CAM 101: An Introduction to Contemporary

and Alternative Medicine

Lesson Three: Acupuncture
Lesson Overview
In this weeks lesson, participants will learn about the CAM practice of
acupuncture. Many times, acupuncturists are also Chinese medicine
practitioners, which deals with herbs. This is not always the case, however.
For our purposes, we will be dealing with only the acupuncture part.
Participants will also have the opportunity to receive an acupuncture
treatment as part of the class.
Lesson
What is acupuncture?
Acupuncture is a form of Chinese medicine that has been practiced for
centuries. It is based on the theory that energy, called qi or chi (pronounced
"chee"), flows through and around your body along pathways called
meridians. The philosophy behind acupuncture is the belief that illness
occurs when something blocks or unbalances your chi. Acupuncture is a way
to unblock or influence chi and help it flow back into balance. (Acupuncture Topic Overview, 2015)
What happens during this treatment?
This practice/therapy is done by placing very small/thin needles into your
skin at certain, predetermined point on your body that correspond with areas
of concern. This is done to influence the energy flow.
Steps in a typical treatment:
Practitioner will give patient an exam and ask questions about your
pain/concerns, as well as about your overall health
Practitioner will look for the places (called points) on your body to
access the chi that is blocked or not flowing right (these points relate
to certain health problems or body functions)
Practitioner will look for landmarks on your body-using certain muscles
or bones, for example-to find the points so that he or she can place the
needles.
Practitioner will quickly tap very thin needles into your skin, probably
placing several needles. Patient may feel slight pressure, but most
people feel no pain.
Area may tingle, feel numb, itch, or be a little sore.
Practitioner may roll the needle slightly back and forth; this is done to
access the blocked chi. Sometimes, heat or electrical current may be
placed on the needle.
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Treatments usually last for 15-60 minutes. You may have several visits
to complete your treatment. Some people have ongoing visits.
(Acupuncture - Topic Overview, 2015)

License or certifications needed

In order to be admitted to an acupuncturist program, participant must:

complete 90 semester hours (136 quarter hours) of college credit,

including nine credits of bioscience course work, from an accredited,
degree-granting institution

complete nine credits in bioscience course work prior to matriculation,

at least 3 credits of the bioscience requirement must be general
Biology or its equivalent.

Grade of C (2.0 on a 4.0 scale) or better in the prerequisite

bioscience course(s)

Cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.5 or higher is desired for

pre-professional college study
(Academic Requirements for Admission to the M.S.A./M.S.A.O.M.
Programs , 2015)

After successful completion of the acupuncture program, to be

licensed/certified, applicant in state of New York must:
1. Show satisfactory completion of at least 60 semester hours at an
accredited college or university, including nine semester hours in the
biosciences. Biosciences are defined as biological sciences and do not
include chemistry or physics. Coursework completed to satisfy your
professional education requirement cannot be used to also satisfy the
biosciences requirement.
2. Show satisfactory completion of an approved professional acupuncture
program registered by the New York State Education Department as
licensure qualifying or accredited by the Accreditation Commission for
Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ACAOM) or another accrediting
agency accepted by the Department as a reliable authority, or the
equivalent.
3. To be considered equivalent, a program must consist of a minimum of
4,050 hours of classroom instruction, supervised clinical experience,
and out-of-classroom or out-of-clinic study assignments. Each hour of
classroom instruction must require two hours of out-of-classroom study
assignments and each hour of supervised clinical experience must

require one-half hour of clinic study assignments. As part of the 4,050

hours, the program must include:
at least 200 classroom instructional hours in the biosciences
including anatomy, physiology and pathology;
at least 600 classroom instructional hours in acupuncture including
acupuncture principles; acupuncture channel and point theory;
acupuncture physiology; acupuncture pathology; acupuncture
clinical examination and diagnosis; acupuncture techniques;
acupuncture treatment principles; and sterilization and precautions;
and
at least 650 hours of supervised clinical acupuncture experience in
general health problems to include acupuncture diagnosis;
therapeutic treatment planning; acupuncture needling technique;
moxibustion; electroacupuncture; pre- and post-treatment
instruction; contraindications and precautions; treatment of
emergencies; when to refer to appropriate health professionals; and
acupuncture hygiene.
must successfully complete the National Certification Commission
for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine's (NCCAOM) Acupuncture
with Point Location exam and Foundations of Oriental Medicine
exam. If successfully completed NCCAOM's Acupuncture Written
examination, Point Location examination, and Clean Needle
Technique course, applicant meets the examination requirement for
licensure.

The fee for licensure is $788.

The fee for a limited permit is $70.

(License Requirements: Acupuncturist, 2015)

Why use acupuncture? What are the benefits?

Acupuncture has been shown to aid in the treatment of:
Stroke rehabilitation

Headaches

Migraine headaches

Menstrual cramps

Tennis elbow

Fibromyalgia or widespread pain and tenderness of muscle and soft

tissue.
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Myofascial pain caused by spasm in the muscles.

Lower back pain

Carpal Tunnel pain

Asthma

Drug addiction: withdrawal as well as relapse

Dental pain.

Labor pain.

Anxiety

Insomnia

Allergic rhinitis (including hay fever)

Biliary colic
Depression (including depressive neurosis and depression following
stroke)
Acute gastric pain (in peptic ulcer, acute and chronic gastritis, and
gastrospasm)
Facial pain
Hypertension (high blood pressure)
Hypotension (low blood pressure)
Induction of labor
Knee pain
Leukopenia (low blood cell count, leaving patient more susceptible to
infection)
Malposition of fetus, correction
Morning sickness
Nausea and vomiting
Neck pain
Frozen shoulder
Postoperative pain
Renal colic
Rheumatoid arthritis
Sciatica
Sprain
(Acupuncture - Topic Overview, 2015) ( How Acupuncture Can Relieve
Pain and Improve Sleep, Digestion and Emotional Well-being, 2015)

Questions?
Activity
At this point, Mary Sarratori, a local acupuncturist, will provide a free
treatment. This will be done in a community acupuncture treatment setting,
and therefore will be able to treat multiple patients at one time. If you do
not wish to be treated, you may still observe.

Works Cited
How Acupuncture Can Relieve Pain and Improve Sleep, Digestion and
Emotional Well-being. (2015). Retrieved 2015, from UC San Diego Center for
Integrative Medicine: http://cim.ucsd.edu/clinical-care/acupuncture.shtml
Academic Requirements for Admission to the M.S.A./M.S.A.O.M. Programs .
(2015). Retrieved 2015, from Finger Lakes School of Acupuncture and
Oriental Medicine: New York Chiropractic College:
http://aom.nycc.edu/admissions/requirements#academic-requirements-foradmission
Acupuncture - Topic Overview. (2015). Retrieved 2015, from WebMD web
site: http://www.webmd.com/fibromyalgia/tc/acupuncture-topic-overview
License Requirements: Acupuncturist. (2015). Retrieved 2015, from
NYSED.gov: office of professions web site:
http://www.op.nysed.gov/prof/acu/acupunlic.htm