Tom Swiss
Dipl. ABT, AOBTA CP, LMT
Office in Catonsville, Serving the Greater Baltimore Area
Hours By Appointment

SAVE SHIATSU IN MARYLAND! Please take action against SB 370 / HB 374! And consider supporting HB 1527 to protect complementary and alternative care

New: "Vital Power Exercise", an eclectic Qi Gong, Shiatsu, and Meditation class on the second and fourth Fridays of each month, 5:30pm at the Catonsville Dojo.


Shiatsu - Acupressure - Massage - Reiki
Tom Swiss, Dipl. ABT, AOBTA CP, LMT
Office in Catonsville, Serving the Greater Baltimore area.
Hours by appointment

SAVE SHIATSU IN MARYLAND! Please take action against SB 370 / HB 374! And consider supporting HB 1527 to protect complementary and alternative care

New: "Vital Power Exercise", an eclectic Qi Gong, Shiatsu, and Meditation class on the second and fourth Fridays of each month, 5:30pm at the Catonsville Dojo.

Protect Complementary and Alternative Health Care in Maryland

Dear shiatsu and massage colleagues, clients, and friends,

I am asking you to consider supporting HB 1527, The Complementary and Alternative Health Care Practice Act

This bill would protect the rights of 26 different types of complementary and alternative health care practitioners. Please note that by endorsing this bill, I am not endorsing these modalities; I am saying that people should be free to practice them without being criminalized. After the Acupuncture Board in Maryland made an attempt to destroy the practice of Asian Bodywork Therapy and acuPRESSURE by anyone other then acuPUNCTURISTS, I believe it's important to support health freedom and reign in an overactive regulatory state.

Hearing and Bill Information

The bill will have a Health committee hearing Wednesday, March 18, at 1:00pm. There are links below to send email to the member of the committee.

If you are willing to jump through hoops you can also provide official written, Zoom, or in-person testimony to the House Health committee if you sign up on Monday March 16 (only on that day).

Yes, the signup windows are short, the process is Byzantine, and the website is harder to use than it should be -- it all almost seems designed to discourage people from participation. Video tutorials are below.

  • Go to https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/. On the upper right click or tap the "MyMGA" logo. On a phone or mobile device tap "Witness signup" then scroll down and use the "Create a MyMGA Tracking Account" link. On a computer click the "Register" link from the popup menu.
  • Once you have an account and have signed in, there will be a "Witness Signup" option in the MyMGA menu. Or try this link: https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/MyMGATracking/WitnessSignup
  • Witness signup is only available for one day, 2 business days before a committee hearing. So on March 16 for the March 18 meeting.
  • From Witness Signup, select the committee (Health for the House bill) find the bill in question (HB1527).

    For --Position-- select "Favorable", for --Testimony--, select "Written" (or one of the "both" options to also testify in person or virtually), click the Upload File(s) button, and upload a PDF with your testimony. (I am not sure if a Word doc or other format will work, but you can try.)

  • Scroll back to the top of the list and click "Save"! If you do not save, your testimony will not be sent.

Here are video tutorials:

Setting up an MGA account:

Witness signup:

Sample Text for Clients

Dear Delegates:

I am writing to you in support of HB1527, The Complementary and Alternative Health Care Practice Act. I have benefited from acupressure and other complementary health care methods and I know they are safe and effective treatment. We have recently seen attempts by state bureaucrats to shut down complementary practitioners to eliminate competition against favored businesses. Please protect my right to continue receiving this care. Thank you.

Sample Text for Practitioners

Dear Senators and Delegates:

I am writing to you in support of HB1527, The Complementary and Alternative Health Care Practice Act. As a describe your practice here, my clients have greatly benefited from my ability to provide these therapies. We have recently seen attempts by state bureaucrats to shut down complementary practitioners to eliminate competition against favored businesses. Please support my right to continue helping the people of Maryland with this sort of care. Thank you.

Email Legislators

When writing to legislators, be sure to include:

  • the bill you're supporting: HB 1527, and mention the "Complementary and Alternative Health Care bill" for context
  • your name, home address including zip code, and phone number
  • if you're a licensed healthcare professional, or a pracitioner of a license-free modality, be sure to mention that! If you're a client of CAM pracitioner, mention how you've benefited
  • The House Heath committee (mention HB1527, The Complementary and Alternative Health Care Practice Act) -- mail them all with this link (if your browser is set up for it), or individually:

    • For legislation nerds, the text of the bill is available: https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2026RS/bills/hb/hb1527F.pdf

    and the House bill progress pages:
    https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/hb1527/?ys=2026rs

    The relevant text:

    IN THIS TITLE, “COMPLEMENTARY OR ALTERNATIVE HEALTH CARE”
INCLUDES:
(1) ACUPRESSURE;
(2) ANTHROPOSOPHY;
(3) AROMATHERAPY;
(4) AYURVEDA;
(5) CRANIAL SACRAL THERAPY;
(6) CULTURALLY TRADITIONAL HEALING PRACTICES;
(7) DETOXIFICATION PRACTICES AND THERAPIES;
(8) ENERGETIC HEALING;
(9) POLARITY THERAPY;
(10) FOLK PRACTICES;
(11) HEALING PRACTICES USING FOOD, FOOD SUPPLEMENTS,
NUTRIENTS, AND THE PHYSICAL FORCES OF HEAT, COLD, WATER, TOUCH, AND
LIGHT;
(12) GERSON THERAPY;
(13) COLOSTRUM THERAPY;
(14) HEALING TOUCH;
(15) HERBOLOGY OR HERBALISM;
(16) HOMEOPATHY;
(17) IRIDOLOGY;
(18) BODYWORK;
(19) MEDITATION;
(20) MIND–BODY HEALING PRACTICES;
(21) REFLEXOLOGY AND REIKI;
(22) TRADITIONAL NATUROPATHY;
(23) NONINVASIVE INSTRUMENTALITIES;
(24) TRADITIONAL ORIENTAL PRACTICES;
(25) QIGONG; AND
(26) ENERGY HEALING.

    Thank you so much for taking the time to help PROTECT COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE CARE in Maryland!

     

    Tom Swiss
    EarthTouch Shiatsu
    2119 Arlonne Drive
    Catonsville MD 21228
    www.EarthTouchShiatsu.com
    tms@EarthTouchShiatsu.com
    443-803-9621