bath warm up into an explanation of basic walking and circle walking including energetic principles.  After circle walking is comfortable, we will continue with the 8 Internal Palms Circle Walking Qi Gong including a discussion of applications for self-healing and use in the clinic.  If time permits, we will explore the Single Palm Change of Ba Gua Zhang to benefit smooth transitions.

1 GEN/ EACH DAY

Tui Na in Combination with Acupuncture - In previous FSOMA Tui Na classes, we have learned manipulations for the core (pelvis and spine) and periphery (arms and legs).  We will review these manipulations by discussing the best times for Tui Na, use of Tui Na during acupuncture, and with other massage.  Not only a tool for the toolbox but knowing when you need that tool.

3 GEN HOURS

Dr. Christine Chang is a Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine and a Licensed Acupuncturist in California and currently serves as a faculty member at Emperor’s College of Traditional Oriental Medicine, where for the past decade she has taught classes on Herbal Formulas, Chinese Nutrition, Chinese Medical Language, Chinese Patent Medicines, and has been a clinical supervisor in the student clinic.

Since 2004, Dr. Chang has been the interpreter for the lectures of Dr. Wei Chieh Young, the last living direct disciple of Master Tung Ching-Chang, and one of the foremost authorities on the Shang Hun Lun and I-Ching.

Dr. Chang has lectured extensively nationwide for the past 10 years on pain management, geriatric health care, woman health, internal medicine and general health care, Chinese nutrition, herbal formulas, and patent medicines. She teaches continuing education classes to practitioners and gives public education classes in addition to lecturing at TCM colleges.

Compounding/Outsourcing Custom Formulas Effectively

This course is designed for professionals of all levels interested in learning or advancing skills in prescribing and/or compounding custom formulas.
You will learn to safely and efficiently modify/combine and dispense herbal formulas with single herbs. The class includes course materials you can use to quickly and effectively diagnose patients.
Also, how to choose reliable herbal suppliers who have proven, trusted, time-tested products and services, including outsourcing your herbal pharmacy, for the ultimate patient satisfaction and compliance.

6 GEN HOURS

 Michelle Gellis LAc is a Board Certified Acupuncture Physician. She has been a Faculty Member and Clinic Supervisor at the Maryland University of Integrative Health since 2004.  Michelle holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from Seton Hall University School of Business in Computer Science, and a Master of Science Degree in Acupuncture from the Traditional Acupuncture Institute.  Ms. Gellis is certified to teach facial acupuncture internationally.  She has been published in The Journal of Chinese Medicine, Acupuncture Today, the Maryland Acupuncture Society Newsletter, and The Acupuncture Desk Reference

Safety Concerns When Treating the Face - This course is designed for students of all levels who are interested in learning skills for safely treating the face for cosmetic and neuromuscular concerns. anatomy and needling techniques including sub-muscular needling will be covered. Students will be able to locate several facial muscles used for submuscular needing students will be able to safely treat areas of the face using submuscular needling technique. Students will demonstrate knowledge of safety concerns on the face.

3 MEDICAL ERRORS HOURS

Brendan Kelly LAc is an acupuncturist, herbalist, author, and professor who has been practicing Chinese medicine full-time for 17 years. He currently practices at the clinic he co-founded in Burlington, VT Jade Mountain Wellness. He is on the faculty of several schools teaching about Chinese medicine to undergraduate and graduate students at Northern Vermont University/Johnson State College, the Academy for Five Element Acupuncture in FL, and Daoist Tradition in NC. He also teaches regularly at schools, universities, educational centers, and conferences around the US.  His first book “The Yin and Yang of Climate Crisis” uses the lens of Chinese medicine to look at the bigger and deeper issues of global warming.

Healing the Brain: Chinese Medicine's Neurology Tradition - Using Chinese medicine's Wai Ke tradition, we'll discuss understanding and treating a wide range of neurological conditions including the importance of diagnosing and treating wind. We'll also discuss the role of blood in promoting brain health and compare these approaches to that of western medicine, including a discussion of neurological pharmaceuticals. We’ll also discuss the use of acupuncture, herbs, and eastern nutrition to treat neurological diagnosis and their underlying causes.

3 GEN HOURS

Over his 37 years’ acupuncture experience, Michael Kowalski A.P., Dipl. Ac. (NCCAOM) is committed to treating each individual patient as a whole – in body, mind, and spirit. Michael practices and teaches Five Element acupuncture to diagnose and treat the unique root cause of each patient’s energy imbalance, which results in remarkable holistic changes that are appreciated by both patient and practitioner.

