About the Columnist

Kabba Anand, DAc, LAc, Dipl. Ac., Dipl. CH, has been in private practice since 1987, and regularly contributes to Acupuncture Today. He maintains active memberships in several professional organizations, including the Society for Acupuncture Research, the National Qigong Association, and Turning Point Cancer Center, which promotes an integrated approach to preventing and responding to cancer. He served for three years as chair for the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.

Kabba served as an acupuncture advisory board member for a research study titled "Physical CAM Therapies for Chronic Low Back Pain" for the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), as well as an acupuncturist member and safety expert at the Clinical Training and Monitoring Center for an NCCAM study entitled "Efficacy of Acupuncture for Chronic Low Back Pain."

In 1997, Kabba helped research and draft legislation reintroducing acupuncture coverage under motor vehicle insurance in Hawaii. He cofounded and currently serves as president of AcuPlan Hawaii, the state's first acupuncture independent practice association (IPA), which negotiates contracts with third-party payors and sponsors continuing education seminars.

Kabba pioneered the inclusion of acupuncture and Oriental medicine at Maui Memorial Medical Center (MMMC), which became one of the first state hospitals in Hawaii to credential acupuncturists. His efforts led to medical staff privileges for acupuncturists, massage therapists, chiropractors and naturopaths. He currently is in private practice in Hawaii, where he teaches qigong and meditation. He enjoys filmmaking, writing, music, dance, kayaking, surfing, swimming, hiking and mountain biking.

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