[Present situation and development of acupuncture and moxibustion in Turkey]

The development and status of acupuncture-moxibustion in Turkey in the fields of education, legal establishment, treatment, etc. are introduced. There are four distinguished features of acupuncture-moxibustion development in Turkey: (1) The geographical position of the country as the link of Europe and Asia, has resulted in the special feature of acupuncture-moxibustion transmission and development. It combines both the traditional theories from the East and the modified and modern techniques from the West. (2) The combination of theories and clinical practice started when acupuncture-moxibustion was first introduced. (3) The application of acupuncture-moxibustion has gone through a process from spontaneous transmission among the people to legalization by the government, from disorderly to orderly, and from market behavior to government-lead regulation, which has powerfully promoted healthy development of the medicine. (4) Acupuncture-moxibustion education provided by registered universities has guaranteed the quality of the education itself and the competency of the professionals. It has raised the scientific and normative character of application and increased the credibility of the people, and also has ensured the sustainability of acupuncture-moxibustion development by providing qualified professionals.