Oriental Medicine Mailing List Frequently Asked Questions
Written 4/14/94. Last update 01/20/95.
Warning! This document is growing fast. As it stands, at 60 lines per
page, this FAQ prints out to 38 pages.
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(c) Copyright, Norman Kraft, 1994, 1995
Short quotations from the following works appear in this FAQ,
are attributed in the text and retain their original copyrights
as noted:
The Web That Has No Weaver (c) Copyright Ted Kaptchuk, 1983
Survey of Traditional Chinese Medicine (c) Copyright
l'Institut Ricci, 1986
The Secret Treatise of the Spiritual Orchid (c) Copyright Monkey
Press, 1992
Traditional Acupuncture, The Law of the Five Elements
(c) Copyright Dianne Connelly, 1979
Between Heaven and Earth (c) Harriet Beinfield and Efrem
Korngold, 1991
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[This FAQ is still under construction. Below you will find
administrative information, and some general information about
Oriental medicine for those unfamiliar with the subject.
Should you have suggestions, please feel free to email them
to me at OrMed-Admin@bkhouse.cts.com.
NRK (OrMed Moderator)]
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CONTENTS OF THIS FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS FILE:
=================================================
1. Administrative Stuff
2. General Information
3. Purpose of the list
4. Description of the list
5. * Addresses for the OrMed Mailing List
6. Bounces--Keeping Track of Where You Are
7. FTP Archives and the OrMed WWW Page
8. Specific Questions About the Oriental Medicine Mailing List
1. There is too much traffic on this list to keep up
2. There is too little traffic on this list -- Am I even on the list?
3. This group is useless to me because no one want to talk about the thin
gs that
I want to talk about.
4. This group is useless to me because the discussion is too technical,
not technical enough, too regional, not regional enough,
create-your-own-problem-here.
* 5. What are the posting guidelines for product reviews?
* 6. What is the OrMed Article Archive?
* 7. What is the OrMed Product Literature Archive?
* 8. I heard something about an electronic journal from OrMed.
* 9. What is the OrMed Phonebook?
10. What are the posting guidelines for messages and binaries?
9. Posting guidelines (READ THESE!)
10. General Oriental Medicine Questions:
1. What is Oriental Medicine?
2. What is Acupuncture?
3. What's the story on Chinese herbs?
4. What about Chinese herbal patent formulas?
5. How does acupuncture work?
6. Does Qi really exist?
7. Is there research to back up the use of acupuncture?
8. What should I expect during a treatment?
9. Is Oriental medicine safe?
10. How many treatments are necessary?
11. What sort of medical conditions are treated by Oriental medicine?
12. Where can I get more information about Oriental medicine?
13. What does L.Ac., C.A, etc., etc., mean?
* 14. Where are the schools of Oriental Medicine?
11. In Closing
==============================================================================
1) Administrative Stuff:
========================
Just as a reminder, there is one basic rule that is applicable to
any mailing list you may belong to:
NEVER, NEVER, NEVER SEND PERSONAL MAIL TO ORMED (destined for me
or anyone else). The OrMed address is for group discussions of
Oriental Medicine. Please keep in mind that everything posted to
OrMed goes out to many people all over the world, many of whom
pay for their email and do not appreciate receiving someone else's
personal mail. No matter how clever your response may be, if it is
to only one person use their personal email address to deliver it.
Remember that this is a MODERATED list. This means that I will
screen all messages going to the list to be sure that they meet
the following criteria:
1. They are topically appropriate.
2. They follow the "Posting Guidelines" (see below).
3. They are not for commercial purposes.
4. They are fairly free of flames.
In the first seven months of this list, I had to reject just
four postings. I'm pretty easy-going about these things, but I
reserve the right to take action as moderator should the need
arise.
2) General Information:
=======================
The OrMed list has grown quite a bit from its early start. From
just a handful of interested people, we now boast a membership
including nationally known practitioners and writers in the field,
acupuncture students, academicians, and many people just
interested in Oriental Medicine. We have representatives from
the US, Australia, Italy, the U.K., Canada, Germany, France,
and more! We are growing every week.
3) Purpose of the list:
=======================
The purpose of the OrMed list is to promote a discussion of
Oriental medicine among all those who are interested in it.
That includes both experts and those who have read a few books
or those who are just interested in learning more. We have a
really good group of people here, from very well known authors
and practitioners of Chinese medicine, to those academically
interested in Oriental medicine, to the patients who use this
health care system. (Sorry if I left anyone out!) I strongly
feel that it is important for this group to allow all members
an equal voice. Don't let anyone here intimidate you,
regardless of your own background.
A wide range of OrMed topics have been discussed here and
more are always welcome. For example, translation issues,
historical topics, patient concerns, clinical issues,
practitioner referrals, theoretical discussions, and basic
questions about herbs and acupuncture have all been
discussed here and I hope such varied discussions will
continue.
(In fact, I hope to see a lot more clinical discussion among
both practitioners and patients. Don't pass up the resources
available here to network with seasoned professionals in the
pursuit of difficult cases. There is no other resource with
a membership like this one anywhere on the Net!)
It is my hope that the professionals on this list see the
same advantages I do in the open membership and narrow scope
of this list. After all, as professionals in the field of
Oriental medicine our greatest task is education. We can't
do that if we only talk amongst ourselves. Patients have
many forums in which they can watch Western medical
professionals speak amongst themselves, and by doing so
gain a greater understanding of just what it is that
Western physicians do and why they do it. This list can
serve a similar purpose for our profession.
4) Description of the list:
===========================
I created the OrMed mailing list in May of 1994 to serve as a
forum for those practicing, using or interested in Oriental
Medicine. The purpose was and is to put together practitioners,
researchers, patients and lay people for the exchange of ideas,
questions, hopes, techniques and more.
This list is intended for the friendly, positive discussion
of Oriental medicine. While disagreements and such will pop
up from time to time, this list is meant to be a more peaceful
(and productive) place than the sometimes hostile environment
of USENET newsgroups such as misc.health.alternative. Topics
here may range over the entire area of Oriental medicine, but
this is not the place to bring up the never-ending
controversies about Oriental medicine VS. Western medicine,
Oriental theoretical models vs. Western theoretical models, etc.
We are here to talk *about* Oriental Medicine, not to critique
or defend the theory as a whole. I think you get the idea.
We should all remember, as well, that no member of this list
holds the true and final knowledge of Oriental medicine. This
is a growing, changing and expanding field and we all can
learn something from each other. An open mind and an
appreciation for the synthesis of opposites helps enormously
when discussing this field.
This list is NOT a replacement for the consultation of a
licensed health professional. Diagnosis and treatment via the
net is extraordinarily difficult in any medical tradition,
and even more so for the intensely personalized Oriental
medicinal treatments. This is not the place to post medical
conditions in the hopes of a free diagnosis, though certainly
the discussion of various medical conditions will arise. If
I feel that the purpose of a post is primarily to obtain
inappropriate medical advice, I will reject that post. No
free medical advice here.
This does not mean that you should not ask questions about
treatment you are receiving, or explore the Oriental
perspectives on your situation (or someone you know). Just
don't use the list for primary medical advice, and always
take what advice you do get with a grain of salt.
The OrMed listserv is hosted on an Amiga 3000/25, via both
SLIP and UUCP connections to a large Internet provider. It
functions under the mixed control of my own software and
parts of the most recent release of Peti's Amiga Listserv
software. It understands most, but not all, of the commands
found in the listserv set. It certainly can handle all the
important ones. (The major missing feature is file requests,
but there are other ways to do that, like the ftp site.)
* 5) Addresses for the OrMed Mailing List:
========================================
PLEASE READ!!!
A) OrMed@bkhouse.cts.com - goes to everybody on the list. Use
this address to send a message to the group. Do not use
this address to send a personal message to one person.
B) OrMed-request@bkhouse.cts.com - goes to the ListServ robot
and expects ListServ commands to be in the message body.
If the message does not have such commands (as will
probably be the case for many new subscribers who haven't
yet discovered that this is a listserv) a (hopefully)
cheerful and helpful file will be mailed to you.
C) nkraft@bkhouse.cts.com or nkraft@ucsd.edu - these go to
the same mailbox, eventually. Mail to these addresses goes
to me. That's fine for chatting and responses to anything
that I might post as a member of the list, but PLEASE SEND
ALL ADMINISTRATIVE (NON-LISTSERV) MAIL TO
OrMed-Admin@bkhouse.cts.com (below).
