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Articles by Alex Tatevian
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Integrating Education and Change for Acupuncturists
by Alex Tatevian, DA
Southern New England Health Care Review; 1999; Vol. 9-10
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Three years of legislative activity by acupuncturists has resulted in Rhode
Island insurance companies offering optional coverage for acupuncture beginning in
April 2000. Integrative medicine brings together the best of complementary medicine
practiced in conjunction with allopathic medicine. The momentum supplied by an
enthusiastic public has taken integrative medicine from an underground movement
to an increasingly mainstream practice.
While acupuncture is often associated with pain control, in the hands of a
well-trained practitioner it has much broader applications and is a complete
medical paradigm. The improved energy and biochemical balance produced by
acupuncture results in stimulating the body's natural healing abilities,
and in promoting physical and emotional well-being.
Acupuncture can be effective as a singular implemented treatment, or adjunct to other
treatments in many medical and surgical disorders. The World Health Organization
recognizes the efficacy of acupuncture for the treatment of a
wide range of medical problems.
Progressive academic medical centers and physicians are pushing toward new frontiers
of incorporating acupuncture into their repertoire. Very often it is the most highly
respected and trusted physicians who introduce new concepts and methods into the
bastions of conventional medical care. This integrative approach is practiced at
University Anesthesiology Pain Management and Acupuncture Center in Pawtucket
under the leadership of Kathleen Hittner, MD. Dr. Hittner and her staff integrate
acupuncture into the treatment of patients with chronic and acute pain.
Fifteen million acupuncture treatments are performed safely each year in America alone
and the number is growing rapidly. Anecdotal evidence indicates a high degree of patient
satisfaction. Scientific research indicates that acupuncture must be considered a
serious alternative or complement to conventional pain management.
When physicians are approached with good data, most are open to new medical
treatment options. Numerous published studies prove acupuncture's efficacy.
There may be only a handful of decent double-blind studies examining acupuncture,
but there are many case-controlled studies that are dependable in seeking out
reliable outcomes. It took a lot of prodding, though, to convince the average
allopathic physician that acupuncture was even worth exploring. Recently, physicians
brought proposed regulations to practice acupuncture before the Rhode Island Department
of Health.
Patient demand has moved physicians to engage in integrative medicine, and in 1998
patients spent 52 billion out-of-pocket dollars on alternative medicine.
The National Institute of Health's National Center for Complementary and
Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) conducts and supports basic and applied research
and training and disseminates information on complementary and alternative medicine
to practitioners and the public.
Acupuncture is practiced side by side with physicians in hospitals and clinics in
Rhode Island. Acupuncturists must augment their considerable knowledge base with
conventional medical concepts to practice compatibly with physicians, and most
importantly for the benefit of the patient.
Rhode Island requires its licensed acupuncturists to have 20 hours of continuing
education per year, along with 2500 hours of education and training prior to licensure.
These requirements are among the most stringent in the country. Professional
development is encouraged and sponsored by the Rhode Island Society of Acupuncture
and Oriental Medicine.
Acupuncturists from the United States and Canada recently convened to discuss pain
management at the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in San Diego. A pronounced
emphasis on integrative medicine threaded numerous workshops and discussions.
A lively panel of physicians and acupuncturists debated the transdisciplinary
assessment and team approach. The problems of the existing health care delivery
system and the growth that is necessary to accommodate new methods was the focal
point of debate. However, no one debated the common goals of patient care: to
improve function, reduce disability, eliminate medication dependency, decrease
health care system dependency, and decrease chronic suffering.
While some issues still separate the integrative movement from mainstream medical
practice, the gap will continue to narrow. Whether it's a conventional treatment
or the latest integrative technique, doing what works best is still the best medicine.
Alex Tatevian, DA
Southern New England Health Care Review; 1999; Vol. 9-10
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This page last updated: 6-Jan-2004
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