摘要
Since its first mention in U.S. media in the early 1970s, the practiceof acupuncture and Oriental medicine （AOM） has grown in stature from a fringe,counter-culture movement to a valid, evidenced-based treatment option for patients.In the last 40 years, AOM schools and colleges have been accredited by the U.S.Department of Education, offering both masters and doctoral degree programs. Todate, forty-seven states and the District of Columbia license or certify acupuncturistsbased on competency proven through state examination or professional certificationby the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine（NCCAOM）. As acceptance of AOM in the U.S. has increased through both theassurance of psychometrically sound certification and the education of the Americanpublic on this topic, many challenges have emerged. Problems such as theunderemployment of AOM clinicians, methodological hurdles for the investigation of mechanisms, and efficacyof acupuncture and other AOM treatment techniques have been observed. Investigative challenges also includegaps in research training as well as a dearth of the basic resources needed to conduct randomized controlledtrials （RCTs）. As AOM research has sought integration into the Western research model, problems have beenidentified in the design of AOMRCTs, and strategies for their resolution through methods such as translationalresearch have been examined. Incorporating these strategies as well as efficacy, effectiveness, and qualitativemeasures will strengthen the evidence base and thus provide clinical decision makers with more tools that canbe used to design patient treatment regimens.
Since its first mention in U.S. media in the early 1970s, the practiceof acupuncture and Oriental medicine （AOM） has grown in stature from a fringe,counter-culture movement to a valid, evidenced-based treatment option for patients.In the last 40 years, AOM schools and colleges have been accredited by the U.S.Department of Education, offering both masters and doctoral degree programs. Todate, forty-seven states and the District of Columbia license or certify acupuncturistsbased on competency proven through state examination or professional certificationby the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine（NCCAOM）. As acceptance of AOM in the U.S. has increased through both theassurance of psychometrically sound certification and the education of the Americanpublic on this topic, many challenges have emerged. Problems such as theunderemployment of AOM clinicians, methodological hurdles for the investigation of mechanisms, and efficacyof acupuncture and other AOM treatment techniques have been observed. Investigative challenges also includegaps in research training as well as a dearth of the basic resources needed to conduct randomized controlledtrials （RCTs）. As AOM research has sought integration into the Western research model, problems have beenidentified in the design of AOMRCTs, and strategies for their resolution through methods such as translationalresearch have been examined. Incorporating these strategies as well as efficacy, effectiveness, and qualitativemeasures will strengthen the evidence base and thus provide clinical decision makers with more tools that canbe used to design patient treatment regimens.
