Notes from a doctor’s journal:
Each year, the Pacific Coast Reproductive Society (PCRS) holds a meeting for physicians and health care professionals to share and discuss cutting edge research in reproductive medicine and fertility. I became a member of the PCRS in 2002 and have attended their annual meeting for the past 6 years, each time picking up useful knowledge and insights about new and innovative reproductive medical information and technologies.
This year’s 56th Annual Meeting took place in mid-April at the lovely Rancho Las Palmas Resort and Spa in Palm Springs. One of the first things I notice about this meeting was the fact that there were more acupuncturists in attendance this year than I’d ever seen before. Over the course of several days, I enjoyed presentations, discussions, and a 2.75-hour hands-on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Workshop that examined scientific literature from around the world.
It was a gratifying moment for me to discover that TCM is now being recognized and accepted by western medical doctors because, for the past 11 years, it has been a goal of mine to create a bridge between Western and Eastern Medicine so that my patients may get the maximum benefits possible. Although they differ in their approach and method of practice, I have always believed that both Western and Eastern medicine have a similar goal—to improve the health and quality of life of as many patients as possible. It is only by integrating these 2 fields of medicine can patients have the best of both worlds.
In the U.S., acupuncture and TCM are fast-becoming recognized as legitimate treatments for various medical conditions. Having graduated from a medical program that incorporated the teachings of Western Medicine together with those of TCM, it has now come full circle for me. For many years, I have wished that TCM would be accepted by mainstream medicine and, now, it seems that wish is coming true. If health insurance companies would understand the value of TCM, whose goal is to prevent illness and maintain health even before a disease has been diagnosed, our standard of living and healthcare would certainly improve.