| Acupuncture is unique among numerous alternative therapies in the United States: it enjoys great popularity even though its basis in Chinese medicine is foreign to most Americans. Acupuncture is increasingly being adopted by mainstream medical professionals in the context of their conventional medical practices. On the other hand, in a number of states, acupuncture practice by non-physicians is developing as a profession independent of mainstream medical professions.; This thesis analyzes the manner in which mainstream medical professionals conceptualize, theorize about, and legitimate their acupuncture adoption. The analysis employs four theoretical models of acupuncture conceptualization: the "biomedicine model," the "technical adoption model," the "paradigm shift model," and the "specialization model." In the "biomedicine model," acupuncture is conceptualized in terms of biomedical concepts. In the "technical adoption model," acupuncture is viewed as a therapeutic technique which can be applied legitimately without regard for its theoretical justification. In the "paradigm shift model," acupuncture is legitimized on the assumption that a new, more encompassing paradigm will emerge in the course of scientific advances. The new paradigm is expected to integrate both existing biomedical paradigm and the unique mechanisms of acupuncture grounded in the Chinese medical paradigm. In the "specialization model," acupuncture is conceptualized solely within the scheme of Chinese medical theory.; Three methods were used to examine how mainstream medical professionals' conceptualizations are distributed among the above four models, both on the collective level of mainstream medical professionals as a whole and on the level of individual professionals: (1) an analysis of acupuncture legislation in New York State, (2) an analysis of professionals' comments appearing in major professional journals, and (3) a survey of New York State professionals who practice acupuncture.; The results indicate that the "biomedicine model," which was strongly supported by the mainstream medical establishment two decades ago, was the least supported, while the "technical adoption model" was identified as the most prevalent conceptual basis of acupuncture adoption. Also discussed are the social and legal factors that influence professionals' preferences among the four models. |
