Thanks Richard Nixon & Bill Clinton!!!! (oh boy) Acupuncture goes Mainstream Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine has been gaining popularity in the USA after the famous 1971 trip to China by then Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger. A US reporter, James Reston, who was with Henry Kissinger fell ill with appendicitis and was successfully treated for pain with acupuncture by Chinese doctors. Both Kissinger and then president Nixon became fascinated with acupuncture after that trip. The NY Times reporter published an article about his favorable experience and Kissinger mentioned it in a press conference. Both sparked public interest in the strange "new" form of medicine. Little by little, people started trying acupuncture out with the Chinese doctors here in the US. Slowly, Americans received training and began to practice acupuncture. Their patients' positive experiences with Chinese medicine caused them to recommend it to friends and family and request its approval with insurance companies. Over time, western trained doctors and nurses noticed more reports of patients receiving "alternative" medical services and the industry grew in leaps and bounds. Public demand for Chinese Medicine spurred the development of trade school around the nation. Slowly, state legislatures developed practice acts allowing for the regulation and licensing of Chinese Medical practices. In the 1990's under the Clinton administration - the NIH - (the federal government's National Institute of Health) received federal funding to research effectiveness of acupuncture and Chinese Medicine for treatment of many diseases and found it to be very useful. This led to more discussion in medical journals and the release and adoption of the World Health Organizations (WHO) list of conditions that can be helped by Chinese Medicine. News outlets started reporting the success. Business leaders noticed the industry gains. In 2007 a landmark report by the CDC show that 40% of the population sought treatment by acupuncturists and other alternative practitioners and paid $12 billion out of pocket to do it. The CDC admitted that this trend showed the effectiveness of these therapies. No doctors were referring to alternative medicine. No insurance companies were paying for it. People do not pay out of pocket for medical services that do not work. Then came the internet and as information about acupuncture became readily accessible, it's popularity exploded. It is the oldest, most widely used form of medicine in history. More people have been helped by acupuncture & Chinese herbs than any other modality of medicine combined. Whew! |
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