D) OrMed-Admin@bkhouse.cts.com - this is the correct address
to use for inquiries that cannot be solved with the listserv.
If you are having problems with your address, or have a
general administrative question about the list, send it here.
If you have a question about the moderation of this list,
send it here. DO NOT SEND SUCH MESSAGES TO ORMED!
E) listserv@bkhouse.cts.com - this is the address that all
listserv commands should be sent to. The address OrMed-Request
is redirected here. The commands understood by the listserv
are as follows:
HELP
Fetches a friendly, cheerful help file about how to use
the listserv (at least I hope its friendly and cheerful,
or at lease helpful). This should probably be the first
command you send to listserv@bkhouse.cts.com.
LIST [address]
Lists all mailing lists to which the given address is
subscribed.
INDEX
Lists all the lists available for subscription. I do run
a few other mailing lists at this site. Most of them don't
have much to do with computers or programming, but they
might be interesting to some of you. Not all of them are
listserv lists yet, so this command may not be all that
useful for quite a while.
SUBSCRIBE [address] listname
UNSUBSCRIBE [address] listname
This is how you join or resign from the OrMed Mailing
List. Please get the syntax right: the software isn't very
forgiving. For example:
SUBSCRIBE Joe Smith OrMed will *not* get you on the list.
SUBSCRIBE joe@abc.edu OrMed will get you on the list.
SUBSCRIBE joe@abc.edu will get you on the list.
SUBSCRIBE OrMed will also get you on the list.
UNSUBSCRIBE OrMed will get you *off* the list.
FAQ listname
Sends the "Frequently Asked Questions" (if available) for
the indicated mailing list. For example, "FAQ OrMed" returns
the file you're reading now.
A listserv command must be the first word on each line in the
message. Generally, when mailing to the listserv, you can leave
the subject header blank, as it is ignored.
F) postmaster@bkhouse.cts.com - this goes to me again. I'm the
sysadmin, postmaster, root, owner, etc, of this site.
G) OrMed-Sub@bkhouse.cts.com - this is the address used for
submissions to the OrMed Article Archive. (See below)
H) OrMed-Prod@bkhouse.cts.com - this is the address used for
submissions to the OrMed Product Literature Archive. (See
below)
I) OrMed-Phone@bkhouse.cts.com - this is the address you would
use if you want to be part of the OrMed phonebook. See the
relevant section below for more information about this new
feature of the OrMed list.
If you need to get in touch with me, and the address you've
picked doesn't get an immediate response, please be patient.
Sometimes it takes me longer than I'd like to find the time to
answer your question properly. If all else fails, you can call
my voicemail at 619-526-0344, but it better be pretty darn
important!
6) Bounces--Keeping Track of Where You Are:
===========================================
A "bounce" is mail that is not received by the recipient, and
therefore gets returned to the sender. The "sender" (that is,
the OrMed listserv) is supposed to be set up so that such
"bounces" go to me directly. They shouldn't go to you or the
list, but sometimes they do. I try to resolve these as quickly
as possible.
You can help by remembering to UNSUBSCRIBE when you are about
to lose or change your account. You can always resubscribe
later. The listserv allows you to UNSUBSCRIBE from your new
address, if necessary. Use the HELP command to find out how.
Unfortunately, the single largest cause of bounces is not
dead or changed accounts, it's machines (or routing servers)
that are down or otherwise not accepting mail. Neither
you nor I can do anything about this. Sometimes when a
machine is in one of these fits, the bounce will say that
the machine is okay but the user doesn't exist. Later,
everything will get better. It's annoying, and it's why
I don't remove list members with bounces for a week or so.
As the song goes (sung to the theme tune from "Mr. Ed":
A host is a host
From coast to coast,
Unless the host
That isn't close
Is busy, hung or dead!
Great Internet enlightenment can be found by meditating
upon those lines. :)
Another reason I get bounces is accounts that have exceeded
their disk space allocation. If your mailbox is full, you can
not receive any new mail. Many Internet service providers
limit the amount of mail you can keep in your mailbox. Be
sure to check this.
7) FTP Archives and the OrMed WWW Page
======================================
Announcing the OrMed anonymous ftp site and WWW home page!
At the end of each month (or thereabouts), I will batch
up all the messages sent to the list for that month and
make them available via anonymous ftp. Each monthly
archive file is a compressed text file named with the
following pattern:
OrMed-MM-YY.Z for example: OrMed-09-94.Z
The files have been compressed with the standard UNIX
compress utility. There are versions of this utility
available for just about every kind of computer ever made.
The internal format of the archive text file is simple
mailbox format. What this means is that if you are using a
mail reader like Elm, you can use the "Change Mailbox"
command to load this file and Elm will display it as a
mailbox of individual messages for easy reading and replying.
Some members might even prefer to read the list this way. If
you are not using a mail reader to read these files, dispair
not. They are simple text files that you can view in any text
viewer, editor or word processor.
You can retrieve these files via anonymous ftp to the
address ftp.cts.com, in the directory pub/nkraft.
Alternatively, if you are using a World Wide Web reader,
such as Mosaic, you can open URL:
ftp://ftp.cts.com/pub/nkraft/ormed.html
and see our brand new WWW Home Page! From this page, you
can access the OrMed FAQ, the archive files, and the
introductory message that is sent to each new subscriber.
There are also a few links of possible interest to those
in the health care field. As new files and other information
of interest to OrMed list members comes available, I'll
update the page accordingly.
8) Specific Questions About the Oriental Medicine Mailing List
==============================================================
1. There is too much traffic on this list to keep up.
This is a common complaint at one time or another on many
lists. If you haven't been a subscriber for very long, you
might want to stay around a month or so before making a
decision about the list. In general, the high traffic times
have come in short bursts with near silence in between. Over
the long haul, it is unlikely that this list will strain
your system resources, or clutter up your mail reader. You
can help keep volume problems from developing by following
the posting guidelines that are included in this file.
One exception to the above is those accessing this mailing
list from a commercial system like CIS, which charges for
each email message sent to you via the Internet. In that
case, I would advise one of two things:
a) Get an account on a local Internet provider. These can
be had at very low monthly cost, and will give you
greater access to the Internet than the more expensive
commercial system. Many BBS's also are offering Internet
email these days at very reasonable cost. One system
in my area offers full Internet email and newsgroup
access for $60 per year. With an off-line reader,
participation in the list is very inexpensive if somewhat
more bothersome.
b) Get the archive files from the anonymous ftp site (see
above) and read the list on a delayed basis. This makes
it difficult to join into timely discussions, but at
least you can read the messages at relatively low cost.
2. There is too little traffic on this list -- Am I even
on the list?
This could be caused by a down period in list traffic, or
it could be the result of problems with your address or
some server in-between. Stay with the list for a week or
so and, if you still don't see any messages, let me know
and I'll check out your address. I get this complaint fairly
often on all the lists I run, and it is usually just a
matter of waiting a few more days. In general, however,
when the list is slow all we need is for someone to post
something and get a discussion going. Why not you?
3. This group is useless to me because no one wants to
talk about the things that I want to talk about.
That could be because you haven't asked questions that would
lead to the discussions that interest you. If your posts are
not generating the responses you desire, try restating what
you have said. If you have specific medical questions, always
remember that this list is NOT a substitute for seeing a
licensed health practitioner. Don't ask anyone to diagnose
or treat you via the list. Most practitioners do not respond
to such requests. Otherwise, just be persistent, and try
to add more focus to your posts. A well-focused question
usually stirs up a lot more conversation than simple,
general questions like "what is acupuncture?"
4. This group is useless to me because the discussion is
too technical, not technical enough, too regional,
not regional enough, create-your-own-problem-here.
The level of discussion on any particular mailing list will
vary. If it seems too technical for you, just be honest and
say so! We really do want you to benefit from using this list,
and I hope that members would be happy to converse with you
at an appropriate level.
Conversely, if the discussions are not at a high enough level
for you, please understand that not all of our members are
professionals or well educated in the field. Try to stir up
interest from those who are. Keep track of the other members
who are at your level, and try to involve them in your
discussions, either publicly or privately.
5. What are the posting guidelines for product reviews?
I've long thought about ways to expand the value of the resource
provided by the OrMed mailing list. One way to do this is to
publish reviews of books, software, tapes, or other products
that the list members have read/used.
