M.D.s as friends, not enemies [Was Re:Acupuncture in the news! study results]

[Guest guest]

Hi all,

With regards to some of the attitudes about M.D.s that several people have

expressed, I have some strong feelings... Hope you will bare with me (if

not, skip to the fun videos at the bottom!) ---

 

For the good of our patients and our profession, we have got to move away

from this " us vs. them " mentality. The mindset demonstrated in some of the

emails bashing on M.D.s with their 140hr training will serve to keep us on

the fringe of mainstream medicine. If we are to move out of this " sick

society " into a healthy, harmonious, and integrated system, then we must

start by setting an example with our own attitudes and behaviour. We must

see M.D.s as friends/allies, not as enemies. They have the potential to be

either, and it is up to us TCM doctors to set the tone.

 

In my opinion, it is wonderful that some MDs are seeking out a little

acupuncture traiing. If it means that they may try a needle treatment for

simple pain relief rather than prescribing drugs, then as long as they're

not causing harm (such as puncturing an organ), the patient will probably be

better off trying a few needles first, even if they're not very well chosen

points. Also from a business perspective, this will undoubtedly get more

people curious about acupuncture, which in turn will grow the total

acupuncture market. Even if we have less than 100% market-share, the total

pie will be much bigger, and it might mean that patients are taking less

drugs and trying more natural medicine options. In the grand scheme of

things, I think this is going to be good for patients, TCM doctors, and

society in general!

 

While there is a worry that M.D.s w/ limited training may mis-represent of

the true power of our medicine, my experience has been to the contrary. It

is my experience that the M.D.s interested in acupuncture tend to be more

humble, genuine people interested in true healing, what you'd call

" out-of-the-box " thinkers. I have made friends with a couple of M.D.s who

have received just enough acupuncture training to understand their

limitations and will refer patients to a " real acupuncturist " for trickier

cases when they are not able to deliver results themselves. I myself have

been a very happy (and flattered ) recipient of such wonderful partneships.

 

Also if we don't like the way these studies are designed, then seek out

training about research methodologies so that you can be eloquent in

expressing these concerns to your patients and M.D. colleagues. Or better

yet, get a DAOM/PhD degree so you can develop better research protocols

yourself!

 

Someone earlier in this chain also made an insulting comment about how

M.D.shave no idea how to direct Qi properly. Surely this person is not

alone in

her sentiments. I urge all of us to not get too cocky thinking how much

better we are just because we have a tiny bit more training. Let's consider

the scale of amazing healers who have passed the medicine to us. Hua Tuo, Li

Dong Yuan, Zhang Zhong Jing, etc... Compared to them, how are your

acupuncture or herbal skills? surely many of us are closer to the 140hr

M.D.s than we are to these TRUE Masters. Let us practice humility in order

that we may be worthy heirs of their amazing medicine.

 

As for ability to direct Qi, here's are a couple video to help put things

into perspectives --

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drz-CMespEM (especially watch near 5minute

mark)

(courtesy of my apprenticeship

brother Ben Krieg. thanks ben!)

 

Hope you find these videos motivating and humbling as I do. Now let us get

back to the business of becoming the best darn healers we can be.

 

 

With love & respect,

 

Edith Chan

DAOM Candidate

 

 

--

Edith Chan, L.Ac.

Phone: 415.298.5324

www.EdithChanAcupuncture.com

 

 

On 10/1/07, acudoc11 <acudoc11 wrote:

>

>

> Ben

>

> Beware of those who in the name of the Medical establishment

> (mega-corporations, insurance companies, banks, lawyers et al.) hiding

> behind the MDs, are

> already in the process of pushing the well trained acupuncturists out of

> acupuncture and attempting to replace them with the week-end warriors and

> their

> medical assistants who need no training yet will get fully reimbursed!!

>

> Those who correctly call this a " sick society " are awake and aware. But is

>

> there anything that can be done about it......especially when the system

> has

> built-in slavery controls even within the AP/OM profession?

>

> Richard

>

> In a message dated 10/1/2007 4:04:22 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,

> bhawes <bhawes%40cortezacupuncture.com> writes:

>

> Here's the money quote on this study:

> " Acupuncture was administered in 340 outpatient practices

> by physicians of various specializations who had at least 140

> hours of acupuncture training: 55% had undergone basic training

> (mean, 213 hours) and 45% had advanced training (mean,

> 376 hours). The study physicians had practiced acupuncture

> for 2 to 36 years (median, 8.0 years). All took part in a 1-day

> training session with emphasis on acupuncture methods and

> study design. "

>

> " At least " 140 hours. Compared to our minimum of 2500 hours. So does

> anybody think these clowns know what " real " acupuncture is? This is

> junk. Pure baloney. Designed to make us look bad, if it has any point at

> all besides providing work for MD's with too much time on their hands.

> This just stinks.

>

> -Ben Hawes, L.Ac.

