What you can do to help
Many people who have experienced
the effectiveness of acupuncture and Oriental Medicine find
that they wish to help the profession to gain greater recognition
within the community. There are things that you can do to
help.
Tell your Medical Doctor about your results
In recent years, the medical community has come closer to
acceptance of Oriental Medicine as the effective diagnostic
and treatment modality that it is. The research which has
been going on for several years has begun to yield impressive
results.
However, one of the most powerful factors in the growing acceptance
has been the fact that it works. When patients get lasting
results from a Doctor of Acupuncture after years of frustration
with more conventional means, their MD's take notice of it.
Most MD's want the best care for their patients, and when
they see results from a particular approach they are more
likely to recommend or support that approach in the future.
If you have gotten good results from a Doctor of Acupuncture,
tell your Medical Doctor. Some people are afraid to tell their
MD that they have been seeing practitioners of complementary
forms of medicine, because they fear that the MD will not
approve. Most MD's have seen the reliable,
positive research results about acupuncture, and good care
providers will be interested in finding the best possible
treatment for their patients. They will be interested in learning
of your positive results with a Doctor of Acupuncture. More
imporantly, your Medical Doctor and your Doctor of Acupuncture
will both be able to provide better care if they know of each
other's efforts. This is why we often use the term "complementary"
rather than "alternative" medicine.
Join RISAOM
We have a "Friend of the Profession" membership
category. While such members do not have voting privileges
within the organization, it provides a way for you, as a patient,
to support our efforts to advance public awareness of Oriental
Medicine in Rhode Island.
The membership fee for this category is only $25.00. Becoming
a member also entitles you to receive our newsletter. If your
practitioner is a member of RISAOM, you can ask them about
becoming a member. Also, you can e-mail membership@risaom.org
to ask to have an application mailed to you.
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