Let's be clear about what I mean by a review. This is an example
of two messages which I do not consider reviews:
"Yesterday I read _The Newest Chinese Medicine Book_ and I loved
it. It was very the best thing in American publishing yet!"
"Yesterday I read _The Newest Chinese Medicine Book_ and I hated
it. It was very poorly written."
A review is an extended opinion about a product, book, tape or
service, offered by someone with no financial interest in the
object under review, and who is willing to be relatively impartial.
I'm sure you've all read reviews in magazines and newspapers, and
have some idea of the general format. Of course, these reviews
need not take as much time or space as those you would find in
a glossy publication. They are placed on the list as a service to
the list members, helping them decide how best the spend their
time and money, and what is most helpful to understanding Oriental
medicine in theory and practice.
The format for a review is given in the example below. The headers
in the left hand column and format are important, as I would like
all reviews to have a similar appearance for easy reading. The
format shown is borrowed from one used heavily in other Internet
groups for the review of books and software. I know that the
format can be a pain sometimes, but the benefits outweigh the
inconveniences in the long run. Remember, too, that you need
not write more than a paragraph per section of the review. This
does not need to be a lengthy process; reviews can be completed
in just a couple of hours, if you are familiar with the product.
Completed and published reviews will be made available to list
members on the ftp site, and through the WWW page.
Reviews may be copyrighted by the authors, but must explicitly give
permission for publication via the OrMed list and unlimited
republication via the OrMed list, the Listserv, the ftp site and
the WWW site. Be sure to give an address (email or otherwise) that
others may contact for other uses. In short, they are yours and
will remain so, but you cannot limit how many people have access
to them via list resources, or remove them from the archive once
they are there.
All reviews are subject to the editorial process, and I (with some
help from my SO, a talented editor) will have the final editorial
word on all reviews. If you get stuck trying to complete a review,
send it to me and together we'll figure it out.
Completed reviews should be emailed to OrMed@bkhouse.cts.com (I'll
catch them in the moderation process before they go out to the
list. That's the essence of the editorial process). The subject
line must read: "REVIEW: Name of Work".
An example review, with the format intact, is below:
DATE: December 20. 1994
BY: Norman Kraft (nkraft@bkhouse.cts.com)
This is where you would give any copyright information
about your review. It should always begin "This review
(c) Copyright 19XX, [Name]". Other terms may follow
this initial declaration.
REVIEW OF: Title of work
AUTHOR: Author/developer/lecturer/etc.
FORMAT: Book/tape/service/herb shop/lecture/software/etc.
If software is being reviewed, give the system
requirements. For example: "Requires Windows 3.1,
4 MB RAM, 4.5 MB disk space, VGA+, and a mouse."
PUBLISHER: Name and address of publisher, or operator of service,
or where lecture notes may be obtained, etc. Some
flexibility is allowed here, since just about anything
might end up being reviewed. If necessary, be creative.
ISBN: If any
PRICE: In US dollars, with other currency values as desired.
OVERALL: An overall rating of the reviewed work, one of
Excellent/Very Good/Good/Fair/Poor
CLINICAL
USEFULNESS: An overall rating of the clinical usefulness of the work,
if indeed it has any. Rated as one of High/Medium/Low or
Not Applicable.
LIKES: A paragraph or more discussing, in detail, what you liked
about this reviewed subject.
DISLIKES: A paragraph or more discussing, in detail, what you feel
are the shortcomings of this product.
COMMENTS: A area for the reviewer to freely comment on the work,
outside the constraints of the above format. Aside from
expanding on the likes and dislikes, this part of the
review is where the author may compare the work to other
similar works, discuss the history of the work, discuss
the authors of the work, or provide additional information
about the format of the work. Try to remain both
professional and polite at all times.
If you have a review in mind that you're not sure about, drop the idea
to me at OrMed-Admin@bkhouse.cts.com and I'll help to the extent that
I can. In general, it's a good idea to let me know what you're working
on so that no two people are reviewing the same work at the same time,
and so that you don't re-review something already in the archives.
6. What is the OrMed Article Archive?
In response to a couple of list members who have written
articles that are too lengthy to place on the list, yet would
like to make them available to the list membership, I have
created the OrMed Article Archive. As a service to the OrMed
community, I'm setting up the FTP site and WWW page to keep
an archive of such articles.
For those of you who have written on subjects within the
writer's guidelines (attached below), put your articles in
ASCII form, format them appropriately (per the writer's
guidelines) and send them to OrMed-Sub@bkhouse.cts.com.
Articles will be reviewed for topical adherence, but otherwise
will not be edited (still, read the writer's guidelines). All
kinds of articles are welcome, from technical discussions of
Oriental medicine to patient experiences, commentaries, and
more. All accepted articles will be available via the FTP site,
the WWW page, and (soon) a mail server that will allow access
by email.
One last thing for those reading articles put in the archive:
Many articles are copyrighted by the authors. They give you the
right to download their articles to your system for the purpose
of reading them, but if you sell them, alter them, or claim
them as your own you are violating copyright laws. If I see
any instances of this on the net or elsewhere I will report
the violators as quickly as I can find them.
As I collect articles submitted to OrMed-Sub@bkhouse.cts.com,
I'll announce their availability and the process for retrieving
them to the list.
Now, the OrMed article writer's guidelines, as promised:
----------------------------- CUT HERE -------------------------------
The OrMed Mailing List Article Archive
Writer's Guidelines
1> What is the OrMed Mailing List Article Archive?
The OrMed mailing list is an Internet mailing list dedicated to
the discussion of Oriental medicine practice and theory. It is
open to a wide range of interested people, from practitioners
to patients, to those with a casual interest.
The OrMed Mailing List Article Archive is a repository for
articles written by OrMed list members (and possibly others)
who would like to make their works available to the public
via electronic networks. Many of our list members have
written articles that are of interest or use to the list
at large, but are too large or too specific to post to the
list.
2> Appropriate topics.
The appropriate topics for the OrMed Article Archive are the
same as those for the OrMed Mailing List. I encourage all
writers to read the OrMed FAQ before submitting an article to
the archive.
We are interested in articles ranging over the entire spectrum
of Oriental medicine. Those I would especially like to see
are:
* Clinical case histories
* Clinical experiences
* Patient experiences
* Eastern nutrition (Chinese, Macrobiotics, etc.)
* Qi Gong exercises as used in the treatment of
disease
* Discussions of acupuncture points or point
prescriptions.
* Discussions of herbs or herbal prescriptions
* Oriental medicine theory
* Issues of clinical reality: running an office,
dealing with difficult patients, dealing with
difficult acupuncturists, etc.
* Ethical practice discussions
You'll notice that Oriental medicine theory is down the list
a bit. It is an entirely appropriate topic, of course, but
it is also what we are likely to get the most of. I'd like
the archive to have a bit of balance to it, since it will
be accessed by an audience of widely ranging experience.
If you have a theory discussion, please submit it, but also
be so kind as to think about whether you can submit an
article in one of the other areas as well. I'd appreciate
all the help I can get in trying to keep this balanced
with regard to subjects and authors.
Please remember that the article archive is not the same as
the mailing list. Articles should be written as if they were
destined for publication, instead of the conversational tone
often seen in mailing list discussions. It is far better for
the archive if we have a few well written articles than to
have many off-the-cuff discussions of lower quality.
3> Formatting of your submission.
Submissions to the OrMed Article Archive must be sent in
straight ASCII text (no word processor formats). They should
be formatted with a left margin at 65-70 characters, and
should not have page breaks, page numbers, or page headers
embedded within.
All articles should begin with a header, giving the date,
the title of the article, the author, the number of lines,
and a brief (65 characters or less) one line summary of the
article subject. These headers will appear in the article
index and help readers to choose which articles they want
to retrieve.
Since these articles are ASCII files and not formatted
ready-to-print output, endnotes are preferable to footnotes.
All quotes from other published sources should be endnoted
as to source. A bibliography may be attached giving
appropriate credit to the original authors if the endnotes
fail to do this. This is a matter of common courtesy to other
authors, as well as one of academic honesty.
All articles are subject to reformatting as needed to meet
these guidelines, and to integrate them into the WWW page.
4> Copyright issues.
