Mounting evidence that acupuncture is slowly but surely becoming part of the medical mainstream can be found in this article from the Washington Post.
The overwhelming majority of people are not dogmatic when it comes to medicine. They want something that works, and they don't care how it works. Most people aren't interested in yin and yang, the five phases, the Zang Fu, the history of Chinese medicine. All the things that fascinate and intrigue TCM students mean very little to the general public, except one thing: getting better.
Of course, as medical professionals, it's our job to educate patients so that they can take better care of themselves. If we don't try to educate people on preventive care and health maintenance, our patients will never really be cured.
Imagine you're a mechanic. People bring their cars in all the time with worn out brakes. When you tell them "You know, the correct way to drive is by pressing the gas pedal to go, and the brake pedal when you want to stop" - people scoff at you. "But I usually just hit the gas and brake at the same time!" they tell you. That's (sometimes) what it's like being an acupuncturist.
When people get better, that's our opportunity. When people get miraculous results, it makes them stop for a second and ask "Why did that work?" That's our chance to turn it around and say "Let's look at why you got sick in the first place." Because that's the real cure - understanding how you got sick, and how to avoid it in the future.
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