An Acupuncturist or Acupuncture Physician is a medical professional similar to a Medical Doctor with training in medical school and similar prerequisites for science education in undergraduate education. Both physicians study important subjects such as Anatomy, Physiology, Pathology, Pharmacology, Internal Medicine, Orthopedics and Biochemistry. However, acupuncture training includes the additional study of Classical Chinese Medicine, so we learn two systems of medicine which is intensive. The other difference is the approach to treatment.

The Acupuncture profession includes the entire system of Classical Chinese Medicine. This includes diagnosis, nutrition, physical/orthopedic exams, herbal medicine, supplement prescription and lifestyle recommendations.  The primary difference between what a Medical Doctor and an Acupuncture Physician can do is that the MD can prescribe pharmaceutical drugs and an Acupuncture Physician cannot.

MDs diagnosis focus on symptom(s) for example; hypertension, blood sugar disorders, back pain etc. and seeks to find supporting evidence with bloodwork and other tests which may direct the interventions. However, drugs and surgeries are designed to treat these single symptoms individually.  Acupuncture Physicians’ treatments are natural interventions that stimulate the healing process within the body either through activating a specific neurological response via Acupuncture or by providing particular nutrients or substances via Herbal Medicine, Nutrition and Supplementation. As a result, MDs’ diagnostic processes tend to be more specific one disorder at a time, and Acupuncture Physician’s more holistic focusing on the entire body.

Some states, like Florida designate practitioners of Classical Chinese Medicine also known as Traditional Chinese Medicine as Acupuncture Physicians, acknowledging the width of our medicinal system, being more than just acupuncture- the insertion of needles. Most states do not. I choose this designation as a way to honor my education and work in my profession and to educate patients as to the level of knowledge and training entailed.

There are other professions who have reduced the knowledge base of Classical Chinese Medicine to only acupuncture – the insertion of needles- to incorporate into their practices, this is called Dry Needling. The requirements for training for dry needling is surprisingly very little. To perform acupuncture an acupuncturist does thousands of hours of clinical practice after years of classroom instruction while for dry needling it is often done within the framework of a weekend certification course and online instruction and perhaps 100 hours. There are chiropractors, physical therapists and medical doctors incorporating acupuncture however the training involved is subpar to what an Acupuncture Physician is doing.

Acupuncture is a powerful intervention and people do find relief be it in the form of dry needling or with an acupuncturist. I offer the differentiation because of the potential for injury when done with practitioners who are not fully trained. It would be similar if an acupuncturist decided to incorporate manipulations through a short certification class of what Chiropractors learn over the course of years – that would be incredibly dangerous. We should leave specialized practices to those professions. However, as a free market advocate I feel it is better to inform rather than enforce and allow for patients to make the final decision.

Acupuncture Physicians can treat a wide array of ailments including issues from chronic and complex illness as well as acute flareups and pain. In my practice I see patients for pain relief, fertility support, stress, emotional and sleep disorders just to name a few. If you are interested in an herbal consult or an acupuncture session feel free to contact me.