Michael trained intensively in Five Element Acupuncture for 7 years in England with Professor J.R. Worsley and faculty at the College of Traditional Acupuncture. In 1988 he returned to Florida, where he established his private practice in Jacksonville. Michael founded the 5 Element Institute in 2010, to teach CEU courses in Five Element acupuncture and Evidence-Based acupuncture. To learn more, please visit www.5ElementInstitute.com

Treating The Emotions with 5E - Five Element acupuncture (5E) balances the emotions, as it treats physical issues. Everyone has a primary emotional imbalance, coming from your root cause Element. 5E treatment balances your patient's primary emotion, providing deep emotional healing. Michael Kowalski AP has been practicing and teaching 5E acupuncture for 37 years. In this course, Michael will share how to understand your patients’ primary emotional imbalance, and the 5E methods to treat the emotions. 

3 GEN HOURS

Xiu-Min Li MD, MS has dual professorships in the Departments of Microbiology and Immunology and Department of Otolaryngology at New York Medical College. Her research focuses on adapting traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) herbal treatments for allergies and other immune disorders with science and technology. Dr. Li and her team take the knowledge of thousands of years of observation and refinement of TCM and break it down to individual molecules as visualized by individual peaks on a chromatograph. This allows the team to simplify the complexity of mixtures of plants/herbs, with their inherent variability, by isolating the active components and testing them in preclinical and clinical models of allergy and asthma. Nano-medicine technology breaks through another barrier of clinical application of some natural compounds, specifically the problem of poor bioavailability, resulting in reproducible, dependable, and clinically applicable botanical products. They also explore the mechanisms of the immune system, including bio-markers, and investigate the association of skin and gut microbiome with the TCM effect for improving skin and gut inflammatory conditions. Dr Li also teaches graduate students in Microbiology and Immunology. She is an active TCM practitioner and has joined the ENT faculty practice to promote the integrative use of TCM and allopathic medicine for pediatric and adult patients.  

Mitigating Food Allergies 
Food allergy is one of the rapidly growing allergic conditions, affecting as many as 15 million Americans with an annual cost of $25 billion. Except for rescue medication for anaphylaxis, there is currently no FDA-approved treatment for food allergy.

Traditional Chinese Medicine has a long history of human use and is part of mainstream medicine in China. There is increasing evidence to supporting the use of TCM for allergic conditions. In this presentation, I will share new research on FAHF-2, a 9-herb formula based on the TCM formula Wu Mei Wan that is traditionally used for treating intestinal parasites, and its efficacy for treating food allergies.  I will present research on formula in the treatment of peanut allergy in experimental murine models, with respect to the immune cells of food-allergic patients in Phase I and II clinical trials, and in the treatment of autoimmune gastric diseases such as Crohn’s Disease. 

Because patients with food allergies often co-exist with other allergic conditions, I will also review the safety and efficacy of TCM formulations on asthma, eczema, and allergic rhinitis.  Finally, I will discuss the important role that botanical products derived from TCM have the potential to play in the US health care system.

3 GEN HOURS

Bob Linde, AP, RH Acupuncture Physician, Registered Herbalist (AHG), Bob Linde is the owner of Acupuncture & Herbal Therapies in St. Petersburg Florida, and the director of the Traditions School of Herbal Studies. He also consults as a product developer for animals and humans. He enjoys growing many medicinal herbs in his yard.  Bob has presented at the FSOMA, Florida Herbal Conference, and the American Herbalist Guild conferences. He lectures regularly at colleges and organizations around the US. And is now featured on Inti - TV with the 12 part series called " Sanaciones con Bob Linde". He has also appeared on Animal Planet and several other tv shows. Find out more at www.acuherbals.com and www.traditionsherbschool.com  

Deficient Stomach Qi: Low HCL in a Clinical Setting - One of the more common roadblocks to successful treatment of many chronic, unexplainable issues is deficient Stomach Qi and its relationship to low hydrochloric acid. It can be linked to issues such as SIBO, C difficile, mineral and B -12 deficiency, and many other issues. This class will explain common causes, how to recognize & treat HCL deficiency as well as its connection to TCM patterns. 

