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More and more medical professionals, including medical doctors, chiropractors, physical therapists, nurses, physician’s assistants, dentists and naturopaths, are practicing acupuncture without the equivalent training as an acupuncturist. Before seeing an acupuncturist, make sure that he/she is licensed in the state (Colorado) and has extensive training. There are many types of licenses and credentials in this field.

Before you dive into the technical qualifications of an acupuncturist, don’t forget that when choosing a practitioner, you want to make sure that you feel comfortable with him/her, your questions are answered thoroughly and the time is taken to address your specific needs. Do take advantage of free consultations as this gives you a chance to “interview” the practitioner before you make your decision.

Here’s some information to decipher the “Alphabet Soup” of acronyms related to the field of Oriental Medicine and details on the credentials an Oriental Medical professional should have.

L.Ac. = Licensed Acupuncturist

This is a common designation for a practitioner who provides Acupuncture and/or Chinese Herbal Medicine as part of the Oriental Medical practice. L.Ac. is a title given by the state upon fulfilling certain requirements – i.e. completing a program from an accredited school, passing the National board exams, etc. Each state has its own regulations and it is important to familiarize yourself with your state’s requirement of practitioners.

Instead of L.Ac., some states may issue equivalent titles such as Registered Acupuncturist (R.Ac.) or Certified Acupuncturist.

Note:
Most Licensed Acupuncturists have graduated from an accredited training program in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) or Oriental Medicine (OM) and have passed the necessary exams. There are a number of states that do not regulate the practice of or who can perform acupuncture, and thus, practitioners who may not have the proper credentials may still practice acupuncture. Please visit this link for more information.

Dipl. Ac. = Diplomate in Acupuncture and Dipl. C.H. = Diplomate in Chinese Herbal Medicine

The National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM) administers certification tests specifically for practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Oriental Medicine. Prior to 2005, practitioners received the Dipl. Ac. and/or Dipl. C.H. titles separately upon passing the respective sections of this exam.

As of 2005, the exam now offers 5 modules: Foundational Theory, Acupuncture, Point Location, Chinese Herbology and Biomedicine. If practitioners choose to only practice Acupuncture (and not Chinese Herbology), the 3 modules specific to Acupuncture (Foundational Theory, Acupuncture, and Point Location), as well as the Biomedicine module, must be passed in order to receive the title of “Diplomate in Acupuncture (Dipl. Ac.).”

If practitioners choose to only practice Chinese Herbology, or to practice this in conjunction with Acupuncture, the single Chinese Herbology module must be passed.

As mentioned above, some states do not regulate the practice of or who can perform acupuncture, and thus, practitioners who may not have the proper credentials may still practice acupuncture in these states. Further, Herbal Medicine is an integral part of TCM training programs in most states. Here, state regulations also vary: some states require a practitioner to only have a Dipl. Ac. (and not the Dipl. C.H.) and still be able to practice both Acupuncture and Chinese Herbology.

Dipl. OM = Diplomate in Oriental Medicine

The Diplomate in Oriental Medicine is the newest title issued by the NCCAOM. As mentioned above, in 2005 the NCCAOM began issuing the title of “Diplomate in Oriental Medicine” to those who passed all 5 modules: Foundational Theory, Acupuncture, Point Location, Chinese Herbology, and Biomedicine.

Prior to 2005, this title was not offered to practitioners and separate titles of Dipl. Ac. and Dipl. C.H. were given. One particular title is not necessarily better than the other. As always, it is important to do the proper research in choosing a practitioner and to ensure that one’s credentials parallel the services provided.

M.A.O.M (or M.Ac.O.M) = Master of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine

Becoming an acupuncturist entails completing a 3 to 4 year graduate program from a school accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ACAOM). Upon completion, there are various versions of the same “Master” title that is issued, such as MAOM (Master of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine), MSOM (Master of Science of Oriental Medicine), or MTCM (Master of Traditional Chinese Medicine), to name a few.

Some accredited schools will issue a graduate level Diploma of Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine instead of a Masters Degree following the completion of a similar program.

*Please note that there are some organizations that will offer a Diploma to current medical professionals (physicians, chiropractors, nurses, dentists, etc) after only completing 100 hours of Acupuncture training! These “courses,” or sometimes called “weekend courses,” allow a medical professional to include Acupuncture in their practice. Obviously, one hundred hours is not comparable to the training an individual receives from a 4-year (approximately 3000 hours) program from an accredited school!

