Version 1
: Received: 11 April 2023 / Approved: 12 April 2023 / Online: 12 April 2023 (04:21:47 CEST)
Version 2
: Received: 12 April 2023 / Approved: 13 April 2023 / Online: 13 April 2023 (03:36:41 CEST)
Ye, X.; Lopes, L.; Teixeira, R.; Wang, Y.; Machado, J.P. Insights into Current Education of Acupuncture as a Non-Conventional Therapy in Portugal. Healthcare2023, 11, 1389.
Ye, X.; Lopes, L.; Teixeira, R.; Wang, Y.; Machado, J.P. Insights into Current Education of Acupuncture as a Non-Conventional Therapy in Portugal. Healthcare 2023, 11, 1389.
Ye, X.; Lopes, L.; Teixeira, R.; Wang, Y.; Machado, J.P. Insights into Current Education of Acupuncture as a Non-Conventional Therapy in Portugal. Healthcare2023, 11, 1389.
Ye, X.; Lopes, L.; Teixeira, R.; Wang, Y.; Machado, J.P. Insights into Current Education of Acupuncture as a Non-Conventional Therapy in Portugal. Healthcare 2023, 11, 1389.
Abstract
Currently, some non-conventional therapies (NCT), such as acupuncture, homeopathy, osteopathy, naturopathy, herbology, and Traditional Chinese Medicine are structured and well-regulated for a market of teaching and clinical practice in Portugal, among which acupuncture has become one of the most appealing and functional branches. Through investigation of acupuncture laws, field surveys, teaching work and interviews with people from NCT field in Portugal, we showed the current acupuncture education in Portugal and found that according to the academic norms and rules of education in Portugal, there is a gradual difficulty in the progression and maintenance of the degree training dynamics, due to the lack of more tolerant transitional measures and also, a timid commitment on the part of the institutions that embark on these complementary programs. Therefore, it will be necessary to promote additional programs and measures that avoid a total emptiness of the teaching of acupuncture and at the same time losses of clinicians, competencies and quality of information that are difficult to recover. It could be very meaningful and thought-provoking to the future development and improvement of acupuncture in Portugal and in other countries that welcome acupuncture and intend to have a better legislation and application.
Keywords
acupuncture; healthcare education; healthcare legislation; non-conventional therapies; complementary and alternative medicine; CAM; Portugal; European Union
Subject
Medicine and Pharmacology, Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
