Digest Number 1255

January 21, 2006

Re: School standards, etc.

Hey, you touchy failed artist types! Don’t be so overly-sensitive! I *know*

that you love to think of TCM as a cool trippy *art*, and perhaps it IS in some

jurisdictions, but in most states, it is a licensed health care profession.

Licensed health care practitioners need to know about totally lame un-artsy

subjects like microbiology so they'll understand the principles of infection

control, for example. They have to be smart enough to understand these things

so they don't injure or kill members of the public. One of my professors was

hired by the Board of Medical Practices to “retrain” a chiro-hackter who was

suspended and disciplined for needling an elderly fellow through the patient’s

stockings, which led to a massive infection. Just shows what one hundred hours

of training will do for you…. Perhaps if his chiro school imposed a higher gpa

requirement than 1.7, he wouldn’t have been trained or licensed in the first

place. The really scary part is, that his chiro school has

*higher* admission and academic standards than my TCM school. Just imagine

what the allopathic medical community had to say about “acupuncturists” after

this incident (even though, in this case, it was a chiro masquerading as an OM

professional). That’s right, they said, “maybe these acupuncturists need to

have their practices restricted; maybe they should only be allowed to practice

under the supervision of an M.D.”.

When you consider the fact that most of my classmates studied microbiology

from a junior college (ok, maybe high school) level text book and have never

laid hands on a microscope, slide, agar plate, etc., it simply boggles the mind.

And they actually think that they should be welcome to practice along side of

M.D.s in hospitals.....The art of TCM is very important, but one can’t neglect

the western sciences when practicing in this country.

Trust me, no one's suggesting that *you* shouldn't be allowed to practice. I

think you are missing the point of our posts, perhaps due to a certain degree of

sensitivity or personal insecurity. The point is, TCM schools today are

increasingly operating like cash cow farms instead of institutions of learning.

They admit people with no aptitude for scientific study, and dumb down the

curriculum. That's bad for the public, and bad for the profession. Many of

the basic science courses required for admission to allopathic medical schools

have little relevance to the general practice of medicine, Physics and Calculus,

for example. Why are there these seemingly irrelevant prerequisites, then? In

order to ensure that the aptitude and ability of candidates remains high enough,

so the curriculum will not be dumbed down.

TCM schools aren't the first to try to cash in by lowering standards. For

example, during the Great Depression, students flocked to law schools in droves,

since there were no jobs. The University of Minnesota admitted literally

hundreds of students (twice as many as it enrolls *today*) in the first year.

Why? Because they made a lot of money collecting all of that extra tuition

money. However, they did *not* dumb down the curriculum, and all of the

half-wits who shouldn't have been admitted in the first place washed out by the

end of the first year. Poorer, but wiser. Unfortunately, TCM school

administrators are too greedy; they want to collect all four years of tuition

from as many individuals as possible, with no regard for the damage they are

doing to their programs, as well as to the status of the profession.

Why don't allopathic medical schools just admit everyone who has a dream of

being a " healer " ? Think of all of the tuition money they could collect! Why

not? Because allopathic medical schools are run by ethical academic

professionals who recognize that lax admission policies and academic

requirements can only harm the institution, the profession and the public.

It's in *your* best interest if the schools *don't* pump out vast numbers of

unqualified graduates, and I am surprised you are unable to see that. You may

spend your afternoons in the library studying anatomy (what, no patients to

treat?), but the spacey retards don't. They disrupt classes, fail examinations,

and keep retaking tests until the professors get tired of it and pass them. As

long as they keep paying tuition, that's all the TCM school administrators now

care about. And for some reason, these poor-quality candidates can’t resist

button-holing every medical professional and member of the media they can find.

After about five minutes of discussion, you can imagine what physicians and the

media think of TCM. A bunch of woo-woo freaky numbskulls. Maybe you enjoy

being perceived as an ignorant charlatan or a quack, but some of us have higher

aspirations for ourselves, and for the profession.

