The following biography is from “Chinese Acupuncture.”

“George Soulié de Morant was born in Paris on December 2, 1879. His father, Leon, an engineer who partici­pated in the Mexican War, had met his mother, a French emigrée, while in New Orleans. When still a child, George became acquainted with Judith Gautier, daughter of poet Theóphile Gautier, and learned Mandarin from a highly educated Chinese whom Gautier had invited into his intellectual circle. He completed his early education with the Jesuits, intending to study medicine. However, his father’s premature death at sea prevented him from fulfilling this ambition.

Unable to pursue a medical career, but already completely fluent in Chinese, George Soulié de Morant found a position with the Banque Lehideux, which sent him to China at the turn of the century. His almost native proficiency in the Chinese language, his appreciation of Chinese culture and his rapid adaptation to Chinese society soon led to his engagement by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was appointed French Consul for Shanghai and sent to Yunnan Prefecture. While at this post, he witnessed a cholera epidemic during which acupuncture yielded better results than the Western medicines of the time. It was thus, while still in his early twenties, that George Soulié de Morant first encountered what was to be his life’s work.

Although acupuncture was to be his central life interest, Soulié de Morant was not content to study it in isolation; he immersed himself in every aspect of Chinese culture. He became well accepted by the Chinese people, and gained entrance to the highest circles of Chinese society. Between 1901 and 1911, he witnessed the end of the Chinese empire. When he wrote the biographies of the last Empress, Ci Xi, and the revolutionary, Sun Yat-sen, it was as their contemporary. His literary output was voluminous and covered every aspect of Chinese life. Significant works on Chinese art, music, history and literature are among his more than sixty books and articles.

George Soulié de Morant remained in China until 1917, eventually becoming a judge in the French Concession in Shanghai. During his almost two decades in China, he continued to study acupuncture with the most noted practi­tioners of the time, eventually receiving the highest civilian award, the Coral Globe, for his achievements. He was considered a Chinese doctor by the Chinese themselves, an unheard-of accomplishment for a foreigner, then or now.

His term in China finished, Soulié de Morant returned to France, where he began actively promoting acupunc­ture among the medical profession. Initially confronted with skepticism and derision that was rooted in the failure of earlier attempts to introduce acupuncture through inaccurate information, he decided to publish articles based on translations of Chinese medical texts. He chose those he thought would be of interest to physicians. He also wrote a series of essays, and then a longer article on acupuncture that was published in Science Médical Pratique in 1931. These works attracted the attention of two French physicians, Dr. Flandin and Martiny, who invited Soulié de Morant to work with them in their departments at the Bichat and Leopold Bellan Hospitals. While exact records of their studies have not survived, they obtained remarkable clinical results, and continued to experiment as Soulié de Morant pursued further study and translation.

In 1933, Mercure de France published a short article of his on Chinese pulse diagnosis, and in 1934 the same company published his first book on acupuncture, Précis de la vrai acuponcture Chinoise (Summary of the true Chinese acupuncture). The first two volumes of the present text, l’Acuponcture Chinoise (Chinese Acupuncture) were published during 1939-1941. These texts present the culmination of Soulié de Morant’s “theory of energy” and its therapeutic manipulation by acupuncture. They stimulated a period of remarkable progress for acupuncture in France, and were the basis for their author’s nomination for the Nobel Prize in 1950.

Even though l’Acuponcture Chinoise was recognized as an important text by many French physicians, not all welcomed this new information, and some were openly hostile. Soulié de Morant suffered from their hostility, which is said to have adversely affected his health, but he remained in France, refusing a professorship that had been created for him in the United States. He suffered a stroke in the early 1950’s that left him partially paralyzed, but he learned to write with his other hand and continued his work. He died of a heart attack on May 10, 1955, just after completing l’Acuponcture Chinoise. This monumental work remains today the fundamental European testament to the art and science of acupuncture.”

I feel it necessary to address criticisms I’ve heard about George Soulié de Morant and his work with acupuncture. From my personal experience with True Acupuncture and studying Morant’s work, I feel that his depth of understanding is that of a true master of acupuncture and much of his wisdom is passed over in favor of theory. I wish to discuss here some of the general criticisms and give, what I believe to be, some general clarifications and to point out some misunderstandings.