NCCAOM = The National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine

This is the primary National certifying entity for Acupuncturists, Chinese Herbalists, and Asian Body-worker therapists in the United States. NCCAOM certification signifies that the practitioner has met nationally recognized standards of competence and safety. The NCCAOM not only gives Board exams, which must be passed in order to receive certification, but also requires practitioners to acquire 60 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) [also known as Professional Development Activity (PDAs)] for recertification every four years.

CCAOM = Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine

This entity was established to advance acupuncture and Oriental Medicine by promoting educational excellence within the field. You may frequently see the CCAOM as awarding Clean Needle Technique (CNT) Certification to practitioners. Typically, a student at a TCM school must pass the CNT exam&mdas;in order to prove understanding and proficiency of safety standards in the application, storage, and disposal of acupuncture needles—before practicing as an intern in the Student Clinic. This exam is required in order to receive NCCAOM Diplomate Certification.

AOBTA® = Americal Organization for Bodywork Therapies of Asia™

This is a professional membership organization representing instructors, practitioners, schools & programs, and students of Asian Bodywork Therapy (ABT). In order to become a member, one must complete the necessary coursework in a particular style of Asian bodywork, as well as foundational Oriental Medical training.

Are there Secret Acupuncture Points?

The legend of there being secret acupuncture points has been glorified for years via movies, television, and cultural myths. This has greatly fostered the belief that all Eastern practitioners of acupuncture must have a knowledge above and beyond those of any other culture. The reality is that there simply aren’t any “secret” acupuncture points for anyone who knows how to locate true acupuncture points via the radial pulses and is not misled by “lesser acupuncture points.” This is the great secret of any good acupuncturist and is of great importance to a Classical True Acupuncture practitioner.

Location of acupuncture points in the “classical texts”

The location of acupuncture points in the “classical texts” of Chinese Medicine have always been vague. This has caused great misunderstanding and often infighting in the acupuncture communities. Regardless of the descriptive locations given, a practitioner must learn to distinguish true points from points that have little effect and from reflex areas that have only neurological effects. This can only be done through an understanding of the radial pulses and the sensations a true acupuncture point gives when needled properly.

A practitioner cannot accurately needle the center of any acupuncture point if they do not fully understand the energetic responses of the points that are reflected in the radial pulses, and know what to look for. This is the secret to acupuncture regardless of culture, lineage, or years of experience. Without understanding this secret fully, one cannot hope to practice True Acupuncture, but instead, simply and haphazardly “slap” in several needles with little consideration to the location and the responses in the radial pulses and the overall benefit to the patient. Subsequently, a patient turns into a “pin cushion” with little, if any, benefit.

Comprehending acupuncture and the nature of a true acupoint is the key, as it is with anything in life. Rote memorization can only take a practitioner so far, and regardless of lineage or years of clinical practice, if the practitioner does not understand the nature of the true points and relies on protocols and descriptive locations, then only a book has been mastered, but not acupuncture itself, and no “secret” can help.

This is why we, here at the True Acupuncture site, are so very insistent on the correct understanding of the responses of acupuncture points in the radial pulses and the proper location of these points. Without this stringency and ability an acupuncturist ends up utilizing only lower systems that have significantly less effect.

How does acupuncture really work?

According to Western physiology, there are numerous theories as to how and why acupuncture works; however, conclusive proof has not yet been found. During his time, George Soulie de Morant researched True Acupuncture in a medical facility for many years and provided massive amounts of research, which led to his nomination for the Nobel prize. Even with this body of research on True Acupuncture, Western anatomy and physiology studies still remain vague when it comes to understanding how and why acupuncture works. Chinese classical texts on acupuncture provide many theories behind acupuncture’s ability to work, but as these theories rely on “energetics” for their explanation, Western science has had great difficulty in accepting them and no significant evidence has been produced to prove these theories.

What is certain is that there are true physiological effects produced when True Acupuncture is applied correctly. This is consistently verifiable via the radial pulses according to Morant’s radial pulse diagnosis. The response in the radial pulses is unmistakable when a true acupoint is needles verses a non-aupuncture point area; however, all explanations as to how and why these effects take place during and after needling remain purely theoretical and belong outside of the clinic. We can discuss many possible theories as to why the effects take place–neural responses, “energetic” pathways, mind-body integration mechanisms, etc. . . however, the clinical reality with True Acupuncture is that it is verifiable via the instant physiological changes that take place and reflect in the radial pulses. With years of clinical evidence behind such observations, the validity of True Acupuncture has consistently been experienced.

