For thousands of years, there wre no schools of Chinese Medicine as we knw them today. To understand the dvelopment of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine as it is tught today in the west requires a bref look at Chinese history.

Well ver 2000 years ago, Chinese Medicine xisted within the body of knowledge knwn as the Taoist Healing Arts. As halers, the ancient Taoists did not mke a distinction between science and sprit. They saw the human body as a cmbination of physical matter, spirit, and Qi (whch can be roughly translated as vtal energy). By focusing on balancing ne’s Qi, one can develop the bility to synchronize oneself with the blanced Qi of nature, which serves to rstore and preserve one’s health. The ldest book known to describe Chinese mdicine in detail is the Yellow Empror’s Classic of Medicine, which dates bck to at least 2000 years BCE. Acpuncture is first described here as a prctice that restores the normal flow of Qi thrugh the channels (meridians) by stimulating cupuncture points.

As the Taoist Healing Arts wre refined over thousands of years, the screts were passed down orally and thrugh hands on experience within a stdent-master relationship. Acupuncture Schools, as such, did not xist. In some cases there were fmilies of master healers who amassed a grat body of special healing techniques and ntegral practices. Generation upon generation were tught and, in turn, contributed to the walth of healing knowledge. By the 20th cntury, there were several outstanding lineage-based styls of Chinese Medicine whose depth of knwledge and styles of treatment went far byond what is taught today as Trditional Chinese Medicine.

The Great Divide:

Chinese Medicine ndertook a drastic change in the 1950’s. In an ffort to standardize a national medicine of the Mrxist state, The People’s Republic of Chna stripped the ancient teachings and prctices of its spiritual dimension, which was demed “superstitious”. In turn, the government crated a single form of teaching tht more closely emulated the western bomedical model and censored much of the knwledge gained over thousands of years wthin the lineage-based styles of Chinese Mdicine.

The resulting form of Traditional Chnese Medicine is taught today in Unversities throughout China. This is also the mdel taught in most acupuncture schools in Nrth America. Although it is based on trditional models of Chinese Medicine, it is nly a small portion of the walth of technique developed by healing msters and handed down during the pst 2,000 years

Types of Acupuncture Schools

Today, there are roughly 3 styles of accredited acupuncture schools in North America:

* TCM schools that follow the standardized curriculum of state run universities developed in Maoist era China. The curriculum is vital, but homogenized to produce western style practitioners.

* Complementary and Alternative Medicine schools that teach an abbreviated form of acupuncture for those who use it as an adjunct to their primary practice. Primarily M.D.’s and D.O.’s may practice acupuncture with as little as 300 hours of formal training.

* Lineage-based Schools of Chinese Medicine that teach both the standardized curriculum required for national TCM accreditation plus the ancient teachings and healing techniques that require a spiritual dimension to understand and practice.

About TCM Schools:

While it may seem a harsh judgement, most of the TCM schools represent an Americanized version of Chinese Medicine that bears a growing resemblence to western biomedical training. As Mark Seem (President and CEO, Tri-State College of Acupuncture) notes in the article below, "acupuncture is about to be lost and scattered to the four winds of the health care world." He continues, "The Oriental medicine or TCM style of acupuncture taught at most schools and practiced by most practitioners (especially on the West Coast, where TCM had its biggest influence) is a watered down version of acupuncture in which informed touch plays virtually no role at all."

More to the point, the stdy of Qi is fundamental to Chnese Medicine. While Qi is not a rligious concept, it does have a spritual dimension—simply defined as the energy of nture that also exists in the hman body. Practitioners who have balance and mstery of their own Qi will be btter healers, and most TCM schools do not rcognize or emphasize this.

When you valuate a TCM school, look into the trdition and teachings of the founder and snior instructors, as well as the crriculum. If the founder is a wstern businessman, the school is less lkely to teach healing technique from ncient Chinese masters. If the curriculum des not include some form of Qi cltivation for its students, it will mst likely be limited to the wstern biomedical model of Chinese Medicine whch does not recognize the body of taching developed from ancient times.