The Criticisms

Poor Translations by Morant

I’ve heard the argument that Morant’s translations of the “classical texts” of Chinese Medicine was poor. This argument started while he was alive, from my understanding, and has continued to the present day. Some of the reasons for this argument come from Westerners who studied other earlier translations and considered those correct; however, this cannot be used as an argument. The assumption that a prior translation is more accurate simply because it is an earlier translation and introduced to the West earlier has no validity whatsoever. Therefore, the criticism that started against Morant because of other “poor” translations must be ignored as it has no ground to stand upon.

The second attack on his translations often has to do with how he translated certain Chinese Medical terminology. It is clear that Morant did not translate many of these terms literally or to their “exact” Western counterpart. This is very understandable once you understand his framework. In his writing he does not seem so concerned with keeping with terminology as much as he is concerned with the West understanding acupuncture in its own right. I believe that Morant seen acupuncture as a universal idea and in order to understand it, it must be understood in one’s own “cultural” terminology.

It is my opinion that literal translations and the continued use of Chinese terminology in acupuncture in the West has greatly slowed the true understanding of acupuncture and continues to keep it a vague mystery to many. I agree with Morant’s translational terminology and his attempt to bring the understanding of acupuncture into terminology the West can comprehend. Manfred Porkert has also attempted this with little effect. It is unfortunate that the West as a whole has not embraced the idea of a “standardized” terminology for acupuncture. Instead we have a mix mash of, what many of my Chinese instructors called, “Ching-lish.”

Due to the continued use of Chinese terms and literal translations that have no real understanding to them we are faced with a deep lack of understanding when it comes to acupuncture in the West. Many arguments arise out of this area and there is no resolution simply because each “school of thought” insists their translational understanding is correct. What we are faced with are “theological debates” that rest upon theoretical understanding with no proof. Morant’s translations rested on valid and sound proofs of acupuncture. From there he made his translations based on the understanding of True Acupuncture after having proved it to himself. This is where the great error lies. Most argue their theoretical translations without valid proofs of anything. Morant understood True Acupuncture before making the translations. He proved it clinically and from that understanding the translations or terminology followed.

Furthermore, it is my opinion that translations are not necessary at all to understand acupuncture. If acupuncture is a valid medical modality then it must be understandable based upon its function; therefore, we must understand acupuncture and ignore theoretical translations. Only by understanding how acupuncture works and proving it can we then put forth terminology that will correctly describe it, regardless of the culture. Any theory put forth is just that, a theory, and it has no place for debate until it has been proven regardless if the source is a “classical Chinese Medical text” or a modern physiological interpretation.

Having come to an understanding of True Acupuncture and validating it for myself with 100% consistency and verifiability, I understand why Morant used much of the terminology he chose to use; however, I do not believe that Morant ever meant for his interpretations on acupuncture to be the last word. In fact he often states that more clarification is needed and this is the attitude we must all take. At this current point in time the understanding of acupuncture is not fully clear, in fact it is greatly confused, and to argue over theoretical translations because of the book they came from or the person espousing them is ignorant. We must argue from a point of validation and proofs.

Morant’s Energetic Relationships

Morant gives very clear energetic relationships between systems and uses phrasing that many “classical acupuncturists” have problems with. The problem lies in their ability to first grasp Morant’s definition and also to let go of their singular understanding of a phrase. One such example of this is the Mother-Son relationship.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine as well as “classical acupuncture” the only time the Mother-Son theory is used is in relation to the 5-Elements (Wu Xing/5-Phases). The practitioner should understand what I am speaking of and I will not go into explaining the 5-Phases at this time. I simply wish to point out that Morant uses the Mother-Son terminology in two places, the 5-Elements (phases) and the ying-qi (nutritive energy) flow; however, Morant uses this phrase consistently in the energetic relationships predominantly to refer to the nutritive energy flow for treatment because it is verifiable and by definition it is a “Mother-Son” relationship. Morant gives his definition of this phrase by saying, that which is up stream is the mother to that which is down stream. Regardless if you think this phrase should be related only to the 5-Elements or not is not arguable. Morant gives his definition for the phrase and by so doing he defines the usage of it. He does not eliminate the usage of it in relationship to the 5-Elements but he does clarify it’s usage in relationship to the nutritive energy flow. To argue over such a point is ignorance. There simply is nothing to argue over.

The question to raise is, is Morant’s mother-son nutritive energy relationship valid and provable. It is and I have consistently proved it with 100% verifiability and also proven that the 5-Element mother-son relationship is NOT consistently provable. Please do realize that these proofs rest upon Morant’s radial pulse diagnosis however, the proofs have shown to be 100% consistent.

