The History of Acupuncture in the United States - Part 1

The practice of acupuncture was brought to the United States by the Chinese and Japanese in the 1800's. It was not an accepted practice outside of their communities. Acupuncture was considered barbaric and banned in most states.

 Miriam Lee, author of Insights of a Senior Acupuncturist, and founder of the Acupuncture Association of America, was one of the pioneering acupuncturists in the United States and was responsible for the legalization of acupuncture in California.

Dr. Lee was a nurse, midwife and acupuncturist in China during the Second Sino-Japanese War.  She escaped to Singapore in 1949 and lived there for seventeen years, studying emotionally-based illnesses. In 1966 Dr. Lee moved to California. At that time Acupuncture was illegal and Dr. Lee took a job in a factory.
Dr. Lee used acupuncture to treat a friend's bed-ridden son and after several treatments he completely recovered. This was the beginning of her practice in California. Through word of mouth, Dr. Lee was treating as many as 75 to 80 patients a day.

In 1975 Dr. Miriam Lee was arrested for practicing medicine without a license. Her patients rallying in support of her filled the court room. Dr. Lee was permitted to continue to practice acupuncture as an "experimental procedure." One year later acupuncture was signed into California law as a legal medical practice, making Dr. Lee one of California's first licensed acupuncturists.

 In 1977 acupuncture was recognized by the U.S. National Institutes of Health as a mainstream medicine healing option with a statement documenting the procedure's safety and efficacy for treating a variety of health conditions.