The Path to Mastery: A Role for Supervision
Hugh MacPherson
The author addresses the lack of support for newly qualified acupuncturists. He begins by outlining some of the specific problems they face, and then suggests some of the possible ways in which a supervisory system could help. Based on the experiences of the Northern College of Acupuncture in the UK, he describes four stages in the development of a practitioner after qualification, leading ultimately to mastery. He examines the possible role of a supervisor in each stage.
Placebo Acupuncture
Francesca Diebschlag
In this, the first of two articles, the author begins by describing how clinical trials, including double blind trials, operate. She examines the purpose of trials before focusing critically on various types of placebo acupuncture. She discusses the difficulties of 'standard treatments' in clinical trials of acupuncture, as opposed to the individualised treatments used in holistic practice.
Where to Now? Leading Acupuncture Research towards Clinical Relevance
Alan Bensoussan
The author urges the close scrutiny of TCM theory, after which the main substance of the article demonstrates the point that most clinical studies of acupuncture have focused on its use in pain management. Findings from studies of the release of different neuro-hormones as a result of acupuncture are summarised. Since these studies were mainly carried out on animals, the author sees them as limited in their ability to further the understanding of TCM theory. He argues that focusing on TCM theory and on the use of acupuncture to promote health is more useful than studying the effect of acupuncture on neuro-transmitters and pain relief. Read the article as a PDF file (493Kb)
Orientalism Revisited: Reflections on Scholarship, Research and Professionalism
Volker Scheid
The author explains why he believes that research in Chinese medicine, in the narrow sense of 'research' as it is defined in the orthodox medical establishment, is a process which is likely to lead to Chinese medicine's being subsumed within the orthodox medical framework. He analyses what may happen when one cultural tradition encounters another, and proposes as his ideal for the Western and Chinese medical traditions an encounter where both traditions meet to forge something completely new and different. To facilitate this process, he proposes a model of research more akin to the broader and more deeply questioning research in the social sciences than to the narrower hypothesis testing of the medical establishment.
Speaking My Mind
Elinor Freilich
An article inspired by the 16th Mystics' and Scientists' Conference, focusing on ideas about research. The article contains much reference to the contributions of Larry Dossey.
A Tribute to Robin Rusher
Interview with James Booth and Balbir Bhogal
Transcription of an earlier interview with this much respected practitioner, who died on 4th March 1993, on the theme of the shen.
Are Acupuncturists Interested in Research?
Richard Blackwell and Mike Fitter
Analysis of the results of a Council for Acupuncture survey in the UK. The aims of the survey were to identify the extent to which acupuncturists were interested in undertaking research and development activities, to identify reasons for engaging in research, and to assess the need for specific research skills.
Complementary Medicine - New Approaches to Good Practice: The BMA Report
Jasmine Uddin
Uddin reviews the report on complementary medicine published by the British Medical Association (BMA) in 1993 and compares it with the ealier report, entitled 'Alternative Therapy', which the BMA produced in 1986. The current report makes a survey of the situation vis a vis non-conventional therapies in the UK as well as looking at how other European nations are tackling the issues.
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