Copyrights are a difficult issue when it comes to
electronic networks. The law in this area is being defined
even as I type this. I hate to bring the whole issue up,
but it is only a matter of time until something appears
in the archive with a copyright notice on it. In general,
this is the way I handle copyright issues for the OrMed
Article Archive (and the list in general, for that matter):
If an article has been previously published in a copyrighted
publication (such as a journal, magazine or newsletter), the
author must clearly have the right to republish the article
via OrMed electronic resources, with the understanding that
"publishing" as defined for a resource like this one is a
continuous process, not a one-time publication, with readers
copying the text to their own systems for reading. This may
or may not be in agreement with the publishers of journals
who frequently buy "all rights" including your right to
republish. Be clear on this issue before submitting your
previously published article.
You may copyright your articles or not, this is entirely
up to you. If you do not copyright it, anyone can copy it
and do just about anything they want with it. That may or
may not matter to you. You still can use that article, or
change it, or sell it, but you won't be able to take
someone to court for making money from your work.
If you do want to copyright your article, say so clearly
in the article header with a line like:
"(c) Copyright 1995, John Smith"
Below that, you must give explicit permission for the
article to be published and retained in the OrMed Article
Archive. You retain all rights for republication, derivative
works, or anything else you want to do with it (it's yours,
after all), but you can't take it out of the archive once
it's there.
Finally, to better understand your rights under copyright
law, go to a library or bookstore and read the section on
copyrights in a current _Writer's Market_. It's succinct,
accurate and written from the writer's perspective.
5> The submission process.
All finished articles should be mailed to:
OrMed-Sub@bkhouse.cts.com
Alternatively, you may FTP to ftp.cts.com, and drop your
finished article in the pub/nkraft/incoming directory.
If you have a lot of material to send, or you are a very
prolific writer, try to space out your submissions. I
won't reject an article just because you write 15 a day,
but I will space out their addition to the Article
Archive, so that I can give equal time to all authors.
Remember that I have to read and approved each one of these
articles, and that is a time consuming process. Please try
to send your best work, not everything that comes out of
your keyboard.
6> The editorial process.
The editorial process is really quite simple. I will gather
together the submitted articles about once per week, and
read them. I will check them to be sure that they are
appropriate to OrMed topics, clarify any questions about
copyrights and such by email, then place the files in the
OrMed Article Archives. It's as easy as that.
7> What to do if your article is rejected.
Don't panic, don't get discouraged, don't get angry. I'll
always attach a note explaining why your article has been
rejected, and I'll always try to give you some ideas about
how it might be made more appropriate. This is not an
adversarial process.
Some articles, such as "Why TCM is all quackery" will be
rejected as inappropriate topics, as they would on the OrMed
Mailing List as well. Otherwise, rejections are more likely
to be because you failed to follow the writer's guidelines in
some way that requires only small changes or formatting to fix.
If you feel really strongly about a topically oriented
rejection, I'll take the discussion to the list and see what
the group wants to do.
Good luck, and I'm looking forward to reading your submission!
----------------------------- CUT HERE -------------------------------
7. What is the OrMed Product Literature Archive?
I've had a lot of positive response to my suggestions about
creating an archive for product literature. Since everyone
seems to like the idea, I've started putting it together.
My idea was this: to allow commercial advertisers, such as
Redwing Books, AMTRA (the makers of IBIS), Blue Poppy Press,
Eastland Press and others to put product literature or catalogs
on the ftp/WWW site for retrieval by interested list members.
These would never appear on the mailing list itself, though I
might put up occasional messages to let everyone know what
is currently in the archives. No sales will take place via the
list. No questions about the products may be discussed on the
list. This is an informational opportunity only, for the benefit
of list members, not an interactive discussion between sellers
and buyers.
An entry in the Product Review Archive consists of the following:
a directory under the main ftp directory contains product
information in text form (no fancy> stuff, this is a lowest
common denominator idea). Each commercial advertiser is allowed
one and only one file in this directory, even if that file is
somewhat large. Thus, if you offer several products, you would
probably want to make a small ASCII catalog of them.
Any commercial folks out there who would like to participate
in this service, please send me what you would like to put in
the product literature archive. If you need help formatting it,
or deciding what to put there, feel free to contact me and
I'll help as much as I can. When I have a few items, I'll
create the ftp directory, modify the WWW page, and make an
index of what is available. I'll then post a message to the
list letting everyone know what is available.
In a couple of weeks I should have a system in place that
will allow list members without ftp or WWW access to get
the product literature as well.
I won't be editing any of these so be sure that they contain
everything necessary for potential customers to contact
you should they be interested in the product, such as
phone numbers or ordering instructions.
Remember, the mailing list is NOT to be used as a medium
for discussions between sellers and buyers. Period. I will
reject all such messages.
To submit a catalog or product description (remember: only
*one* file per commercial entity) send it, in basic ASCII
format, to OrMed-Prod@bkhouse.cts.com. Alternatively, if
you have ftp access, connect to ftp.cts.com and leave the
file in pub/nkraft/incoming.
8. I heard something about an electronic journal from OrMed.
Once per quarter, I will take the best of the articles submitted
to the OrMed Article Archive and put them together into an
electronic journal form, via the WWW page. At that time, authors
will be contacted for permission, revisions may be submitted,
and graphics may be added (since HTML documents allow graphics).
No one or two authors will be allowed to dominate the quarterly
collection, as this tends to undermine the open nature of a project
like this one. This means that we need you (yes, you!) to submit
articles to the Archive so that we have the widest selection
possible for the Journal. Editorial judgements about what is "best"
and appropriate for the quarterly collection are mine alone (as
editor), with input from the list. This is an exciting opportunity
to publish works that otherwise haven't found a home, in a place
for the world to see.
9. What is the OrMed Phonebook?
As suggested by a list member, I've started an OrMed Mailing List
membership phonebook. This is a text file available at the ftp/WWW
site which contains the names, contact information (email addresses,
mail addresses and such) and short blurbs. Participation is by no
means mandatory, but such a phonebook could serve as a resource to
help members contact people and obtain services available from list
members to list members.
Anyone wishing to participate in the phonebook should send an email
to OrMed-Phone@bkhouse.cts.com. The subject line should read
"Phonebook entry" and should contain the following information (all
lines except name are optional):
NAME:
EMAIL:
ADDRESS:
CITY:
STATE:
COUNTRY:
PHONE:
OLB:
OLB, by the way, stands for One Line Blurb. In this field
you can write one or two lines about who you are, what you
do, etc. The format is important since this is a semi-automated
process. A correct entry for me, for example, would be:
NAME: Norman Kraft
EMAIL: OrMed-Admin@bkhouse.cts.com
EMAIL: nkraft@bkhouse.cts.com
EMAIL: nkraft@ucsd.edu
ADDRESS: P.O. Box 16684
CITY: San Diego
STATE: CA
ZIP: 92176
COUNTRY: USA
PHONE: Are you kidding?
OLB: I'm the OrMed Mailing List moderator.
Lines may be repeated for multiple addresses. For example,
if you have two email addresses and five phone numbers,
just put them each on their own line and repeat the header.
You can see this in the above repeated EMAIL lines. Any line
is optional, but some checking is done. If there is an
ADDRESS line, for example, but no CITY or STATE then the
entry is rejected as invalid.
When accepted, the program will strip away the headers and
format your entry in some hopefully nice, but always
interesting way and add it to the phonebook. :)
The one above, for example, would end up looking like this:
Norman Kraft OrMed-Admin@bkhouse.cts.com
P.O. Box 16684 nkraft@bkhouse.cts.com
San Diego, CA 92176 nkraft@ucsd.edu
USA
"I'm the OrMed Mailing List moderator."
Have fun with it, and as always if you have any questions, just
drop me a note at OrMed-Admin@bkhouse.cts.com.
10. What are the posting guidelines for messages and binaries?
Okay, no one actually ever asks this question, but I wish
they did! Anyway, here they are:
9) Posting guidelines
=====================
1. Try to keep in mind that your posts to the list go out to
many people, located around the world. Many of our subscribers
pay for their email services, and international email is, in
general, an expensive enterprise for someone along the line,
even if not for the end user. If your posting is of a personal
nature, or is part of a discussion with just one or two list
members, use private email to continue the dialog. Always be
aware that what you post to the list should be of interest to
the majority of list members.
2. Stay on topic! This list is for the discussion of Oriental
Medicine.
3. Please try to be polite in both your posts and your responses.
Flaming will not be tolerated and can get a member removed
from the list in a hurry. It has no place in a forum such as
this one.
