How do I find a licensed acupuncture practitioner?
Health care practitioners can be a resource for referral to acupuncturists. More medical doctors, including neurologists, anesthesiologists, and specialists in physical medicine, are becoming trained in acupuncture, TCM, and other CAM therapies. In addition, national acupuncture organizations (which can be found through libraries or Web search engines) may provide referrals to acupuncturists. Check a practitioner's […]
How might acupuncture work?
Acupuncture is one of the key components of the system of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). In the TCM system of medicine, the body is seen as a delicate balance of two opposing and inseparable forces: yin and yang. Yin represents the cold, slow, or passive principle, while yang represents the hot, excited, or active principle. […]
Does acupuncture work?
According to the NIH Consensus Statement on Acupuncture, there have been many studies on acupuncture's potential usefulness, but results have been mixed because of complexities with study design and size, as well as difficulties with choosing and using placebos or sham acupuncture. However, promising results have emerged, showing efficacy of acupuncture, for example, in adult […]
Is acupuncture safe?
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved acupuncture needles for use by licensed practitioners in 1996. The FDA requires that sterile, nontoxic needles be used and that they be labeled for single use by qualified practitioners only. Relatively few complications from the use of acupuncture have been reported to the FDA in light of […]
National Acupuncture Organizations Reunite
After three days of negotiations in Dallas, the AAOM and the AOM Alliance have entered into an historic agreement to reunite and form a new organization, the American Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (AAAOM). By taking the name of the organization that split 14 years ago, the directors of the new organization hope to […]
