Acupuncture Center or Richmond Va : How to Choose an Acupuncturist
When choosing an acupuncturist, it is important to choose an acupuncturist who has been properly trained as an acupuncturist. There are many health care providers, including M.D.s, chiropractors as well as physical therapists, who insert needles in patients and call that practice "medical acupuncture" or "dry needling". Medical Acupuncturists can begin practicing after only 200 hours of training (in Virginia). A Licensed Acupuncturist (L.Ac.), however, has earned a Masters Degree in Acupuncture /Oriental Medicine, by completing 4 years of graduate level studies in acupuncture and Chinese medicine, consisting of over 3000 hours of training, and passing rigorous national boards in acupuncture, Chinese medicine, and Western medicine as required by the National Certification Commission of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM). NCCAOM.org has a complete list of qualified Licensed Acupuncturists according to state. A Licensed Acupuncturist must also complete a supervised internship, during which they must earn at least 900 hours of clinical experience treating patients. So to ensure you receive the highest quality acupuncture be sure and ask if the acupuncturist you are about to see is a "Licensed Acupuncturist". Acupuncture is a complex healing art with 5000 years of history, requiring mastery of over a thousand herbs and hundreds of acupuncture points. It cannot even begin to be properly learned in a few weekends.
Another important thing to keep in mind when choosing an acupuncturist is that it is essential to find someone that you have a natural rapport with, someone with whom you can comfortably discuss your medical history and condition. Talking openly and comfortably with your acupuncturist is an essential part of the process of determining the root cause of your condition, in developing a treatment plan, and in administering an effective acupuncture session.
Something else to consider are the specialties of your acupuncturist. Most acupuncturists will have specialties that they have more knowledge or training in or treat more often so you might want to ask a prospective acupuncturist if they have had success treating your condition. However, acupuncturists are much like general practitioners in that they can treat a wide variety of conditions successfully because Chinese medicine is concerned less with defining an illness than with treating the the root cause of the illness or pattern of illness. Most patients, once they find an acupuncturist they like, will go to them for most medical conditions that arise.
Lastly, experience is a key factor, especially in such a complex science as Chinese medicine. So be sure that the acupuncturist you choose has had several years of clinical acupuncture experience to solidify their knowledge. So it is important to find an acupuncturist who is an experienced Licensed Acupuncturist, and who you trust and are able to work with side by side to improve your overall well-being.
Copyright Acupuncture Center of Richmond. Midlothian Va 23113.
When choosing an acupuncturist, it is important to choose an acupuncturist who has been properly trained as an acupuncturist. There are many health care providers, including M.D.s, chiropractors as well as physical therapists, who insert needles in patients and call that practice "medical acupuncture" or "dry needling". Medical Acupuncturists can begin practicing after only 200 hours of training (in Virginia). A Licensed Acupuncturist (L.Ac.), however, has earned a Masters Degree in Acupuncture /Oriental Medicine, by completing 4 years of graduate level studies in acupuncture and Chinese medicine, consisting of over 3000 hours of training, and passing rigorous national boards in acupuncture, Chinese medicine, and Western medicine as required by the National Certification Commission of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM). NCCAOM.org has a complete list of qualified Licensed Acupuncturists according to state. A Licensed Acupuncturist must also complete a supervised internship, during which they must earn at least 900 hours of clinical experience treating patients. So to ensure you receive the highest quality acupuncture be sure and ask if the acupuncturist you are about to see is a "Licensed Acupuncturist". Acupuncture is a complex healing art with 5000 years of history, requiring mastery of over a thousand herbs and hundreds of acupuncture points. It cannot even begin to be properly learned in a few weekends.
Another important thing to keep in mind when choosing an acupuncturist is that it is essential to find someone that you have a natural rapport with, someone with whom you can comfortably discuss your medical history and condition. Talking openly and comfortably with your acupuncturist is an essential part of the process of determining the root cause of your condition, in developing a treatment plan, and in administering an effective acupuncture session.
Something else to consider are the specialties of your acupuncturist. Most acupuncturists will have specialties that they have more knowledge or training in or treat more often so you might want to ask a prospective acupuncturist if they have had success treating your condition. However, acupuncturists are much like general practitioners in that they can treat a wide variety of conditions successfully because Chinese medicine is concerned less with defining an illness than with treating the the root cause of the illness or pattern of illness. Most patients, once they find an acupuncturist they like, will go to them for most medical conditions that arise.
Lastly, experience is a key factor, especially in such a complex science as Chinese medicine. So be sure that the acupuncturist you choose has had several years of clinical acupuncture experience to solidify their knowledge. So it is important to find an acupuncturist who is an experienced Licensed Acupuncturist, and who you trust and are able to work with side by side to improve your overall well-being.
Copyright Acupuncture Center of Richmond. Midlothian Va 23113.