Dear CSOMA Community,
Acupuncture is on the chopping block again in the 2026-27 Medi-Cal budget, and we need your voice!
Click the “Compose Email” button (or your email provider button) to launch a pre-written petition addressed to 28 key state legislators.
Add your name to the bottom of the ready-to-send message before the critical mid-June budget vote.
Send the email to urge lawmakers to preserve acupuncture services in the 2026-27 Medi-Cal budget.
Together, we can protect this essential health service for the 15 million Californians who rely on Medi-Cal.
We’d like to thank our many new members and organizations for signing up or donating to CSOMA in the last few weeks. Special thanks to the Korean Acupuncture and Asian Medicine Association (KAAMA) for supporting our collective efforts on behalf of 12k+ California licensed acupuncturists.
Coming up:
Last chance to register! June 9: Dan Bensky: Utility of Palpation in Traditional East Asian Medicine Webinar
Aug 2: The 21st San Francisco Intl. Symposium on Chinese Medicine: TCM Brain vs AI Brain - use discount code CSOMA2026
Registration now OPEN! Sept 24 & 25: CSOMA Conference & Expo 2026 in Oakland
Dan Bensky: Utility of Palpation in Traditional East Asian Medicine
When: Tuesday, June 9 | 7-9PM PST
Where: Online --> Register here
CEUs: 2 CAB(Category 1)
Registration: $32 for CSOMA Members, $80 for non-members, $0/FREE! No-credit option
Meet the speaker: Dan Bensky, D.O. My qualifications include a diploma in Chinese medicine from the Macau Institute of Chinese Medicine (1975), a DO from Michigan State University COM (1982), a Masters in Classical Chinese from the University of Washington (1996), and a Doctorate in the Discussion of Cold Damage from the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences (2006). I have helped write such books as Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica and the Discussion of Cold Damage with Commentaries for the Clinic. I have been fortunate enough to study with great osteopathic teachers including Jean-Pierre Barral and Robert Fulford and have been sharing what I’ve learned for over 40 years.
About the class: Traditional East Asian Medicine (TEAM) is a dynamic tradition that, while largely text-based, requires genuine engagement rather than rigid adherence to protocols. The gentle diagnostic touch of palpation can serve as a crucial tool for helping patients with TEAM. Course objectives include:
Understanding our approach to TEAM's core conceptual framework
Understanding the ramifications of the concept that "the response is the treatment"
Understanding some of the basic parameters of effective palpation in acupuncture.
Identifying the phenomena of overtreatment and know how to respond.
Learning some of the styles of acupuncture that focus on palpation and how to access ways to learn them.
Understanding the basics of the Engaging Vitality technique called "Qi Signal Assessment" and how to practice it.
CSOMA Conference & Expo 2026 in Oakland – Sept 24 & 25
We’re excited to welcome back Dr. Jenny Nieters along with Joshua Margolis and Dr. Jamie Hampton for CSOMA’s 4th Annual Conference & Expo in Oakland!
CSOMA 2026 Events
Community Bulletin
Practice for sale in Providence, RI
After years building the practice of my dreams, I met the man of my dreams and married him this April. His work is taking us to NYC, and I am seeking an enthusiastic, heart-centered, and capable acupuncturist (or acupuncturists) to take the helm of a profitable, all-cash clinic with multiple opportunities for growth in a great city with loyal and loving patients. View the listing for photos and more information.
Contact:
Bess Randles, DACM
[email protected]
Thank you for reading,
CSOMA
CSOMA Partners
CSOMA is grateful to the partners who support our work and the broader acupuncture community. Their partnership helps sustain our advocacy and education efforts. Please support them!