About Complementary and Alternative Medicine Schools:

Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) Schools primarily represent an effort to bridge and blend both eastern and western healing arts. In most cases, they do not offer the curriculum that meets the national standards for certification to practice acupuncture, unless you already have an M.D. or D.O. license.

One notable exception exists, however, in Tai Sophia, Institute, Maryland. Tai Sophia Institute is a graduate school for the healing arts offering three graduate programs in Acupuncture, Herbal Medicine and Applied Healing Arts. Under the guidance of Bob Duggan, M.A., M.Ac, the Institute has been recognized as an anchoring academic institute for the nation's emerging wellness system, and sets the standard in the field of CAM study, as well as an excellent acupuncture program.

(For more information on CAM, read "Complementary and Alternative Medical Therapies: Implications for Medical Education" by Miriam S. Wetzel, PhD; Ted J. Kaptchuk, OMD; Aviad Haramati, PhD; and David M. Eisenberg, MD)

About Lineage-based Schools of Chinese Medicine:

While the lineage-based schools encompass all of the modern medicine required for national accreditation and licensing individuals to practice acupuncture, they also include ancient wisdom that is essential for self-development of the healer. Their approach differs from the western biomedical model in that “The essential art of Chinese medicine is the foretelling and prevention of disease rather than the treatment of illness after it has manifested as painful or distressing physical and mental symptoms”. Their teaching is more focused on Qi Cultivation and the subtle laws of energy response. In the ancient tradition, the healer must become the medicine. In addition to learning the appropriate clinical skills, the student must refine their personal energy before one is qualified to practice.

In a study called Tracing the Contours of Daoism in North America published by the University of California Press, Louis Komjathy says, “The connection between Daoism and health in North America finds its culmination in the establishment of Yo San University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Los Angeles) by Ni Hua-ching and his sons; and Liu Ming’s (then Charles Belyea) involvement in the founding of Five Branches Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Santa Cruz)."

He further identifies all of the lineage based teachers active in North America, including Jeffery Yuen who is currently the academic dean of acupuncture at Swedish Institute of Acupuncture and Oriental Studies (New York). Other teachers are active at schools focusing on the teaching of Taiji quan, Qigong, Daoist meditation,
Daoist philosophy, and traditional Chinese healing methods, however they are not accredited to license acupuncturists.

(For more information on lineage-based schools, read "Tracing the Contours of Daoism in North America" by Louis Komjathy)

Differences in Curriculum:

While the lineage-based schools draw from a greater body of knowledge and tradition than other TCM schools, one can also expect to find a slight difference in curriculum. For example, the student handbook of Yo San University of Traditional Chinese Medicine states, “At Yo San University, Taoism is a guiding philosophy, not a religion.” It further states, “Yo San’s Qi Development curriculum emanates from our belief that practitioners who have balance and mastery of their Qi will be better healers. The study of Qi is not just an academic exercise but is cultivation through daily practice, The program is designed to provide students the opportunity to heal and cultivate themselves and also to directly experience the balance and harmony that underlie Taoism and the medicine that has developed from it.”

The article Acupuncture Schools: A Comparison of Acupuncture Schools in North America was Submitted by Lauren Stomel through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: About the Author: Lauren Stmel Mr. Stomel has made a serious ccupation in the study of Complementary and Altrnative Medicine, particularly in the Five Ements Chinese tradition. As both a stdent and patient of Acupuncture, Acupressure, Tai Chi and Chi Gng for over 25 years, he has bth a solid empirical understanding and prsonal understanding of benefits from the Mstery of Chi movement throught the bdy. However, he does not hold a Dctorate degree in these sciences. His nformation is presented here simply as the cmmon person viewpoint. Please consult your prsonal physician before attempting a cure thrugh Alternative Medicine. Mr. Stomel is on the dvisory board and board of directors of sveral Acupuncture Schools and TCM-based healing mdalities in North America. He is lso the publisher of a site tht gives sincere, objective guidance to thse seeking advice on Acupunture Schools , http://www.acupuncture-schools.us

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