Letter from the ABMA President - Summer 2026

The past few months have been particularly productive for the ABMA, both scientifically and in terms of our national and international professional representation. This momentum reflects the vitality of our association and the ongoing commitment of its members to rigorous, modern, and evidence-based medical acupuncture.

Defending medical acupuncture on the institutional stage

Following public statements by Minister Frank Vandenbroucke suggesting that acupuncture lacks sufficient scientific evidence, the ABMA issued a press release outlining the current state of scientific knowledge.

Our goal is not to fuel controversy, but to promote objective, balanced, and scientifically grounded information. Acupuncture is now the subject of an increasing number of high-quality studies, and several indications are recognized internationally for their level of evidence.

With this in mind, the Board of Directors has begun developing a scientific dossier to support a request for evaluation by the Belgian Health Care Knowledge Centre (KCE).

This initiative focuses primarily on two areas:

• chronic pain;
• supportive care in oncology.

This work represents a significant step toward better institutional recognition of medical acupuncture in Belgium.

Scientific presence at the Belgian Pain Society Congress

On June 6, 2026, I had the honor of representing the ABMA at the Belgian Pain Society’s annual congress.

This participation was made possible through the initiative of Dr. Agnès Mazic de Sonis, a member of our Board of Directors and head of the “Integrative Medicine” Special Interest Group at the Belgian Pain Society.

On this occasion, I presented a workshop on the interactions between vagal stimulation, neuromodulation, and electroacupuncture at the Zusanli (ST36) point, illustrating the increasingly close ties between modern neuroscience and medical acupuncture.

I would like to warmly thank Dr. Mazic de Sonis for her ongoing commitment to integrating acupuncture and complementary approaches into pain medicine.

ABMA Annual Congress 2026: Acupuncture and Menopause

On October 10, our annual congress will be dedicated to a particularly timely theme: “Acupuncture and Menopause”.

This event will bring together renowned speakers to review the available scientific data, clinical applications, and future prospects in this field.

Accreditation has been requested for:

• 3.5 credits in Ethics and Economics;
• 2.5 credits in Internal Medicine.

I would like to extend a special thank you to the organizing committee, who have been working for several months to prepare for this event:

• Dr. Claire Boland;
• Cathy Bauvois;
• Dr. Eric Nickels.

Their dedication is a vital contribution to the success of this event.

I warmly invite all our members to attend this scientific day, which promises to be highly rewarding.

Building a European medical acupuncture network

One of the key pillars of our current work is the development of a European network of associations that share a medical, scientific, and academic vision of acupuncture.

Structured discussions are currently underway with:

• FISA (Northern Italy);
• FAFORMEC (France);
• Spanish partners;
• the Romanian Society of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Our ambition is to help build a leading European platform.

We are currently working on developing a common charter regarding:

• training standards in medical acupuncture;
• educational quality criteria;
• the institutional framework of the discipline;
• indications supported by a sufficient level of evidence;
• procedures for representation before health authorities.

New international project: partnership with Dr. Adi Fromm

We have also begun promising discussions with Dr. Adi Fromm (Israel).

Dr. Fromm directs the School of Chinese Medicine at Reidman College and is one of the leading international instructors of Dr. Richard Tan's Balance Method.

We are currently exploring the possibility of co-organizing a scientific event dedicated to this approach, which is highly regarded for its clinical efficacy and educational value.

This project could offer Belgian medical acupuncturists privileged access to top-tier international training.

National cooperation

Alongside these international developments, discussions continue with the three other Belgian associations involved in the professional advocacy of acupuncture.

Although some perspectives may differ, we share a common responsibility: to promote high-quality acupuncture, defended with rigor before health authorities and the medical community.

ICMART 2026 World Congress – Istanbul

The ABMA will be well-represented at the upcoming ICMART World Congress, which will be held in Istanbul in November 2026.

I will have the pleasure of representing our association there alongside several ABMA members who will be actively participating in this major international meeting.

We are particularly looking forward to the participation of Dr. Gonul Boz, who is expected to present a scientific paper and thereby contribute to the international reach of our association.

This collective presence illustrates the growing stature of the ABMA within the global medical acupuncture community.

Save the date: 2027 seminar projects

The Board of Directors is currently working on preparing the 2027 scientific program.

Among the themes being considered:

Artificial intelligence and the medical acupuncturist

How can artificial intelligence tools assist with clinical practice, teaching, literature research, and scientific monitoring?

The 6 Levels through clinical cases

A practical and clinical approach to the major pathophysiological models used in medical acupuncture.

Acupuncture point stimulation methods

Practical workshops dedicated to various stimulation techniques:

• manual acupuncture;
• electroacupuncture;
• moxibustion;
• cupping;
• laser;
• acupressure;
• neuromodulation;
• other emerging techniques.

These projects are currently under development, and detailed information will be provided in the coming months.

Looking to the future

The year 2026 will likely mark a significant milestone for medical acupuncture in Belgium.

Between the steps toward institutional recognition, the development of a national scientific dossier, European collaborations, international partnerships, and the growing wealth of our scientific activities, our discipline currently enjoys particularly exciting opportunities.

The ABMA intends to continue its mission as a scientific society, a professional representative, and a credible partner to health authorities.

I would like to thank all the members of the Board of Directors as well as all the members who actively support the actions and projects of our association.

Dr. Olivier Y. Cuignet
President of the Belgian Association of Medical Acupuncturists (ABMA)