Guest guest Posted May 30, 2007 Report Share Posted May 30, 2007 To the Editor: On April 12, 2007, Dr. Stephen Taus, a board-certified internist, posted a letter on Medscape General Medicine[1] about his weekend training in acupuncture in 2003 (a course held in Nevada, but now defunct) and how this weekend training has changed his medical practice. He is now selling a DVD and book which will teach all of us how to do this amazing medicine with " sterile, disposable....very thin " needles, for only $129.00 + shipping. Well, I am a board-certified radiologist who decided to pursue an acupuncture career after 20 years of full-time, hospital-based radiology. I have spent the last 3 years as a full-time student at an ACAOM [Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine]-accredited acupuncture school. I have just passed my fifth NCCAOM [National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine] examination and completed a Master's thesis entitled " The Acupuncture Treatment of Acute Stroke -- 30 Years' Experience in China. " I assure you that acupuncture is not a nice little subject that you can pick up by watching a single DVD and reading 1 book. It has taken me an investment of 3 years as a full-time student and $45,000 to begin to grasp this ancient way of healing. I am disappointed that the editor of Medscape published Dr. Taus' letter, since I believe that his motivations are misguided. In Oregon, we are in the process of trying to change state law so that people like Dr. Taus who train in acupuncture over a weekend or two are not allowed to practice acupuncture without proof of competency and proof of adequate training. I would hope that other responsible physicians will recognize this problem and support a change in their state law so that acupuncture can only be performed by licensed acupuncturists who are appropriately trained and tested for competency in nationally recognized programs sanctioned by both the ACAOM and NCCAOM, the only national organizations for acupuncture training and testing, which are recognized by the United State government. The Attorney General of the State of Hawaii released his opinion on August 18, 2003, stating that all healthcare practitioners doing acupuncture would be held to the same standard (MD/DO/DC's need to fulfill all requirements to be LAc's [licensed acupuncturists]). We hope that " parity in acupuncture licensing " will become the new standard for acupuncture practice throughout the United States in the near future. I have attached my testimony given on April 13, 2007, to the Oregon Board of Medical Examiners concerning this issue. You are welcome to post it as a " letter " to Medscape General Medicine in your next issue! Kindest regards, Marilyn Walkey, MD (solo medical practice) Portland, Oregon marilynwalkey Reference 1.. Taus SD. Amazing acupuncture. Medscape General Medicine. 2007;7:2. Available at: http://medgenmed.medscape.com/viewarticle/554576 Accessed May 18, 2007. -- To the Editor: The recent article by Dr. Taus[1] disappointed me for several reasons. First and foremost is the idea put forth by Dr. Taus that acupuncture and its system of practice can be easily learned in a weekend or " short " course, or even by DVD as long as the student is fortunate enough to be a physician. This smacks of arrogance and does not respect the wealth of comprehensive literature on this modality written over 2000 years. Acupuncture learned in a weekend may be useful as much as if I took a weekend course in a specialty medicine and held myself out as being able to " do what doctors do " even though I am an RN. As an acupuncturist (LAc) in California as well, I have discovered in over 20 years of studying this medicine that it is richer than I imagined and is a specialty in and of itself. As such, deference should be paid to the superior training of licensed acupuncturists. I believe malpractice insurers would call this the " standard of care. " For those patients who were not helped by Dr. Taus or who were told " this is all that acupuncture can do, " a great disservice has been done. I did not see any reference to referral to licensed acupuncturists in any case by Dr. Taus. My colleagues and I have been properly instructed to refer to MDs when appropriate and often concurrently. When an MD does not appear to do the same, it reinforces the attitude of the " arrogant " physician in the minds of many. Rather than a " turf war " attitude, I promote true complementary and integrated care. I hope this would always be the official attitude of the Medscape editors, if not the contributors, and be referenced as necessary. On a positive note, I welcome the courageous and enthusiastic expression of Dr. Taus, and know full well the negative and critical response it will invite. Still, a positive endorsement by an MD in medicine carries an enormous benefit, for which I am truly grateful. Respectfully, Linda Jordan, OMD, LAc, RN Licensed Acupuncturist (LAc), California, Acupuncture National Certification (NCCAOM); Registered Nurse, Encino-Tarzana Regional Medical Center, Tarzana, California; member, Advisory Committee, Little Hoover Commission (acupuncture regulation in California) www.drlindajordan.com feedback Reference 1.. Taus SD. Amazing acupuncture. Medscape General Medicine. 