As far as the board examinations go, well, I suppose it's better than nothing,

but they don't really measure competence. I could take any one of you (even the

failed artists), force you to cram 12 hours per day for a few months, and you

would be able to pass the typical board examination. Even with no prior formal

education in the field. And I'm not just talking TCM. For example, a woman

with no legal education crammed for a few months, disguised herself as a man,

then took and passed the California Bar examination on behalf of her

intellectually challenged spouse (who had repeatedly failed the exam)! The Ca

Bar is considered to be one of the top three most difficult bar examinations in

the nation, so what does that tell you? We can’t rely on board examinations

alone, because any reasonably motivated person can pass them, without having any

real competence to practice. Only admission and academic standards can ensure

that candidates have the aptitude, character and fitness

to practice, and that the quality of instruction for all students is not

diluted in order to accommodate the intellectually challenged.

Everyone likes to talk about better occupational opportunities, gaining

Medicare acceptance, hospital privileges, and the like, but these opportunities

won’t materialize simply by clicking our heels and wishing it so; we need to

elevate the status of the profession, first. An O.M.D. degree is the only thing

that hospital administrators, regulatory agencies, legislators, and the public

will respect. And if you are scared that you’ll be compelled to go back to

school, don’t be. Most states “grandfather in” professionals who were licensed

prior to higher academic standards being imposed. So you’ll reap the benefits,

even if you don’t pursue a doctorate yourself. Some states may even grant you

the title of O.M.D. with no further education as a part of the “grandfathering”

process.

So relax, go toot on your horn or whatever you failed musicians do. Just

don’t try to stand in the way of progress. And the survival of a profession.

Best Regards,

Rachel H. Peterman, M.S., J.D.

(NB: the *correct way* to list academic and professional titles is as follows:

Science degrees, in order: B.S., M.S., Ph.D.

Then Arts degrees, e.g. B.A., M.A., Ph.D.

Then professional degrees/licenses: R.N., J.D., M.D., L.Ac. etc.

So, for example, when I am licensed, the correct way to list degrees/titles

would be:

Rachel H. Peterman, M.S., J.D., L.Ac or:

Rachel H. Peterman, J.D., O.M.D. , L.Ac. or, better yet:

Rachel H. Peterman, O.M.D., L.Ac. (more than two degrees plus a license looks

silly)

NOT Rachel H. Peterman, L.Ac, J.D, M.S.

Why? Because science degrees take academic precedence, then arts degrees,

then professional school degrees, licenses, etc.

In the United States, it is considered rather, well, pathetic to list a

bachelors degree after one’s name, since a bachelors degree has no more

significance today than a high school diploma had forty or fifty years ago. I’m

just telling you that because a Ph.D., J.D., M.D. etc will laugh his/her tukkus

off if s/he sees your cute little B.A. degree on your sign or business

correspondence! But don’t feel too badly about it, most M.D.’s make the mistake

of listing their M.D. before their Ph.D., even though the Ph.D. has precedence.

No, you don’t just list your degrees and licenses in the order (or heaven

forbid, reverse order) that you obtained them.

I didn’t just dream this up. There are actually moldy, little-utilized

reference books at the public library that teach you the *correct* way to use

degrees, titles, and licenses in written form. I consulted one several years

ago, prior to ordering supplies for my legal practice, however, I imagine such

books are still in print today.)

January 21, 2006

Rachel,

Setting the personal attacks and baiting aside for a moment, i think you make a

lot of

assumptions about my stance on the issue. I never argue against inclusion of

biomedical

instruction into the curriculum, simply your contention that one should require

students to

have some sort of biomedically-oriented or hard-science degree *before*

enrolling. I have

no problem with requiring a bachelor's degree, nor do i have a problem with

requiring an

appropriate amount of med-school-level biomed instruction as a part (or co-req)

of an

OM program. My contention is that if you shut out people from a

non-hard-science

background, you are fundamentally changing the nature of OM/EAM into a sort of

shadow-Biomedicine... perhaps you personally would like to see this, but i would

not. So

perhaps we can agree to disagree.

As to the personal assumptions about me as well as the baiting nature of your

post, i have

no response save to let your words stand on their own:

Chinese Medicine , golden lotus publishing

<goldenlotuspublishing> wrote:

>

> Hey, you touchy failed artist types! Don't be so overly-sensitive! I

*know* that you

love to think of TCM as a cool trippy *art*

>I think you ... a certain degree of sensitivity or personal insecurity.

> half-wits

> (what, no patients to treat?)

> spacey retards

>A bunch of woo-woo freaky numbskulls.