3 GEN HOURS

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Evan Mahoney AP - Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. Author of the Saam Medical Meditation Book series and Korean Kinetic Acupuncture  Trigger Point Acupuncture series. Dr. Evan Mahoney is a joint graduate of Samra University / Emperor's College in Los Angeles California where he earned his MSOM and DAOM. Since 2011 he has been in private practice with his wife in SW Florida.

Saam Acupuncture Psychology and Korean Kinetic Acupuncture - Saam Acupuncture for PTSD and Sarno's Unconscious Rage provides the practitioner with tools for easy understanding of the psychological complexes within a five elements model.  The student will learn to use Saam Medical Meditation's Kidney San Jaio harmonized technique for PTSD and the Heart / Gall Bladder B+ technique for Sarno's unconscious rage. The practitioner will also learn of an easy way to quickly treat Piriformis syndrome as well as a deeper understanding of this syndrome.

3 GEN HOURS

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Dr. Rene Ng (DACM, AP, L.Ac) is a licensed, board-certified Acupuncturist from Sarasota, FL, and a frequent speaker at FSOMA conferences. He has been in practice for over 13 years and considers cancer care, autoimmune disorders, and trauma as his primary specialties. He regularly offers wellness education to the general public, private corporations, & support groups at major hospitals. Many of his articles are published in national publications. He has also taught at East West College, Pacific College, & California State University. He has been using the Master Tung Acupuncture practitioner since 2006, and frequently gives lectures and workshops teaching this powerful acupuncture system and its applications to acupuncturists all around the USA.

Dr. John Orsborn At the age of 16, John became interested in Chinese culture and philosophy. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Chinese Philosophy in 1982 and has been studying Daoist philosophy, meditation, taiji, and qigong for over 40 years. In 2003, John was seriously injured in a traffic accident and utilized acupuncture and qigong as major components of his rehabilitation. This led him to earn a Master of Oriental Medicine degree from East West College of Natural Medicine in 2007, where he has subsequently taught since 2014. He also taught taiji and qigong for cancer patients for 10 years at the Center for Building Hope in Sarasota. While teaching acupuncture, a student inquired as to how the pairing of the Confluent Points of the Eight Extraordinary Vessels came to be, and John did not have an answer. Always eager to learn, he set about finding the answer, which ultimately led him to discover acupuncture chronotherapy. Of these various ancient therapies, the 8 Methods of the Sacred Turtle (Ling Gui Ba Fa), an ancient Daoist acupuncture protocol recently researched in China, came to his attention. After two years of researching this technique, he began using it effectively in his clinic, Tao of Wellbeing Acupuncture Clinic LLC. Always eager to share what he's learned, John is offering an introduction to this fascinating and effective method of treating patients.   I have been an adjunct professor for 16 years, taught Taiji and Qigong for cancer patients for 10 years, and have given several public lectures on Chinese medicine and philosophy.

Eight Methods of the Sacred Turtle; Applying the 8 Trigrams to the Extraordinary Vessel Treatments - This course examines a Daoist acupuncture technique, applying the theory of the 10 Celestial Stems and 12 Terrestrial Branches with the Extraordinary Vessels, thereby enhancing the clinical treatments using the 8 Confluent points.   

3 GEN HOURS

Amy J. Sear, A.P., Dipl. O.M. (NCCAOM) is an experienced speaker and is valued for her organized, practical, and information-filled presentations. She completed her Oriental Medical education at the Acupressure Acupuncture Institute in Miami, FL, where she received awards for outstanding achievement in academics and clinical practice. Amy served as President of FSOMA from 2004 to 2010 and currently teaches at two schools in Florida.  She has taught Herbal Dispensary and Compounding Guidelines since 2010 and is considered an expert in this topic. She brings her years of respected teaching experience to this topic in order to help others.

Laws and Rules - Every renewal cycle, Amy designs a new course - fulfilling the requirement for the Acupuncture profession. She starts with "What is New Since Last Renewal", and "any potential upcoming future changes", and then the rest of the presentation dials in deeper to a few selected practical topics. This year it will be the difference between laws and rules, and how they interrelate. This class is appropriate for all levels, beginner to advanced, and will be practical and straightforward.

2 LAWS & RULES HOURS

Safety Regulations for Herbal or Supplement Practice - There are national FDA regulations regarding methods & procedures that all professionals that recommend, prescribe, buy, sell, dispense, compound, or mix herbs or supplements must know and adhere to. They are known as 'cGMP', and this course gives the history, rationale, and benefits of the guidelines.  It provides how they actually benefit your practice, as they are based on safety, but they also provide patient satisfaction and compliance.  The course includes many resources and specifics for implementation in your practice.   