2007;7:2. Available at: http://medgenmed.medscape.com/viewarticle/554576 Accessed May 18, 2007. -- To the Editor: In a letter to Medscape General Medicine regarding the benefits of acupuncture,[1] Dr. Steven D. Taus states that " my review of the medical literature on acupuncture has generally not been overwhelmingly kind or enthusiastic. However, my experience is nothing short of phenomenal! I have consistently gotten wonderful results with acupuncture for all kinds of medical problems... " This discrepancy between clinical experience and the scientific literature needs explanation: a.. What are the baseline characteristics of his patients? b.. What are the baseline severities of his patients' disorders prior to treatment? c.. What is the magnitude of treatment effect? d.. What is the number-needed-to-treat, by indication? e.. What is the duration of treatment effect? f.. Is there selection bias in that his patients are simply the types of persons likely to be enthusiastic about treatments like acupuncture? g.. Is there simply a large placebo effect? Despite his initial doubt as to the effectiveness of acupuncture, based on the medical literature, he nonetheless enrolled in a now defunct acupuncture class given in Nevada, following which he " purchased a variety of supplies. Most important were the needles. " He started practicing acupuncture while remaining concerned about its effectiveness. Why not wait until its effectiveness has been demonstrated by strong evidence, such as a well-designed systematic review? The letter enthusiastically testifying to the " phenomenal " effectiveness of acupuncture does not take the form of any type of evidence conventionally accepted as appropriate to publication in a medical journal. It is not a research note. It is not a case report. It is not a report of a case series. It is not a report of an observational study, and is certainly not a report of a controlled trial. As such its evidentiary worth is nil. The letter is primarily an advertisement for his acupuncture practice. The acupuncture class taken in Nevada sounds like a course offered to physicians attempting to partake of the so-called complementary/alternative medicine market in order to boost their incomes, who otherwise would not consider such treatments. Take a brief course in acupuncture and now you are an " acupuncturist. " Take a course in massage and now you can offer massage as " therapy. " At best, these courses rise to the level of CME activities. However, CME activities are basically for the purpose of keeping informed of current practice, not beginning a practice based on limited experience. On his Web site, Acupuncture Simplified, in which his book and DVD can be purchased for a meager $129.00, he reports having " cured or markedly improved medical problems...including neuropathy, Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, frozen shoulders, cardiac arrhythmias... " Despite his claim that acupuncture is safe, one could be concerned about the safety, whether effective or not, of any treatment that can alter cardiac arrhythmias. There is an assumption by many advocates of " natural remedies " that if a seemingly safe intervention or herb or supplement has an intended effect, that its safety is evidenced by its naturalness. On the contrary, it would be wise to assume that if any of the above natural remedies actually do what they are claimed to do, such as treat cardiac arrhythmias or lower blood pressure, then they most likely have the potential for harm, like any treatment or medication, and should be regulated by the Food and Drug Administration or another appropriate body. Daniel Polowetzky, RN Mount Sinai School of Medicine Department of Pathology One Gustave Levy Place New York, NY 10029 Daniel.Polowetzky Reference 1.. Taus SD. Amazing acupuncture. Medscape General Medicine. 2007;7:2. Available at: http://medgenmed.medscape.com/viewarticle/554576 Accessed May 18, 2007. -- Author's Reply I was forwarded 3 letters in response to my article on acupuncture.