STORY: Mexican doctors show growing interest in Chinese acupuncture: expert
DATELINE: Sept. 6, 2023
LENGTH: 00:02:44
LOCATION: Mexico City
CATEGORY: HEALTH

SHOTLIST:
1. various of medical students
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Spanish): JULIO CESAR ALMANZA, Coordinator of specialization in Acupuncture and Phytotherapy, UAM
3. various of acupuncture treatment
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Spanish): JULIO CESAR ALMANZA, Coordinator of specialization in Acupuncture and Phytotherapy, UAM
5. various of medical students taking a class

STORYLINE:

The interest of Mexican doctors in practicing Chinese acupuncture has grown in recent years, and this ancient technique has become an effective tool for treating people with chronic degenerative diseases in Mexico.

This is the opinion of Julio Cesar Almanza, coordinator of the specialization in Acupuncture and Phytotherapy, who teaches at the Autonomous Metropolitan University (UAM), the third most important educational institution in Mexico.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Spanish): JULIO CESAR ALMANZA, Coordinator of specialization in Acupuncture and Phytotherapy, UAM
"We have seen that recently graduated doctors are the ones who are looking for this specialty as an area of opportunity and that reflects that the mission of medicine, of therapeutics is evolving with the passage of time."

The expert says that although acupuncture will not replace conventional medicine, it does prove to be an efficient complement for many diseases suffered by the population nationwide.

More and more Mexicans are relying on acupuncture for chronic conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, and obesity, as well as chronic pain in different parts of the body.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Spanish): JULIO CESAR ALMANZA, Coordinator of specialization in Acupuncture and Phytotherapy, UAM
"In such a way that the physician will know, perfectly, if the clinical picture merits combined treatment. That is, drugs and acupuncture or phytotherapy, if it only needs specialized treatment with drugs, or if it can replace drugs with acupuncture."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Mexico City.
(XHTV)