3 MEDICAL ERROR HOURS

Hillary Thing, LAc. Hillary Thing, LAc. is a holistic Lyme disease specialist with over two decades of clinical experience.  She trains health professionals in holistic Lyme treatment via a year-long training, the Holistic Lyme Practitioner Mentorship.  Hillary educates people worldwide via www.uprootinglyme.com, and at scientific and holistic medical conferences throughout the US.  She treats patients both in-person at Nourishing Life Health Center in Kingston, NY, and internationally via telemedicine.

Unlocking Latency:  Keys for Clinical Success in the Treatment of Complex Chronic Illness - From Lyme to EBV, infections are among the most common drivers of chronic inflammatory diseases that affect many millions of Americans.  For many reasons, it's harder than ever to resolve infection through pharmaceutical means alone.  In this lecture, Hillary Thing reviews the Chinese medical concept of latency and provides treatment guidance that integrates microbiology's latest findings with traditional treatment strategies to show how to heal patients fully from complex chronic disease.

3 GEN HOURS

 Janneke Vermeulen, L.Ac., B.Physio, currently Ph.D. student 2^nd year at NJUCM, has her own practice for acupuncture and physiotherapy in The Hague, the Netherlands, and is author of Diving Medical Acupuncture. She taught two times a day for TCM Postgraduate in Amsterdam (2015 and 2019) and did speak at the 8th International Conference on Traditional Medicine and Acupuncture in Rome, Italy, 2018. Participants say they can feel her passion and are fascinated by the provided subject and details. Both teaching days in Amsterdam were valued as 'excellent' by the participants. Janneke gives clear and compact information. Her mother and grandfather were both teachers and authors and she naturally follows in their footsteps.

Acupuncture for Pressure Equalization Problems Experienced by Divers This course will clarify pressure equalization problems experienced by divers and their related ENT disorders. First a short intro into diving and its history, per disorder Western diving medicine, Chinese medicine and provide adequate acupuncture treatment options. This course is for adventurous acupuncturists who want to study new possibilities of treatments and who ambition to treat divers responsibly and professionally. It will extend knowledge about ENT disorders in general and aviation as well. This class can help treat a wide variety of ENT disorders including tinnitus, post-air flight issues with the ears, itchy ears, otitis media, swimmer’s ear, perforation of the tympanic membrane, allergic and non-allergic rhinitis, rhinosinusitis, and the common cold.

3 BIOMEDICAL HOURS

Mary Elizabeth Wakefield, the internationally recognized author of the acclaimed book, Constitutional Facial Acupuncture (Elsevier UK, 2014), is an acclaimed teacher, an acupuncturist, an herbalist, Acutonics® and Zen Shiatsu practitioner, cranio-sacral therapist and a professional opera singer.  Acknowledged to be a leading international authority on facial acupuncture, with 30+ years of clinical professional experience as a healing practitioner, she has personally trained close to 6,000 healthcare practitioners from five continents in her treatment protocols.  She and her partner, MichelAngelo, recently published a new book, Vibrational Acupuncture: Integrating Tuning Forks with Needles (Singing Dragon UK, 2020), rated 5 stars on Amazon.

Vibrational Acupuncture: Integrating Tuning Forks with Needles - The materials and treatment protocols offered in this seminar are based upon Chinese medicine principles using Acutonics® precision calibrated Ohm tuning forks, integrated with needles. Included are the following: an overview of vibrational medicine, guidelines for integrating needles and tuning forks, the qualities and usage of Ohm Earth tuning forks, Eight Extraordinary meridians, benefits and contraindications of acupuncture/sound, acu-sound treatments for face and body, and more.

3 GEN Hours

Dr. Ruan Jin Zhao, one of the earlier eras Ph.D. in TCM.  He has practiced Chinese medicine for over 35 years, more than 25 years in the US.  With profound medical research background and a large amount of clinical practice, he has successfully helped many patients with chronic pernicious diseases including infectious diseases, autoimmune diseases, and cancers. He has participated and dedicated 

To Pave the Healing Pathway through Regulating Qi By the Combining Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Formulas - GEN
Currently, there is an improper trend, which is leading our profession to overemphasize the quick cure or instant relief.  It neglects the relationship between time and healing. Most diseases take a time to reach healing. Time is a key factor in healing disease.  It requires our practitioners to pave a healing pathway through each session of acupuncture treatment and herbal medicine to achieve that goal. From the first office visit, a practitioner should plan to set a solid step-by-step leading to healing based on a correct diagnosis. This is the way to educate our fellows and equip them with the right weapon, as well as for the knowledge of our patients. To regulate Qi/energy is the essence of TCM, which is the core technique in paving the healing path. This lecture is focusing on instructing how to Tiao Qi (Regulate Qi) with acupuncture and herbal medicine in healing the clinic's pernicious diseases.       