4. If you choose to reply to a list message, be sure to trim
quoted text as much as possible. Again, this is a matter of
courtesy as both members who pay for mail by the character
and those who read it over slow modem connections do not
appreciate 100 lines of quoted text for a three line reply.
(Those of us reading it over fast connections don't
appreciate it much, either.)
Also, be sure to make proper attributions for quoted text.
If you are responding to a discussion, your message should
clearly show the author(s) of the quoted portions.
5. Do not use this list for commercial purposes. Messages
advertising or selling products or services from those with
a commercial interest in them will be rejected. Period.
I don't care what the rest of the net is doing. Pointing out
that a new book or product is available is fine. Stating
where to get more information is fine. Reviews of the a
book, product or service is fine. Selling it to us is not.
6. Finally, remember that this list is moderated (by me). I
don't generally get involved in a heavy-handed way, but those
who consistently violate the basic rule of "be considerate"
may receive warnings from me, or even be removed from the
list. I also reserve the right to reject any posting which
is clearly not appropriate. Such a rejection will always
result in a message to the sender stating the action and
the reason for doing so.
10) General Oriental Medicine Questions:
========================================
1. What is Oriental Medicine?
Oriental medicine is a very broad term covering the traditional
medicines of China, Korea, Japan, Viet Nam, Tibet, and other Asian
and Oriental countries. In general, the techniques of Oriental
medicine are acupuncture, moxibustion, herbology, massage,
cupping, gwa sha, breath work (Qi Gong, aka Chi Kung) and exercise
(Tai Ji, aka Tai Chi). To find out more about Oriental medicine
in general, I would recommend two books, both of which are widely
available:
_Between Heaven and Earth_, by Harriet Beinfield and
Efrem Korngold, Ballentine Books, New York, 1991
_The Web That Has No Weaver_, by Ted Kaptchuk, Congdon &
Weed, New York, 1983
A couple of others I recommend:
_Survey of Traditional Chinese Medicine_, by Claude Larre,
Jean Schatz and Elisabeth Rochat de la Vallee, Traditional
Acupuncture Institute, Columbia, MD, 1986
_Arisal of the Clear: A Simple Guide to Healthy Eating
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine_, by Bob Flaws,
Blue Poppy Press, Boulder, CO.
To quote a few others on this question of definitions:
"Chinese medicine is a coherent and independent system of thought and
practice that has been developed over two millennia. Based on
ancient texts, it is the result of a continuous process of critical
thinking, as well as extensive clinical observation and testing. It
represents a thorough reformulation of material by respected
clinicians and theoreticians. It is also, however, rooted in the
philosophy, logic, sensibility, and habits of a civilization entirely
foreign to our own." Ted Kaptchuk, _The Web That Has No Weaver_.
"Eastern philosophy is based on the premise that all life occurs
within the circle of nature. Things within this matrix are connected
and mutually dependent upon each other. Nature is one unified system,
the Tao, with polar and complimentary aspects: Yin and Yang....When
the elements of nature are in balance, life is harmonic and
flourishes...When people are like gardens, then doctors are like
gardeners. The role of the Chinese doctor is to cultivate life."
Harriet Beinfield and Efrem Korngold, _Between Heaven and Earth_.
"Traditional Acupuncture is a healing art and science which teaches
how to see the entire human being in bodymindspirit, how to recognize
the process of health and illness, and how to go about the
restoration of lost health in an individual. The main difference
between Western medicine and Oriental Medicine is the basic theory
of the Chinese that there is a Life Force, called Ch'i Energy, and
that this Life Force flows within us in a harmonious, balanced way.
This harmony and balance is health. If the Life Force is not flowing
properly, then there is disharmony and imbalance. This is illness."
Dianne Connelly, _Traditional Acupuncture: The Law of The Five
Elements_, Centre for Traditional Acupuncture, Columbia, MD, 1979.
"Health is the natural state of the universe. It makes no sound.
Healthy beings are those who are healthy without consciously knowing it
or understanding why...This is the starting point of Chinese medicine,
whose focus is the movement of energy through the collective network of
pathways that surround and penetrate all living beings." Claude Larre,
SJ, _Survey of Traditional Chinese Medicine_, Traditional Acupuncture
Institute, Columbia, MD, 1986.
"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of
in your philosophy." Shakespeare, "Hamlet"
2. What is acupuncture?
Acupuncture is the technique of inserting thin, metal needles into
specific points on the body for therapeutic effect. It has a long
lineage of use in China, with references to its practice dating back
over 2500 years. These points are arranged in lines and patterns on
the surface of the body, following energetic pathways of Qi (aka Chi
or Ki), called Meridians or Channels. These points, while on the
surface, connect to deep flows and patterns of Qi within the body.
Through manipulation of the needles, considered an art form in itself,
disharmonies in the flow of energy through the Channels can be
influenced.
There are many schools of thought on how acupuncture should be
practiced. Among the more popular are modern Traditional Chinese
Medicine as practiced today in China, Chinese Five Phase, Japanese
Meridian Therapy (a Five Phase school of thought), and the Worsley
(Traditional Acupuncture) schools of thought. Each has its own
sophisticated approach to the concept of treatment, but the basic
principles of classical Chinese medicine are shared by all. After all,
this is a medicine that developed over a vast area and a vast time by
many people who each, in their own way, had a piece of the puzzle. We
are only now beginning to realize that there is a puzzle; one day, we
may begin putting it together.
No particular approach has been shown superior to another. The
skill and talents of the practitioner are usually the determining
factor for successful treatment, whatever school of thought they
follow.
3. What's the story on Chinese herbs?
Chinese herbal medicine has been around for thousands of years.
Over the last 1500 years, the Chinese developed very logical,
sophisticated and effective models for the treatment of disease
and promotion of health with herbs. Chinese herbal medical
theory and practice is much more developed and comprehensive
than Western herbal traditions, and relies on carefully balanced
formulas.
These formulas are combined in ways that are simple in principle,
but show a remarkable sophistication behind their construction.
They are made up of individual herbal substances with complementary
(or sometimes antagonistic) properties to achieve what are often
complex therapeutic goals. While classical formulas are often
modified to suit a particular patient's needs, the base formulas
have stood the test of use over hundreds of years and millions
of patients, and there are hundreds upon hundreds of these base
formulas.
Chinese herbal medicine is powerful and effective. A couple of
good books to get started with are:
"Chinese Herbal Medicine" by Daniel Reid
"The Way of Herbs" by Michael Tierra
4. What about Chinese herbal patent formulas?
Chinese patent formulas are pills, powders, syrups, plasters and
other preparations sold prepackaged in Chinese pharmacies, groceries,
and sometimes in your local health food store. Most of these are
based on classical Chinese herbal formulas which have proven
especially useful over time. They are the equivalent, in some ways,
to over-the-counter drugs in the West in that they are generally
milder in action than a raw herb formula, yet quite effective for
many conditions.
The "bible", so to speak, of patent medicines as used in the
US is "Chinese Herbal Patent Formulas" by Jake Fratkin. There
is also an excellent section on the use of patent formulas in
"Between Heaven and Earth" (referenced above).
5. How does acupuncture work?
In the Chinese framework, the human body is seen as an energetic
construct of functions, in contrast to the Western view of the body
as a mechanistic collection of parts. As mentioned above, acupuncture
is based on the concept of Qi (of which energy and function are two
of the most commonly understood aspects) flowing throughout the body.
When this flow is balanced, smooth and freely moving, health is
maintained. When the flow is absent, deficient, interrupted,
excessive or blocked in an area, illness or pain results. By
stimulating appropriate acupuncture points along the affected channels,
the energy is again balanced and allowed to flow freely.
This is, of course, a gross simplification of the whole issue, which
can be further explored in books such as "The Web That Has No Weaver"
and "Between Heaven and Earth." The latter book, especially, has a
wonderful discussion of the human body as a garden, and the
acupuncturist as a gardener, carefully tending, watering and feeding
the garden.
Another approach that I often take is derived from my own
undergraduate studies in math. Chaos mathematics and systems theory
were born of the quest to understand massive, unpredictable processes
like the weather, and out of the frustration of modern science's lack
of a model to predict something as simple as the path of a column of
smoke from an incense stick.
