I Want to Try Acupuncture, Should I Choose a Licensed Acupuncturist, M.D., D.O., D.C., or N.D.?

Patients should absolutely be under the care of a licensed acupuncturist. Some states allow some other medical professionals to practice acupuncture. This includes M.D.s, D.O.s (osteopathic physicians), D.C.s (chiropractic physicians), and N.D.s (naturopathic physicians), who have received some two hundred hours of special training in acupuncture. Some health insurance plans only reimburse acupuncture service if it is performed by an M.D. There is speculation that insurance companies want to keep patients from accessing acupuncture to keep increasing their expenses for the cost of painkillers and other costly medications. Acupuncture is not just a medical procedure. It is a unique, complete medical system. An acupuncture treatment is guided by Oriental medical and acupuncture theories. In China, it is considered as a specialty and requires 8-11 years of extensive training to be an acupuncture specialist. Only those who took the time to learn and practice it consistently may become an ...