I am currently studying "real," allopathic or "Western" medicine. I have been around medicine for many years. I have been treated by physicians all my life. After much study and experience I can say with confidence the Eastern and Western medicine have both their weak points and strengths. //"Western" medicine has a body of evidence to support its claims, "Eastern" medicine what, smells better? Can you provide actual data to support the claim you are making here? I certainly wouldn't go to an acupuncturist for a broken bone but I might for the pain associated with healing after it's been set. //You could see a Pez dispenser and get the same benefits. Anecdotal medicine is the basis of what is commonly called "evidence-based medicine" which is standard protocol in diagnosis and treatment, so while my specific experience alone is inconsequential, once joined in a body of other patient outcomes can become a basis for judgment of the treatment. //The snippet from the JAMA article says nothing to agree with what you said. The plural of "anecdote" is NOT evidence. Also, you skip the whole "does this actually DO anything" portion of discerning reality frm otherwise. You need to actually demonstrate that acupuncture/whatever DOES something before it gets a chance to gain status as a possible treatment. You seem hostile to the concept of alternative medicine which in fact has become more accepted over the time and space of several generations. //Examples? I see a natural marriage between the two which I know from experience is yet to be fully recognized in Western practice. //More like a parasitic relationship between the body's ability to recover and "alternative medicine" getting credit for it. As a future practitioner myself, I expect to follow established protocols with some inclusion of other recognized alternative therapies as part of a patient's overall treatment plan. //Again, examples? In any case, I believe in thinking outside the box and if acupuncture turns out to be part of the mix, I'm okay with that as an additional tool in treating human illness. If acupuncture can come up with data and a preponderance of evidence to support the claims it makes, I'm fine with it being used as well. Until then, falsely legitimizing something like acupuncture by giving it a DoD stamp of approval is reckless, in my opinion. Oh and physicians do an number of things including physical contact with patients without gloves. //Such as? I've never had a doctor touch any part of my body without gloves. Sterile technique is pretty important, methinks.