Research Clinics And The Current Conditions Of Contemporary American Major Acupuncture Schools

Introduction:The origin, formation and development of Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM) are closely related to social, historical, and cultural factors. Cultural communication and exchange have been the catalysts for formation and development of the academic system of Traditional Chinese medicine, while the formation of different medical schools and the competition among them have contributed to the continuous improvement and enrichment of TCM. Compared with European and Asian countries, acupuncture entered the United States at the later stage, the multicultural background of the U.S. enhanced the diversity of acupuncture schools, and the academic contention among them promoted the overseas development of acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine. The resultant unique styles of diagnosis and treatment, derived from the localization of different schools of acupuncture in a nation of immigrants, has significantly complemented the development of traditional Chinese medicine.This study mainly utilizes review of literary sources along with surveys to analyze the diagnosis and treatment characteristics of acupuncture in the U.S., to investigate the status of U.S. acupuncture, to discuss the factors that have affected the foundation and development of acupuncture schools in the U.S. from social, historical, cultural and other perspectives, and to provide a reference and inspiration to the development of acupuncture at home and abroad.This thesis will be divided into7main sections:Part1:The introduction and development of TCM in the U.SThis section is divided into3parts:①acupuncture’s early venture into America,②Y Times reporter James Reston’s first report on acupuncture, which triggered the first acupuncture wave, and③S legislation, insurance, education, and research, which promoted the second acupuncture wave. In these40years, acupuncture in America has spread from a minor, local role to a more recognized, standard role in society.Part2:The foundation and classification of acupuncture schools in the U.SThe diverse nature of the U.S. supports a variety of acupuncture styles. Different national viewpoints offer opportunities for the foundation of various acupuncture schools. The origins and names of these schools have been explained, along with the development of each school and its spread into America. The distribution of acupuncture schools in the U.S. is outlined.This thesis will mainly discuss the theoretical origins in two parts—those based on Chinese medicine theories, like Yin Yang and five elements, and those based on western medicine theories, such as anatomy, physiology and pathology. According to the origins and practice characteristics, the schools based on Chinese medicine theories are further divided into:①Chinese medicine acupuncture (broad sense of TCM) that originated in China and then spread into the US, including TCM acupuncture and family-style acupuncture, such as Tong style acupuncture and Tan style acupuncture.②Five elements constitutional acupuncture which spread from Europe,③Jpanese acupuncture the practice of which originated in Japan,④Korean acupuncture, which originated in Korea, and⑤American acupuncture physical medicine.The schools which is based on western medicine theory, the focus lies on medical acupuncture and trigger point acupuncture.Part3:Summary of status of related research on acupuncture schools in the U.SThrough EBSCO and Alt Health Watch, there have been5528acupuncture-related papers published between1990and April2011. Most of these papers consisted of clinical and mechanical research about TCM and medical acupuncture. Only171papers were on other styles of acupuncture,125of which were selected after individual review. Using the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine library’s online database,62articles have been found regarding various nations’acupuncture styles,4of which are related to US acupuncture schools. No one has ever done research on the entire system of American acupuncture styles; therefore, this thesis can be used as future reference on this topic.Part4:Diagnosis and treatment characteristics of acupuncture schools in the U.SDrawing from main references related to this research, this paper will utilize the diagnosis method, diagnosis, treatment principle, and treatment method to examine the characteristics of diagnosis and treatment of American acupuncture, comparing common traits and individual traits. Changes present in the process of localization and assimilation of American acupuncture will be analyzed. In general, a set of body-, mind-, and spirit-effective and people-oriented treatment modes has been formed with the following characteristics:1. Diagnosis method focusing on palpation;2. Diagnosis focusing on pattern diagnosis, especially channel differentiation and constitutional diagnosis;3. Treatment of the entire body according to Chinese medicine theories, including physical and psychological;4. Treatment method giving preference to gentle needle techniques;5. Treatment often combined with a variety of other techniques to achieve the best results.Part5:Research on the current status of major acupuncture schools in the USA. The research includes two parts:1. Survey on American acupuncture and oriental medicine curricula.(1) Research through contacting various colleges through email and telephone combined with curricula review investigates the curricula in the54acupuncture schools of the CCAOM (Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine). It compares the priorities of the various acupuncture schools and tries to understand the position of each style of acupuncture in America.