>Maybe you enjoy being perceived as an ignorant charlatan or a quack, but some

of us

have higher aspirations for ourselves, and for the profession.

> So relax, go toot on your horn or whatever you failed musicians do.

>

Take care,

Robert Hayden, L.Ac. (which is how i generally sign my name, the previous

listing was an

apparently unsuccessful attempt at humor)

January 21, 2006

Rachel

Can you loosen the grips on your beliefs and positions and allow for the

possibility of the existence of healthy aupuncture/herbal medicine practices

that have evolved under different circumstances than what you envision? I have

practiced almost 20 years in the same community. I see 35-50 people a week and

would probably average more if I wasn't a single parent( but no complaints about

that). I went to a two year program , American College, and obviously have done

considerable self study and continuing education. I try to learn something

every day. I would never have gone to acupuncture college had chemistry,

physics, etc. been required. I have no aptitude for biomedical sciences.

Somehow I have found my way to offer and provide a wholiistic, powerful,

sensitive model of healing and health care. For many of my patients I am the

first provider they will contact for any situation that arises. In a few

families I have treated 3 generations. And sometimes I am even successful with

some pretty gnarly cases. Interestingly I grew up in the shadow of western

medicine. My father was a dentist and 3 uncles were md's. In my mind's ear I

recall them sometimes saying that I would never be a doctor. This was fine with

me as I was mildly put off by their attitudes of self-importance unfortunately

too common in western medicine. Thankfully I came of age in the 60's and

destiny steered me quickly through marijuana and LSD and onto paths of yoga,

meditation, natural foods, western herbs and massage/bodywork. An appetite for

healing and serving others was awakened and I struggled to find a right

livelihood in the healing/health care field. Fortunately I crossed paths with

some folks who had been to China and were expressing their lives in such ways

that drew me to find a way to study. Having practiced almost twenty years I live

from the point of view that I will practice for another 30-50 . I am not by any

means wealthy financially and that is not what led me to this work. It is a Way

of Life.

Rachel , in closing, I would suggest that the most important pre-requisite

training for any physician ought to be a minimum 3 month training in massage.

In other words good Doctor can you touch? Can you be touched? Can you be

healed? Can you listen with your body and your heart? You may consider this "

woo woo " Rachel but although I will continue to study herbs and points for the

rest of my life...what really instigates the healing of patients is the art of

listening from the sacred places within you..

So this is my piece of the path Rachel. Healing as a way of life.....Way of

life as healing.

Turiya Hill

-

golden lotus publishing

Chinese Medicine

Friday, January 20, 2006 6:31 PM

Re: Digest Number 1255

Re: School standards, etc.

Hey, you touchy failed artist types! Don't be so overly-sensitive! I

*know* that you love to think of TCM as a cool trippy *art*, and perhaps it IS

in some jurisdictions, but in most states, it is a licensed health care

profession. Licensed health care practitioners need to know about totally lame

un-artsy subjects like microbiology so they'll understand the principles of

infection control, for example. They have to be smart enough to understand

these things so they don't injure or kill members of the public. One of my

professors was hired by the Board of Medical Practices to " retrain " a

chiro-hackter who was suspended and disciplined for needling an elderly fellow

through the patient's stockings, which led to a massive infection. Just shows

what one hundred hours of training will do for you.. Perhaps if his chiro school

imposed a higher gpa requirement than 1.7, he wouldn't have been trained or

licensed in the first place. The really scary part is, that his chiro school

has

*higher* admission and academic standards than my TCM school. Just imagine

what the allopathic medical community had to say about " acupuncturists " after

this incident (even though, in this case, it was a chiro masquerading as an OM

professional). That's right, they said, " maybe these acupuncturists need to

have their practices restricted; maybe they should only be allowed to practice

under the supervision of an M.D. " .

When you consider the fact that most of my classmates studied microbiology

from a junior college (ok, maybe high school) level text book and have never

laid hands on a microscope, slide, agar plate, etc., it simply boggles the mind.

And they actually think that they should be welcome to practice along side of

M.D.s in hospitals.....The art of TCM is very important, but one can't neglect

the western sciences when practicing in this country.

Trust me, no one's suggesting that *you* shouldn't be allowed to practice.

I think you are missing the point of our posts, perhaps due to a certain degree

of sensitivity or personal insecurity. The point is, TCM schools today are