Chinese Medicine

[Guest guest]

From: " Sharon " <starshar@...>

Sent: Friday, March 23, 2001 8:12 AM

Subject: [oxyplus] FYI-Chinese Medicine

>> The American Association of Oriental Medicine Announces

> Formation of the Chinese Herbal Medicine Coalition

>

> CATASAUQUA, Pa., Feb. 20, 2001 (AAOM) --The American

> Association of Oriental Medicine (AAOM), an organization

> representing the professional Oriental Medicine community, today

> announced the formation of the Chinese Herbal Medicine

> Coalition (CHMC).

>

> The CHMC will represent Chinese herbal manufacturers,

> distributors, and practitioners, and has charged itself with a

> mission to ensure the safe, effective, and responsible use of

> Chinese herbs in the United States.

>

> Following recent actions taken by the Food and Drug

> Administration (FDA) against some companies selling Traditional

> Chinese Herbal products, the AAOM convened an emergency

> meeting in Los Angeles in late January to create a representative

> coalition that will mobilize an appropriate response to the FDA

> and work with the agency to develop acceptable guidelines for the

> safe production and use of Chinese Herbal Medicines.

>

> " It is important for practitioners and purveyors of Traditional

> Chinese Medicine to clearly present our position and concerns in

> light of recent FDA actions, " said Robbee Fian, acupuncturist and

> AAOM president. " These herbs have been safely recommended

> and used in the U.S. for decades, and our new coalition will work

> to affirm the integrity of Chinese Herbal Medicine and to articulate

> guidelines for their production and use. We look forward to forging

> a collaborative relationship with the FDA to implement the best

> practices for Chinese Herbal Medicine. "

>

> The Chinese Herbal Medicine Coalition's mission is to promote

> the safe, effective, and responsible use of Chinese herbs in the

> United States. The Coalition believes that these objectives are

> best achieved through self-regulation and certification.

> Manufacturers will work to promote Good Manufacturing

> Standards that include proper identification of raw products,

> cleanliness, freedom from contamination, and other standards that

> apply to the manufacturing process. The professional CHM

> community will work to promote education and certification

> standards for the practice of CHM, and to develop informational

> material and recommendations for the safe and effective use of

> these products.

>

> The Los Angeles meeting was attended by representatives from

> Chinese herb companies, Oriental Medicine professional

> organizations, researchers, practitioners, and others. Companies

> and organizations included Qualiherbs, China Herbs, Crane

> Herbs, Helio, Lotus Herbs, Mayway, Golden Flower, Health

> Concerns, K'an Herbs, KPC, Taiwan Pharmaceutical

> Manufacturing Association, BMK International, Sheng Chang,

> Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine,

> Acupuncture.Com, Acupuncture Today, American Acupuncture

> Council, American Association of Oriental Medicine, American

> Herbal Products Association, California Acupuncture Medical

> Association, Council of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine

> Associations, California State Oriental Medical Association,

> National Guild of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, California

> Food and Drug Branch, and more.

>

> Chinese Herbal Medicine (CHM) has developed over thousands

> of years into a highly scientific system designed to alleviate illness

> and to promote health, and entered the United States with

> Chinese immigrants in the early nineteenth century. Training and

> licensing standards were first adopted in the U.S. in 1974, when

> Nevada began licensing Doctors of Oriental Medicine. A national

> certification examination was established in 1985 by the National

> Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.

> Qualifications for this exam include 2000 hours of formal

> education or 4,000 hours of apprenticeship.

>

> The American Association of Oriental Medicine continues to

> review all reports of adverse events in order to assure safety in the

> use of Chinese herbal medicine. The AAOM, founded in 1981, is

> a national professional membership organization of licensed

> practitioners advocating for the responsible practice of

> acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, manual therapy, and the

> other modalities of Oriental Medicine. The AAOM has been

> instrumental in developing educational and certification standards,

> and is currently developing practice standards for Oriental

> Medicine professionals in the United States.

>

> CONTACT: American Association of Oriental Medicine |

> s, 212/477-0389 or 917/626-5999