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The closing down of US Acupuncture Schools

The shutting down of Acupuncture Schools is fast becoming an epidemic. Of course there are realistic, creative and innovative solutions to this problem, but not without sacrifice and pain. But what where the reasons for their failure? Let's summarize some of them: 

 

·      They were teaching with the same methodology that Chinese students were taught in the 1950’s, utilizing almost the same type of textbooks without modernizing the language, perspectives and concepts.

·      They were perpetuating philosophical and mystical terminology to fuel a steampunk version of "Romantic Orientalism". 

·      They were seeking new recruits in the pool of the New Age and the Hippy communities. 

·      There was lack of research. And even when some were conducting research, this was with no strategic focus and clear direction, but merely to increase citations and false impact. 

·      They were creating degrees without imparting realistic skills. And most graduates abandoned the field a short time after graduation. 

·      And of course, they were graduating TCM practitioners with a “historic” type of education, that could pose a danger to the public. 

 

It was not the “gainful employment” or the Covid-19 that killed the schools. Osteopathic medicine, Naturopathic medicine and even Chiropractic are able to survive and thrive by appropriately defining themselves in a clear, systematic and scientific way. TCM failed to modernize following the same trend, both in the United States and in Europe. 

Now the “AOMA Graduate School of Integrative Medicine” will be closing down next month. This comes after “The American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine (ACTCM)” and the “Southwest Acupuncture College” closed their gates in late 2023. And it seems that the Maryland School is also moving towards that trajectory. 
I hope this discussion opens now and the solutions get implemented fast, before the repercussions become irreversible.


Note: This article first appeared in Dr. Solos's LinkedIn, here: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ioannis-solos-phd_from-the-acupuncture-community-on-reddit-activity-7163708608453468160-JYma

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