BILL NUMBER: ACR 57	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Eng

                        APRIL 2, 2009

   Relative to acupuncture.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   ACR 57, as introduced, Eng. Acupuncture.
   This measure would proclaim April 23, 2009, as California
Acupuncture Day, and would encourage all Californians to enhance
their health through the use of acupuncture.
   Fiscal committee: no.



   WHEREAS, Acupuncture is a comprehensive health care system; and
   WHEREAS, Acupuncture has been used in Asian countries for
thousands of years to preserve health; and
   WHEREAS, Acupuncture is widely used to diagnose, treat, and
prevent illness; and
   WHEREAS, Acupuncture is a noninvasive, gentle, and proven health
care system; and
   WHEREAS, Acupuncture is recognized as a primary health care
profession in California; and
   WHEREAS, The potential benefits of acupuncture are widely
recognized; and
   WHEREAS, Acupuncture is steadily being integrated into mainstream
health care; and
   WHEREAS, More than 15,000,000 Americans have turned to acupuncture
and Asian medicine since it was introduced in this country in the
1970s; and
   WHEREAS, There is more access to this medicine in California than
any other state in the country; and
   WHEREAS, California has the highest education standards for
acupuncturists of any state in the country; and
   WHEREAS, The risk of side effects from acupuncture are very low
and the potential benefits are very high; and
   WHEREAS, In 1997, the National Institutes of Health endorsed
acupuncture, recognizing that there was sufficient evidence of
acupuncture's value to expand its use into conventional medicine; and

   WHEREAS, It is widely recognized that acupuncture is an effective
treatment for a wide variety of medical ailments, including
arthritis, joint problems, back pain, migraine, sciatica, paralysis,
stroke rehabilitation, asthma, relief from effects of chemotherapy,
and more; and
   WHEREAS, More and more Californians are finding help in this
evidence-based and proven medical system; and
   WHEREAS, An increasing number of health care service plans and
health insurers are recognizing the value of acupuncture to their
enrollees and insureds; and
   WHEREAS, Many Californians have come to rely on acupuncturists as
their first choice of health care practitioners for low-risk, cost
effective, and reliable health care; now, therefore, be it
   Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby proclaims April 23,
2009, as California Acupuncture Day, and encourages all Californians
to enhance their health through the use of this established medicine;
and be it further
   Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of
this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.