A / AAOM reunion?

[Guest guest]

The front page article about the AOM / AAOM reunion is interesting. I

know some of you were around when they split 14 years ago, but would

be interested in a little background of why the split occurred in the

first place. Was it a simple ego trip between factions or something

worth while? Do you think it made any difference to the profession as

a whole?

 

Geoff

[Guest guest]

At the time, the AAOM was interested in a professional doctorate

status, and limiting practice of acupuncture to those who had a

certain number of hours, graduation from a 2-4 year college of TCM,

and discouraging practice by those with short order 50-300 hour

courses, including many M.D.'s and D.C.'s. They also wanted

licensing to be based on the practice of both acupuncture and herbal

medicine. The Alliance (AOM) was more open to those with less

training, and supported separate practice of acupuncture and herbal

medicine.

 

The wars at the time were nasty between the two groups, leading to

many individuals, including myself, to largely withdraw from the

national politics. It seemed hopeless at times.

 

 

On Mar 5, 2007, at 12:36 AM, G Hudson wrote:

 

> The front page article about the AOM / AAOM reunion is interesting. I

> know some of you were around when they split 14 years ago, but would

> be interested in a little background of why the split occurred in the

> first place. Was it a simple ego trip between factions or something

> worth while? Do you think it made any difference to the profession as

> a whole?

>

> Geoff

>

>

>

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Geoff,

 

At the time, I was president of the Acupuncture Assoc. of Colorado and

was a delegate at that infamous meeting in Chicago. The way I remember

things, the AAAOM leadership wanted to create national standards for

acupuncture/CM in this country which included mandatory study of

Chinese herbal medicie. These standards were also basically TCM

standards. A number of constituents, including the Worsleyans and

practitioners of Japanese styles of OM, felt that they would be

excluded or forced to study and learn things they were not interested

in. Remember that the NCCAOM originally spent a great deal of time

creating an acupuncture exam that all schools of practice could live

with. In any case, the leadership of the AAAOM used parlimentary

procedures to ramrod their agenda through. So there were two bones of

contention: One, the concern over streamrollering alternative

traditions and points of view, and two, the political hardball of the

AAAOM leadership in getting their way. They simply were not willing to

listen to the " loyal opposition " and compromise in any way.

 

Once it became clear that the AAAOM leadership was going to go ahead

with their agenda regardless of the objections of a sizeable group of

concerned opponents, those opponents felt that they no longer had a

say in the AAAOM. Therefore, in the weeks after the Chicago

convention, the National Alliance was formed from those who A) wanted

to maintain the diversity within our profession here in the U.S. and

B) did not like the hardball politics of the AAAOM leadership. Of

course, there were clashes of personalities as well, and it was these

latter personalitiy issues which, IMO, continued to drive a wedge

between these two groups. Eventually, some of the people in the

rechristened AAOM retired and the leaderships of the two groups were

able to speak collegially to each other. (Please don't ask for names.

That's all water under the bridge.)

 

In any case, that's my take on the whole fiasco.

 

As for the impact on our profession, it definitely split the very

small available resources for lobbying, etc. between the two groups.

It also caused confusion among the rank and file. However, I believe

that now is the time to close ranks and all join the AAAOM. One of the

real problems is that the profession does not support its professional

associations (state and national) the way we really ought to. Our

continued survival in this society is by no means assured, and one of

the best ways to insure our continued ability to practice this

medicine is to join and get actively involved in our state and

national associations.

 

Bob

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the replies Bob & Z'ev. No interest in the names, but more

in strategies for preventing future 'mine is bigger than yours'

battles that impact many more people than the couple who get their

britches wadded up. Being one of a few rats fleeing the sinking ship

that was NIAOM, it's clear that the 'peace love and happiness' kind of

people had egos just like many of the people they kvetched about

constantly, and many innocent people have suffered. One of our

professors who was a certain author of a famous pediatric book comes

to mind as one such casualty. Sure, I'm bitter, but there should be

some instruments of organization that can help to keep the qi moving

when the ego bashing starts up. My wife is a psychologist, and the

new issue for them is that many of the state organizations are

lobbying for prescription privileges. This is causing a lot of ruckus

between the supporters and opposers, which is quite heated at times -

so obviously our profession isn't unique for this kind of discourse.

Hopefully someone organizing this A/AAOM marriage has a good prenup.

 

Best rgds

Geoff

 

, " Bob Flaws "

 

>...hardball politics of the AAAOM leadership. Of

> course, there were clashes of personalities as well, and it was

> these

> latter personalitiy issues which, IMO, continued to drive a wedge

> between these two groups. Eventually, some of the people in the

> rechristened AAOM retired and the leaderships of the two groups were

> able to speak collegially to each other. (Please don't ask for names.

