When Healing is Medicine By Jessica Peck-Lindsey, L.Ac.


question whether energy-based practices are medicine. What is the difference be- tween a healing art and medicine? Could healing arts such as Reiki or aromatherapy be considered medicine? I began to ask myself these questions after a patient inquired the manner in which to categorize acupuncture. Is acupuncture a healing art or is it medicine?


M Evidenced vs Empirically Based


The gold standard in medicine is the adoption of evidenced-based practices. Innovation in healthcare is driven by the evidence that supports it and anything less would be unacceptable. Afterall, our health and our lives depend on this. Acupuncture is an evidenced-based practice supported by high-quality research studies, however, what makes acupuncture an effective treat- ment modality lies in the fact that it is an ancient practice with thousands of years


14 ELM® Maine - September/October 2019


any questions surround the role energy-based practices play in medicine. Among them is the


of empirical evidence. For this reason, acupuncture has a foot in both worlds and straddles the divide between evidenced- based medicine and empirically supported practices.


One example of acupuncture being both evidenced-based while having its roots in empirically based knowledge is the money allocated toward acupuncture research by the Department of Defense in search of a more effective way to address acute pain due to injuries sustained in the line of duty without the use of opiods. Bat- tlefi eld acupuncture, a fi ve-needle auricular protocol using semi-permanent needles, was developed in 2001 as a result of this research and is currently being adopted by the Veterans Health Administration. This in- novation in delivery of acupuncture would not have occurred if it were not for the dedication of researchers and volunteers to test the effectiveness of this combination of points. What is simple and beautiful about the Battlefi eld Acupuncture protocol is that the acupuncture points being used are not


newly discovered points. The locations of the acupuncture points and their actions and effects were mapped out on the body thousands of years ago thanks to empirical data. The basic principle of acupuncture as therapy to direct the fl ow of Qi allowing the body to reach a state of homeostasis remains unchanged in the thousands of years since its inception. What we are discovering now through research is that acupuncture is shown to be benefi cial in the treatment of many conditions stemming from modern life-styles.


The Difference Between Energy Medicine and Bio-Medicine


Bio-medicine is grounded in a bio-


physiological understanding of health and as discussed earlier, is advanced by research. The effects of bio-medicine on the body are measurable in predictable ways and rely heavily on calculations of time, weight, severity of condition, age of patient, etc. Energy medicine is more diffi cult to measure, affects the patient in


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