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Pacific College Submits Statement to the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy In December, the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) held a meeting on the access and delivery of complementary and alternative medicine services, and Pacific College was invited to send a representative to speak. Jonathan Daniel, Chair of the Department of Oriental Medicine at PCOM-New York prepared the following statement, which was distributed to the 15 commission members. He was also given three minutes to address the commission, during which he emphasized the importance of practicing Chinese medicine within its own paradigm, and briefly discussed Pacific College’s program. Following is a transcript of his written statement: In contrast to modern western biomedicine, which emphasizes a detailed understanding of structure and the functioning of that structure in understanding disease process, Traditional Chinese Medicine emphasizes an understanding of function and the relationship of functions in the human body in order to understand disease process and health. The ancient Chinese physicians catalogued their understanding of physiological processes as they could observe them within a living person by observing objective signs and subjective symptoms. By association of various signs and symptoms these physicians established a theoretical understanding which considered these groupings as indicative of unitary processes. It was their understanding, predating an understanding of disease process in relationship to microorganisms, that all disease processes in the human being could be understood by piecing together these theoretical units into an overall pattern which expressed what disease process was occurring in the individual patient with whom the physician was interacting. Then through the employment of various modalities which were also associated with these units of functioning - the most famous being the needling of the acupuncture points and the usage of various medicinal substances - it was possible to bring about an alteration in pathological function and restore the individual to healthy functioning. This understanding of process and function created a theoretical structure which was seen to be a model that could be used deductively to decide upon treatment plans and to understand all processes. I would imagine two things about the ancient Chinese physicians in relation to modern biomedicine. First, being interested individuals with great intellectual curiosity, they would welcome the information that has been gathered by modern biomedicine regarding the subtle levels of physiological, histological and biochemical understanding of the human organism. But I don’t think that this knowledge or the knowledge of germ theory would have led them to reject their theoretical understandings. Rather I think they would have engaged in a process of understanding this knowledge through the deductive theoretical frameworks of which they had developed an understanding. Such a process is underway in China at the present time. At the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine we are also beginning a process of integrating modern biomedical understandings with the traditional Chinese medical understandings of human functioning. This is a project which is going to require much time and study. What I would view as the ideal would be to understand even the most subtle biochemical processes through the deductive framework that the ancient Chinese physicians developed to understand human functioning. But as we are at the very beginning of this study, we are presently engaged in understanding from a practical standpoint what we are currently capable of treating and what we currently would find difficult to treat. Those things that we would find difficult to treat would then require referral to a physician with an understanding of modern biomedical medicine and access to its modalities. However, it is also my belief that Chinese medicine, because its aim is the correction of pathological function and the restoration of healthy functioning, can contribute to restoring health when faced with any disease process. Therefore I believe that not only is it useful for the practitioner of Chinese medicine to appreciate the limits of his/her abilities, but it is also useful for the practitioner of modern biomedicine to appreciate the contributions that Chinese medicine can make in the treatment of any pathology. This is a wider understanding of the use of Chinese medicine than what would be called preventive medicine. It is true that the understandings of human functioning provided by Chinese medicine are useful in maintaining a state of health rather than merely in the treatment of disease. Indeed, Traditional Chinese Medicine has a theory of healthy functioning which modern biomedicine lacks. But more than this, the understandings of human functioning provided by Traditional Chinese Medicine are applicable to any disease process, and can at the very least contribute to correcting, if they do not fully correct, any pathology that faces the human organism. At the present time in the United States, the training of a Chinese medicine practitioner in most, if not all, schools requires more than 3000 hours over an average of four years. The training includes not only courses in Chinese medicine, but also Western physiology, anatomy, biochemistry and pharmacology. At Pacific College these courses are taught by professors who are medical doctors, chiropractors and others who hold Ph.D.s in chemistry, anatomy and microbiology. One of our professors has also been selected as teacher of the year at Cornell University Medical College, where he continues to teach. Any educational standards set now or in the future should be established by the schools and not an external body. The minimum criterion is the ability of graduates to pass the national certification exam, but most, if not all, schools far exceed these minimum standards. Throughout the development of Oriental Medicine in the United States in the past 25 years or so, the educational standards have been under constant development. At the present time the highest accredited degree for a practitioner of Oriental Medicine is a master’s degree. Our plan is that this will remain the entry-level degree for practitioners of Oriental Medicine, but we are now working on the development of an optional post-graduate doctoral degree. The purpose of this degree will be to produce qualified teachers, researchers and treatment specialists. There are several national organizations of Oriental Medicine practitioners who are working together to further the educational standards in the school, including the development of the Ph.D. or a professional doctorate program in Oriental Medicine. At the present time Pacific College in New York has a working relationship with several hospitals and outpatient facilities where students work, using their skills in acupuncture. Most states in the United States now license practitioners of Chinese medicine. The status of these practitioners varies from requiring referral from a medical doctor to being primary health care providers. These practitioners have a good record in safety of treatment. In order to become a practitioner in the states that regulate Oriental Medicine, one must either pass a test administered by the state or pass the test administered by the National Commission for the Certification of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. To ensure the same quality of care provided by the adequately educated practitioners in those states that license practitioners of Oriental Medicine, I would urge that all states adopt licensure using the test of the NCCAOM as the standard. I would also urge that practitioners be granted primary health care provider status in the states in which they are licensed. There has been some controversy over the use of certain herbs that are in the pharmacopoeia of Oriental Medicine. Usage of these herbs by qualified practitioners of Oriental Medicine has never been shown to produce the adverse effects reported in these controversies. Licensed practitioners of Oriental medicine are well trained in the usage and possible dangers of these herbs, as well as their proper dosage. At the present time only a few states actually license the use of herbs. Again, I would urge that licensure in the use of herbs be implemented in all states to ensure that their usage will be by qualified practitioners of Oriental medicine who have been trained in their use. This will ensure the public safety. Many private insurance companies now provide reimbursement for treatment by practitioners of Oriental medicine. I would urge that Oriental Medicine be covered by government insurance policies as well. In addition I would recommend that adequately trained practitioners of Oriental Medicine be allowed to practice in publicly funded medical institutions. Jonathan Daniel, D.C., L.Ac., M.S. earned a Bachelor of Art in Biochemistry, Biological Sciences and Psychology from University of California, Berkeley, his Master of Science degree in Chinese Medicine from American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine and his Doctorate of Chiropractic from Western States Chiropractic College. He has been in private practice for over 22 years and is also a Board Member of the Acupuncture Society of New York and a member of the NCCAOM Acupuncture Examination Development Committee. He currently teaches classes in the Biomedical, Herbology and Oriental medicine departments at Pacific College in New York, in addition to serving as a Clinic Supervisor and Chair of the Department of Oriental Medicine.
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