> That's all water under the bridge.)

[Guest guest]

It was my impression that the Council of Colleges at the time controlled what

was the AAAOM by the fact that the majority of those who were not totally

apathetic were working for colleges, or something similar that related to

colleges and academia. This was ok as long as we wished the profession to remain

non-professional, such as massage-style training as was the relative norm

outside

of California (most colleges at the time started as massage schools an

evolved) at the time. So, CA and FL and a couple large states had membership

development projects to bring a sense of what the future might be if we had a

focus on

OM instead of acupuncture alone and they got together enough votes to win an

election and to change some of the bylaws. There was a lot of antipathy with

both sides exteremely bitter rivals. I ran for the board with the concept of

supporting whichever group won, assuming that it was healthy to a democracy to

have this sort of discussion happening. I got the total number of votes in my

state alone and was unelected, as both sides thought I was on the other side.

Cute group of people.

Interestingly enough, the new president of the AAAOM, HArvey Kaltsas, who was

reviled by the other side, made me editoral chair as he wanted to have a

neutral person there. There was no intent to end acupuncture only practice, but

to

make sure everyone had an awareness of herbal medicine and an understanding

of other aspects of Oriental Medicine besides the single aspect that their,

perhaps, dogmatic colleges view of our field of medicine espoused. A fear or

inadequacy may be what led to the split, or financial fear, but while each and

every style of acupuncture and Oriental MEdicine thinks it is better than any

other, the board of the AAAOM from the inception of the new bylaws that year

never had the goal of a single style of acu or OM even in its thoughts, although

survival as an independent profession was of utmost importance. This was

difficult when our management company said we couldn't afford them, to be

followed

by the abandonment of a herb supplier who was going to give us an office with

a manager for almost nothing but had to reneg when he was told that if he

helped us that the colleges were going to boycott his products, followed by a

whispering campaign that AAOM was dead and a backing out of a contracted

convention by the colleges, NCCA and the accreditating agency, essentially

bankrupting

the organization. Putting an honest businessman in the middle who was only

trying to help was what went over the line for me and it became my goal to do

whatever was necessary to save AAAOM, finishing 9 years later with an

organization that was capable of supporting itself and was a vital part of the

future

of our profession. Luckily, I have a supportive and forgiving wife.

 

After Harvey's yang style broke us free from the chains, every president and

board tried to extend the olive branch to the AOMA and the colleges, while at

the same time not letting them claim sole representation of the profession at

venues that mattered. The board at the time not only paid for the airfare and

hotel to attend conventions, but actually paid for the conventions themselves,

with banquet, until some years later. To me, these are the unsung heroes of

our profession. The same went for our speakers for many years, and thank god

for their support as well.

 

There was a push to increase education, but how is this different than any

other profession, besides that we started as a diploma and then masters and now

doc, when everyone else started as a doctor and increased their education as

the profession evolved? To my view, the whole problem started when it was

decided to start with a diploma and not a doctorate, raising the educational

level

as quality English material came forward. This is what had historically been

done in every healing profession in the world. If we had had this entry level

of doctorate, I doubt that the professiion would have rebelled against the

colleges and the evolutionary change of the profession would have been more

organic.

But then again, maybe I'm wrong. The truth is that what we have now is what

we have and it is getting to be ok and possibly to where it would have been in

any case anyway. Just more carnage this way.

All my opinion and perspective.

DAvid Molony

 

 

In a message dated 3/5/07 3:37:24 AM, crudo20 writes:

 

 

> The front page article about the AOM / AAOM reunion is interesting. I

> know some of you were around when they split 14 years ago, but would

> be interested in a little background of why the split occurred in the

> first place. Was it a simple ego trip between factions or something

> worth while? Do you think it made any difference to the profession as

> a whole?

>

> Geoff

>

 

 

 

 

 

" No one wants advice- only corroboration. "

John Steinbeck

 

David Molony

101 Bridge Street

Catasauqua, PA 18032

Phone (610)264-2755

Fax (610) 264-7292

 

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[Guest guest]

Thanks for your thoughtful response, David. I just found it as I get

the digest version and must have missed it before. I guess you have

to break eggs to make an omelette. It will be interesting to see how

the DOM programs affect the lay of the land in the future.

 

Geoff

 

, acuman1 wrote:

>... The truth is that what we have now is what

> we have and it is getting to be ok and possibly to where it would

have been in

> any case anyway. Just more carnage this way.

> All my opinion and perspective.

> DAvid Molony