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Threats for acupuncture; answers to perceived threats

Jean Pierre Fossion, MD, Belgium

 

“Does justified sceptical criticism by regular classical medicine prevent research into acupuncture by the prejudice that this research would be worthless anyway?”

 

Background

In Belgium sceptical criticism about practices of alternative medicine is most iconically embodied in the study group called SKEPP: Study group for Critical Evaluation of Pseudoscience and the Paranormal.
 

Question

Although criticism of old philosophies, different schools of thought within TCM, the obedience to the rule of analogy, empirical practices… are justified, the question is if these arguments could serve as prejudices against sponsoring from captains of industry or subsidies from public funds.

 

Answer

Our answer to this question is, that it is to no avail to blame other instances, how deeply whe might feel hurt by criticism, or that we might feel obstructed in our efforts to participate in scientific research. We firmly believe that we have to deal with research ourselves and promoting it by every means. The associations of acupuncture in the Netherlands and in Belgium want to unite their efforts in this promotion. Not only by creating a mutual assistance in teaching and even fusion of our schools, but also by the creation of a common platform for a yearly congress. By little achievable steps, we want to constitute a price for this congress platform, with the aim to promote the best research protocols available in the Benelux. The gain to access is the key to the fulfillment of acupunctural practice.