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ntegrative Medicine
Prevalence of Integrative Medicine/CAM
Licensing

Integrative Medicine: Integration of Western Medicine and Oriental Medicine

The development of integrative medicine has evolved in the U.S over the past several decades, resulting in rapid popularity. Initially, before the 1970s, the words “unorthodox” “unconventional” “unscientific” or even “quackery” were used to describe integrative medicine (i.e. acupuncture). In the 1980s, the term “alternative medicine” was adopted in the United States and Europe. In the early 1990’s, a few widely recognized surveys found that both alternative and conventional approaches were used by healthcare consumers and were being used to complement each other. The term “complementary medicine” was widely adopted to describe the combination of conventional and alternative medicine. In 1999, Congress adopted the phrase “Complementary and Alternative Medicine” (CAM) and created the Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, a division of the National Institute of Health (NIH). To keep pace with the growth of CAM use, the White House created the White House Commission on Complimentary and Alternative Medicine Policy in 2002. Recently, research has suggested that integration of CAM and conventional medicine will eventually converge to form a new health care system: Integrative Medicine, which integrates and compliments the best of both worlds.

Integrative medicine has infiltrated mainstream medical practices in recent years. Since CAM was adopted by Congress, NIH, and NCCAM, “complementary and alternative medicine” (CAM) has been widely recognized and used in various types of literature. However, the term “Integrative Medicine” is becoming more and more widely used by doctors, researchers, and patients because they believe it is the “medicine of the future.” No matter how narrowly or broadly the term is defined, the CAM therapies have gained increased exposure through television, magazines, books and Internet. Patients, medical schools, physicians, hospitals, and other conventional health care organizations, governmental agencies, private sectors, and insurance companies have shown a growing interest in integrative medicine. The research articles on integrative medicine/CAM become one of fastest growing section in medical literatures in recent years.

Traditional Chinese Medicine such as acupuncture, Chinese medical massage, and Chinese herbal medicine are considered an integral component of CAM. In reports to the Congress, Stephen Straus, the director of NCCAM, pointed out “Acupuncture is among the top ten most popular CAM practice in the United States” and “I am confident that the results of our rigorous research will further enhance the successful integration of safe and effective CAM modalities into mainstream medical practice”.

The use of integrative medicine is becoming more and more prevalent throughout the United States.

Use of CAM/IM

• Institute of Medicine, a division of National Academy of Science released the IOM Report on CAM: Complementary and Alternative Medicine in the United States (2005). The report (383 pages) provides comprehensive research, statistics, and analysis on CAM, including the prevalence of CAM in U.S. Information below is quoted from the report.

The prevalence of CAM use increased by 25 percent from 33.8 percent in 1990 to 42.1 percent in 1997.
The prevalence of herbal remedy use increased by 380 percent.
75 percent of adults had ever used CAM and that 62 percent of adults had used some form of CAM therapy within one year (2004)
The use of CAM therapies is more common among women (48.9 percent) than men (37.8 percent) (Eisenberg et al., 1998).

Please Click here for full text Complementary and Alternative Medicine in the United States (2005)

• The spending on our nation's healthcare is likely to double to $2.1 trillion by the year 2007 (almost half of the GPA); already proven mind-body therapies could eliminate 37 percent of visits to the doctor per year and save $54 billion annually, and that stress contributes to many of the medical conditions confronted by healthcare practitioners -- between 60 to 90 percent of visits to physicians are related to stress and other psychosocial factors.

• More than one-third of Americans adults routinely use CAM, spending more than $30 billion a year of their own money. (Report on CAM Highlights a Decade of Change by Elaine Zablocki)

• Nearly one in 10 Americans surveyed as part of the 1994 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s National Access to Care Study saw a professional for CAM therapies; one out of every 10 adults in the U.S has tried acupuncture. (National Certification Commission for Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine)

• Acupuncture is among the top ten most popular CAM practice in the United (National Center of Alternative and Complementary Medicine 2005)

• The large percentage of U.S medical school currently offering curses that address CAM.

• Acupuncture has been cited by the World Health Organization (WHO) to treat over forty-three conditions. National Institutes of Health (NIH) states "The data in support of acupuncture are as strong as those for many accepted Western medical therapies. One of the advantages of acupuncture is that the incidence of adverse effects is substantially lower than that of many drugs or other medial procedures used for the same conditions." (WHO & NIH)

• “Sometimes people in conventional medicine would like to believe they can practice CAM simply by using the tools of alternative medicine. They are missing the point. It is not just what we use, but how we use it. ” - By Joseph Pizzorno

Florida Licensing Information

Definition
Chapter 457 of the Florida Statutes defines acupuncture as follows:

Acupuncture means a form of primary health care, based on traditional Chinese medical concepts and modern Oriental techniques, that employs acupuncture diagnosis and treatment, as well as adjunctive therapies and diagnostic techniques, for the promotion, maintenance, and restoration of health and the prevention of disease. Acupuncture shall include, but not be limited to, the insertion of acupuncture needles and the application of moxibustion to specific areas of the human body. Acupuncturist means any person licensed as provided in this chapter to practice acupuncture as a primary health care provider.

Requirements for Licensure
Chapter 457 of the Florida Statutes states the requirements for licensure to practice acupuncture as follows:

A person may become licensed to practice acupuncture if the person applies to the department and:

Is 18 years of age or older;
Has completed 60 college credits from an accredited postsecondary institution as a prerequisite to enrollment in an authorized 3-year course of study in acupuncture and Oriental medicine, and effective July 31, 2001, a 4-year course of study in acupuncture and Oriental medicine, which meets standards established by the board by rule, which standards include, but are not limited to, successful completion of academic courses in western anatomy, western physiology, western pathology, western biomedical terminology, first aid, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
Has successfully completed a board-approved national certification process.

Notice
Although completion of the College's Oriental Medicine Program meets the educational requirements for licensure in Florida, credits and awards earned from this College do not automatically qualify the holder to participate in professional licensing examinations to practice acupuncture and other modalities of Oriental medicine in Florida. Persons interested in practicing in this field should contact the Florida Board of Acupuncture (850-488-0595) for specific application procedures.