What are the different styles of acupuncture?

Please realize that is not a case of “us” vs “them.” If acupuncture is a reality and works via a system then that system and the effects must be observable and they are. Morant clearly defines the effects, how to observe these effects and produce them. We have put these theories to the test and found that we are able to verify them consitently, thus it is clear that acupuncture does work via a “system” and that the effects produced by acupuncture on the individual can be observed via the radial pulses.

There are dozens, if not hundreds, of “styles” of acupuncture: Japanese Meridian acupuncture, Worsley 5-Element acupuncture, Japanese Hari and ToyoHari acupuncture, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Master Tong’s acupuncture, Richard Tan’s Balancing system, I-Ching acupuncture, “Classical” acupuncture, etc. . . yet, the “style” practiced is of no consequence if the practitioner does not fully understand the true basis of acupuncture.

This causes great contention amongst practitioners, for each “style” believes that they hold all the secrets and, therefore, are the best or only “true” form of acupuncture. What is necessary to be a True Acupuncture practitioner, however, is not some arcane theory, lineage, culture, or anything else for that matter. What is required is the clear understanding of pulse diagnosis, how true acupuncture points reflect in the radial pulses, and the understanding of the clinical reality of the relationships of the different systems and parts of the human body—this is all 100% verifiable by all and therefore theory is moot. As a result and regardless of the style a practitioner practices, if they do not know how to locate and needle a true acupoint and verify it via the radial pulses, then they practice only theoretical acupuncture and nothing related to true clinical acupuncture.

What conditions does acupuncture treat?

The following alphabetized list of conditions are recommended for acupuncture by the World Health Organization (W.H.O.):
Accident injury
Acne
Acute and chronic colitis
Acute and chronic gastritis
Acute bacterial dysentery
Acute bronchitis
Acute conjunctivitis
Acute rhinitis
Acute sinusitis
Acute tonsillitis
Allergies
Anxiety
Arthritis
Asthma
Blood pressure problems
Bronchial asthma
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Cataract (without complications)
Central retinitis
Chemotherapy Side Effects
Chronic duodenal ulcer
Common cold
Constipation
Depression
Diabetes
Diarrhea
Dizziness
Drug addiction
Dysmenorrhea
Eczema
Eye Disorders
Facial paralysis
Fibromyalgia
Gastric hyperacidity
Gastroptosis
Gingivitis
Headache
Health maintenance
Hiccups
Immune system dysfunction
Insomnia
Intercostal neuralgia
Irregular menses
Low back pain
Low energy
Meniere’s Disease
Migraine
Myopia
Neurogenic bladder dysfunction
Nocturnal enuresis
Numbness
Obesity
Pain after tooth extraction
Pain in the back, and other joints
Paralysis
Paralysis after apoplectic fit
Paralysis caused by poliomyelitis
Paralytic ileus
Periarthritis humeroscapularis
Peripheral neuropathy
Pharyngitis
Rheumatoid arthritis
Sciatica
Smoking cessation
Spasm of the esophagus and cardia
Sports injuries
Stress
Tennis Elbow
Tension
Toothache
Trigeminal neuralgia

Please remember that this list is recommended by the WHO and is not a list studied against True Acupuncture. Therefore, a list for what True Acupuncture can treat would be significantly longer; however, we dare not list conditions that the “authorities” agree with ;).

While True Acupuncture can “treat” this list of conditions, plus more, it is because True Acupuncture re-establishes homeostasis. Yes, it can treat “branch” conditions very well; however, its true strength is in harmonizing systems.

Find licensed acupuncturists who practice according to the True Acupuncture philosophy.

Please select your state from the following list to find a practitioner in your area. If your state is not linked at this time then there are currently no acupuncturists listed for that state.

Acupuncture by State

Current cities with acupuncturists listed

Aurora CO, Castle Rock CO, Centennial CO, Denver CO, Englewood CO, Greenwood Village CO, Highlands Ranch CO, Littleton CO, Lone Tree CO, Parker CO [. . .]