Such arguments over theory only show one’s unwillingness to understand and learn and their desire to hold onto theory over proof. This is true in all areas of life; however, as health care practitioners we must resist this narrowing of the mind at every turn.

Morant practiced a “family style” of acupuncture

This is one of the most ignorant and often used arguments against Morant that I hear. Whenever I hear this statement I think, either acupuncture is something that works via valid provable “laws” or it is nothing. Call it “family style,” “classical,” “true,” or “enlightened” does not matter in the least. Acupuncture must be provable or it is NOTHING and works only by placebo! I have put many “styles” of acupuncture to the test and thus far Morant’s theories are the only ones I have not been able to discredit, and this argument is consistently put forth by those putting on seminars for these other styles. This tells me only that these “practitioners” do not understand the true basis of acupuncture and refuse to put their theories to the test. Ignorance is bliss!

Morant didn’t use the “classical Texts”

Morant was accused of not using THE classical text of Chinese Medicine, the Nei Jing. One only needs to read Morant’s text to see that he does in fact use it with many other Chinese Medical texts; however, the argument is that he did not use it enough. This is a faulty argument at best. Furthermore, Morant stated that the Nei Jing is not as clinically useful as other texts, and finally Morant clearly states that “True Acupuncture” was never put into writing in China thus how could he site the source anyway? It is culturally known that the Chinese traditionally pass on their secrets from teacher to student. Acupuncture has been no different, and to claim a text as the “source of acupuncture” is a great error. The Nei Jing is simply the oldest text the Chinese have about acupuncture; however, it consistently refers to “classical texts” and the “ancients” therefore, it cannot be considered the source of acupuncture or even a true “classical text.” It simply is NOT the source of acupuncture understanding.

Even today the most ridiculous theories can be put forth about acupuncture as long as they cite the Nei Jing as “source” they will be generally accepted. No other scientific field in the West would allow this but we are allowing it to continue in acupuncture. We must put every theory to the test regardless of where it came from. To accept a theory solely based on where it came from is complete and utter ignorance, and to argue over such a point is foolishness and benefits no one.

There are certainly more criticisms against Morant as there always are attacks against such great people. What we must realize is, there is no use in attacking the messenger or the message. We need to hear the message and prove or disprove it and only by doing so can we hope to learn and understand. Squabbling over terms and theories is nothing more than arguing over ill conceived prejudices and beliefs—they are void of wisdom and understanding.

Wet Behind The Ears

I decided to attend Traditional Chinese Medical school as a result of the positive effects that I received from Chinese herbal therapy. During my first year in school, my practicum instructor was amazed that I always volunteered to be the demonstration model. While most of the students were always afraid that having a needle stuck in them for anything other than their specific conditions would “mess up their qi,” I had no such concern and constantly volunteered without any undue side effects. One day, the instructor asked me why I always volunteered and I responded with, “acupuncture doesn’t do anything so why not?” She was shocked and asked why I was even at the school, and I simply responded with, “Herbs.” This she understood, for in modern China, herbal therapy dominates over acupuncture. At this time, I was still wet behind the ears and gung-ho over Chinese herbal therapy.

As my studies progressed, however, I became disillusioned with the application of Chinese Medicine in general—I simply wasn’t learning what I experienced from the “old time Chinese practitioner” who treated me in Seattle. I was experiencing a much more protocol-based medicine that resembled Western Medicine more than anything else—this may be due to the fact that Modern Acupuncture, or rather “Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM),” is a recent advent that is combined with Western Medicine and was instituted after the Cultural Revolution in China. Nonetheless, I was fortunate enough to have access to people who read classical Chinese and studied more classical forms of Chinese Medicine. It was through these people that I discovered George Soulie de Morant, Nguyen Van Nghi & Tran Viet Dzung, Japanese Meridian Acupuncture, Manaka style acupuncture, and “5-element” acupuncture.

The “ancient” or “classical” theories espoused by these styles interested me greatly since these discussions were much more “energetic” in nature and less based on pure symptomatology. This excited me and I fervently studied all that I could find; however, once I began my clinical internship, I quickly realized what really worked and what did not. The most important lesson that I had learned up until that point was to pay close attention to how the radial pulses responded during treatment. How do the pulses change when an acupoint is needled? Can you tell through the pulses which system is excess and which is deficient? How does each pulse position respond to treatment? Owing to the fact that I’ve always been highly observant and analytical, such detailed examination fit me like a glove. Unfortunately, I quickly found that if I followed the point location and theoretical size of points as taught to me in TCM, the pulses hardly responded during treatments—actually, it didn’t seem to matter which style I used because not much happened and patients received little effect. Nonetheless, by this time I had already delved deeply into Morant’s work on acupuncture, which was very specific in ways that no other style of acupuncture that I studied was. First and foremost, Morant insisted that the location of acupoints must be extremely precise, and to be more than 2 mm away from the center of an acupuncture point would often give a null affect.

