Political Activism and Civic involvement has been a part of my Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine practice since getting my Florida licence in 1996. I was encouraged by my mentor, Dr. Hongjian He, and my school, The Florida Institute for Traditional Chinese Medicine, to participate in the process of understanding the politics of our profession.
Although many find this topic boring (myself included), I realized that it was necessary, especially if I wanted to make sure my investment in my education and license was protected. Now, 26 years later, participation in the political process is still necessary. There’s a political saying I learned in my early years going to Tallahassee when we changed laws 3 years in a row, back in 2000, and it goes like this: “If you aren’t at the table, you are ON the table”. What they mean by this statement is that if no-one is representing a profession, that profession is at risk of losing.
The larger a licensed profession, the more representation they have simply because the number of professionals is greater. This is why the mainstream medical professions are so powerful; they have the numbers. Since our profession is very small, and there are very few practitioners talking with their local legislators; we are weaker.
This is why I keep going to events like the 2025 Pre-Legislative Breakfast where we get to network with, and hear from our local legislators.
My local legislators know who I am, know what I do, and recognize me when they see me at these events. They can put a local “face” to our practice. When they hear about acupuncture, they know they have at least one constituent in their district that may be impacted. Unfortunately, most of our colleagues don’t know who their legislators are, and have never met them.
Attending political events is also an opportunity to share with patients involvement in these events, and they love it! This also gets them interested in acupuncture politics as well, and that has proven extremely helpful over the years since they may know a legislator personally, and that relationship can be leveraged when we face political obstacles.
So, the next time you have an opportunity to participate, just do it! It’s okay if you don’t know how – I didn’t either until I started showing up and learning. If I can do it, so can you!
Together we can continue to bring our amazing practice into the mainstream medical system.
~ Dr. Mary Riggin, AP (FL), DAc (RI)
Board of Directors, FSOMA
Chair, FSOMA Bylaws Committee
Co-Chair, FSOMA Advocacy Committee
FSOMA Past-President
Former Member, and Vice Chair – FL State Board of Acupuncture
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