AOMAM | Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Association of Minnesota

Philosophy and goals

AOMAM is committed to advancing acupuncture and Oriental medicine as a means for enhancing health and well-being.

We operate from these beliefs:

Everyone should have the opportunity to feel better andlive a healthy life.
Healthcare should be safe, effective and accessible for everyone.
There are a variety of ways to accomplish safe, effective and accessible healthcare.
Acupuncture and Oriental medicine are viable methods for both treatment and preventive healthcare today.

Our organizational goals are to:

Advance the profession of acupuncture and Oriental Medicine within the state of Minnesota by supporting our members through continuing education, legislative activities, and as a link to national developments and research within our profession.
Promote ethical and professional standards for our practitioners.
Educate the public about the capabilities of acupuncture and Oriental Medicine and provide information to help them find licensed qualified practitioners.

As an organization, we value:

Credibility, professionalism, caring, responsiveness and integrity.
Strong, effective, collaborative leadership.
Transparent, open, supportive, trustworthy and consistent communication.
Teamwork that is effective, collaborative and respective.

Oriental medicine is an umbrella term for many methods of healthcare that originated in East Asia. It unites ancient healing methods with modern medicine. It addresses the whole personas a system, looking at and exploring symptoms and patterns as a way to maintain or restore health.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is one form of Oriental medicine. One of the important treatment tools is acupuncture. Another is herbal pharmacology, which combines over 400 natural products into thousands of formulas to treat health problems.

Oriental medicine is a complete system of healthcare used by millions of people worldwide to prevent, treat and manage a wide range of health problems.

According to the World Health Organization and the National Institutes of Health, Oriental medicine can be used to treat or relieve symptoms of diseases of the gastrointestinal, urogenital, gynecological, respiratory, circulatory, musculoskeletal or nervous system as well as emotional and psychological disorders. A few examples are: women's disorders during menstruation and menopause, chronic pain, arthritis, asthma, irritable bowel syndrome, headaches, depression, urinary tract infections, hypertension and allergies.

Acupuncture and Oriental medicine can be used alone or partnered with western (allopathic) medicine or other types of care for a patient's health care team.

TCM has developed many methods for prevention and treatment of disease including:

Acupuncture, moxibustion and cupping
Chinese herbal medicine
Dietary therapy
Exercise
Medical massage (also known as TuiNa)

Currently, TCM is valued as a sophisticated and rational medicine with a step-by-step methodology which is the standard of care in professionally practiced Chinese medicine around the world. TCM has a solid foundation in a codified prescriptive methodology placing it in the world of professional medical practitioners.