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4.26.2013

Alternative Health Care and PNAAP

In the past, “alternative health care” was not an easy topic to discuss. Some believed that those alternative methodologies should still be proven with clinical studies. Until that was done, nothing could replace what was considered as the conventional and therefore right way of treating the sick, and that was the Western Medicine way.

Western Medicine however, always start with symptoms. Now that any information is just a fingertip away, caring for one's health from the time a baby is born is also a fingertip away. Now is the time when “symptoms” should pertain to signs of imbalances instead of signs of illnesses that can already be serious.

Perhaps the term “alternative” was used to also refer to therapies or tools that can address imbalances aside from herbs used as medicines, so as not to create confusion. So whatever is not “Western Medicine” is “Alternative Medicine”, and that includes all the Oriental medicine philosophies such as Traditional Chinese Medicine or TCM which is really a traditional medicine as its name implies.

The concept of Yin and Yang in TCM is a clear indication of its main principle of balancing a person's well-being to sustain the latter’s normal state. Both Yin and Yang have “windows” or “bridges” to the other side so that transition can easily take place to achieve the required balance. Both “Western” and “Alternative” medicines should also have windows or bridges with clear boundaries and a common objective of maintaining a person's wellness.

The Philippines National Association of Acupoint Practitioners or PNAAP envisions to serve as a bridge from an alternative health care methodology to Western Medicine or even vice versa. This was made possible with PNAAP's initial partnership with a big company that manufactures high quality and state-of-the-art health gadgets, in addition to well researched and traditional supplements that were proven effective for thousands of years in TCM. These supplements can complement not only the health gadgets but also a number of medicines prescribed by Western Medicine practitioners. Such big company is Tiens Biotech Group, the manufacturer of a comb-like Balance Apparatus for Biological Physical Electricity that won awards 8 times in international expositions of invention held in United States, France, Switzerland and Singapore. Another health gadget with invention awards from the same company is the Acupoint Treasure Healthcare Apparatus also known as “Tong Bao”, which functions like a “needleless acupuncture” capable of stimulating meridian acupoints, until a balanced state of a person is achieved, hence preventing the onset of illnesses.

To be in line with the philosophies behind the tools or health gadgets PNAAP has adopted, PNAAP has also embraced TCM as its underlying philosophy, appreciating the theories of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements as effective means of assessing imbalances in their early stages before any physiological diagnosis can be made. A curriculum was designed by PNAAP to standardize the practice of Acupoint Therapy using needleless acupuncture or other modernized acupuncture gadgets in the Philippines, and bridge the gap between the practice and Western Medicine.

PNAAP was founded by Dr. Josefina Ponciano-Albis, an OB-Gynecologist in Medical City and headed by some Western Medicine practitioners who are also currently Acupoint Health Therapy Practitioners and who themselves are recipients of astounding health benefits of their own practice. To promote safe practice in conducts of Acupoint Health Therapy Practitioners, PNAAP also aims to design and implement high standard Code of Ethics, and promotes strong adherence to it by its members.

A “Certified Acupoint Therapist” or “Certified Acupoint Practitioner” who graduated from PNAAP should now be able to discuss about “alternative health care” with confidence. He or she should strive to identify what exactly caused a person’s imbalance and perform the corresponding acupoint therapies required, adhering to PNAAP’s Standard of Practice and Code of Ethics, which include guidelines on when to refer a patient to the Western Medical Practitioner. He or she should also know by heart, Tiens’ Technical specification of each health product and gadget before using them. Last but not least, his or her personal satisfaction is derived from helping other people to stay healthy. The financial reward is never the motivating factor and thus remains only as a reward.