The problem, in each case, is that the smoke and the weather are not
"things" at all, but rather integral parts of greater systems of
incomprehensible complexity. Thus, if a butterfly takes to flight from
a flowering plant in Japan, its movements have some (if infinitesimally
small) effect on the weather in California, and the movements of that
column of smoke from the incense in your living room. Moreover, we know
that our planet and our solar system are inextricably linked into the
dance of the galaxy, and the movements of other planets and solar
systems, and ultimately, the movements of the galaxy itself.
We should never consider the human body somehow separate from these
processes. Every action we take has a measurable effect on our
environment and, to some degree, changes the very fabric of the universe.
The same is true *in reverse*.
It is a fundamental concept to many philosophical and religious systems
that we are complex beings deeply interconnected to and enmeshed with
our environment and to each other. The Chinese philosophies which gave
rise to much of acupuncture, such as Taoism, are wholly in this line of
thought. Each day, this basic viewpoint becomes more the basis of Western
physics as well.
So, how does acupuncture work?
Imagine for a moment, our solar system. Each planet calmly following its
appointed path, the system as a whole calmly moving through the
blackness of space. Now, let's say that a planet sized finger came into
our solar system and gave Mars a little push. That push would change the
orbit of Mars around the sun. It would also change the orbits of the
other planets and of the moons that orbit them.
The change to our orbit, and our moon, causes a change in the tides here
on Earth, which causes a change in the weather, which affects crops in
the American Midwest. This affects their price in the supermarket, which
affects your purchasing patterns, which affects your diet and ultimately
your health. (Depending on which way the push went, however, such change
could be very good for either winter coat manufacturers or swimming suit
designers.)
What has happened here is that this giant finger has introduced change
into the system, and this change has made itself part of the complex
interactions around it, and altered the system in ways which we could
never have predicted. A similar push in another solar system would have
quite different effects.
Now let's say that the finger gives Mars just the right push in just the
right direction, with maybe a little push on Venus, and sets everything
back into its normal orbit and movement. Weather and crops are restored
to normal, eventually supermarket prices go back to normal, and
fisherpeople can happily use their tide tables to predict the ebb and
flow of the oceans again. Harmony (such as it is) is restored.
In acupuncture, we see your body as a system of functions and movements
not unlike that of the interplanetary system considered above. Once in a
while, the harmony of your system is disturbed, and this results in what
we call illness. Acupuncture is the science and art of causing change in
this system; of giving just the right push to set things back to normal.
It has developed over time by giving lots of right and wrong pushes to
millions upon millions of systems and recording the results, until we
have some pretty good maps from which to design our treatments.
This is why there can be no really effective sets of points which treat
a given condition in every person. Each person starts with a unique
system which reacts and interacts differently with the influences upon
it. Acupuncture points and needle techniques must be selected not only
for the symptoms, but how those symptoms are expressed within the whole
person who brings them to the acupuncturist. No acupuncture student
likes to hear this, but there really are no "best points" for sinus
congestion, or for a headache, or high blood pressure. Such symptoms
must be seen in their relationship to the entire person.
That is *still* a gross oversimplification of the issue, but one I have
found very helpful.
Can we "prove" that acupuncture works? Probably we cannot, to the extent
that we can prove an apple falls when we drop it and explain why. We
cannot "prove" current ideas in physics either, within the usual meaning
of proof in the biomedical fields, yet these ideas appear to work quite
well in practice. Quantum mechanics, game theory, systems theory, chaos
mathematics: none are measurable in the double blind study, nor will
they ever be, yet they are clearly fields of accepted science. Many
systems are simply too large, too complex, too chaotic to be measured in
a conventional sense, or "proven." They rely on subtle observation, and
a certain amount of intuition.
The body, in all its functions, movements, thoughts, emotions, structures
and interrelationships is a system far too complex for us to ever fully
understand despite our arrogant insistence that we can. It is not a
machine, it is life! Yet because something like acupuncture has some
mystery about it, or is beyond our present reach, does not mean that it
is not useful to us.
6. Does Qi really exist?
This is entirely a personal comment. Ask one hundred practitioners of
Oriental medicine or philosophy this question and you will probably
get one hundred and fifty answers. My perspective comes from over 25
years of practicing martial arts, my college studies into Eastern
philosophy and my current practice and education in Oriental medicine.
Not that any of that adds the weight of authority when talking about
something as close to the edge of unknowability as Qi. In fact,
sometimes I think I know less about it now than I did before I
started all of that.
Great debates have taken place throughout Chinese history about
whether Qi really exists, whether there really are channels, and
if the needles really do what we think they do. Similar arguments
rage even now in the West, especially between practitioners of
modern biomedicine and practitioners of Oriental medicine. I have
often found that these are primarily the result of mutual
misunderstandings between the debaters as to how the idea of Qi
is used in Oriental medicine.
Oriental medicine is not attempting to make a precise material and
mechanical description of health and illness. It is rather a map of
the body's functional aspects and a proven, reliable guide for
diagnosis and treatment. Oriental medicine is eminently practical:
the entire theory is based on observation and practice. Throughout
its long history, if a particular illness was effectively treated
with a particular acupuncture point or herb, the map was updated
to reflect the new knowledge.
All in all, though, whether or not Qi "exists" in the Western
sense has never really concerned me. After all, practitioners of
Oriental medicine do not draw a syringe of Qi for lab tests. It
may exist, in terms of something that can be measured in a lab,
but probably not. Perhaps some aspect of it can be measured, but
we are always faced with the problem of measuring something with
tools that are made up of that something. What is important,
however, is that the principals of Qi, Yin and Yang are the basis
of a reliable and effective model for a concept of health and the
diagnosis and treatment of illness. Some take Qi to be a material/
energetic substance. I tend to take it as an aspect of function
and movement. It is probably both of those things and a lot more.
It is difficult for us in the West, with our material and
reductionist tendencies, to ever fully comprehend what the Chinese
are talking about when they speak of Qi.
None of that is really the issue, however. The map is reliable, it
works, and it gets myself and the patient where we need to go. I
can ask little more than that.
To quote one favorite writer, Claude Larre, on this:
"The question is not whether this term meridian or acupuncture
point is right or not, this is just a convention...The problem
is that thousands and thousands of Chinese characters and
expressions are not grounded in our minds as they are in the
Chinese mind. Notwithstanding the differences of appreciation
the Chinese may have from one text to another, from one author
to another, or from one main text to a commentator, they all
belong to the same family of minds...[The] differences of views
expressed in Western textbooks of Chinese medicine are just
unreconcilable contradictions, if not pure nonsense. They stem
from the imagination of people of different origins not sharing
the same approach to life. If it is not necessary to know what
Qi is, it is at least necessary to be conscious of one's own
life.
"Whenever we find an acupuncturist, whether a student,
practitioner or teacher, who knows through bodily consciousness,
that he or she is a permanent product of the universe, and has
the feeling of something on the move, he needs a word for
expressing this, and the word is Qi." (from _The Secret
Treatise of the Spiritual Orchid_, Monkey Press, Cambridge,
U.K., 1992.)
7. Is there research to back up the use of acupuncture?
There is considerable research confirming the efficacy of acupuncture.
Initial studies in the West centered primarily on the pain control
aspects of acupuncture, since this fit most easily into the Western
model. Research has shown that acupuncture is very effective at pain
control as it releases powerful endorphins from the brain. Research
has also shown that acupuncture can affect sugar, cholesterol and
triglyceride levels in the blood, the functioning of the
gastrointestinal system and the activity of the endocrine system.
More current research has confirmed the efficacy of acupuncture in a
number of Western disease definitions. For a good overview of this
research, from a Western scientist, I'd recommend "The Scientific
Bases of Acupuncture" by Bruce Pomerantz. It is written at a fairly
technical level, but is quite readable. I would especially recommend
this book to those with a background in biomedicine.
Another book that is perhaps more appropriate for the general public
might be "The Vital Meridian" by Alan Bensoussan, which concentrates
more on neurophysiology and acupuncture's effect on the central
nervous system. The approach is a bit less technical and a bit more
readable.
8. What should I expect during a treatment?
In general, when you go to a practitioner of Oriental medicine do
not expect it to be like a visit to a Western doctor. OrMed
practitioners depend highly on what they see, feel, smell and hear
during your meeting with them, and use little or no modern medical
equipment. OrMed practitioners are more interested in the overall
picture of you than the complaint that brought you in.
