tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27290410.post115578823552793158..comments2023-10-26T06:58:43.339-04:00Comments on Acupuncture News: The Woes of Research Grant MoneyOneDNPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13154826509898126475noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27290410.post-43494334659360167782010-12-08T21:19:52.945-05:002010-12-08T21:19:52.945-05:00I conducted a year of case studies in New Zealand ...I conducted a year of case studies in New Zealand on PTSD recovery using acupuncture as the primary modality. Most of the participants came from domestic violence and/or sexual abuse histories. I conducted it as an observational study using the Hopkins symptoms checklist as a measure of improvement. The diagnostic protocol I developed was based on the Three Treasures(Jing, Shen and Qi) as a differentiation macrotemplate over the organ disharmonies and I used concepts of Shen disharmony as presented by a teacher at the Nanjing Neuropsychiatric institute for point protocols. I have an unpublished thesis on the topic. I believe that as acupuncturists we have to obtain more training on conducting research, but we need to creatively define it by our own terms. The research that is being done sort of misses the mark...and it is , of course, difficult to find funding. Most medical research is funded through pharmaceutical monies and directed by Medical doctors. We have to get really creative to find alternative funding sources, and find the courage to develop our own research designs appropriate to concepts in our field. As in psychiatry and psychology the basic outcome we aim for is the subjective report that the patient feels better, is more functional and displays higher coping mechanisms, even virtues and creative capacities. I would love to see us create an ad hoc think tank to deal with each of these elements: the definition of the problem, the identification of goals of the research, the location of funding sources appropriate for our field and the power to design our own research projects. Guess what??..the pharmaceutical monies are never going to flow our way..because our success reduces the consumption of their products.....................................Submitted by Hadijah Vanada, Licensed acupuncturist in the state of FloridaUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12237985412432340875noreply@blogger.com