A view from inside the acupocalypse
Because students are the ones paying the price.
Tyler Phan’s dissertation American Chinese Medicine reveals the sociohistorical context that led to the acupocalypse: the impending collapse of 98.1% of alternative medicine education, gutting the revenue stream of the accreditor and credentialing bodies that are written into most states’ laws. It’s worth reading the high-level overview of Phan’s dissertation here to see this moment in the context of centuries.
The history shows that acupuncture is too ancient for anyone to own, but the 30-40 year-old profession we have in the US has sure given it a try. It is common for people who graduated in the past 20 years or so to owe upwards of $200,000 for careers as small business owners who net about $35-40k annually.
With the Dept. of Education predicting 98.1% of already precarious alternative medicine schools will lose eligibility for federal loans in the next 2 years, a career in acupuncture will only be available to those who take on private loans or have significant wealth. (That’s if the accreditor and credentialing bodies don’t fold with the majority of schools by 2028.) Already-licensed providers will retire, and other professions will continue to incorporate needling into their scope of practice.
Acupuncture as a standalone profession that ordinary people can afford to practice is in jeopardy (and has been for decades). US access to affordable acupuncture will continue to decrease unless the profession is willing to change the status quo.
This is a class issue. Lisa Rohleder has written extensively on it.
Here's an overview for those outside the field:
Listen to people’s stories:
Folks already in the field, start with Dr. Danielle Reghi’s guest episode on the Qiological podcast.
This has been on the horizon for decades. Read The Acupuncture Observer, watch this interview with the author, and check out Matthew Bauer, L.Ac., for decades of first-hand knowledge about how we got here.
There are some incredible people making time in their packed schedules to try and build pathways for the profession to continue. For a way forward and accurate information, subscribe to:
A Restless Acupuncturist, Acupuncture Can Change the World, Danielle Reghi, Needling To Get To The Point, Debt by Natural Causes
Workers at schools, the accreditor and the credentialing nonprofit are looking at jobs in jeopardy. Students are facing the transition of the loan portfolio to the Treasury, elimination of many income-driven repayment plans, and the prospect of aggressive collections in the midst of the affordability crisis.
I'm a debt-burdened student, so I'll be putting my takes on structural inequity behind a paywall with my personal experiences. The Yijing has been speaking through hexagrams of limited leverage and positional vulnerability in my current context.
