Acupuncture

Q. Describe the most common types of jobs you do for your clients.

A. Treatment for chronic and acute pain, migraines, headaches, infertility, stress, anxiety, depression, weight loss, allergies, sinusitis and women's issues.

Q. If you were a customer, what do you wish you knew about your trade? Any inside secrets to share?

A. Yes. Acupuncturists come from a variety of educational backgrounds. Basically, there are two types. Acupuncturists that went to school for 4 years to learn Chinese medicine and medical doctors who took a weekend course to become 'certified' in 'medical acupuncture'. The difference between the two is that the latter has only studied this ancient medical system for only 200 hours of formal training. Education at acupuncture schools can span up to 3,000 credit hours depending on the program. Acupuncture schools educate students in the science and philosophy of acupuncture, training them to become healers in the art. Generally, a comprehensive understanding of TCM, which includes acupuncture, anatomy, and herbal medicine, is introduced in the first year of acupuncture training. In the subsequent year students acquire an in-depth understanding of acupuncture and advance needling techniques. They will learn about moxibustion, spooning, warm needling, through and though needling and electrical stimulation, with safety being emphasized at all times.

Clinical apprenticeship follows in the third year of acupuncture school, giving students an opportunity to practically apply the knowledge acquired during acupuncture training. Different acupuncture schools offer different degrees such as a Master in Acupuncture, Master of Science in Acupuncture, or Master of Oriental Medicine Degree.

For western treatment, your MD is the place to go....for acupuncture, visit a 'true' acupuncturist!

Q. Why does your work stand out from others who do what you do?

A. We provide a FREE consultation and acupuncture exam to new patients. This is important because it is a risk-free offer so they can determine if acupuncture is right for them.

Q. What do you like most about your job?

A. I provide acupuncture for pain and many other conditions, but my specialty is acupuncture for fertility. I get great satisfaction by helping women who are coping with infertility get pregnant and start a family.

Q. What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

A. The most asked question is; "Have you had success treating X condition with acupuncture?" People want to know first if acupuncture is effective in treating their symptom or condition and what has been my success rate in treating their specific ailment. This gives the acupuncturist the opportunity to take on the patient or refer him or her to another practitioner who focuses more on their specific condition. For example, I prefer to treat infertility over smoking cessation - while another practitioner who specializes in treating addictions will be a better fit for someone looking to quit smoking than I would.

Q. What do you wish customers knew about you or your profession?

A. I wish they knew how grateful I am to be able to provide them with natural health care and how honored I am that I am part of their healing journey. I wish for them to know that they are capable of healing fully by approaching illness from not only on the physical level, but from the mental and emotional aspects as well - this means on the treatment table, but also in the moments that make up their everyday life. Healing comes from within, the patients are doing all the work.....I am just lucky enough to be the vessel.

Q. How did you decide to get in your line of work?

A. I originally went the Nursing School route, but after a few sessions of clinicals in the hospital, I found the job description was not in line with what I thought 'healthcare' should be. At 21 years old, and searching for a career, I researched Alternative Medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine and it was clear that this was my path....

Q. Do you do any sort of continuing education to stay up on the latest developments in your field?

A. Absolutely....I wish to continue learning for the rest of my days. Traditional Chinese Medicine is a practice that has existed for thousands of years, therefore 4 years in graduate school and six years in practice is only scratching the surface of this ancient wisdom.