by Bob Flaws

Miriam Lee died on June 24th after a long illness. Miriam was the author of Insights of a Senior Acupuncturist, one of Blue Poppy's most successful, longest selling books. More importantly, Miriam was a central player in the drama to legalize acupuncture as an independent health care profession in the United States. In a way, every American L.Ac. owes Miriam a debt of gratitude for her courage and determination.

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Back in the late 70s, acupuncture was illegal in every state in the Union except for MDs (who were legal in every state, even without a single hour's training) and some dentists and chiropractors (who were legal depending on the state). Nevertheless, Miriam practiced acupuncture in Palo Alto, CA where she developed a large, dedicated, and enthusiastic clientele. Miriam had left China in 1949. After living in Singapore and practicing as a nurse-midwife, Miriam moved to the greater Bay area. Miriam had learned acupuncture in Asia before coming to the U.S. In particular, she was influenced by the theories and practice of the great Beijing acupuncturist Wang Le-ting and the great Taiwanese acupuncturist Tong Jing-chang (Tung Ching-chang). Miriam ran a busy clinic, treating up to seven or eight patients at the same time. At the height of her practice, she would see up to 10 patients an hour and worked 80 hours a week. She was so effective as a clinician, patients came from all over to receive treatment from her. However, in 1974, Miriam was arrested for practicing medicine without a license. At her trial, her patients filled the courtroom to protest her arrest, claiming their right to the only medicine that had truly helped them. Within a few days, acupuncture was legalized as an "experimental procedure" by an executive order by then Governor Ronald Reagan. In 1976, Governor Jerry Brown signed the legislation that legalized acupuncture in California. This made Miriam one of California's first licensed acupuncturists. In addition, in the 70s and early 80s, Miriam taught acupuncture to as much as 70% of the practitioners working in northern California.

So, from one perspective, we can say that, if it were not for Miriam Lee, acupuncture might not be currently legal as an independent profession in the overwhelming majority of states in the U.S. today. The passage of the law in California set the precedent for the passage of similar laws in other states. In other words, California was the ice-breaker, and Miriam was a key player in those events some 30 years ago.

Honora had the honor to personally study acupuncture with Miriam, working in her clinic as an intern. Miriam greatly influenced Honora's use of network vessel pricking or bleeding technique. I had the honor of editing her books for publication in English. Honora, I, and the entire Blue Poppy family send our prayers and best wishes to Miriam's surviving family. Miriam was a giant in our field and we will not see her like again.