Acupuncture History In the U.S.

By Y.C. Chan, OMD, Dipl Ac

In August of 1982, the Acupuncture Association of Metropolitan Washington was honoring Mr. Philip L. Kaplan at a dinner in Kensington, Maryland. Mr. Kaplan was the first to be legally treated with acupuncture in the United States, at the Acupuncture Center of New York in 1972.

In the mid 1960's, after three back surgeries and $64,000 later, Mr. Kaplan was popping codeine, 42 valium and 21 sleeping pills per week. A $150 series of acupuncture got him walking and working again.

Before and after acupuncture treatment, Mr. Kaplan was diagnosed, examined, evaluated and observed by a group of licensed physicians for more than 10 years. All physicians agreed that after acupuncture Mr. Kaplan's back pain was recovered.

On May 8, 1974, the New York Times reported that New Jersey's Chief Medical Examiner, in a reversal of his position, strongly supports legislation that would allow a trained and certified specialist to practice acupuncture in the state under the supervision of a licensed physician. “Philip L. Kaplan holds crutches and braces he no longer needs, he says, because of acupuncture treatments.” According to Mr. Kaplan, after conventional and unsuccessful orthopedic treatments, (which included three surgeries at Temple University Hospital, Mayo Clinic and the Hospital for Special Surgery In New York), he went to the Acupuncture Clinic in New York August 1972, and was able to discard his crutches and braces after two treatments, and his back pain was gone after only four more visits.

Mr. Kaplan was acting as an acupuncture supporter, witness, as well as an advocate, after he recovered from back pain. He established the New Jersey Association of Acupuncture Patients and participated in a variety of activities that related to acupuncture, such as helping acupuncture patients receive reimbursement from insurance companies, and organized four buses to bring thousands of patients from New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the Washington Acupuncture Center for treatment under a regular basis. Mr. Kaplan and other patient's efforts and involvements have made a significant impact on acupuncture development in the United States.