Community acupuncture

[Guest guest]

Hi Everyone,

 

I live in a small town in NY state. SIx months ago a new acupuncturist

started doing " community acupuncture " exclusively. He has 7-8 big lounge

chairs

in one room and treats patients with some auricular acupuncture and Dr. Tan's

protocols. He is charging his patients on a sliding scale and some pay as

little as $10. The most charged is $35 for the initial treatment. He is not

trained in herbs (New York state does not license or require it) and only

sells a few patents. Basically he is treating symptoms not diagnosing the

pattern or the patient. It will help some people but when people with knotty

diseases are not helped, they come away saying that acupuncture doesn't work.

 

I can see value in what he is doing and there is a place for it, but it

gives people the wrong idea about what Oriental Medicine is. It also has

really

cut into the business of the rest of us. People call and ask what I charge

and then say they can get acupuncture for $10. Seldom do I get the chance to

explain the difference in our treatments. I've found that people just don't

want to pay for health (yet they all have 52 inch flat screen TVs)

 

I wanted to write an article for the local newspaper and explain what

Oriental Medicine is. I'm not trying to put down a colleague but there really

is a

very big difference in what we do. I worry that acupuncture will be seen as

just another technical protocol instead of the complete medical system that

it is.

 

There is a bill before the NY state congress to make it mandatory for all

insurance companies to pay for acupuncture. I worry that something like this

might affect what we will be allowed to charge them.

 

I really feel that the public needs to be educated about this. Do people

think that a newspaper article is a good idea?

I would appreciate any comments or advice.

 

Mary Chamberlain, L.Ac.,M.S.

 

 

 

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