For some, acupuncture is relegated to the ranks of an occasional treatment — an extra level of healthcare that is often not covered by insurance and not encouraged by allopathic doctors. For a growing group of acupuncturists, this is not good enough.

Today there are acupuncturists around the country who are working to diminish the practice’s status as an alternative treatment by integrating it into the public health sector. These practitioners have brought acupuncture to the forefront of the medical community through in-patient and out-patient settings, public and professional education, by pushing the research paradigm, and administering programs involved in policy-making.

Acupuncture Today’s Voices from the Field series interviews two acupuncturists about their involvement in public health — Adam Burke from San Francisco and Jeff Miller from Boston. The two share their vision for integrating acupuncture and public health:

Burke: Historically, the role of public health has been in control of infectious disease, emergency preparedness, ensuring access to affordable care, and promoting community health. Acupuncture services are already an important part of public health service, especially in the areas of community-based HIV/AIDS treatment and in treatment of individuals with chemical dependency issues. Given its growing use in the general public, there is a greater potential role in a wider arena. Numerous studies show how acupuncture is effective for the treatment of chronic pain; this represents another important area of growth for this medicine. Providing acupuncture within a broader holistic context of diet, movement, and healthy lifestyle could be a potentially powerful contributor to modifications in health behaviors of all Americans.

Miller: The private practice environment is often associated with economic pressures that can limit the use of acupuncture to those who can afford it. In the area of chronic illness, for example, individuals may require regular treatment but, because of being unable to work, may not be able to afford the cost of unsubsidized treatment. The challenge of the economic bottom line is to integrate acupuncture into third-party payer systems, like insurance and managed care, so that it can truly become a therapeutic reality for anyone who wants to use it.

[via Acupuncture Today]

(Image: Acupuncture Today)