Complaint Review: Academy for Five Element Acupuncture - Gainesville Florida

I was recruited to attend this institution by a local charlatan acupuncturist who created a a health care plan for me costing 12,000 dollars. It was a step down program which while not explicity promising cure of an illnes deemed incurable by the allopathic medical community implicity and behavioral commentary suggested that a return to robust health was achievable. Despite his assurances that I would be well enough to complete the program i became repeatedly sick running fevers and even losing 15lbs prior to going to intensives. I had a bizarre relapse which involved some neurological symptoms but did not destroy any school property or physcially assualt a sudent no police were called or report filed.I was advised to take the rest of the year off and get treatment from both a regular doctor and a 5 element practioner, when i completed this i called the dean back and told him i was ready to return at the agreed upon time in September he told me he would get back to me when he did he told me the other students did not feel safe around me so i would not be allowed to return until they graduated. this would have added an additional two years to my training i was 49 when i entered the school. i asked them for a partial refund of my monies given the manner in which the psuedo dismisal was handled and sent it certified mail and after 2 aand a half months they have still not responded. I joined a group of students in my area who had similar incidencts involving arbitrary unfair dismissals not based on academics, witholding of money when moving from one location to another, and at least 10 other substantive complaints which border on breaking the law if not in fact breaking the law. The education is flawed and redundant u get 10 day intensives followed by some trivial reading assignments which constiitute the first two years of training there is no meaningul training in pathology, pulse diagnois, point location. Or any meaningul acadmenic curriculum it is as if once thy have your money that is the extent of their commitiment to you. Student conduct and ethics is at about the level of your average middle school with much talking sexualzed innuendo and gossiping occuring during times whcih require serious concentration. To me the school is a joke it a has no sense of ethics, integrity or fair mindednes or academic infrastructure. The stories of students who have been abused and harassed or discrimianted against are numerous and the value given for the price charged in tuition is negligible. This was wiithout question the most appaling educational experience of my life time and it left me feeling victimized and traumatized and untrusting of my fellow human beings. Think 4 times before going here it is a strange place with strange people who seem to enjoy doing nasty things to innocent indiviuals who genuinally want to become healers, but this place is not aout healing....it is without question ALL ABOUT MAKING MONEY!