Feature: Chinese American doctor unveils origin of acupuncture fever in U.S.

by Wang Bo

NEW YORK, March 6 (Xinhua) -- How did acupuncture come to the United States around the 1970's? That is the question that has intrigued Li Yongming, a Chinese-American physician in New Jersey, for years.

There have been different answers to the question, some are facts mixed with hearsay, others are pure fabrication. But all of them give credit to a New York Times story, supposedly written by a reporter on President Richard Nixon' s epoch-making China visit.

Receiving his undergraduate education in traditional Chinese medicine in China and trained to practice western medicine after he came to the United States, Li sees himself as the right choice to fill the historical gap and facilitate the future cultural exchange between the two nations.

He seized all opportunities to do research on historic files, and interview people relevant to the event. His efforts finally paid off.

In his capacity as president of the New Jersey-based Traditional Chinese Medicine Association and Alumni (TCMAA), he made a presentation to a recent TCMAA conference, unveiling many historic facts previously unknown to the public and setting right some of their misconceptions.

On the basis of his research and investigation in both countries, Li came to the conclusion that James Reston, high-calibre journalist of the New York Times, served as a catalyst in the spread of acupuncture fever in the United States.

But the time was 1971, several months before Nixon's China visit.
Li said that at the time Reston was visiting China. When he finally arrived in Beijing from Guangzhou two days behind of schedule and asked for interviews with top Chinese leaders, his Chinese hosts informed him of Henry Kissinger¡¯s secret tour of the country¡¯s capital and the planned visit by President Nixon.

"At that precise moment, or so it now seems, the first stab of pain went through my groin," Reston later wrote in a story titled "Now Let Me Tell You the Story of My Operation in Beijing" printed on the New York Times on July 26, 1971 with a front page lead.

A team of China's best doctors carefully examined his case and diagnosed him of acute appendicitis and decided to perform on him immediately.

The operation was a success, but Reston complained "considerable discomfort if not pain" the night after the operation. With his approval, acupuncturist Li Chang Yuan inserted three long thin needles into the outer part of his right elbow and below his knees while holding two pieces of what "looked like the burning stumps of a broken cheap cigar" close to his abdomen.

The whole treatment took about 20 minutes, sending ripples of pain racing through the patient's limbs and having the effect of diverting his attention from the distress of his stomach. It turned out to be "noticeable relaxation of the pressure and distention within an hour and no recurrence of the problem thereafter," Reston said in the article.

According to Li Yongming, his research has found that this is the first ever mentioning of the modern acupuncture practiced in China's mainland in the U.S. mainstream media. Reston's China tour may not as fruitful as he expected from a journalistic viewpoint, but his story has unwittingly sparked off a widespread "acupuncture fever" across the United States in the coming years, Li said.

Li Yongming said he made a major breakthrough last year when he
finally found the doctor who performed acupuncture on Reston. Li has succeeded in locating all the members of the Reston's medical team, such as leading surgeon Dr. Wu Weiran, the interpreter during his trip, Mr. Jin Guihua, who later became China's ambassador to Thailand and many others, but with one key member missing, Dr. Li Chang-yuan, the acupuncturist.

Li made numerous inquires to the Union Hospital and other likely institutions, but each time was told there is "no such a person." Until last year, with the help of a Chinese American doctor who used to practice traditional Chinese medicine in Union Hospital, he finally found the acupuncturist. His name is Li Zhanyuan. A misspelling in Reston's story has left him in oblivion for more than 30 years.

Li Yongming said he was overjoyed he is finally able to make a clear account of how acupuncture came to the United States. He noted that today acupuncture has grown into a profession with an annual output value of 1.65 billion dollars. Across the country there are more than 50 acupuncture schools, some 20,000 licensed acupuncturists and another 5,000 physicians with acupuncture license.

Citing the Chinese saying, "All who drink from the well should remember the well diggers," he said acupunucturists in America are grateful to Reston and his medical team for what they did to help spread this ancient Chinese therapy.

In commemoration of the 35th anniversary of spread of acupuncture to the United States, Li said his organization will hold celebration in New York. Reston's family members and the key members of his medical team will be invited to jointly mark the occasion.