Sometimes, understanding one’s background can clarify their particular point of view. So in the spirit of “full disclosure” I would like to tell you a little about mine. I began my medical career in 1979 when I received my MD degree from Albany Medical College. I trained in diagnostic radiology at George Washington University Hospital in Washington, DC. I entered private practice and spe...

It is very interesting to read any article about the curricula used in Medical School for training specialists in the ancient Oriental practice of acupuncture. One of the journals that explicitly deal with this issue is the ‘Medical Acupuncture Journal’. This journal goes a long way to show that in-depth training is very beneficial to physicians who train for the 300 hours that are cus...

     When Westerners first saw Chinese physicians sticking needles into their meek-faced patients, they thought that a form of Eastern witchcraft was being performed. They were not aware of the fact that they were witnessing a thousand year old form of medical therapy: acupuncture. Much has changed since the Western world has first encountered acupuncture. Many medical doctors and respecte...

How well do you know your acupuncturist? Do you know if they are fully trained in acupuncture or if they are minimally trained under the guise of medical acupuncture? There is a major difference! The majority of practitioners whose post graduate education and schooling is based in the field of Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine (AOM) receive about 80% of their education exclusively in the fie...

A recent article in the Associated Press claimed that acupuncture is not effective. They say acupuncture can not help patients with high blood pressure and insomnia. That’s partially true! When acupuncture is performed by a medical doctor or chiropractor who is NOT licensed in acupuncture, you wont see the kind of results that you would get by going to a licensed acupuncturist (L.Ac.). ...

Stay away from undertrained medical acupuncturists if you don’t want your lungs punctured. Acupuncture is one of the most popular complementary therapies in the world and it’s crucial to go to a licensed acupuncturist (L.Ac.) to avoid serious complications while avoiding medical doctors, chiropractors, and other practitioners with minimal acupuncture training calling themselves acu...

This is the headline I recently came across. Practice Medical Acupuncture In 4 Days. Would you go to an acupuncturist who has 4 days of training? Neither would I! When seeking out an acupuncturist, make sure they have at least 3 years training with over 2,000 hours of acupuncture study. One of the main issues surrounding medical acupuncture is their lack of training. This ad goes on to say tha...

There was an article written in Acupuncture Today called “Who Are Qualified Acupuncturists?” by Ronda Wimmer. She made some really great points! Here are some of them: “Medical acupuncturists are simply physicians trained via a 200-300 hour course with a streamlined curriculum, as overseen by the American Academy of Medical Acupuncturists”. This isn’t something li...

Self-Educated Russian acupuncturist kills patient with needle therapy! A Russian woman died of pain-induced shock after a self-educated acupuncturist stuck a needle in the wrong spot on her back. The man has been sentenced to 18 months of prison, after which he plans to continue his healing career. The 38-years-old policewoman came to the acupuncturist to relieve backache. Tamara Popova had ...

The most recent issue of ‘Acupuncture Today’ had a poll entitled: Do you think teaching medical students about AOM is useful for the profession? A huge 79% said yes while just 14% said no. Theoretically speaking I would say yes as well. But thinking about it a little more turns my vote to NO! If teaching medical students about acupuncture and Oriental medicine would bring about mut...