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Learn From Leading Experts  

Chad Bailey, AP is an expert in Acupuncture, Oriental Medicine, Tui Na Massage, Qi Gong, Tai Chi Chuan, and Martial Arts. Chad teaches Tai Chi Chuan, Qi Gong, Filipino Self-Defense (Progressive Arnis & Cadena de Mano), Tui Na (Chinese Massage & Manipulation), and Oriental Medicine in Miami, FL.  Chad is a state and nationally-licensed acupuncturist (A.P., D.O.M.), as well as a National Diplomate of Chinese Herbology (D.C.H.)

 David Bibbey, L.Ac is currently the President Emeritus for the FSOMA Board of Directors. After serving 10 years in various elected roles, David has a comprehensive understanding of the Florida Acupuncture Practice Act (F.S. 457), and of the FL Board of Acupuncture Florida Administrative Code Rules (64Bl); and has been in private practice since 2011 at Alternative Primary Care in Crystal River, FL.

David has a knack for making legal mumbo-jumbo easy to understand, so Acupuncturists can see through the smoke and focus on their unique patients and practices. David is a regular contributor to Acupuncture Today, as well as an NCCAOM CEU provider, who often speaks and teaches on legal practice and related issues. In 2020, David co-founded Patient Data Protection, LLC., which provides compliance consulting services that support small healthcare practices in the areas of legal practice under state and federal laws, including HIPAA Patient Privacy & Data Security, ADA Digital Compliance, and other regulation-based best practices. No smelling salts are needed.  Listen to the interview with David on his upcoming class

State and Federal Requirements for Legal Practice, has been designed to highlight important elements of the FL Acupuncture Practice Act (F.S. 457), FAC Rules (64Bl), and other related state and federal requirements for legal practice. Examples will be provided and discussed in easy-to-understand plain language to help attendees clarify what is legally expected and permitted in clinical practice. Reminder: FL Acupuncturists are required to complete 2 CEUs for FL Laws & Rules per biennium for FL license renewal.  Laws And Rules (Saturday 2:00 pm)

Dr. Cameron Bishop has been practicing and teaching Asian Medicine for almost 30 years. Dr. Bishop trained and studied in Japan for four years, and received a Master in Acupuncture from NIAOM, and DAOM from ACTCM. Cameron is currently a professor of Japanese acupuncture at ATOM, in Ft. Lauderdale, FL; and developed the Pain Management and Case Management courses for PCHS. His classes are always fused with good stories, practical tips, and humor.  Listen to the interview with Cameron on his upcoming class

Integrating Modern Modalities to Maximize Your Results - This course provides many insightful methods that can be used with patients to enhance clinical results. It will cover how to incorporate apps, mind sciences (biofeedback, meditation, and more), feedback and evaluation systems, compliance tips, and patient plateau tips. This class will give you an extra edge in obtaining maximum results, patient retention, and therefore hence your income stream. This class will include practical tips, clinical pearls, and evidence-based modalities.  BIOMED (Friday 2:00 pm)

 Dr. Anna Folckomer is a Licensed Acupuncturist, Board Certified Herbalist, and Clinical Anatomist. She is a Co-Founder and Instructor of the internationally known seminar series, “Immaculate Dissection”. Dr. Folckomer is also the Course Director of Anatomy for the Interprofessional Health Studies Department at Seton Hall University’s School of Health and Medical Sciences. She has lectured on functional anatomy and corrective movement across the United States and Canada and internationally in the UK, Australia, Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong, and Singapore. She lectures weekly for Immaculate Dissection’s ID Collaborative Series and has helped design, edit, and publish their six-course manuals and four medical education posters.  Listen to the interview with Anna on her upcoming class

Understanding Central vs Peripheral Nerve Entrapments - This 2 part-course is aimed to give clinicians tools to determine the difference between neuropathies and pain referrals that are caused centrally at the spinal column vs peripherally. This topic is crucial to the treatment of nerve pain and other injuries, with nice parallels drawn to the rationale and diagnostics of Chinese medical theory. The course will include an anatomic overview of peripheral nerves, orthopedic and neurological assessment, and treatment strategies.  BIOMED (Saturday 9:00 am & 2:00 pm - HYBRID)

Harvey Kaltsas AP - Is the founder and former Academic Dean of East West College. During his time as President of FSOMA, Harvey has spoken often about acupuncture and TCM before the FL House and Senate, as well as before the US Senate during his time as Chair of the Board of Acupuncture, and as President of AAAOM. Harvey has also taught many in-person CEU classes and is looking forward to sharing his insights on the treatment of post-herpetic neuralgia.