This was quite different from my current training at the time, which stated that acupoints are rather large and it wasn’t as important to specifically locate points as it was to “acquire qi” during the needling. Morant’s philosophy was in stark contrast to this, for he believed that locating the center of a true acupoint (1-2 mm in size) was more important than anything else and the “de qi” (acquire qi) response was not what he considered a necessity for true acupuncture. The locations of the true acupoints according to Morant, however, was amazingly difficult to figure out.

The center of an acupuncture point

At that point, finding the true acupoints became an obsession of mine—how could I put Morant to the test if I couldn’t find the points? Thus, I was at a stale mate with his theories.

I began researching and using every trick I could to locate acupoints—electrical stimulation proved to be highly flawed; palpation of the acupoints while feeling for changes in the radial pulses worked, but my finger covered an area 100x that of the acupuncture point; and using probes and different metals both helped a little. Therefore, it became an increasingly frustrating proposition to locate true acupoints according to Morant’s theory, but two events occurred that forced me to continue this obsession.

The first was the needling of LI-11, an acupoint located on the lateral surface of the elbow. I had a slightly scratchy throat—the sign of the onset of a cold for me—and I understood the “energetic” mechanism, or rather, the theory of why this particular point would facilitate the “clearing” of this problem.

I used an electrical point locator to scan the area quickly and it indicated a “hot” point that was not where LI-11 is located according to TCM—I have now discovered that this point is, in fact, a point that sits between the large intestine and lung meridians and affects both systems. Nonetheless, this is where the locator went off, so I put a gold plated needle in—it slid in like it was going into butter. I left the needle in for 15 minutes and then headed out to meet a friend.

During the drive, about 45 minutes after needling myself, I began feeling sensations as if water was running through certain parts of my body, both internal and superficial areas. This was the first time I had ever felt “energy” moving after a treatment, and amazingly enough this was not a light sensation. This was a very strong and intense sensation that continued for an hour and the effects were quite amazing as several physical conditions improved very quickly.

This was the first time, I believed, I had truly hit the center of a true acupoint, although I later learned that this point was, in fact, a secondary acupoint. Nonetheless, the lesson was clear—hit the center of an acupoint and things change dramatically; miss the center of an acupoint by just a little and the effect is very minimal.

My search for finding a way to locate true acupoints was renewed and I began experimenting relentlessly on myself to find a way to consistently locate true acupuncture points.

Finding an acupuncture point

Finally, one day I simply tried to use an electrical point locator to find PC-6 (a major acupoint by all accounts). While dismissing all other previous ideas of where this point was supposedly located, I tried my best to located it according to Morant’s description, which was no easy task.

The universe certainly had a lesson waiting for me on this day. I found a point and needled it, but unlike my LI-11 this was a whole new ball game. It didn’t painlessly slide in like butter. In fact, I didn’t feel a lot where I was needling, but I felt the most intense sensation at another acupoint located downstream of PC-6 on the same channel, PC-7.

The sensation was amazingly intense and like nothing I had ever felt or heard of in any acupuncture treatment. It was as if the sun exploded at this other acupoint. I felt my pulses, and not only did they change, but they changed so dramatically that anyone would be able to feel the difference, novice or professional. This experience exemplified all the characteristics of Morant’s true acupoint, and the effects that followed were nothing short of “strange.”

One must realize that what is generally seen with acupuncture is that the major effects are seen close to the time of treatment with decreased effects over time. However, the opposite took place for me after needling myself, and I have now proven this to be consistent with true acupoints. Somehow the true acupoints are triggering a cascade of effects that increase over time instead of lessening, and after a week’s time since needling myself, I had experienced effects that no other treatment had ever come close to yielding for me.

Furthermore, my pulses had a significant positive shift and that shift was maintained and, in fact, increased with time, showing a true physiological change taking place—all this from one single needle! In TCM, we are taught to use many needles, but Morant was opposed to that philosophy and insisted that the information content of a few points is preferred since it doesn’t “muddy up” the information signals that your body is receiving.

