The early white washing of TCM in the US (A starting consideration)
Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine in the United States context is a history of whitewashing. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been a cornerstone of holistic health care with many known benefits with a range of treatment strategies. Most Biomedical research has shown Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine to be effective in pain management; however, 3,000-plus years of efficacy have shown this medicine to be effective beyond what the tools of biomedical research can observe such as including primary care, internal care, gyno care, emotional and mental health, and much more.
Whitewashing is a discourse of whitening or altering the historical context of a subject that creates more inclusivity of white or caucasian people while excluding those where the subject came from. There is a lack of diversity in Western medical contexts (such as BIPOC dermatological diseases, for example) and also in the field of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine. This lack of diversity is problematic in the clinic, medical school, and wider body-politic space for discussion and practice.
It is important to create space for this discussion of Chinese Medicine in the United States. As a Queer, Jewish, and white person in this country, I am one of the white women that hold the largest percentage of practitioners of acupuncture, double the number of Asian practitioners. The medicine practiced here has roots in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean medical practices, and like many other wellness practices (meditation, yoga, etc.), Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine have been colonized by white history, study, and practitioners.
I was inspired by this medicine in undergraduate studies to hold space outside of Western medicine to study patient-centered and practitioner-cultivated care. My first interaction with Acupuncture was with a white woman and my Acupuncture school was mostly white. Minimal of my training included the historical context of Chinese Medicine in the United States and how white people were licensed prior to most Asian-descent practitioners. Meanwhile, these Asian practitioners were often arrested for practicing their medicine when it was first practiced with licnensing.
An article interviewing Dr. Tasmin Lee does a lovely job of discussing the historical background of whitewashing Acupuncture. Lee notes that Chinese immigrants brought this medicine to the US in the 1800s. In the 1960s, the Immigration Act was enacted which brought acupuncturists from Vietnam, Japan, Korea, and China to settle in the US. At this time, Black and Brown communities also started to learn about Acupuncture. In the 70s, heroin was a health disparity in the Black and Brown communities. The Black Panthers and Young Lords were pivotal in creating hospital space for community members to detox and support the cessation of substance abuse. The leaders of these two organizations studied with Chinese and Vietnamese practitioners who brought Acupuncture back to the community. They began using the NADA protocol, which is an ear Acupuncture regimen to help with detox.
During this time, four white men from UCLA with the means to create schools, regulations, and licensing became interested in Acupuncture—this is the beginning of whitewashing Acupuncture. As it became “professionalized,” Asian and Eastern practitioners started to be arrested for practicing without a license. This created an elitist form of medicine that marginalized previous practitioners who didn’t speak English and were thus unable to attain licenses. These same community members were often unable to afford these types of schools and licensing in order to practice the medicine they already knew and were a part of.
To this day, the presidents and leaders of Acupuncture schools, the accreditation board, and national organizations are predominately white. While there are still barriers to Western healthcare and medical schools for communities of color, the field of Acupuncture should be held accountable for being more accessible, both for training and as a form of healthcare. The use of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine by white people comes from a place of power and privilege.
For more information on Dr. Lee’s educational project, follow Influential Point. This includes resources for TCM medical students, teachers, and practitioners to educate about anti-racism, health equity, and disparities. Another article exploring this is written by Tenisha Dr. Dandrige, the founder of the Black Acupuncturist Association. She advocates using Chinese medicine to address racial health disparities afflicting African Americans.
