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Chiropractors Grab
for Acupuncture

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Following is a letter sent to Kate Nash, staff writer for the Albuquerque Tribune, in response to an article she wrote on 8 December 2005. Entitled "Chiropractors' Acupuncture Plan Criticized," the article brought to the public's attention that the New Mexico Board of Chiropractic (the state board which regulates and licenses chiropractors) is quietly adding acupuncture to the scope of practice of New Mexico chiropractic physicians.

What could be wrong with this, you may ask? Well, that's a good question. The first and most obvious answer is that it is contradictory to New Mexico state law. The particular law I refer to is the following passage from the New Mexico Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Practice Act, 61-14A-6:

A. Nothing in the Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Practice Act is intended to limit, interfere with or prevent any other class of licensed health care professionals from practicing within the scope of their licenses, but they shall not hold themselves out to the public or any private group or business by using any title or description of services that includes the term acupuncture, acupuncturist, or oriental medicine unless they are licensed under the Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Practice Act.

This law was enacted to protect the public from abuse of much larger issues than the law itself. The following letter, it is hoped, will shed light on these important issues, and broaden the public's understanding of oriental medicine and the implications of such controversies, when they arise.


Dear Kate:

As reported in your December 8th article in the Albuquerque Tribune, the state board of chiropractic is attempting to add “acupuncture” to the scope of practice of New Mexico chiropractors.

I would like to bring to this conversation a perspective which I have not yet heard expressed in articles, hearings, or any other discussions of the matter, and which I feel addresses the core issue at stake. It is this:

Those who are entitled by law to practice acupuncture in this state are licensed doctors of oriental medicine (D.O.M.). Oriental medicine is a perspective, a world view, which details not just how the body works, but how the entire universe works. It is vast and complex. It is vastly different from how westerners perceive the body or the universe, and it bears no resemblance, whatsoever, to the symptomatic perspective of conventional western medicine.

Doctors of oriental medicine go through four years of rigorous training to understand this world view, to learn to diagnose from within this perspective, enabling them to chose treatment which 1) does no harm to the patient, 2) has the greatest influence on the root cause of the condition, as well as the symptoms, and 3) contributes to the overall balancing and harmonizing of the patient’s health.

In the west, acupuncture is the most well known child of oriental medicine. Acupuncture springs from the heart of the viewpoint that is oriental medicine. It is an integral part of the world view. Yet it is simply a modality, as well — just a tool. Anyone can learn where acupuncture points are located on the body. Anyone can easily learn how to place sterile needles at these points. But does learning these rudimentary skills enable the practitioner to bring the wisdom and potency of oriental medicine to his/her patient? Not at all. Not even remotely.

It is interesting to note that acupuncture is regarded in this culture, primarily, as a treatment for pain. This is a reflection of our lack of understanding of the medicine, not a representation of the truth. It is, in fact, a modality capable of effectively treating every kind of disease, by virtue of the simple act of bringing the patient’s systems back into balance.

What is the result, then, of a chiropractor, a medical doctor, doctor of osteopathy, or any other individual using acupuncture outside the context of oriental medicine? The symptomatic use of acupuncture is, at best, one third as effective as acupuncture practiced within the full understanding of oriental medicine. This statement is based on the experience of patients who have received such treatment, and the common sense of anyone who has a degree of understanding of the complexity and brilliant insight of oriental medicine.

The negative impact of this phenomenon is threefold:

  • The patient experiences mediocre results. Would you prefer to receive 30% of a medicine’s effectiveness, or 100%?
  • The reputation of acupuncture suffers. “I tried acupuncture, and it didn’t work!”
  • Our understanding of a brilliant medical system remains shrouded in darkness.

In both scenarios, the public — the health care consumer — loses. In the long run, everyone loses. The medicine is diminished, diluted. The perspective is lost. The recovery, if there is one, is long.

In my practice, I do not, nor have I ever, referred to myself as an acupuncturist. I practice oriental medicine, not acupuncture, although acupuncture is a modality that my patients receive during most visits. Those who wish to practice acupuncture after having studied symptomatically placing needles for a hundred hours have no interest or intention of learning oriental medicine. If they did, they would commit to the four years of study required by national and state boards to practice this complex and valuable art.

The arrogant choice being made by New Mexico chiropractors ignores not only state statutes of New Mexico, but also the vows they have taken to serve their patients. If they persist, they will learn (not by choice) one of the principles of the oriental world view: the simple law of cause and effect. Chiropractors have done a great deal in the past few years to improve the public perception of their profession. What we are now seeing brings that shift into question.

Sincerely,
Larry Horton, D.O.M.

P.S. Thank you for bringing this issue to the attention of the public, Kate. Please feel free to visit my website for more comprehensive insights into oriental medicine.
http://www.FutureMedicineNow.com

You may also wish to visit acupuncture and oriental medcine for further discussion of these subjects.

 

 

2202 Menaul NE
Albuquerque, NM 87107
505.266.5681

 

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