Looking for a qualified TCM practitioner - What to look for / what to avoid?

[Edmund BlackAdder]

Title says it all.

I'm curious about trying something different for my health care. I'm rapidly tiring of pills and side effects.

So, what should I look for when looking at potential TCM doctors?

Any thing specifically to avoid?

Thank you.

 

[Chris from CT]

It all depends on where you are from. If you are in the US you can easily go to...

http://www.nccaom.org/find.htm

Most of the states regulate who can practice acupuncture. Unfortunately, some states do it better than others. Go to the NCCAOM site for the most qualified in the field. The NCCAOM is the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. They put out the National Exam that most, if not all, states recognize. Consider it like the Bar Exam for Acupuncturists.

Wishing you the best and a speedy recovery.

 

[Edmund BlackAdder]

Excellent resource. Thank you very much. :asian:

 

[Captain Harlock]

This one thanks you as well. :asian:

 

[Xue Sheng]

NCCAOM is a good place to look, but I believe that covers mainly east of the Mississippi. There is another organization on the West Coast ad I do not know the name of it without looking it up, and I cannot do that right now.

My wife is a graduate of Beijing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and was the acting head of the Acupuncture section of the TCM department of Beijing hospital (The Government Hospital) before she left China.

If You like I can PM you her website, but her office is in NY.

She does have qualified class mates in England, Canada, Oregon, and I believe Florida and of course China

Also she has Students that are all over Europe. I would have no idea who they were, but I can probably give you a rough location of her class mates.

 

[RBaddorf]

NCCAOM runs the National Boards. If they are on the NCCAOM site it means that the practioner has a degree AND has passed the Nationals. Not all states require the Nationals. They have a link on the site that will show you the licence requirements for each state.

 

[Chris from CT]

I forgot about this post for a while, but for those who research this thread in the future, you can follow this link to a .pdf file showing a map of those states that require the NCCAOM exam for licensure.

http://www.nccaom.org/pdfdocuments/State/StateData1.pdf

To summarize...
1 State does not require the NCCAOM Exam (CA)
9 States do not regulate the practice of acupuncture. Be careful!
The rest all require the NCCAOM exam in order to practice within those states.

If you do not live in California and your state has regulating laws for acupuncture the NCCAOM exam would be the best place to look for a qualified acupuncturist.

http://www.nccaom.org/find.htm

Take care.

 

[Freestyler777]

I am a licensed acupuncturist in new york state, and I can tell you what I know about finding a good acupuncturist. First of all, it should not take more than four weeks before you see results. That doesn't mean you will be miraculously cured in a month. But something should change within four weeks of at least one treatment per week and if the L.Ac claims he needs longer, he may by just interested in your money rather than helping you. A good acupuncturist should also be astute in the questions he asks you. You can't treat without detail questioning of the patient and looking at the tongue and feeling the pulse. Also, it helps if they know about nutrition and massage, which is half the battle, and anyway, a license in acupuncture gives you the scope of practice to do massage. And finally, a good acupuncturist knows what conditions acupuncture will help and which ones it has less of an effect. I hope that helps. thank you.

 

[Xue Sheng]

a license in acupuncture gives you the scope of practice to do massage.

Good post but one thing. Be very careful with your terminology in NYS. Massage is a completely different license and does not fall under acupuncture. Tui Na however is not a problem.

Also

I forgot all about this post and I forgot all about the following
From my wife’s web page

Q - How to choose an Acupuncturist, Herbologist or Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Four basic questions to ask when choosing an acupuncturist, herbologist or doctor of TCM

1. Where did he or she train?
2. How many years did he or she been train?
3. How many years has he or she been practicing acupuncture or herbology?
4. Does he or she have an NCCAOM certificate in acupuncture or herbology?.