Guest guest Posted May 23, 2003 Report Share Posted May 23, 2003 John Although there are certain individuals who still believe in the earlier version of the education via the route of Masters Degree...change is inevitable. Many practitioners believe very strongly that the future of acupuncture & oriental medicine in the US will primarily be via entry level of OMD (Oriental Medical Doctor) degree which is already in the process. US residents should expect the very best from this medicine and we should never feel totaly comfortable until the level is equal to every other primary care provider. Those in the profession who wish to stay as technicians and do not want the responsibility of primary care provider should not deter others who wish it. They may stay technicians in the future either by simply staying technical acupuncturists or by becoming assistants to the OMDs. Visit the NEW Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine National Coalition's website at <A HREF= " http://www.aomnc.com " >http://www.aomnc.com</A> and look around but specifically look at the 'Legislative Page' - soon to be called 'Case Law & Testimony'. Then review my joint testimony with several distinguished MDs both from the US and China and a past Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives. Within the testimony by myself and Dr. Wu, Boping you will find yet another view of what acupuncture means with both the capital 'A' and with the small 'a'. Also you may decide to give your support simply by joining. There are NEVER any membership fees and although this is also a professional organization - it is open to all professions, citizens, patients and friends. Read the AOMNC's mission statement and visit this website OFTEN so as to keep abreast what is happening in this profession. Hope that you and others will be better informed by all of these sources of information and then make up your own mind. Best regards, Richard A. Freiberg, DOM, DAc, NMD Founder/Director AOMNC > > john howard <johnhoward71 > >Acupuncture > > > >Can some one tell me what acupuncture really is, how > >does it work and what it is good for. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 26, 2003 Report Share Posted May 26, 2003 Consumers do not care how much education we have. Increasing education will only reduce the number of people who will be able to afford to go into the profession, and increase the costs for the consumer. I am fully in favor of every state changing its laws so that licensed acupuncturists can call themselves " OMD " or " DOM " , but why increase the educational standards? Tens of thousands of practitioners have been trained with the " Masters degree level " as the educational standard. Now this is not enough? Does anybody feel that Chinese medicine is not primary care? Do we not excel at treating the conditions that people see their primary care physicians for? Are we currently not as qualified and prepared to treat as primary care physicians? Will a few more science classes make someone such a better acupuncturist that the rest of us can serve as their assistants? acupuncture , acudoc11@a... wrote: > John > > Although there are certain individuals who still believe in the earlier > version of the education via the route of Masters Degree...change is inevitable. > Many practitioners believe very strongly that the future of acupuncture & > oriental medicine in the US will primarily be via entry level of OMD (Oriental > Medical Doctor) degree which is already in the process. US residents should expect > the very best from this medicine and we should never feel totaly comfortable > until the level is equal to every other primary care provider. Those in the > profession who wish to stay as technicians and do not want the responsibility of > primary care provider should not deter others who wish it. They may stay > technicians in the future either by simply staying technical acupuncturists or by > becoming assistants to the OMDs. > > Visit the NEW Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine National Coalition's website at > > <A HREF= " http://www.aomnc.com " >http://www.aomnc.com</A> and look around but specifically look at the > 'Legislative Page' - soon to be called 'Case Law & Testimony'. Then review my joint > testimony with several distinguished MDs both from the US and China and a past > Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives. Within the testimony by myself > and Dr. Wu, Boping you will find yet another view of what acupuncture means with > both the capital 'A' and with the small 'a'. > > Also you may decide to give your support simply by joining. There are NEVER > any membership fees and although this is also a professional organization - it > is open to all professions, citizens, patients and friends. Read the AOMNC's > mission statement and visit this website OFTEN so as to keep abreast what is > happening in this profession. > > Hope that you and others will be better informed by all of these sources of > information and then make up your own mind. > > Best regards, > Richard A. Freiberg, DOM, DAc, NMD > Founder/Director AOMNC > > > > > > > john howard <johnhoward71> > > >Acupuncture > > > > > >Can some one tell me what acupuncture really is, how > > >does it work and what it is good for. > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 28, 2003 Report Share Posted May 28, 2003 Let's get our figures correct. No tens of thousands of practitioners out there unless you like to spin numbers. If you are an acupuncture needle technician I would agree that the public doesn't care. As an OMD/DOM they do care. When a 'qualified practitioner' is at the same time a 'primary care practitioner'.......they absolutely care. The increased standards are coming whether you or I care. In those arenas where we are primary care physicians...the system demands it - otherwise there is NO reimbursement and possibly more importantly there is no recognition of all we claim to be and to be able to accomplish. The majority of practitioners have difficulty earning a substantial living due mostly to non-recognition and limited or non-reimbursement. If we are part of the system then