The WHO “Beijing Declaration” Could Mean Greater AOM Acceptance in U.S.

By Charles Ignacio Roman

According to an article in the China Daily dated November 11, 2008, “The World Health Organization (WHO) issued a declaration in Beijing on Saturday calling for its member states to integrate traditional medicine (TM) into their national health systems.” The organization summarized the role of traditional medicine in healthcare systems and highlighted the progress, challenges, and future direction of its development in the "Beijing Declaration." It also recognized traditional medicine as “one of the resources of primary healthcare services to increase availability and affordability, as well its contributions in improving the health of those targeted in the United Nation's Millennium Development Goals.”

What does this mean for the acceptance of acupuncture and Oriental medicine? At the very least, it suggests a trend in a direction of broader acceptance, with the implication that “traditional medicine” not only currently exists as the primary medicine in many societies but increases its “availability and affordability.” This is an oblique acknowledgement that many countries in the world cannot afford the high price of allopathic care or, alternatively, will need to bridge whatever economic gaps exist with traditional care for places that do not have robust national health-care infrastructures in place. “Traditional Medicine” also means making whatever economic infrastructure one has available work.

While it’s difficult to know precisely how the “Beijing Declaration” will affect AOM acceptance in the U.S., one can reasonably see a trend toward greater international acceptance of complimentary and alternative medicines. With president-elect Obama seeking to restore some lost credibility in the last eight years of isolationist rule in the U.S. and with a Democrat majority in congress, declarations of this kind could very well impact domestic health care policy in the U.S.