A few weeks ago I taught a workshop on community acupuncture to a group of acupuncture students and licensed practitioners. I love teaching this course because, believe it or not, most folks in my field are not very familiar with this model of practice. I teach because ever since I first became introduced to this model I have felt that it is really the best way to deliver the service of acupuncture. My dream is to see communityCA clinics open up all over the island and throughout Canada.
There are not as many acupuncturists in Canada as there are in the U.S, so our progress has been slower than our southern neighbour. The other reason for the slow growth is that most schools of acupuncture still emphasize a model of practice that involves working with only one patient at a time. When the first schools in North America were created the idea was that the schools would model themselves off other existing models of alternative and allopathic care.
Donning a white coat and a stethoscope around my neck, I started in my first school clinic in San Fransisco about 25 years ago. The idea was that if we looked and acted like the existing models of health care then we would be more easily adopted into the mainstream medical system. I was told I would be working along side doctors in hospital by the time I finished my training. Our training was good, and very thorough. We, we studied western medicine as well as herbal medicine and acupuncture. Despite that, 25 years later we are still no closer to the goal of an integrated health system.
Some of us saw this coming so we decided to venture out on our own and create a different model of service delivery. We decided that we were not going to wait for the powers-that-be to accept us and instead we would take our medicine directly to the people. The model we created was based on the understanding that acupuncture only works if people can access it. That meant creating a model of service that would make it easy to get an appointment, easy to understand, and easy to afford. That’s how community acupuncture was born.
For the past 20 years that model has served millions of people. We’ve introduced acupuncture to a lot of folks who wouldn’t otherwise have given it a try. We have helped a lot of people, and in the midst of that, have gotten pretty good at providing acupuncture. That’s why I am dedicated to introducing this model to new acupuncturists. And despite being around for 20 years, in some ways we are only just scratching the surface in terms of the help we can provide.
Please help us continue to build and grow this model by sharing your experiences with friends, family, and co-workers. Thank you for your continued support of community acupuncture.
Michael