we need to play the game as it exists. If we don't wish to be part of the system....then we should give up our licenses and go under ground. When we want to go to a sports event - we PAY to get in. The system WILL require the future practitioners that cost. Just the way it is. And hopefully in those states where there are activists and practitioners who get off their butts and talk to their legislators.....all previous licensees will be 'grand fathered' to the title - not the degree. Thats just the way of the world. We have already opened the titles years ago here in Florida. Where are you and whats happening in your state? Obviously many do not understand that it is not really about additional education or being a medicare provider for the business.. but the STATUS of 'Statutory Medicare Provider' means the best qualified are recognized by the federal governemnt. That's what really counts. Ponder that idea and maybe see the truth to it. In a message dated 5/27/03 7:27:06 PM, acududeman writes: << Consumers do not care how much education we have. Increasing education will only reduce the number of people who will be able to afford to go into the profession, and increase the costs for the consumer. I am fully in favor of every state changing its laws so that licensed acupuncturists can call themselves " OMD " or " DOM " , but why increase the educational standards? Tens of thousands of practitioners have been trained with the " Masters degree level " as the educational standard. Now this is not enough? Does anybody feel that Chinese medicine is not primary care? Do we not excel at treating the conditions that people see their primary care physicians for? Are we currently not as qualified and prepared to treat as primary care physicians? Will a few more science classes make someone such a better acupuncturist that the rest of us can serve as their assistants? >> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 29, 2003 Report Share Posted May 29, 2003 My figures are based on the National Acupuncture Foundation report published on page 26 of The Acupuncture Alliance Forum Winter 2001- 2002 edition. They report 12,384 licensed acupuncturists, 1200 in New York as of 2000. The number in New York State has more then doubled since then, so if the national average followed New York there would be more then 25000 acupuncturists. If the national growth rate is half of New York it would still be approaching 20000. I stand behind my training. I stand behind OM that has been practiced for thousands of years. OM has not spread in this country due to the enthusiasm of the government, the insurance industry, or the Western medical community. It has spread because we treat many conditions that Western docs can't, and many conditions we treat better, cheaper and safer than Western medicine. In place of spending more time in school, I would rather see those hours used for practice development and legislative activities. Our profession will only be advanced through difficult and creative political effort. Our profession is not legitimized by taking science and research methods classes. It is legitimized by its effectiveness as a primary (exclusive) care modality with 3000 years of success behind it. acupuncture , acudoc11@a... wrote: > Let's get our figures correct. No tens of thousands of practitioners out > there unless you like to spin numbers. > > If you are an acupuncture needle technician I would agree that the public > doesn't care. As an OMD/DOM they do care. When a 'qualified practitioner' is at > the same time a 'primary care practitioner'.......they absolutely care. > > The increased standards are coming whether you or I care. In those arenas > where we are primary care physicians...the system demands it - otherwise there is > NO reimbursement and possibly more importantly there is no recognition of all > we claim to be and to be able to accomplish. > > The majority of practitioners have difficulty earning a substantial living > due mostly to non-recognition and limited or non-reimbursement. If we are part > of the system then we need to play the game as it exists. If we don't wish to > be part of the system....then we should give up our licenses and go under > ground. > > When we want to go to a sports event - we PAY to get in. The system WILL > require the future practitioners that cost. Just the way it is. And hopefully in > those states where there are activists and practitioners who get off their > butts and talk to their legislators.....all previous licensees will be 'grand > fathered' to the title - not the degree. Thats just the way of the world. > > We have already opened the titles years ago here in Florida. Where are you > and whats happening in your state? > > Obviously many do not understand that it is not really about additional > education or being a medicare provider for the business.. but the STATUS of > 'Statutory Medicare Provider' means the best qualified are recognized by the federal > governemnt. That's what really counts. Ponder that idea and maybe see the > truth to it. > > > > > In a message dated 5/27/03 7:27:06 PM, acududeman writes: > > << Consumers do not care how much education we have. Increasing > > education will only reduce the number of people who will be able to > > afford to go into the profession, and increase the costs for the > > consumer. > > I am fully in favor of every state changing its laws so that licensed > > acupuncturists can call themselves " OMD " or " DOM " , but why increase > > the educational standards? Tens of thousands of practitioners have > > been trained with the " Masters degree level " as the educational > > standard. Now this is not enough? > > Does anybody feel that Chinese medicine is not primary care? Do we > > not excel at treating the conditions that people see their primary > > care physicians for? Are we currently not as qualified and prepared > > to treat as primary care physicians? Will a few more science classes > > make someone such a better acupuncturist that the rest of us can > > serve as their assistants? > > >> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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