ALIED Limited, Parks Therapy Centre,
86 Cambridge St, St Neots, PE19 1PJ
Registered Number 05100281
Tel 01480 394739 Fax 0870 0519230

E-Mail training@alied.co.uk

Copyright © ALIED Limited 2007-10
~ ALIED Acupuncture Training Courses ~
M-Level Accredited Acupuncture Training

ALIED

Acupuncture Learning & Integrated Educational Development

ALIED Acupuncture Training Philosophy

Background

Recently, the field of Acupuncture has experienced a proliferation of approaches from a variety of schools, to name but a few:

• Traditional Chinese Medicine
• Western Acupuncture
• Japanese Acupuncture
• Korean Acupuncture
• Auricular Acupuncture

There appears to be no end to the development of new schools of thought and developments in this growing field within the Western world. Whilst this diversity of concepts and continual growth augurs well for the future health of Acupuncture intervention, it poses some potential traps for the unwary clinician or student of Acupuncture.

To the outside observer, it could appear that the field of Acupuncture is a 'potpourri of disparate and even contradictory schools of thought'. An even greater concern is the development of the 'guru' culture that can lead the unwary astray, with followers experiencing a sense of initiation into seemingly elite groups, which they feel unable to challenge or reject.

Such attitudes produce clinicians with biased thinking that is prone to errors of clinical reasoning, and that encourages a blinkered approach with narrow parameters. Students would do well to be wary of any speaker who attempts to advocate the virtues of their particular approach by disparaging alternate or rival systems of Acupuncture.

ALIED Acupuncture Philosophy

The philosophy behind all ALIED courses is that of an integrated approach:

I	Integration between other Acupuncture disciplines and teaching paradigms, between traditional Chinese philosophy and Western scientific theory. For Physiotherapists, Acupuncture is an integrated modality and not seen as a stand-alone treatment.
N	kNnowledge. Providing the best available teachers from each Acupuncture school to impart impartial, unbiased knowledge for the benefit of the discerning student.
T	Teaching within an evidence based paradigm, integrating Western physiological principles along traditional Chinese philosophy
E	Education. Using a variety of educational techniques in order to enhance learning styles and facilitate a good learning environment.
G	Groups. All ALIED teaching groups are small in size in order to offer excellent supervision and ease of learning. Techniques involve individual presentations, action groups and discussion and debate encouraging student participation and question.
R	Research. All ALIED courses provide recent research and evidence base to support delegates within the use of Acupuncture in their clinical practice.
A	Acupuncture taught on ALIED courses will follow a clinical reasoning model, integrating Acupuncture into treatment practice at all times.
T	Treatment. ALIED courses will incorporate treatment options, clinical skills and clinical protocols with extended use of problem solving skills for the benefit of therapeutic effectiveness.
E	Experience. All ALIED Tutors are working clinicians bringing the advantages of clinical research into clinical practice using proven protocols and clinical audit to substantiate the interventions taught.
D	Development. All ALIED Tutors maintain their own clinical, academic and CPD development in order to enhance their knowledge and skills in Acupuncture, manual therapy or Physiotherapy.

ALIED Acupuncture Courses

There are no simple ready-made answers on ALIED Acupuncture courses, there are no ready-made recipes to supply black and white solutions to those murky grey questions found in the clinic. There is no Acupuncture point selection recipe, though such may often be very enticing after just a weekend course!

Course participants are encouraged to:

• Demand evidence when faced with the expert speaker.
• Examine objectively the arguments presented in the light of current scientific understanding.
• Keep an open mind to new ideas, even if they contradict previous schools of thought.
• Be aware that placebo controlled RCTs are not the only source of acceptable evidence.
• Be aware that the development of academic skills in the formation of the single case study can often offer more insight into the management of the condition than that of a large trial.
• Be aware that this newly acquired clinical skill is not a Cure All for recalcitrant clinical problems.
• Be aware that Acupuncture should be integrated into clinical practice and not be used as an adjunct or last resort. The two are not mutually exclusive.

No one system of physiotherapy, Acupuncture or manual therapy has all the answers, Acupuncture will enhance therapeutic integration, only when:

• The source of the faulty structures has been identified.
• The pain mechanism has been identified.
• The clinical assessment reveals the intervention that will provide effective management.

ALIED Acupuncture courses will provide participants with a successful management of many clinical problems when used within a clinical reasoning paradigm, drawing upon student, tutor and clinical knowledge to offer delegates Best Practice.