Treating Herpes Zoster and Post-Herpetic Neuralgia - Clinically useful material the attendees can use the next week in their practice, Offering a new modality for the attendee's toolbox. Participants will learn how to treat herpes zoster (shingles) and its subsequent post-herpetic neuralgia,  with acupuncture, indirect moxa, TCM herbs, gua sha massage, e-stim, and homeopathy. Similar principles apply to treating oral and genital herpes as well.  I will provide hands-on demonstrations and discuss the theory behind the treatments and herbal remedies. This system is dramatically effective.  GEN (Friday at 9:00 am)

Michael Kowalski A.P. has practiced and taught acupuncture at several acupuncture schools since 1984. After graduating Yale, Michael trained in Five Element acupuncture and worked closely with JR Worsley in England for 7 years before opening his practice in Jacksonville, FL in 1988.  Michael served as Academic Dean and President of the Classical Acupuncture Institute. He is on faculty at AFEA in Gainesville and the UM Medical School. He has presented at many FSOMA conferences, and as Founder and President of the 5 Element Institute, Michael teaches Florida BOA CEU courses in 5E acupuncture. He is also Co-PI of a clinical trial collaborating with Jacksonville’s Naval Hospital, researching acupuncture for neck pain. Listen to the interview with Michael on his upcoming class

Robert Linde AP is the owner of Acupuncture & Herbal Therapies and the Traditions School of Herbal Studies in St. Petersburg Florida. He has been serving the Tampa Bay community for over 25 years. Bob sees patients 4 days a week, supervises the intern clinic 3 nights a week, and teaches most weekends.  Bob completed 12 episodes for INTI TV, “Sanaciones con Bob Linde”, an exploration of indigenous people’s herbal practices.  Acuherbals.com & Traditionsherbschool.com  Listen to the interview with Robert on his upcoming class

Dr. Anthony Lombardi is a 2002 graduate of the New York Chiropractic College and McMaster Contemporary Medical Acupuncture program in Hamilton, Ontario, and has been practicing acupuncture for 20 years. Upon graduation, he founded Hamilton Back Clinic and since then has become a private consultant to athletes in the NFL, CFL, and NHL. Over the past 19 years Anthony has given over 120,000 acupuncture treatments. In addition to practicing, Dr. Lombardi was also an instructor in the Contemporary Medical Acupuncture Program at McMaster University from 2004 to 2013. 
He developed the EXSTORE™ system, an organized system of assessment and treatment that produces fast results using motor points, electro-acupuncture, soft tissue work, and other modalities. Dr. Lombardi has a library of on-demand education that continues to grow, with some 65 webinars available covering a variety of Musculoskeletal conditions and practice management topics. He also teaches his EXSTORE™ system through live, in-person seminars throughout the U.S. and Canada. Dr. Lombardi’s mentorship community on dranthonylombardi.locals.com rounds out the many ways you can learn the EXSTORE™ system and start getting amazing results in your practice right away. 
Dr. Lombardi maintains a busy practice, averaging both 150 patient visits and 12 new patients a week for over ten years. Listen to the interview with Anthony on his upcoming class 

EXSTORE: An Introduction to the System that Simplifies Musculoskeletal Assessment & Treatment: The EXSTORE system allows practitioners to assess and understand the nature of the problem in under three minutes. This presentation will show practitioners the tools they need to simplify musculoskeletal intake and assessment, and how to begin the process of applying that information to treatment strategies. This helps guide the practitioner in using the correct treatments which consist of motor points, electro-acupuncture, and soft tissue release. BIOMED (Friday at 9:00 am and 2:00 pm - HYBRID) SPONSORED CLASS BY ASE SEMINARS

