Acupuncture: Questions and Answers with an Expert by Brian B. Carter, MS, LAc

My job as I see it is to be a communicator. I have written hundreds of articles on my site (The Pulse of Oriental Medicine, www.pulsemed.org) and in other magazines that have reached more than 100,000 English-speaking patients. I have books and radio appearances in the works. There's too much for any one of us to know everything, so I keep in touch with a broad range of experts - translators, scholars, MD's, authors, so that I'm speaking authentically and accurately.

AS: Do you think acupuncture offers a better treatment than the allopathic medicine? If yes, then why isn't it as popular as the latter?

BBC: Even in its country of origin, Chinese medicine has lost some popularity. When the communists took over in the 1950's, they almost destroyed the traditional medicine. They wanted to catch up with the west and get our approval. But when Mao Tse-Tung got facial paralysis, it was acupuncture that fixed him. So he ordered the systemization of TCM. Now there are 3 branches of medicine in China: Chinese, Western, and the combination of the two. The latter is the most interesting, and probably the future of all medicine. For example, you can have an elevated Alk Phos level (a liver function test), with no western gallbladder pathology, but have symptoms of pain or discomfort along the Chinese acupuncture Gallbladder channel.

I don't think we should say either acupuncture and western medicine is better. Each has their strengths and weaknesses. And to be accurate, we have to say that most of Chinese herbal medicine is allopathic, because allopathic means treating with opposites. We reduce excesses, and strengthen deficiencies, for example. What we do need to do is cooperate; practitioners of various kinds of medicine should work together for the benefit of each patient. To only use one kind of medicine is more of a religion than a medical practice. Chinese medicine practitioners need to learn what western medicine is good and bad at, and vice versa. Same goes for chiropractors, Ayurveda, Homeopathy, massage, etc.

The popularity or acupuncture in the west is a function of time, politics, and finance. Acupuncture has only been in America for 30 years. Now many insurances and workers compensations cover it, MD's are learning it, it's always in the news, sports teams are using it. There are about 800,000 MD's, and 15,000 acupuncturists in the U.S. So it'll be awhile before it's an unquestioned part of the healthcare system. Even then, we'll still have to deal with some people's egos.

AS: How can one become an acupuncturist? What are the qualifications required for becoming one? Is there a similar degree as an MBBS?

BBC: The average in the U.S. is 3-4 years of school, graduating with a Master's of Science in Traditional Oriental Medicine. Regulations vary by state. California has the highest standards; we are tested on the medicine, acupuncture, herbs, law, etc. Actually, acupuncture is only 17% of the test! Again, acupuncture is only one of Chinese medicine's therapies. The standard is slowly being raised to the PhD level. There are now 3 nationally approved PhD programs for Chinese medicine. All 3 are on the west coast. I think eventually that will be the entry level. We have to do that to get on par with the chiropractors, MD's, and DO's.

AS: What do you think is the future of Acupuncture? I mean rest of the world.

BBC: Chinese medicine has been in Australia for more than 100 years. It's all over Korea, Japan, and Taiwan. I haven't heard much about it in South America. They have it in Canada, but I think it's not well regulated or accepted. In France, you have to be an MD to practice it. So it's different everywhere. But here in America, we are doing more and more research, and the results are affirming and interesting. So I think that the MD's, who hold most of the political and financial cards in international medicine, will be less and less able to resist the importance of acupuncture. Herbal medicine has a longer battle; because, in a way, it competes with pharmaceutical medicine. It shouldn't have to, though, because some studies we have read show that herbs ameliorate drug side effects and increase their effectiveness. This has to be done in accordance with both western and eastern medical principles, though.

I think they will merge to some degree, and work together. Western medicine has great standards and tools. Chinese medicine has valuable insights and perspectives that could even help design studies and interpret study results more effectively.

AS: Why did you become an acupuncturist? What influenced you in becoming one.

BBC: Number one, I wanted to help people. I wanted to make use of my talents. Number two, I was fascinated by the fact that Chinese medicine had never separated mind, body, and emotion. I wanted to find out more about this. I've always wanted to grow and be more effective. I thought perhaps Chinese medicine could help me do that, and then I could help patients do that too.

AS: What according to you is the best thing about acupuncture, meaning how and why is it better than other systems of medicine?

BBC: Acupuncture, and Chinese medicine, both look at the whole person. We know how every part of your body links up with every other part. We know how the lungs manifest emotionally. We know what green or blue skin means. We know what foods are best for which types of people.

Western medicine is compartmentalized. They study e.g., the immune system, the digestive system, or the psychology of the individual. We know how those are related. We can take symptoms from each, diagnose a pattern, and treat all three at once. Those inter-systemic insights are one of the most important contributions of Chinese medicine.

Acupuncture has a normalizing, regulating effect. Chinese herbs can strengthen you, while western drugs generally just attack or reduce excesses (like viruses, bacteria, inflammation). We can strengthen and reduce at the same time. We're a bit more flexible. We can almost always diagnose and treat everyone. Western medicine's approach often leaves them baffled about causes and searching for silver bullet treatments. In many situations, western surgery or drugs are superior. But there are just as many situations where they need us.

AS: Is acupuncture effective in all diseases, I mean the complex ones like cancer, etc?

BBC: Acupuncture can regulate and boost the immune system. This is important in cancer. However, for the serious and complex illnesses, Chinese herbal medicine is better. I've written about how we can treat AIDS, cancer, lupus, etc. Acupuncture is essential right after a stroke. The sooner you do that, the more function you can recover.

Go to Page 1

BIO:

Acupuncturist, herbalist, and medical professor Brian B. Carter founded the alternative health megasite The Pulse of Oriental Medicine (http://www.PulseMed.org/). He is the author of the book "Powerful Body, Peaceful Mind: How to Heal Yourself with Foods, Herbs, and Acupressure" (November, 2004). Brian speaks on radio across the country, and has been quoted and interviewed by Real Simple, Glamour, and ESPN magazines.

Some Aditional Articles you may enjoy

Develop a strategy for dealing with hair loss. by Richard Mitchell

The Causes of Chronic Pelvic Pain by D. Herren

FOLATE (Folic Acid by Alfred Jones

Magnetic Therapy, the facts (and some myths). by Barry Dench

Lithanol - Kidney Stones Treatment by Ratliff J

Click a Number to go to an article index page
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39