[1] All 3 letters are quite negative and critical. There is a strong element of hostility and fear. It was predictable to me that licensed acupuncturists and some physicians would not like my book and DVD. On page 2 of my book, in the introduction, I clearly predicted this. For acupuncturists, it is an economic threat. For physicians, it is alternative medicine that is not scientific. It is interesting to note that none of the people have actually read my book or seen the DVD. Additionally, I have also gotten a goodly number of very positive letters. I have easily spent several thousand hours studying acupuncture. It took 2 years to create the book and DVD. This was done to introduce acupuncture to physicians in a simplified manner that works. I did not write the book for a profit motive. Rather, the book was written as a labor of love. Coincidentally, 25% of any profits will be contributed to charity. I have gotten consistently wonderful results with my patients. My Web site, www.acupuncturesimplified.com, lists patients' testimonials that acknowledge this. I have had no complications after treating thousands of patients. Every physician is smart enough to learn acupuncture, just as we also learn other modalities to treat our patients. I believe the Chinese have made acupuncture too complicated. In fact, Dr. Felix Mann, famous physician acupuncturist and author, echoes this in his book, Acupuncture: The Ancient Chinese Art of Healing and How It Works Scientifically; on page 231 he says, " The traditional theory has made acupuncture more complicated than it actually is. " No one knows exactly why or how acupuncture works. It is not a science. It is a system that works. It is also an art. Acupuncture can be very creative. If you ask 10 different acupuncturists how to treat the same problem, you will get 10 different answers. In fact, a number of my patients have been to licensed acupuncturists, without good results. I have personally been to a well-known acupuncturist and gotten poor results. This is not uncommon in any field. There are no guarantees in life. The acupuncture points I use are only millimeters beneath the skin, in the subcutaneous tissue. Acupuncture is very safe in the hands of licensed physicians who know anatomy. Physicians are very smart people. The desire to learn new things is possible with desire, concentration, and determination. Henry David Thoreau said, " If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. " Fortunately, we live in a free society where ideas can be exchanged. In my opinion, only the frightened, uninformed, and envious will object to my book and DVD. Stephen Taus, MD Diplomate, American Board of Internal Medicine drtaus Reference 1.. Taus SD. Amazing acupuncture. Medscape General Medicine. 2007;7:2. Available at: http://medgenmed.medscape.com/viewarticle/554576 Accessed May 18, 2007. -- Readers are encouraged to respond to Paul Blumenthal, MD, Deputy Editor of MedGenMed, for the editor's eyes only or for possible publication via email: pblumen a.. Printer- Friendly b.. Email This - Alon Marcus Chinese Medicine Tuesday, May 29, 2007 7:46 PM Re: Re: question for the group---acupuncture meridian computer program is he using skin resistance measurements? - ra6151 Chinese Medicine Tuesday, May 29, 2007 4:07 PM Re: question for the group---acupuncture meridian computer program I have been seeing a practitioner (originally from Taiwan) here for a year who uses one of these measuring devices (in his private practice, though not at school where he is also a clinic superviser.) I cannot speak to the question as to why he would want to use this machine but i can give some anecdotal evidence that his diagnoses from this channel measuring match up almost exactly with pulse diagnosis I received from Jeffrey Yuen within the same week, and also matched with a teacher of the Shen-Hammer pulse diagnosis system who gave me an assessment of my pulse in the context of a class, also during the same 2-week period. They were all 3 very similar in diagnosis of rather complex and layered patterns, though the language used is somewhat different with each practitioner. So this person I know does not fit either the stereotype of beginning practitioner or insecure practitioner, but rather knows the medicine in a deep way. Maybe he just likes the device and the computer. It also automatically tracks all the info about the patient's readings so it is possible to see the shifts over a long period of time in treatment. --RoseAnne NYC In a message dated 5/29/07 5:48:10 PM, zrosenbe writes: > Why on earth would anyone want to use this? After so many years, a > practitioner should know with his hands eyes and ears how to know the > state of yin, yang, ying q, zong qi, etc. Also, I am not so sure > these are qualities that could be measured by a computer device. > More details about this program would be interesting.. . . > > > On May 29, 2007, at 12:37 PM, rcooper1us wrote: > > > My wonderful and masterful Chinese doctor (acup and herbal) who is 72 > > years young and in practice for 50 years has been using a computer > > program for a couple of years and is very serious about its value. > > While holding a metal wand in one hand the patient then offers each > > hand and foot to have the doctor hold a metal probe on each jing will > > point (and i believe source pt...cant remember). > > > > The passage and amount of qi in the meridians is assessed and the > > program gives other feedback, on the state of the yin, yang, zong > > qi or > > ying qi etc if there is a problem. > > Quite amazing...he said the program cost $6,000. > > > > Has anyone seen this? any ideas on where to get this? > > > > R.Cooper > ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.