Celebrating AOM Day
October 24, 2002, marked a day of celebration for the acupuncture and Oriental medicine profession. Across the country, organizations and colleges provided free services and lectures, while state and local legislators recognized the importance of the day by signing proclamations.
Hawaii exemplified the type of grassroots support for AOM Day. On October 9, Hawaii Governor Benjamin Cayetano signed a proclamation officially recognizing October 24 as "Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Day." The move made Hawaii the first state in the U.S. to recognize the day's importance, and signaled a vital step forward for the recognition of AOM Day on a national basis.
Similar events occurred across the country. On October 17, New Jersey became the second state to officially recognize AOM Day, when Governor James McGreevey signed a proclamation touting the healing effects of acupuncture and Oriental medicine. The following day, Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) published an open letter that commended the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, along with other organizations and individual acupuncturists, for their efforts in promoting AOM Day:
October 18, 2002
Dear Friends:
As the co-chair of the Complementary and Alternative Medicine and Natural Foods Caucus and as the chairman of the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee, I support the declaration of October 24 as "Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Day."
It is estimated that more than 40 percent of Americans have used or are currently using some form of complementary medicine such as acupuncture or Oriental medicine. Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Day is an excellent opportunity to help educate the public about the potential benefits and risks of these traditional forms of health care.
Finally, I commend the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, the various local and national acupuncture and Oriental medicine organizations, and the individual practitioners, who have come together in sponsorship of this important event. I am pleased to join with them in recognition of this annual observance.
Sincerely,
Tom Harkin
United States Senator
On the 24th, acupuncture schools across the nation opened their doors to the public in observance. In Hawaii, members of the Institute of Clinical Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine in Honolulu provided free lectures on acupuncture and Oriental medicine to the public. Thousands of miles away, in Los Angeles and San Diego, California, clinicians at Yo San University and Pacific College of Oriental Medicine, respectively, offered free acupuncture treatments to new patients. At the Oregon College of Medicine, interns provided sample treatments in massage and herbal medicine, along with Oriental meditative exercises.
Demonstrations and free therapy sessions weren't limited to the West Coast. In Arizona, clinicians from the Phoenix Institute of Herbal Medicine and Acupuncture provided complimentary foot and scalp acupressure treatments, while in Texas, representatives from the Academy of Oriental Medicine in Austin held lectures and gave demonstrations in a variety of locations.
Support for AOM Day continued all the way to Florida and Maryland. In Orlando, the Florida College of Integrative Medicine held an open house and distributed information on herbal medicine and acupuncture; in Baltimore, the Shiatsu and Asian Bodywork Clinic of the Baltimore School of Massage provided free shiatsu treatments and hosted lectures on Asian bodywork therapy and Oriental medicine.
AOM Day was conceived last year as part of a national campaign to educate the public about the benefits of acupuncture and other forms of Asian healing. The campaign has received the support of several leading national acupuncture and Oriental medicine member associations, research organizations and educational institutions.
PCOM's Chicago Branch Receives Approval from California Acupuncture Board
The Chicago, Illinois campus of the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine has received full approval from the California Acupuncture Board (CAB). CAB approval allows graduates of the campus to sit for the state's acupuncture licensing exam and to practice in California.
PCOM-Chicago is the only college of traditional Chinese medicine in the Midwest to be approved by the California Acupuncture Board. For more information on the college and its campuses in San Diego and New York, visit www.pacificcollege.edu.
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