New Acupuncture Section Now Open

Acupuncture Today Staff

As part of our continuing effort to illustrate the benefits of Asian healing to the public, acupuncturetoday.com has created a new section aimed at educating consumers. Titled "The ABCs of TCM and Acupuncture," the new section gives an overview of some of the most popular forms and concepts of traditional Chinese medicine, including acupressure, tui na, and the yin/yang theory. The section also provides detailed information on acupuncture titles and designations, and contact information for every ACAOM-accredited and candidate school in the U.S. and Canada.

To access The ABCs of TCM and Acupuncture, click the link on the front page of acupuncturetoday.com, or enter acupuncturetoday.com/consumers/about-acupuncture on your Web browser.

September 2002
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Acupuncture & Acupressure
It’s Time to Stop Prescribing Points
It's Time to Stop Prescribing Points

A student stands over a patient, needle poised. They have a “perfect” prescription: a textbook combination of points harvested from a lecture slide on chronic lower back pain. But as the needle meets the skin, the student hesitates - the symptom of a quiet habit that has taken hold of our profession. We routinely say we “prescribe” points. It sounds efficient. It echoes the authority of biomedical culture and fits neatly into the insurance field. But vocabulary is never neutral; repeated long enough, it dictates behavior.

Bruce W. Park, DACM
Acupuncture & Acupressure
Open the Orifices: Point Combinations for Allergy Presentations
Open the Orifices: Point Combinations for Allergy Presentations

Acupuncture can be highly effective in cases of nasal congestion so common in allergy presentations; so much so that I often treat such issues using acupuncture protocols alone. In cases of seasonal allergies with highly predictable causes such as obvious elevations of environmental allergens, I use a skeleton acupuncture prescription that can easily be fleshed out to target potential underlying patterns and effectively customized to the patient.

Craig Williams, LAc, AHG
News / Profession
Profession at a Crossroads: What Must Change
Profession at a Crossroads: What Must Change

The field of acupuncture in the U.S. continues to grow in visibility, patient demand and clinical effectiveness. Yet behind the curtain, many acupuncturists are quietly struggling to keep their doors open. While the profession is rooted in centuries of healing tradition, modern economic pressures – particularly those driven by insurance limitations, low reimbursement rates and job-market saturation – are making it increasingly difficult for licensed acupuncturists to thrive.

Shabnam Pourhassani, LAc, QME, DACM