3 GEN HOURS

Breakfast Symposiums

FRIDAY BREAKFAST SYMPOSIUM

Sam Collins is recognized nationally in the Acupuncture community as an expert on billing, coding, collection, and documentation. Each year, thousands of healthcare providers hear Sam speak at our Acupuncture billing support seminar.

 Besides the incredibly valuable information, attendees appreciate his energy, humor, and enthusiasm. His presenting style is clear and easy to follow, leaving attendees with a sense of relief and actionable steps to advance their practices.

Sam also regularly works as an expert for court and board hearings in order to protect the integrity of the profession. He is also a member of Optum Health’s (formerly ACN) Reimbursement and Technology Committee. Sam always emphasizes the equal importance of billing both ethically and properly the first time, in order to ensure timely payment.

Friday 7:30am Insurance Billing Update - This course will focus on the building of your practice.  It will help you understanding what insurance covers, along with what codes are necessary to get reimbursed.  This course will take the frustration out of billing and teach you: 

• How to use RVU to establish a fair fee schedule. Most offices have values off on more than 50% of their services. 
• How to integrate cash and insurance along with prepaid plans to be legal and compliant.
• How to integrate insurance to enhance a cash-only practice.
• This seminar will cover many aspects of billing and coding – not just insurance.
• ICD 10 codes update October 1^st.

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Aicacia Young, RDN is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist who found her way into the Functional and Integrative Nutrition space through her own personal health journey. Aicacia now serves as the Director of Scientific Affairs at Microbiome Labs, where she lectures on innovative gut health strategies, manages product innovation, and oversees the company’s clinical research initiatives.

Keep Calm and Carry On: Regulating Stress Through the Gut-Brain Axis 

New research has identified novel methods for improving mental health outcomes through the gut microbiome. The gut-brain axis is the central link that connects stress, mood, inflammation, and the gut microbiome. Since stress is a common activator of inflammation, coping with stress has become a top priority for many healthcare practitioners. This lecture will explore some innovative tools that target the gut-brain axis to support better mental health outcomes.

After this lecture, attendees will be able to:

1. Explain how stress leads to neuroinflammation, and subsequent disruption of sleep, cognition, and mood
2. Identify symptoms of a dysfunctional gut-brain axis
3. Discuss innovative strategies for mental health that confer benefits through the gut-brain axiS

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Chen Yen is a sought-after national speaker. She is an expert at helping acupuncturists grow fulfilling 6 and 7-figure practices faster, without having to do it the exhausting extroverted way.

Chen’s mission is to wake up the planet and change the way we treat illness and health. This can happen only if more acupuncturists and holistic practitioners get the word out there. Your patients need you–don’t be a best kept secret!. 

Her clients include American Society of Acupuncturists board member, former American Academy of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine board Member, board members of acupuncture state boards, past President of American Association of Naturopathic Physician, past president of American Chiropractic Association Sports Council.

For “6 & 7-Figure Practice Makeover” tips and practical strategies to navigating your practice during these times, go to http://www.introvertedvisionary.com

3-5 New Patients/wk:  How to Attract New Patients and MD Referrals Virtually



Do you love seeing patients, but your practice isn’t consistent?
Are the things you used to do not working anymore?

One reason why patients aren’t coming in is because they don’t know about you and how you can help.  

Join us for this breakfast symposium on one of the most effective ways to bring patients in the door for both your in-person and/or your Telehealth practice.

If you like to educate and teach people, speaking virtually is a great way to bring more patients in the door quickly & get MD referrals, even if you get nervous or don’t know what to say. 

You’ll discover:

• Overlooked ways to attract new patients by speaking virtually
• Where to find places to speak (including online) and have people show up
• The #1 key to choosing the right topic
• The 3 biggest mistakes many acupuncturists make when developing relationships with MDs (and what to do instead)
• Specific ways to bring in another stream of income beyond trading time for money