Saturday Breakfast Symposium

Martha Lucas, Ph.D., L.Ac. holds a Ph.D. in Research Psychology as well as her degree in Chinese Medicine. Lucas has more than 20 years of teaching and speaking experience and is described as "a dynamic speaker who keeps her classes engaged and who can explain complex information in an understandable way." She teaches courses worldwide including Pulse Diagnosis, Biofeedback, and Balancing, Mei Zen Cosmetic Acupuncture System for face and neck, unique point prescriptions based on experience and successful case studies as well as acupressure and herbal courses. Her course that focuses on treating fertility challenges in men and women was born of treating one of her own daughters who has an autoimmune condition (unknown at the time of conception). Lucas treated her daughter through a high-risk pregnancy, a very early emergency C-section, and a NICU grandson for 3 months who is now a healthy, perfect 16 year old. Chinese medicine deserves a lot of credit for such successes. 

Dr. Lucas believes that Chinese medicine will only thrive in the U.S. if practitioners have the proper skills to offer effective treatment especially with regard to adequate and correct diagnosis. The phrase “I had acupuncture, but it didn’t work” should be gone from people’s vocabulary. This is why she is especially passionate about treating pulse diagnosis. Her private practice is based in Denver, Colorado where she specializes in internal medicine. She also sees patients at Littleton Internal Medicine Associates in Littleton Colorado, a perfect setting for modern and Chinese medicine to work together.

Her books include Pulse Diagnosis: Beyond Slippery and Wiry, Cosmetic Acupuncture Works!, the Mei Zen Cosmetic Acupuncture workbook, one of her memoirs: Catholic Daughters of Catholic Mothers: A Memoir and Guided Journal, and You don’t need Botox (out of print). She also collaborated with one of her grandchildren on The Skeleton in a Tutu gets Acupuncture; she has also written countless published articles.

Traditional Chinese Medicine View of Gut-Brain Axis Regarding Anxiety & Depression: It seems to be common sense that our emotions affect our health, particularly our digestion. The English language has a number of examples of comparing mental and emotional states with our digestion or gut. A shock can “hit us in the guts”. If you are considering or thinking about something we might say you are “chewing things over”. Wishing you could change something from the past is “ruminating”. And, of course, we have “gut feelings”. While Chinese Medicine practitioners may see this link, conventional medicine’s empirical paradigm often has the tendency to label illnesses without clear somatic causes as “neurotic”. 

In this presentation, you will learn that there is a link between how we feel (happy, sad, anxious) and how well we digest things. You will see how Chinese medicine has always been able to recognize this connection because each physiological system is associated with an aspect of the psyche and with an emotion that interferes with the proper functioning of that physiological system.  

I will explain how the system that transforms our food into nutrients is affected by worry. The system that tries to stop us from getting uptight about stress gets affected by anger and frustration. To make things even more interesting, these two physiological systems are linked via digestion so poor digestion can make us less able to relax. And internalizing stress, getting angry and frustrated, affects our digestion.  Breakfast is served at 7:15  Class starts 7:30 - 8:30am

Friday Breakfast Symposium

Protect Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself!
Dr. Douglas Luther and his wife, Jill, are both chiropractors. They were raising a family and living their professional dreams…. until an Insurance company took it away with an Insurance Audit asking for $500,000 back. This turned their world upside down and forced them to change how they deal with insurance companies. Don’t make the same mistakes they did- it can cost you BIG! Learn the result of thousands of dollars in legal bills and insurance defense costs. A successful defense comes down to this one piece of paper… which you can use in your office on Monday morning.  Breakfast is served at 7:15  Class starts 7:30 - 8:30am

Listen to the interview with Douglas on his upcoming class

Derrick McBride has over a decade of experience as a strength and conditioning coach working in sports medicine and performance facilities. After becoming a Licensed Acupuncturist, he set out to bring the worlds of movement and acupuncture together. Alongside his private practice in Denver, CO, Derrick works with many professional athletes. Derrick has worked as one of Whitfield Reaves' teaching assistants, taught at the Colorado School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and presented at The Sports Acupuncture Alliance. He specializes in bringing orthopedic testing, muscle testing, movement assessments, and corrective exercise programming to Acupuncturists in a systematic, digestible, and clinically effective way.  Listen to the interview with Derrick on his upcoming class

