Acupuncture in the Western World

I just wrote a comment on a blog regarding acupuncture.  The author of the blog was arguing that oriental medicine is turning into a fad whereby people are turning to it and trusting that it works without looking into any evidence supporting it.  That people are becoming leery of western medicine simply because it is western.  I wrote back the following words and wasn’t sure if it would be published so I figured I should at least put them in here.  If you would like to see the blog article to which I am referring, click here.

Yes, there is a trend or a fad that people are seeking out oriental medicine and accepting its effectiveness without due diligence, but remember that for the past 100+ years there has been a trend or a fad of people only accepting western medicine without any due diligence.  But perhaps this excitement over this new fad is just part of a natural order of things.  The excitement that occurs when people’s eyes have been opened.  When people can see the great possibilities that didn’t exist before.

As for the effectiveness of oriental medicine.  Let’s first start off with understanding that the WHO, the National Institute of Health and the British Medical Association all endorse acupuncture as an effective form of treatment.  I hope you believe that these organizations are swayed more by research than emotion.

Remember also that acupuncture has only been researched for the past 2 decades.  Also important is the lack of money being poured into acupuncture research.  Truth is that studies proving that acupuncture works don’t make anybody rich, unlike studies regarding pharmaceuticals.

Lastly, my hope is not that oriental medicine replace “modern” medicine, but rather that MD’s and the rest of the medical establishment learn to play nice and work together with other health care practitioners.  A patient that has a wider range of treatment available is surely more likely to find health.

Ken