You need to find a good acupuncturist. You’re having a health issue that can benefit from acupuncture. Western medicine either can’t treat you, or you don’t like the option of taking medicines or getting surgery. But how do you go about finding a good acupuncturist? How are they trained? Are they doctors? I see the advertisements, but do they know what they are doing?
A Good Acupuncturist: How To Find One
There are four things you need to do in order to make sure you find a good acupuncturist.
1. You need to make sure they are properly trained and certified. Go online to www.nccaom.org. They are the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. They run the national boards, which are a two day exam that all practitioners must take after graduating. They have a “Find A Practitioner” tool. Select the “Oriental Medicine” category. This means the practitioner is trained in both acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. Even if you don’t need herbs, it’s good to have a practitioner who knows both. Enter your zip code and they will bring up all the properly trained, nationally board certified practitioners in your area.
2. Make sure you are not treated by a chiropractor, Western medical doctor or physical therapist. Both chiropractors and Westerns docs are legally allowed to practice acupuncture after taking very minimal training. Properly trained acupuncturists have over 3000 hours of graduate level education (4 years of graduate school). Physical therapists perform something called Dry Needling, which is now banned in several states and will hopefully be banned in North Carolina in the near future. Dry needling is not acupuncture, and provides only 5% of the benefit of acupuncture.
3. Once you have a list of properly trained, board certified acupuncturists, start calling them up. Ask them about their professional experience. Study their websites. Read their Google Reviews. Make sure they treat the condition you need treated. Find out how much they charge. See if they accept insurance.
4. Make an appointment and get your first treatment. Ask lots of questions while you are there. Do you feel comfortable with them? Do they seem knowledgeable, professional and confident? Ask them how many treatments you will need to get better.
Your First Visit
If you feel good about your first treatment, chances are that you have found yourself a good acupuncturist. But if not, don’t go back. Try another practitioner on your list from the NCCAOM. It may take a few different visits, but it’s worth it. Because once you have a good acupuncturist it can truly change your life. They will help resolve your health issue today, and help resolve future health issues in the future.
Have questions about the search for a good acupuncturist? Feel free to call us at 919-819-8113. Live in the Raleigh area? Please give us a try. Acupuncture is an amazing medicine. It can help you in so many ways.
Are you are ready to schedule an appointment? BOOK NOW.
For a list of all the conditions we treat click CONDITIONS WE TREAT.
Click on the names of our providers to watch a short video about Jinmei Xu (Jade)and Mark Molinoff.
To learn more about how acupuncture works, check out this recent blog post: Better Health With Acupuncture: Research Approved!
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