My name is Christian. I'm a graduate of the acupuncture program offered by the Academy of Classical Oriental Sciences in Nelson, British Columbia.
My clinical experience is filled with peaks and valleys. I've worked in boutique style clinics (didn't like it,) community style clinics (loved it,) owned and operated a boutique clinic in Nova Scotia which never really got off the ground, taught basic acupuncture courses at a Chinese Medicine school, and am now working on setting up my own private practice once again, this time community style.
Canada isn't completely regulated yet. The provinces of BC, Alberta and Quebec all have government-run regulating bodies, but those governments are provincial and the regulating bodies are not officially standardized with one another, although they will accept practitioners regulated in other provinces quite readily. If, however, you study in a province that is not regulated and then apply for registration in a province that is, you will have to do all the testing.
Ontario currently has no regulation, although there are plenty of associations to choose from which allow patients to use their insurance plans. There's the CMAAC (Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture Association of Canada,) the BCTCMA (British Columbia TCM Association,) the OATCMP (Ontario Association of TCM Practitioners) and the CTCMPAO (Canadian TCM Practitioners and Acupuncturists of Ontario - this one is the future government body and is not yet accepting members.) Ontario has a large body of physiotherapists and chiropractors who use acupuncture - they are given a (very) short course by the department of anesthesiology at the University of McMaster, Ontario. The public is generally quite accepting of Chinese Medicine; it is gaining in popularity up North, where Biomedical practitioners shy away from practicing - it's too remote for many, so the number of Doctors are limited. As a result, a wide demographic uses Chinese Medicine up north.
I'm a researcher at heart, and am always wondering about something. I'm mainly driven by questions about the proper research framework for traditional medicines, Chinese medicine in particular. I also have a great interest in the evolution of diagnostic and therapeutic systems, as well as any evidence providing psychological, psychosocial or biomedical rationales for their cultural survival.
I hope to be a valuable contributor to this forum and if I'm lucky, you will all be able to assist me in the continued research and refinement of my practice!
Best wishes to you all
Christian
P.S. Are there any other Canucks here?
