Teaching the Classical Science of Acupuncture in Unity with Modern Biomedicine; Pitfalls and Solutions.

Abstract

Acupuncturists entering the profession from medical universities could be missing key treatment approaches from the ancient literature due to inaccurate translations of important terms, such as qì, and structures, such as the acupoints. Conversely, private colleges accepting students with no scientific training are missing education in the mechanisms of acupuncture and lack the capacity to review, conduct or participate in research activities. Terminology, Anatomy and Mechanisms Recent translations of the classical Chinese literature, carried out by multidisciplinary academics with expertise in both linguistics and biomedicine, are bringing to light a perspective on the ancient texts that allows their fusion with mainstream Western healthcare. Three main areas of friction are identified here that can be overcome with these new perspectives; firstly, the problem of terminology with words such as qì, secondly, the lack of consensus definitions for the channels and acupoints, and lastly, the lack of unified models of mechanism. The addition of core modules addressing the accurate translation of key concepts as well as exact mechanisms of acupuncture relating to blood flow is suggested to fill the gaps in acupuncture education.