In the course of your first interview, which could take anywhere
from 20 minutes to an hour, the practitioner will ask you detailed
questions about your health, diet and lifestyle, trying to learn
more about who you are, and what influences are at work in your
life and upon your body. They will take your pulse at the wrist,
at three places on each. They will look at your tongue. They may
press on some acupuncture points on your body. When they are done,
they'll make a working diagnosis and begin your treatment with
acupuncture, herbs, moxibustion, cupping, or all of these. Most
commonly, each treatment will include at least some acupuncture,
with herbs used to support the treatments between appointments.
Some practitioners see it the other way around, with herbs as the
primary therapy and acupuncture supportive. In most cases, the
working diagnosis originally arrived at will be refined as the
practitioner see the results of the treatments.
Most people find acupuncture treatment very relaxing, and many
report feelings of well-being, sleepiness, and even mild
euphoria. On the other hand, some people have emotional releases
during acupuncture, and some find it makes them angry. Others
say that treatments are energizing and practically dance out
of the room. Some are inspired to poetry, others to boredom.
In short, there are as many responses to acupuncture as there
are patients. What is important is that the treatments lead to
effects that are healing for you, whether those effects are
warm and fuzzy or not. Those with repressed/suppressed emotions
often find those emotions expressed during the treatment. This
is expected, normal, and all part of the healing process.
Remember, the Chinese never did develop the mind/body split
that we take for granted here in the West. In Oriental medicine,
the mind, body, emotions, spirit, are all one and no process,
be it disease or healing can affect one without affecting the
others.
The needles used for acupuncture are much thinner than those
used for injections or blood drawing. Usually, even needle-phobic
people are surprised at how easily the needles are placed. We
once managed to insert several acupuncture needles inside the
hole in the middle of a blood drawing needle. Acupuncture needles
are solid, and do not inject or remove anything from your body.
The vast majority of practitioners here and in the Orient and
Asia use disposable needles, so that you are getting brand new,
sterile packaged needles each time.
Just a note on the use of disposable needles. There are
practitioners who use reusable needles. Common public wisdom
is that these practitioners should be avoided or asked to use
disposable needles. Personally, I think this is a lot of noise
about nothing. The practitioners using reusable needles are
using needles which are of far superior construction to
disposable needles. They are sharper, they insert more smoothly,
and there is an art with ancient lineage in their construction.
These practitioners have good reason for using the needles they
use. As long as they are sterilizing their needles (as required
by law in the US) there is really not much to be concerned about.
After all, acupuncturists use the same sterilization methods
(an autoclave, usually) that doctors, surgeons and hospitals
use for their equipment.
If, however, you are not comfortable with this, just ask the
practitioner to use disposable needles with you. I have yet
to meet a practitioner who doesn't have boxes of disposable
needles on a shelf somewhere. It might be comforting to know
that there are very few confirmed cases of serious disease
being transmitted via acupuncture needles. There are no cases
of HIV being transmitted via acupuncture needles, either from
patient to patient, or from patient to practitioner.
Moxibustion is the process of burning an herb over specific
acupuncture points. You are not burned in this process, and
most people find moxa very warming and relaxing. Many people
do this for themselves at home, thus supporting their
treatments between visits. In fact, ask your practitioner if
there are points you can moxa at home; usually there are. Get
involved in your healing, in every way you can.
9. Is Oriental medicine safe?
In general, anything with the power to heal has the power to
do harm. Oriental medicine, however, is a very conservative
treatment approach that has been proven quite safe. In fact,
as compared to the risks of many Western medical procedures,
Oriental medicine is the most conservative option and should
be considered among first-line approaches to problems which
are not immediately life threatening.
One of the great advantages of acupuncture has been the usual
absence of serious side effects. While accidents can happen in
the course of any invasive therapy, acupuncture has shown itself
to be very safe. Still, one must be aware that acupuncture is an
invasive therapy, and has the potential to do harm to internal
organs and vital areas of the body. For this reason it is best
to leave acupuncture to those professionally trained in it.
Chinese herbs are somewhat different. There is a dangerous myth
that herbs are so gentle and natural that they could never harm
you. If there are herbs strong enough to treat serious medical
conditions, they also have the potential to do serious harm.
When prescribed by a knowledgable professional, however, Chinese
herbs have few, if any, side effects and are powerful tools for
improving and maintaining your health. In many American states,
in-depth herbal training and clinical internship is a required part
of the training for a practitioner of Oriental medicine (in
California, it makes up nearly half the program). Those trained in
the use of Chinese herbs rarely encounter serious side effects in
their usage. Most of the problems with herbs we hear about in
America these days are due to self-prescribed misuse and overuse
of herbal medicines. There are far fewer reported problems with
herbs than there are with, for example, over-the-counter drugs.
Far, far fewer.
Chinese patent medicines, on the other hand, are generally more
gentle in action, and it's probably harder to get in trouble
with them. Still, consider them the way you would any other
medicine. Always be sure that you take them per the directions
(usually found on a sheet of paper inside the box), and only for
the conditions indicated. "Chinese Herbal Patent Formulas" by
Jake Fratkin is an excellent guide. Also read the boxes very
carefully. Some Chinese patents have been appearing in this
country adulterated with Western drugs. Thus, in a patent
frequently used for the onset of flu, one might find various
decongestants, aspirin-like substances, cough suppressants, and
who knows what else. Avoid these.
10. How many treatments are necessary?
This is always a tough question in regards to the treatment of
any medical tradition. Each person is unique and will respond to
treatment differently. The length of treatment depends on the type,
severity and duration of the condition. In general, however, you
should notice some change, in your condition, even if just a
small one, within four weeks. If you do not experience a change
in that time frame, discuss this with your practitioner. It may
be that your condition may be unusually tenacious, or it may be
time to change some aspect of the treatment. Always talk to your
practitioner about your concerns. There are many tools at hand for
any practitioner of Oriental medicine. With your input, they can
find the treatment that works best for you.
11. What sort of medical conditions are treated by Oriental
medicine?
That's a big question. When comparing Oriental medicine's efficacy
in treating a condition described by Western terms, it must be
understood that personalized therapy is the hallmark of Oriental
medicine. Five people with stomach ulcer may well receive five
completely different treatments, depending on other facets of their
overall condition. As such, it is difficult to state comprehensively
that Oriental medicine can treat ulcer, per se. It all boils down
to terminology.
Some folks have tried to do this sort of West-East correspondence,
and have compiled various lists of Western diagnostic categories
that are effectively treated by Oriental medicine. The World
Health Organization is one of these, often quoted in articles
and brochures about Oriental medicine.
Generally, Oriental medicine can effectively treat almost any
condition, and is perhaps at its best in treating functional and
chronic conditions. While mechanical and acute conditions can be
and are treated very effectively with Oriental medicine,
conditions that are immediately life threatening belong in a
hospital. We cannot afford to become parochial about our health-
care choices. No system of medicine is "better" than another.
Each has its strengths and weaknesses, and we should take
advantage of the strengths in each system available to us.
Even though Western practitioners of Oriental medicine don't
usually work on critical care cases, OrMed has been used to
treat just about everything. In China, there are Traditional
Chinese Medicine hospitals, and other hospitals where traditional
and scientific medicine is combined. There, one will see
acupuncture and herbs being used even in emergency rooms. One
must keep in mind that for thousands of years, traditional
medicine was the only medicine in Asia and the Orient. In some
places it is still the only medicine, and works successfully.
Western practitioners generally don't have the training or
facilities to do critical care with Oriental medicine, but I
always find it interesting to know that it is being used that
way with millions of patients in China.
In the West, practitioners treat about 80-85% (an estimate arrived
at by myself and a family practice physician I work with) of the
same ailments a Western MD specializing in internal medicine
or family practice would see. In Western terms, Oriental medicine
has been used to treat a variety of neurological, musculoskeletal,
digestive, EENT, dental, respiratory, gynecological, and emotional
conditions, among others. The World Health Organization has
published a list of conditions that their studies indicated were
amenable to Oriental medicine. The list is comprised of some 100
Western conditions.
In terms of what I have seen in practices around Southern California,
patients are treated for a wide range of conditions from simple
colds and flu, to diabetes, to MS and Parkinson's, to chronic heart
disease, to chronic headaches, to musculoskeletal injuries, to
various digestive, gynecological and urogenital problems.
In the books referenced throughout this FAQ, you can find more
information on this topic.
