Abstract
When I graduated from medical school, I was very happy to launch my career. I considered myself very fortunate to join the ranks of many physicians dedicating themselves to heal the sick. What has always stood out in my mind was the statement from my uncle, an old country doctor, who had cared for me from cradle to adulthood. He told me I was very lucky. I thought so too, having successfully made it through the arduous task of completing medical school and being accepted into a radiation oncology residency. But that was not his meaning: He told me I was very lucky because I could prescribe antibiotics. When he had graduated from medical school and entered an internship, antibiotics were not available. I often think about my uncle's statement. How could a doctor practice without antibiotics? Indeed, I am fortunate. Yet now, I emphatically say to a new physician, “You are lucky to have wonderful technologies aiding your practice of medicine, such as computed tomography scanning, magnetic resonance imaging, mRNA technology, virtual reality, neurotechnology, artificial intelligence, 3-dimensional printing, precision medicine, telemedicine, advanced gene-editing technology, and a significant assortment of medications.” However, I emphasize the opportunity to practice acupuncture with a medical specialty without which would be detrimental to our endeavors.
Acupuncture has not become obsolete. Do you remember the pneumoencephalogram? When was the last time you requested your patient to be imaged with this technique? Did you use acupuncture for a patient's pain lately? I am sure the answer is “yes.” This ancient technology just seems to renew itself, stays up-to-date, and continues to amaze us. Let me emphasize my point. I recently treated a female patient diagnosed with chorioretinitis in both eyes for the last 20 years. She was led into my office by my nurse. This patient's visual disability was evident: She could not see me. About 45 minutes later after I gave her electroacupuncture, she was very excited to report seeing my face and others in the room. As she left to join her husband, my nurse was tearful and told me that this patient had walked without help and did not bump into the walls or doors.
The world around us continues to evolve rapidly. Eventually, even fossil fuels will give way to zero-point energy 1 as, some day, we will extract ground-state energy for the world and eliminate energy poverty in the world. 1 Allopathic medicine has evolved at an enormous rate, and we anticipate personalized medicine, nanoscale medicine, gene therapy, stem-cell medicine, robotics, bionics, etc. Yet, my colleagues lament that, even with modern allopathic medicine, many of the clinical challenges of everyday back pain, neck pain, fibromyalgia, chronic headaches, migraines, overweight, addictions, vertigo, dystonic movements, and dermatologic lesions are often relentlessly resistant. However, acupuncture may be very helpful for these conditions.
In the last few months, Medical Acupuncture presented many articles that were novel and pertinent to your practices. The journal published exciting information about long-haul COVID, lasers, and recognized women contributing to the acupuncture community. This is in addition to many other outstanding articles. Future strategies for the journal include special issues dealing with acupuncture and humanitarian missions, acupuncture and sports injuries, and more. As we begin to look at 2023 it would be wonderful to hear from the readership with your interests and recommendations. Many of our special issues of the past also need to be refreshed.
We hope that your blueprint for the future for staying up-to-date includes reading Medical Acupuncture. You will go faster with acupuncture, unlock new information, and beat inflation by just sitting in your favorite chair browsing Medical Acupuncture-giving you more power for your acupuncture clinical challenges. “It is renewable energy!”