The AAAOM has alerted
us to a troubling development in the government of Complementary and
Alternative Medicine (CAM). There is a nine-member advisory board
which helps set research priorities and guide policy for the National
Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM). There is
currently only one licensed acupuncturist on this board, Ted Kapchuk.
When he retires next year, they plan to replace him with an MD. This
MD presents himself as a Dipl.Ac, but there is no evidence that he ever
took or passed the NCCAOM board certification tests. He also markets
a 5-day course for MD's in meridian acupuncture. Oriental Medicine
is one of the largest and fastest-growing areas of CAM. It seems
only appropriate that L.Ac's, the ones who are best trained in this field,
should represent the acupuncture community on this board.
ILaaom has written a letter objecting to this appointment and requesting
that at least two licensed acupuncturists be named to the panel.
If you agree, you are encouraged to write a letter to the secretary of the
US department of Health and Human Services. The letter that
ILaaom submitted was based largely on the letter that the AAAOM sent, and
you can use it as a template for your letter. To see this letter,
please click here.
