HR 646!
AAAOM Newsletter:
Back in the '70s, acupuncture was introduced to this country when James Reston, the New York Times writer, needed emergency surgery for an appendectomy while traveling with President Nixon in China. Amazed that acupuncture was successfully used in place of anesthesia, this thousands-year-old medicine received a popular introduction into the U.S.
Through an ensuing grassroots movement, acupuncture and Oriental medicine has grown into an established, licensed profession with its own regulatory bodies—a critical factor since AOM requires this level of organization to be regarded as legitimate.
Meanwhile, biomedical researchers grew fascinated with pinpointing which mechanisms of action make acupuncture effective. Over 500 clinical trials have been conducted and there are 50 systematic reviews in the Cochrane databases.
Great news for us: the National Institute of Health has declared "Enough! No more randomly controlled trials; we get it, acupuncture works!" The Obama administration has slated funding in the stimulus bill for studies of AOM in a clinical setting to examine how it works on a variety of patients, with all of the modalities we use to help our patients get well, including herbal formulas, nutritional counseling, lifestyle change support, and exercise.
This illustrates tremendous growth in three decades for a system of medicine based on theories that may seem quite alien in our mainstream culture. The passage of HR 646, The Federal Acupuncture Coverage Act of 2009 would situate AOM not on the fringe, but instead on the verge of mainstream medicine in this country.
Back in the '70s, acupuncture was introduced to this country when James Reston, the New York Times writer, needed emergency surgery for an appendectomy while traveling with President Nixon in China. Amazed that acupuncture was successfully used in place of anesthesia, this thousands-year-old medicine received a popular introduction into the U.S.
Through an ensuing grassroots movement, acupuncture and Oriental medicine has grown into an established, licensed profession with its own regulatory bodies—a critical factor since AOM requires this level of organization to be regarded as legitimate.
Meanwhile, biomedical researchers grew fascinated with pinpointing which mechanisms of action make acupuncture effective. Over 500 clinical trials have been conducted and there are 50 systematic reviews in the Cochrane databases.
Great news for us: the National Institute of Health has declared "Enough! No more randomly controlled trials; we get it, acupuncture works!" The Obama administration has slated funding in the stimulus bill for studies of AOM in a clinical setting to examine how it works on a variety of patients, with all of the modalities we use to help our patients get well, including herbal formulas, nutritional counseling, lifestyle change support, and exercise.
This illustrates tremendous growth in three decades for a system of medicine based on theories that may seem quite alien in our mainstream culture. The passage of HR 646, The Federal Acupuncture Coverage Act of 2009 would situate AOM not on the fringe, but instead on the verge of mainstream medicine in this country.
Comments
Post a Comment