California

Doctor Lisa Moses removes an acupuncture needle from "Ashley", a Moluccan Cockatoo, at the Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts （Photo： tasteallchina )When Dr Francis Yu started his acupuncture clinic in California in the 1970s, most of his patients were Chinese. But now, half of his patients are non-Chinese."More non-Chinese Americans begin to accept the Chinese way of treatment, such as acupuncture, cupping and herbal medicine. Another truth is, at least in California, nearly half of those who have acupuncture licenses and operate acupuncture clinics are not Chinese but Americans who do not know Chinese," said Yu who owns his two-storied TCM Healing Institute in Arcadia in the suburbs of Los Angeles.Dr Yu's remarks echoed the recent press reports that alternative medicine is finding wider acceptance by doctors, insurers and hospitals in the U.S.People turn to unconventional therapies and herbal remedies for everything from hot flashes and trouble sleeping to cancer and heart disease. They crave more "care" in their health care as more people distrust drug companies and the government.California became the first U.S. state to license qualified acupuncture practitioners as primary care providers in 1978. As of 2004, California has licensed more than 9,000 acupuncturists. Now the figure…