To comemmorate Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Day, the Kowmudis Accupoint Treatment Centre, Hyderabad is organising a free acupuncture medical camp at its centre in Vidyanagar, Hyderabad on October 24, 2013. The main aim is to increase public awareness of the progress, promise, and benefits of acupuncture.
The Camp will be open to public for free between 9 am to 7 pm, informed Dr Uma Rao, of Kowmudis Accupoint Treatment Centre.
According to Dr Uma Rao, a doctor of medicine from University of Colombo and diploma holder from Bharat Sevak Samaj, a National Development Agency promoted by Government of India, acupuncture is one of the oldest forms of healing known to mankind. It originated in China nearly five thousand years ago. The fact that it is still being practiced after thousands of years, speaks for the efficacy of this treatment for the laws and principles it is based. Acupuncture treatment is usually carried out by inserting very fine needles in specific points in the body and considered it as an amazing alternative medicine. An estimated 36 per cent adults in India and in other western countries use some form of complementary and alternative medicine, acupuncture is one of them. Though it is considered traditional Chinese medicine, it is practiced in India for many years. Hyderabad too is a centre for acupuncture with over 200 clinics and individuals practicing this alternative medicine.
Dr Rao further informed that though it is regarded as “cure-all” for anything and everything, but awareness about it as an alternative medicine is still low in Hyderabad. Hence, we at Kowmudis decided to create awareness and spread the message about the importance of acupuncture through talks, seminars, free acupuncture camps, discussions, poster presentations etc.
The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), the largest University in the world with 35 lakh students in all its courses put together runs post graduate diploma programme in acupuncture programme. But, such training centers are very few in the country, while the demand is more.
Dr Rao stressed, “We even plan to conduct series of short term training programmes such as diploma in acupuncture which is considered as very good vocational course by the government. Also we the 200 plus acupuncture practitioners in the twin cities need to be brought under one platform, form an association and work as one unit to create more awareness about it as an effective alternative medicine for many ailments.
It is interesting enough to note that though acupuncture is successfully practised in India, but due to lack of proper Governmental support it suffers from under utilisation and under development said Dr Rao and added, while WHO suggested for its wider application and development through concerted Governmental efforts.
