The APAMSA Global Health Initiative is proud to introduce “APAMSA Global Health Letters,” a series of field reports in which APAMSA members share and publish their global health experiences.  In addition, starting this year, we are introducing the APAMSA Global Health Fellowship, two $1,000 awards annually for APAMSA members to fund their global health experiences.  For application information, please visit the APAMSA Global Health website.

APAMSA Global Health Letters – February 2012 – Acupuncture in China

This past summer, I participated in an elective clinical rotation in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture held by the Chinese Academy for Chinese Medical Science in Beijing and organized by Acupuncture Education International.

The program consisted of two parts: 1. Didactics on the foundations of acupuncture and TCM, including traditional theories of yin-yang relations of the body, zangfu organ systems, and methods of insertion of acupuncture needles.  2. Clinical rotations in four departments (neurology, gynecology, dermatology, and general practice) at the CACMS Acupuncture and Moxibustion Hospital.

The jewel of the program, however, was to observe how a completely different system of medicine is practiced and used, often in conjunction with Western medicine, to meet a patient’s given needs.  For most of the participants, who largely had no prior exposure to TCM, the reconciliation of TCM practice and Western medicine knowledge was particularly difficult.

For example, during my clinical rotation, I spent several days in the dermatology department of CACMS Acupuncture and Moxibustion Hospital.  While the treatment of neurological disorders and pain syndromes with acupuncture and moxibustion were well accepted by medical student class, it seemed a bit unbelievable to us that needles could also be used for treating acne.

According to the theories of Traditional Chinese Medicine, acne had three major causative etiologies:

1. Heat in the lung and stomach
2. Qi and blood stagnation
3. Retention of phlegm

In the context of the organizing principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the three etiologies made sense.  For those participants who were of Asian descent, the acne causation explanations were congruent with nutritional advice we had heard from our parents and grandparents.

The treatments for “heat in the lung and stomach,” “qi and blood stagnation,” and “retention of phlegm,” however, were using point needles to puncture pimples and blemishes on the face, and then use flash cupping to remove the additional blood to remove the excess heat that was entrapped (and thus causation for the blemishes).  During my time in the dermatology department, I would often see patients end treatments with faces almost completely covered in blood, which required extensive washing and cleaning before discharge.

Three aspects of the treatment process particularly irked me and my fellow participants.

1. Risk of scarring from puncturing pimples and blemishes with needles
2. Practicing flash cupping on the face, which involves the physician holding a lit torch and burning hot cups within inches of the face
3. Sanitation and safety issues associated with the amount of bloodletting.

Despite our apprehensions regarding the treatments, patients kept returning to the outpatient clinic for follow up visits.  When asked about their experiences and feelings about the needling, patients beamed about the results and the functional improvements to their self-image and wellbeing.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my time in China with the program and would recommend it to everyone who has an interest in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Cupping for Knee Pain on a Patient