(2) Result:51schools responded. Judging by their curricula, TCM lies as the main subject for most acupuncture schools. Most non-TCM based styles of acupuncture are taught in required and elective courses along with TCM content. In addition to lectures outside of class, requirements to graduate from American acupuncture schools encompass multiple cultural encounters and much knowledge. Therefore, graduates from American acupuncture schools have usually come into contact and gained insight into each style of acupuncture before graduating.2. Survey on the current status of major acupuncture schools in the USA(1) Research was conducted through web and paper, and a survey given to the alumni of54acupuncture and Oriental Medicine schools belonging to CCAOM and major acupuncture associations on the East and West Coasts. This paper examines the status of various acupuncture styles in clinical practice, and the relation between the styles, cultural backgrounds and the disease being treated.(2) Results:297surveys were taken from alumni of24American acupuncture schools and members of3major acupuncture associations.1) Over80%of the survey participants consisted of those who have achieved masters degree or above. Though these professionals came from different cultural backgrounds,76% were trained and educated in the US. TCM is the most recognized form of acupuncture based on the survey, but over80%of those surveyed had heard of other schools of acupuncture. Subjects from Europe or America had heard of more schools than subjects from Asia, including China and Korea.2) Over99%of the subjects were educated in TCM. Over half of them were educated in five element constitutional acupuncture, Tong style and Tan style acupuncture, and secondarily in Japanese acupuncture, trigger point acupuncture and Korean acupuncture.3) Most clinical acupuncturists choose to combine various schools of acupuncture, including TCM, Tong style, Tan style, trigger point, and five element constitutional, and Japanese acupuncture. TCM still remains the most widely used style.4) Based on the survey, pain is the most frequent patient complaint, followed by emotional illnesses and gynecological diseases. These results reflect the experience of a common acupuncture clinic in the US. Pain occurs as the main complaint in all acupuncture styles, especially in trigger point acupuncture and medical acupuncture. Acupuncturists using five element constitutional acupuncture and acupuncture physical medicine treat emotional illnesses the most.5) Most subjects expressed interest in TCM acupuncture (87%) and Tong style, Tan style (91%).The cultural diversity of the United States led to the diversity of American acupuncture schools. After four decades of development, American acupuncture has primarily formed a system that fits the domestic circumstances of the U.S. in terms of teaching and clinical practice, the main body of which is TCM acupuncture, while merging with different schools of acupuncture.Part6. The inspiration that the development of the American acupuncture schools brings to acupuncture development at home and abroadBased on the review of the above sources and research, the characteristics of acupuncture in the U.S is summarized and analyzed. The factors that affected the formation and development of the American acupuncture schools is discussed from social, historical, cultural and other perspectives. It is proposed that the collision and combination of East and West, ancient and modern, and body and spirit led to the physical, mental, spiritual, and people-oriented treatment characteristics of the localized American acupuncture. The lessons learned during its survival and development provided a reference and inspiration to the development of acupuncture at home and abroad.Part7. The outlook of the acupuncture schools in the U.SThe factors that influenced the development of American acupuncture schools are analyzed from technical, social, and cultural perspectives, so as to point out the future development of American acupuncture:①from the technical level, it is necessary to find a balance between tradition and science, and to set aside school disputes, so as to achieve common development, and②from the social and cultural level, it is necessary to improve quality, reduce differences, and fight for rights, in order to integrate acupuncture into mainstream society.Conclusion:The following conclusions can be made from the research above:(1) The cultural diversity of the United States led to the diversity of American acupuncture schools. After four decades of development, American acupuncture has primarily formed a system that fits the domestic circumstances of the U.S. in terms of teaching and clinical practice, the main body of which is TCM acupuncture, while merging with different schools of acupuncture.(2) During the localization of acupuncture in the U.S, a set of body-,mind-, spirit-effective and people-oriented treatment modes has been formed after various transitions of acupuncture from China to America, from the past to the present.(3) Due to social and cultural differences, acupuncture in the U.S has many obstacles to overcome in the development process. In order to integrate into mainstream society and to contribute to the development of acupuncture overseas, it is essential to improve the quality of the profession and to fight for more rights through efforts based on specific factors including location, time, people and needs.