Galina V. Roofener holds board-certified credentials in the states of Florida and Ohio as a Licensed Acupuncturist and Chinese Herbalist. She has over 30 years of experience in health care, including 8 years at the Cleveland Clinic as an Acupuncturist and Chinese Herbalist, and was a major contributor to the development of the Chinese Herbal Therapy program.  Galina is a contributor to published journals and textbooks on the topics of  Traditional Medicine, is an NCCAOM-approved continuing education provider, and gives lectures at many conferences. She is the author of Modern Pulse Diagnosis: Mobile ECG-Based textbook, which illustrates a modern perspective on describing the TCM pulse through the interpretation of mobile ECG data. Listen to the interview with Galina on her upcoming class

Dr. Nell Smircina, DAOM, L.Ac., Dipl. OM is an advocate, educator, and practitioner with a focus on the integration of acupuncture into America's standard of care.

Dr. Nell is a practitioner, educator, and advocate with a passion for helping others see the value we can provide with acupuncture. She is the Immediate Past Chair of CSOMA and the current Vice Chair of Public Policy for the American Society of Acupuncturists. As the Director of Development for the American Acupuncture Council, she actively works to support the profession while educating students and practitioners on best practices to manage risk.

Amy Sear AP, 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.  Amy served as President of FSOMA from 2004 to 2010 and currently teaches at two schools in Florida.  She has taught practical and clinical continuing education since 2000 and is considered an expert in laws, safety, ethics, and documentation. She has over seventeen years of experience in Integrative practice, including employee status at Memorial Healthcare Systems in Broward County, FL. She brings her years of respected teaching experience to these topics in order to help others.  Listen to the interview with Amy on her upcoming class

Red Flags: This new and updated course is appropriate for beginning-level participants, up to advanced.  The core features include knowing: “When Not to Treat”, “Red Flags” and “Referral”, and how these have formed the root underpinnings of some preventable safety and medical error cases. These can have a very negative impact on patient trust, including loss of trust in acupuncture care.  They also easily can lead to civil/malpractice vulnerability, as well as disciplinary action by the Florida Department.

In this course, you will learn: Understanding the patient's right to care, Awareness that there are times to not treat someone, why, how to do this, when, and how to communicate and document, What the term Red Flags means, how to recognize, how to assign a time frame, when this determines treatment will not be provided, and when this needs to lead to a referral and how to communicate and document this, What Referral means, when to recognize need for it, how to communicate it, and assign a time frame and how to communicate and document this, Understanding of the negative therapeutic impact when these are not understood and done by a licensed practitioner, Understanding the legal and discipline aspects of understanding and implementing these

 MED ERRORS (Sunday at 1:30 pm)

Hillary Thing, LAc. is a Holistic Infectious Disease Specialist with 25 years of clinical experience. She is Chief Formulator at Bloom & Reveal Botanicals and she trains health professionals in natural approaches to healing complex chronic illnesses through the Holistic Lyme Practitioner Mentorship and other offerings found at www.uprootinglyme.com. She treats patients both in-person and via telemedicine at the Nourishing Life Health Center in Kingston, NY.  Listen to the interview with Hillary on her upcoming class.

Dr. Kristine Tohtz L.Ac a Chicago native and recent Florida transplant, is a dual-licensed Chiropractic Physician and Acupuncturist.  She graduated magna cum laude from the National University of Health Sciences in April 2001. While attending chiropractic school, she also began working toward a diplomate in Acupuncture and in August 2009 received her Diplomate in Acupuncture from the American Chiropractic Association’s Council on Chiropractic Acupuncture (CCA) of which she sat on the board for over 8 years in various positions and now helps coordinate educational efforts for the group as President Emeritus.  After attending two supervised medical internships in Beijing and Hangzhou, China, she found advanced studies to be warranted and obtained her Master of Science in Acupuncture (MsAc) through the National University of Health Sciences graduating summa cum laude in August 2014. She has also served on the Illinois DPR Acupuncture Board for 6 years.  Listen to the interview with Kristen on her upcoming class