Simply put, I must confer with Morant. Since my self-needling experiences, I have spent countless hours researching the locations of true acupoints in an attempt to elucidate ways to locate them precisely and needle them correctly. It took years, but with the help of Fuyiu Yip, we accomplished it. We have learned to locate these points rather accurately, thus when we apply True Acupuncture, very few needles are generally needed.

Fewer acupuncture needles are more effective

The number of needles required was also learned the hard way through self experimentation. We have found that the pulses tell us when enough points have been needled for a given individual and going beyond that causes adverse effects to the energetic system. We have seen with 100% consistency that a true acupuncture point responds in the pulses exactly as Morant described and gives longer lasting effects that produce true physiological changes that can be affirmed in the pulses. As a result, the need for more frequent treatments, as is commonly thought in many “schools” of acupuncture theory, is reduced.

We have also seen that the overuse of the same points leads to null or adverse effects. If an acupoint is needled before it has had time to “rebuild” its energetic nature, then the point often responds in an opposite or adverse manner. This knowledge is of paramount importance, as many “schools of thought” about acupuncture promote frequent treatments (3x per week or more) and needle the same set of points in each successive treatment. Although most of these same schools of thought give little attention to the location of acupoints and are not actually needling the center of a true acupoint repeatedly, Morant still discouraged this type of practice. With the proper location and needling of one or a few points resulting in lasting benefits beyond a week, numerous needles inserted several times a week is not necessary.

Unfortunately I learned these lessons the hard way. During experimentation one day, Fuyiu and I had needled several true acupoints on me. The following day I decided to try finding a few more and I re-needled a point dead center that we had needled the day before. Within an hour of needling this point for the second time within two days, I went through extreme projectile vomiting and diarrhea that left me feeling as though I had a severe heat stroke. Luckily, we had learned enough at this stage to counteract the effects and quickly placed in appropriate needles, and the symptoms subsided shortly leaving me “clean” but intact. Another instance occurred when we needle four true acupoints on me at one time; this resulted in, well lets just say, a very poor feeling with nausea, dizziness, and the general desire to vomit.

These were very important lessons that made the both of us understand why, historically, the Master Acupuncturist in China did not share their information and secrets. Simply put, the right information in the wrong hands can be very dangerous! Since these experiences that I mentioned above, I have remained very respectful of the power True Acupuncture possesses.

Acupuncture Energetic relationships

After our discoveries, we set out to find if Morant’s “energetic” relationships were valid or not. Within a short period it was clear that Morant was a true Master of acupuncture as well as pulse diagnosis.

We have consistently seen the physiological responses that Morant described with each true acupoint. For these reasons, I chose to focus on True Acupuncture without exception, as I have seen no other style give such clinical accuracy. I’ve found Morant’s research to be clinically applicable, while other styles that I have studied prove heavy handed on theory with little clinically applicable knowledge, thus a reliance on placebo.

Applying it to all levels of acupuncture

Even though there are many styles of acupuncture, the reality that acupoints are real and are not easily found means that all acupuncturist must be stringent with their point location in order to benefit the patient, regardless if they practice a style that is what Morant considers the first two levels or True Acupuncture. Furthermore, we must be rigorous in our observations of the pulse to ensure proper treatment.

We owe this to our patients—to be stringent with our technique and require that we constantly put our medicine to the test to ensure that we truly benefit the patient through our medicine and not just rely on the placebo effect.

My Thanks to George Soulié de Morant

Discovering True Acupuncture has been a journey in which I believe the universe guided me toward. I have put it to the test and have yet to disprove it, thus I continue to research it with due diligence and constant inquiry to ensure that it is beyond the placebo effect and to provide it to my patients as best as I possibly can. I have seen the amazing benefits to patients, friends, and myself and believe that Morant possessed a high level of understanding. It is our duty to pursue it with tenacity and to avoid falling back into simple protocol-based treatments.

Morant stood against protocol-based acupunture, the misuse of the first two levels of acupuncture, and the prejudice of Western Medicine against acupuncture, and he paid dearly for this. He knew each person brought before him had his/her own unique energetic disharmony that needed to be unraveled, and that practitioners must compassionately treat each person as the unique being they are, without labeling or placing the patient into a box with the insistence that everyone be within the “same numbers.”

He gave 30 years of his life and stood against great criticism with little reward during his life. Although he was awarded the Corral Reef Award by the Chinese government, thus recognizing him as a True Chinese Physician, and nominated for the Nobel Prize for his work in acupuncture, his wisdom has been largely overlooked in the United Stated.