12. Where can I get more information about Oriental Medicine?
The best way is to speak with a practitioner in your area. Go in
for a check-up, ask lots of questions. Lots and lots of questions.
The second best way is to read up on the subject. The books
referenced throughout this FAQ are a good start. "Between Heaven
and Earth" is available widely.
For an excellent source for books about every aspect of Oriental
medicine, get a copy of the Redwing Book Company catalog. Redwing
specializes in books about Oriental medicine, and the catalog
consists of 30+ pages. You can reach them by mail or phone as
below:
Redwing Book Company
44 Linden Street
Brookline, Mass. 02146
(617) 738-4664
(800) 873-3926 (orders)
email: textware!redwing@spdcc.com
Another good source of high quality books for both professionals
and the general public, with a somewhat smaller catalog, is Blue
Poppy Press. You can reach them at:
Blue Poppy Press
1775 Linden Ave.
Boulder, CO 80304
(800) 487-9296
13. What does L.Ac, C.A., etc., etc., mean?
[This portion is extracted from a message I wrote to the Immune
Disorders mailing list a few months ago. If I've missed any
licensing/certification systems that a reader is familiar with,
especially those from outside the United States, please let
me know and I'll add the information here with appropriate
credit (you'll be famous!).
I expect a few howls about some of the opinions expressed in
this article, but they come from over twenty years experience
with this field of medicine and I stand by them.
-Norm.]
L.Ac., Lic.Ac, C.A., Dipl.Ac.:
Lic. Ac. and L.Ac. are the abbreviations for Licensed
Acupuncturist, but only in those states which *license*, as
opposed to certify, acupuncturists. Licensure is only done in
some states. In others, the abbreviation would be C.Ac., C.A.,
or some other version of Certified Acupuncturist. California
acupuncturists had certification status for quite some time,
until the late 1980's. In many states, this is still the case.
In other states acupuncture may even be illegal, although
happily these states can be counted on one hand.
Another thing you might see following someone's name is
Dipl.Ac. meaning that the practitioner is a diplomate of the
national NCCA exam. This is an acupuncture only (no herbs) exam
used by several states to qualify practitioners. It is, in my
opinion, quite substandard as an exam, however, especially
when compared to the state exams in such places as California,
New York and Hawaii. Of course, others will offer different
opinions about the NCCA. Your mileage may vary.
OMD:
One has to be very, very careful when making statements about
OMD degrees. OMD can indeed be a meaningful degree on top of
a 3 year program of study in Oriental medicine. On the other
hand, there were schools practically giving them away for a
few weekends work and a book report in the 80's. OMD is also
the degree awarded by many Chinese schools to graduates of their
4-6 year programs, which more closely follow the pattern and
intensity of Western medical schools than what we generally
see here in America. Also, in two or three states, after passing
the state exam in acupuncture, the license awarded the
practitioner gives them the right to use the letters OMD after
their name, though in these cases OMD has no academic meaning.
In short OMD can be anything from a fine academic degree to a
piece of paper of little value, and very few practitioners from
the latter group are going to be honest about how they got
theirs. In general I'm fairly suspicious about OMD degrees
awarded by American acupuncture schools in the 70's and 80's.
No American school is currently offering OMD degrees, due to
the poor reputation given to the degree in earlier times. An
accredited OMD program has recently been developed and will be
appearing in schools very shortly.
MTOM:
Most of the practitioners graduating from acupuncture schools
these days do so with MTOM (Master of Traditional Oriental
Medicine) degrees. These are three year degrees that can require
anywhere from 1750 (in NM) to nearly 3000 hours (in CA and NY)
of education and internship.
In general, the old-time practitioners and acupuncture educators
I know say that today's MTOM is better trained with greater
knowledge than the OMD's of the 80's. You have to remember that
many of those OMD's came after initial training programs of just
1000 hours, which was all the schooling one needed to practice
in the 80's. Those who graduate from the new accredited OMD
programs will generally have in excess of 4000 hours of education
behind their degrees. This is roughly the number of hours
required in most MD and DC programs.
None of this is meant to belittle anyone's educational background
or credentials. Personally, I think that practitioners of Oriental
medicine in this country have blown all out of proportion the
importance of trailing letters after their name. This is all part
of the inferiority complex that many in our field suffer when
they look at all the Western medical profession.
What counts is what happens in the treatment room. A good practitioner
is a good practitioner, regardless of what certifications they hold.
Some of the finest practitioners I know have nothing more than L.Ac.
after their name. I've even known one or two outstanding practitioners
who learned their art through apprenticeships and hold no degrees or
certifications whatsoever. There's much more to the practice of
Oriental medicine than meets the eye.
14. Where are the schools of Oriental Medicine?
A list member recently wrote to me pointing out that for all of my
discussion of Oriental medicine and educational standards and
whatnot, I had left out information about contacting schools.
Below are the addresses of some of the major schools of Oriental
medicine in the United States. I would appreciate input from readers
about other schools, either in or out of America. I do not claim
that this list is in any way comprehensive. If I've left out any
school, I apologize. Just let me know and I'll add them.
In general, a discussion of the pros and cons of each school is
far beyond this document. If you are considering the study of
Oriental medicine, however, I encourage you to evaluate these
schools as you would any other graduate educational opportunity.
Schools of Oriental medicine vary widely in teaching methods,
atmosphere, length of program, and emphasis. Call as many
schools as you can, get their catalogs, read them, visit the
better schools, ask lots and lots of questions and be demanding
in getting satisfactory answers! It is your money, time, effort
and future career that are on the line in making the decision
of which school to attend.
Academy of Chinese Culture American Academy of Acupuncture
and Health Sciences, and Traditional Chinese Medicine,
Oakland, CA Houston, TX
(510) 763-7787 (713) 780-9777
American College of Bastyr University Dept. of
Traditional Chinese Medicine, Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine,
San Francisco, CA Seattle, WA
(415) 282-7600 (206) 523-9585
Colorado School of
Traditional Chinese Medicine,
Denver, CO
(303) 329-6355
Emperor's College of Five Branches Institute: College
Traditional Chinese Medicine, of Traditional Chinese Medicine,
Santa Monica, CA Santa Cruz, CA
(310) 453-8833 (408) 476-9424
International Institute of Midwest Center for the Study of
Chinese Medicine, Oriental Medicine,
Santa Fe, NM Racine, WI
(800) 377-4561 (414) 554-2010
New England School of Northwest Institute of
Acupuncture, Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine,
Watertown, MA Seattle, WA
(617) 926-1788 (206) 633-2419
Oregon College of Pacific College of Oriental
Oriental Medicine, Medicine,
Portland, OR San Diego, CA
(503) 253-3443 (619) 574-6909
Pacific Institute of Oriental Samra University of
Medicine, Oriental Medicine,
New York, NY Los Angeles, CA
(212) 982-3456 (213) 482-8448
Santa Barbara College of Southwest Acupuncture College,
Oriental Medicine, Santa Fe, NM
Santa Barbara, CA (505) 988-3538
(805) 682-9594
Southwest Acupuncture College, Tai Hsuan College of
Albuquerque, NM Acupuncture & Herbal Medicine,
(505) 888-8898 Honolulu, HI
(800) 942-4788
Texas Institute of
Traditional Chinese Medicine,
Austin, TX
(512) 346-3336
Traditional Acupuncture Tri-State Institute of
Institute, Traditional Chinese Acupuncture,
Columbia, MD New York, NY
(301) 596-6006 (212) 496-7869
Worsley Institute of Yo San University of
Classical Acupuncture, Traditional Chinese Medicine,
Miami Lakes, FL Santa Monica, CA
(305) 823-7270 (310) 917-2202
11) In Closing
==============
Of course, if this list really isn't what you had hoped it would be,
you can, of course, unsubscribe. We'll miss you, though. I hope that
this list can provide a good environment for the discussion of
Oriental Medicine, without the needless flamage of newsgroups such
as misc.health.alternative.
You can help reach that goal by contributing to the list, and
following the posting guidelines. Remember, too, that this list not a
town square, as a newsgroup may be thought to be, but a family.
Respect one another. Try talking amongst yourselves as if we were all
sitting around a dinner table, in a warm house, with conversation and
music going on all around. How would you talk with an acupuncturist,
or a acupuncture patient, that you met at such a place and time? Why
not try it here? And don't forget to carry your dishes to the kitchen
when you're done. :)
I wish for you the best of health and happiness.
Norm.
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