>

> ************************************** See what's new at

> http://www.aol.com

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Edith

 

These videos are fascinating. Thank you for sending them. I disagree with your

stance that MDs practicing acupuncture is good for our profession. I frequently

meet people who had acupuncture from one of these lightly-trained MDs or

chiropractors, and complain that it didn't work. Instead of having the

knowledge to recognize that their practitioners weren't sufficiently trained,

they fault acupuncture for being ineffective, and are unwilling to seen a LAc to

see if they will get better results. I don't think this benefits the future for

fully-trained licensed acupuncturists at all; to the contrary, I think it does a

great deal of damage to our credibility. The first impression carries alot of

weight, as does the ability of MDs, Chiros and Naturopaths to call themselves

" medical acupuncturists " .

 

 

 

" Edith Chan, L.Ac. " <chineseherbs wrote: Hi all,

With regards to some of the attitudes about M.D.s that several people have

expressed, I have some strong feelings... Hope you will bare with me (if

not, skip to the fun videos at the bottom!) ---

 

For the good of our patients and our profession, we have got to move away

from this " us vs. them " mentality. The mindset demonstrated in some of the

emails bashing on M.D.s with their 140hr training will serve to keep us on

the fringe of mainstream medicine. If we are to move out of this " sick

society " into a healthy, harmonious, and integrated system, then we must

start by setting an example with our own attitudes and behaviour. We must

see M.D.s as friends/allies, not as enemies. They have the potential to be

either, and it is up to us TCM doctors to set the tone.

 

In my opinion, it is wonderful that some MDs are seeking out a little

acupuncture traiing. If it means that they may try a needle treatment for

simple pain relief rather than prescribing drugs, then as long as they're

not causing harm (such as puncturing an organ), the patient will probably be

better off trying a few needles first, even if they're not very well chosen

points. Also from a business perspective, this will undoubtedly get more

people curious about acupuncture, which in turn will grow the total

acupuncture market. Even if we have less than 100% market-share, the total

pie will be much bigger, and it might mean that patients are taking less

drugs and trying more natural medicine options. In the grand scheme of

things, I think this is going to be good for patients, TCM doctors, and

society in general!

 

While there is a worry that M.D.s w/ limited training may mis-represent of

the true power of our medicine, my experience has been to the contrary. It

is my experience that the M.D.s interested in acupuncture tend to be more

humble, genuine people interested in true healing, what you'd call

" out-of-the-box " thinkers. I have made friends with a couple of M.D.s who

have received just enough acupuncture training to understand their

limitations and will refer patients to a " real acupuncturist " for trickier

cases when they are not able to deliver results themselves. I myself have

been a very happy (and flattered ) recipient of such wonderful partneships.

 

Also if we don't like the way these studies are designed, then seek out

training about research methodologies so that you can be eloquent in

expressing these concerns to your patients and M.D. colleagues. Or better

yet, get a DAOM/PhD degree so you can develop better research protocols

yourself!

 

Someone earlier in this chain also made an insulting comment about how

M.D.shave no idea how to direct Qi properly. Surely this person is not

alone in

her sentiments. I urge all of us to not get too cocky thinking how much

better we are just because we have a tiny bit more training. Let's consider

the scale of amazing healers who have passed the medicine to us. Hua Tuo, Li

Dong Yuan, Zhang Zhong Jing, etc... Compared to them, how are your

acupuncture or herbal skills? surely many of us are closer to the 140hr

M.D.s than we are to these TRUE Masters. Let us practice humility in order

that we may be worthy heirs of their amazing medicine.

 

As for ability to direct Qi, here's are a couple video to help put things

into perspectives --

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drz-CMespEM (especially watch near 5minute

mark)

(courtesy of my apprenticeship

brother Ben Krieg. thanks ben!)

 

Hope you find these videos motivating and humbling as I do. Now let us get

back to the business of becoming the best darn healers we can be.

 

 

With love & respect,

 

Edith Chan

DAOM Candidate

 

 

--

Edith Chan, L.Ac.

Phone: 415.298.5324

www.EdithChanAcupuncture.com

 

 

On 10/1/07, acudoc11 wrote:

>

>

> Ben

>

> Beware of those who in the name of the Medical establishment

> (mega-corporations, insurance companies, banks, lawyers et al.) hiding

> behind the MDs, are

> already in the process of pushing the well trained acupuncturists out of

> acupuncture and attempting to replace them with the week-end warriors and

> their

> medical assistants who need no training yet will get fully reimbursed!!

>

> Those who correctly call this a " sick society " are awake and aware. But is

>

> there anything that can be done about it......especially when the system

> has

> built-in slavery controls even within the AP/OM profession?

>

> Richard

>

> In a message dated 10/1/2007 4:04:22 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,

> bhawes writes:

>

> Here's the money quote on this study:

> " Acupuncture was administered in 340 outpatient practices

> by physicians of various specializations who had at least 140

> hours of acupuncture training: 55% had undergone basic training

> (mean, 213 hours) and 45% had advanced training (mean,

> 376 hours). The study physicians had practiced acupuncture

> for 2 to 36 years (median, 8.0 years). All took part in a 1-day

> training session with emphasis on acupuncture methods and

> study design. "

>

> " At least " 140 hours. Compared to our minimum of 2500 hours. So does

> anybody think these clowns know what " real " acupuncture is? This is

> junk. Pure baloney. Designed to make us look bad, if it has any point at

> all besides providing work for MD's with too much time on their hands.

> This just stinks.

>

> -Ben Hawes, L.Ac.

>

> ************************************** See what's new at

> http://www.aol.com

>

>