Acupuncture Poll's question for the month of April 2001 was:
"What percentage of your patients are above the age of 65?"
Results are as follows:
These results are based upon responses from 100 people. Here is a sample of the comments made by those who took the survey and how they voted:
50% or greater: More than 50% of my patients are >70 years old. Most of them are on 10-20 Rx drugs per day! I am not having great results with pain relief due to the fact that most are overweight, on many drugs (including coumadin), and have pacemakers. Also, most have never tried acupuncture before, and the mindset is not conducive to healing in a holistic manner. They are also set in the old ways of cooking food ...grilling, frying, etc., and will not change. On the positive side, a few of my older patients with chronic pain have had acupuncture for 15-20 yrs and are not on Rx. These patients always get relief after treatment. Long story short: the younger the patient, the better the results of the treatment. Hope this was not too long a response, I could say a lot more.
50% or greater: I see a lot of retired folks and see a special market here. There is much use of drugs on a regular basis, and complications. I see a growing area that is not really dealt with much in acupuncture schools and conferences: Oriental medicine and the aging population.
Pelvic pain has a prevalence of >25% in women and >15% in men, and up to 50% of cases are undiagnosed, demonstrating that there is a definite need for pelvic care awareness among health care practitioners. As holistic practitioners, acupuncturists offer a safe space for clients and are often the practitioners clients seek out when nothing else has worked. Thus, acupuncturists are presented with an opportunity to serve an underserved population.
Though the creation of a financially sustainable, health-promoting model feels far away today, we are casting a vision for a full return on health, believing that this compels us to keep one foot firmly rooted in caring for the sick and the other foot firmly founded in maintaining health. Shifting from a fee-for-service model to value-based care using a phased approach is paramount.
Traditional Chinese medicine and the Vedic traditions both offer rich frameworks for understanding human health, emphasizing the balance of physical, mental, and spiritual aspects. The concept of "souls" or spiritual components in TCM, namely Hun, Po, Shen, Yi, and Zhi, bears significant similarities to the yogic concept of koshas. Their similarities and differences provide insights into how these systems contribute to holistic health practices.