This is a result of TCM’s educational dominance over all other acupuncture styles, as TCM became the primary style taught during the inception of the first Oriental Medical schools in the United States. This is unfortunate, for Morant’s voluminous work has much to offer every acupuncturist, regardless of style practiced, and although it may be difficult to grasp his knowledge, it is worth the effort. I am humbly thankful for his efforts, for it is upon his shoulders that I stand when I practice True Acupuncture.

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Find a Licensed Acupuncturist who practices True Acupuncture.

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 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.

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.

Effects produced by Acupuncture

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.

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 consistently, 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.

Before we get into weighty discussions, it’s important that we all have a clear idea of what the word ‘acupuncture‘ means.

First, lets start with the Traditional Chinese Medicine terminology. “Zhen jiu” is traditionally used to refer to acupuncture in China. Zhen translates as “needle” and Jiu is “burn or cauterize with moxa or the act of moxibustion,” thus we have “to needle and burn/cauterize with moxa or perform moxibustion.” Now that doesn’t sound fun.

However, when the West decided to translate zhen jiu, they didn’t keep the terms together as in China. “Zhen” became acupuncture and “jiu,” moxibustion. Jiu stayed close to its original meaning, but the meaning of zhen was modified and clarified because “to needle” just wasn’t good enough as a name for a medical modality, now was it?

OK, before we go on we need to address the actual medical term for acupuncture, stylostixis, which is defined as, “treatment of pain or disease by inserting the tips of needles at specific points on the skin.” (Please note that the FDA states that only a pharmaceutical substance can treat or cure a disease, thus all alternative medicine does nothing according to them, nice. . . but we can perform alternative healing because that isn’t treating or curing, … whatever).

What we need to note about stylostixis is the part about “specific points on the skin.” This is a very important aspect, otherwise anyone sticking needles randomly into the epidermis is performing stylostixis and we all know that isn’t true, right? We also need to note that it is the “inserting” of needles otherwise it’s acupressure and we are acupuncturists not acupressurists.

A simple definition of acupuncture

Now we can turn our attention to the common word used, acupuncture. It is defined as “a Chinese medical practice or procedure that treats illness or provides local anesthesia by the insertion of needles at specified sites of the body.” Again we have “specified sites,” in other words, acu-points. If we take the parts of the word, “acu” and “puncture” we can see that the word is a very specific translation of a very specific act. “Acu” refers to the acupuncture points, not just any old place on the dermis.

“Puncture,” obviously, means the act or process of puncturing (puncturation) and not just touching the point with a needle or applying pressure to the point or burning the point, got it? OK. Therefore, we have a literal translation that says what acupuncture is. It is the act of puncturing (with a needle = puncturation) an acu-point (an acupuncture point = a specific area on the body and not just any old place) = acupuncturation for a more literal translation.

See, isn’t that simple? You may be wondering why we are making a big deal about this. Well, there are practitioners and very famous ones at that, who insist that sticking a needle anywhere in the skin is acupuncture because every spot is covered by an acu-point and the meridians run everywhere… yada yada yada. This tells us one clear thing about the people who say such things. They know nothing of True Acupuncture. Secondly, as we will demonstrate and provide the information by which you will be able to test it, acu-points are not randomly strewn throughout the body tissue at different layers but are located at the subdermal layer of the skin.

Classical True Acupuncture is very focused not only with needling the center of an acu-point, and yes they are very real, but hitting the exact center of a true acu-point (we will define this in another post). Suffice it to say, there are “levels” of acu-points along each meridian and all are not created equal. To find the center of a true point is the art and is one of the most difficult things to do, thus if you are slapping in needles without spending significant time locating the center of the points, then it is highly unlikely that you have ever experienced what an acupoint can do.

Now wasn’t that fun?

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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.

The True Acupuncture web site is currently undergoing remodeling.

If you are looking for Fuyiu Yip, MAOM, L.Ac, please see her new website for acupuncture. This is the site you are most likely looking for if you came here from a search and found trueacu.com. This site was previously used as her primary site; however, due to certain consideration we felt it best to move her to a new domain name that suits her style better.

As for the True Acupuncture web site, it will become dedicated to information about True Acupuncture and what makes it different from all other styles of acupuncture and why you want to find a practitioner that practices this style.

We apologize for any inconvenience this remodeling may have cause.

Thank you.

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