Acupuncture
and Oriental Medicine in the West
By John Scott, DOM
We know acupuncture and Oriental
medicine as the indigenous medicine of East Asia; in particular China, Korea
and Japan are the countries of origin of this wonderful healing system. In
recent decades, what is referred to as Traditional Chinese Medicine, and other
East Asian-based systems have spread to every continent and nearly every part
of the world.
In the United States, we know that
acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine have been practiced and available in
Chinese communities since significant Chinese immigration to this country
started in the mid-19th century. However, the knowledge of this healing system
was not known in the larger mainstream American culture. In most places,
acupuncture was illegal as the practice of medicine and was practiced
discreetly in Asian communities.
This changed as a result of a report
written by the journalist James Reston. James Reston was part of the Nixon delegation
to the People's Republic of China during the summer of 1971. He received
acupuncture to help with post-operative pain following an emergency
appendectomy. In 1971, there was no legal status for the practice of
acupuncture in the U.S. In many places, it was illegal as the practice of
medicine with the exception of medical doctors. Acupuncture needles were
considered experimental devices by the U.S. FDA. This report inspired curious
Americans and other Westerners to travel to China to study the principles and
the practice of acupuncture and then other aspects of Oriental medicine. Some
of these Americans returned with certain Chinese teachers like Dr. James Tin
Yau So and started schools to train Americans in the practice of acupuncture.
From the first basic acupuncture training programs there are now 84 educational
institutions either accredited or in candidacy status with ACAOM, the
Accreditation Commission of Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine.
This article comes from here.
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