Since beginning my study of acupuncture in 1986 at Midwest College in Chicago, I have been interested in the interpretation of acupuncture in modern terms. At that time, acupuncture had only begun to see scientific validation and was not generally acknowledged as serious medicine, but there was enough knowledge available then to satisfy me that there is indeed a basis for its effects which would be established over time. I began a personal and professional journey that continues to the present day.
Since hands-on learning was not in the early courses, I took a series of independent workshops on acupressure during my first year as a student. I began then to know acupuncture as a discipline founded on classical Chinese knowledge, certainly, but also on anatomy and the palpable features of the human body common to people of all times and all cultures. I began practice in Chicago in 1989 with the ideal of contributing to the lives of those around me and being one small part of human progress.
Although the state of Illinois did not yet provide licensure to acupuncturists, I was fortunate to find volunteer opportunities. One of my very first private-practice patients worked for a grant-funded United Way agency named Health Care For The Homeless. We soon worked together to create an acupuncture module within their outpatient clinic, a program which continued for many years. I also found work with the Northside HIV Center, which provided supportive care in the years before medical advances in AIDS treatment. These jobs provided valuable early experience in the path of service.
By 1992, Wisconsin began to provide state certification for acupuncturists, though Illinois did not; I came to Delavan then, and have continued practice there with the same associate ever since. I began work in Janesville in 1994 and have also maintained my original professional connections there, with a break for a five year stint under contract with Mercy Health System. Mercy offered an employee position as staff acupuncturist in 2003; I am grateful for my years there, but chose instead to remain independent.
My continuing education over the years has covered many areas, from Tai Chi (taiji) to women's health. Since most people seek my help for pain and injury, I have put particular emphasis on orthopedics, kinesiology, and acupuncture as it is used in rehab medicine. I have twice traveled to China for advanced training, in 1988 for a month's internship at hospitals in Shenzhen, and in 1998 to Beijing for site tours and a lecture series on herbal medicine.
Acupuncture has come a long way in the US in recent decades; because of its remarkable versatility and effectiveness, it still has far more to offer. Acupuncture has been handed down to us as a part of Traditional Chinese Medicine, expressed in the practices, philosophies and language natural to its creators. For it to continue to grow and serve in the 21st century, acupuncture must be understood in both its classical framework and in the light of current knowledge. It must be offered in common language. It must be made practical and intelligible for all people, whether they have a cultural predisposition towards it or not.
