Acupuncture
Balances the endocrine, neurological, and immunological systems of the body to promote healing and optimal health when combined with appropriate nutrition, physical activity, and rest. Monthly treatments are recommended for health maintenance, weekly treatments are recommended for minor health conditions, and biweekly treatments are recommended for more severe conditions.
Balances the endocrine, neurological, and immunological systems of the body to promote healing and optimal health when combined with appropriate nutrition, physical activity, and rest. Monthly treatments are recommended for health maintenance, weekly treatments are recommended for minor health conditions, and biweekly treatments are recommended for more severe conditions.
Acupuncture FAQ
Q. What kind of training do Licensed Acupuncturists receive?
A. Licensed Acupuncturists must obtain a total of 8 years of college education in order to seek professional licensure. This includes an undergraduate degree in pre-med, biology, chemistry, or a related discipline, followed by a graduate degree in Traditional Oriental Medicine from an accredited college. A four-year graduate-level curriculum in Oriental Medicine typically involves over 3,000 hours of coursework in acupuncture, moxibustion, herbology, structural techniques, pharmacology, and Western biomedical diagnosis, as well as internship rotations treating patients in a variety of medical settings (hospitals, hospice facilities, outpatient clinics, non-profit clinics, specialty clinics, etc.). Some Licensed Acupuncturists may go through an additional two years of college (10 years total) to obtain a Doctoral degree and go into teaching and/or research.
Since acupuncture was unknown in the West until Nixon's visit to China in 1972, the first academic training programs for acupuncture in the United States could be completed in a matter of months. Very few Chinese medical textbooks had been translated into English and there was no regulation of the profession. Information about Chinese Medicine and regulation of the profession exploded in the late 1990's. The length of training for an acupuncturist in the 70's, 80's, and 90's was therefore much more brief than it is today.
In some states, chiropractors are allowed to use acupuncture needles. They typically obtain between 100 - 300 hours of training in acupuncture, take an exam, and receive a certificate, but are not board certified or licensed as acupuncturists.
Q. Does acupuncture hurt?
A. Acupuncture performed by a Licensed Acupuncturist should not hurt. If you feel pain or discomfort during your treatment, you should notify your practitioner. Because acupuncture needles are tiny and aren't hollow like a hypodermic needle, they do not cause a "prick" sensation when inserted correctly. Many people notice a pleasant sensation when the needle is inserted. This is often referred to as "qi," and is not to be confused with nerve stimulation. (Acupuncture needles are not inserted into nerves.)
The goal of a skilled acupuncturist is to stimulate healing in the body by using the least number of needles at superficial depths. Most of the accessible and therapeutic acupuncture points on the body are on the distal limbs of the body. Deep needling and too many needles on the torso of the body is usually ineffective, uncomfortable for the patient, and a sign of a poorly trained practitioner.
Q. What can acupuncture treat?
A. Acupuncture has been used alongside moxibustion, herbal medicine, and nutritional therapy throughout Asia since 6000 BCE for the treatment of a variety of medical conditions. Acupuncture and moxibustion has also been utilized in Europe since around 1680 as a noninvasive healthcare modality. It has become increasingly popular in hospitals and primary care clinics in France, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Portugal, and Spain. Like surgery and pharmaceutical drugs, acupuncture can be utilized to address most health conditions; however, with acupuncture there is no risk of serious complications. For a list of health conditions and concerns that acupuncture is commonly used for, please refer to conditions treated.
Q. How does an acupuncturist know which areas of the body to needle?
A. The acupuncturist must first arrive at a "diagnosis" of the patient's condition, which is based on a variety of factors such as the quality of the pulse, appearance of the tongue, luster of the hair, brightness of the eyes, smell, and answers to questions that the acupuncturist may ask the patient about their health condition. A Western medical diagnosis is usually irrelevant in deciding upon an acupuncture "prescription" because the diseases in the Western biomedical system of diagnosis are not equivalent to the disease conditions known to Chinese Medicine. For instance, a medical diagnosis of lupus may be diagnosed as a "pattern condition" such as Heart Blood Deficiency, Heart Qi Deficiency, Heart Yin Deficiency, Kidney Yang Deficiency, Liver Qi Stagnation, Lung Qi Deficiency, Lung Yin Deficiency, Spleen Qi Deficiency, Spleen Yang Deficiency, Stomach Qi Deficiency, or Stomach Yin Deficiency depending on the unique condition of the individual patient. Therefore, there is no default set of acupuncture points "for lupus," but there are acupuncture points that treat the pattern condition of the individual. Acupuncture is a much more personalized approach to healthcare than the "one size fits all" approach in Western Medicine that gives everyone with the same medical diagnosis the exact same pill.
An acupuncturist will also choose which acupuncture points to needle based on the particular style of acupuncture she uses. Like the martial arts, there a many different acupuncture lineages and styles. Most acupuncturists in the Unites States use more than one different style, depending on individual preferences or where they received their training.
Q. What are some of the different styles of acupuncture?
A. The different styles of acupuncture can be placed into 3 main categories and several subcategories.
1) Classical acupuncture -- The many styles of Classical acupuncture take into account the "whole person" -- not just an isolated symptom. For instance, you may go to a Classical acupuncturist with back pain, and the acupuncturist feels your pulse on both wrists, looks at your tongue, and asks you questions about your digestion, energy levels, sleep, menstrual cycle, career and home life, etc. You may also be given an herbal preparation to drink as a tea. After ten visits to your acupuncturist for back pain, you find that your chronic constipation has disappeared and your energy levels have improved. You're sleeping better and feeling more connected with your spouse.
Within Classical acupuncture are several types, including:
a) "Family" style -- These styles have been passed down through a family lineage, such as Cheng Tan An, Dr. Tan's Balance Method, Master Tung, and others.
b) TCM acupuncture -- This is the official state sponsored style taught in Chinese Medical schools and most American acupuncture schools.
c) Barefoot Doctor Acupuncture -- This is an abbreviated first-aid approach taught to the public in China in the 1950's.
d) Japanese Acupuncture -- There are several variations of Japanese acupuncture, including Meridian Therapy, Keiraku Chiryo promoted by Shudo Denmei and the Toyohari organization, abdominal or Hara-based systems developed by Yoshio Manaka and Kiiko Matsumoto, and moxibustion-based styles developed by Ken Sawada, Isaburo Fukaya, and Bunshi Shirota.
e) Korean acupuncture -- This includes Korean constitutional acupuncture, Saam acupuncture, and others.
f) French-Vietnamese acupuncture
g) Five-Element acupuncture -- This is a style developed by British acupuncturist J.R. Worsley and taught in most British and some American acupuncture schools.
2) Non-Classical acupuncture -- This category of acupuncture is not concerned about your unique condition. It focuses on the relief of your presenting symptom only, and each patient will receive the same acupuncture treatment. This category includes microsystems such as hand or foot acupuncture, and reflexology. When you go to a non-Classical acupuncturist with glaucoma, for instance, the acupuncturist may place several needles in your feet for glaucoma only. Your other health conditions will not be addressed with the acupuncture treatment.
3) Adjunctive acupuncture -- This category is the style practiced by chiropractors, physical therapists, medical doctors, and naturopathic doctors practicing in states that allow acupuncture services to be rendered by healthcare practitioners not Board Certified and Licensed in Acupuncture. If you have neck pain and you go to a healthcare practitioner who utilizes adjunctive acupuncture, you may receive several deep needles into the "trigger points" on your neck and upper back. You might be hooked up to a machine for electrical stimulation of the needles. Your other health conditions will not be addressed with the acupuncture treatment.