Acupuncture Today

Are you getting the most out of your acupuncture treatments? This article challenges practitioners to move beyond "clinical autopilot" and "shotgun" point selections, advocating for a deeply focused and minimal use of acupuncture points (typically two to four) for more effective therapeutic outcomes. The author argues that a large, unfocused collection of points can lead to "fuzzy" or "cloudy" cli...

Dive into the ancient wisdom that underpins modern acupuncture! This article explores the profound correlations between Classical Chinese Medicine (CCM) principles and the body's intrinsic ability to maintain homeostasis, especially in treating chronic pain and disease. Drawing from foundational texts like The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine (Huang Di Nei Jing), it emphasizes that ha...

Unlock the "forbidden secrets" of ancient Chinese longevity for women! This insightful article, the third in a series, reveals how emotional health is intrinsically linked to reproductive health, hormonal balance, and the aging process in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). It highlights the critical, yet often overlooked, heart-kidney connection (xin shen xiang jiao), asserting that excessive str...

The COVID-19 pandemic forced healthcare practitioners to master "the art of adapting," and this article showcases how the acupuncture and bodywork community creatively integrated new practices while reaffirming the value of in-person connection. Remote teaching of qi gong and shiatsu theory flourished, with instructors finding innovative ways to stimulate group qi and embody energetic principles t...

Delve into the fascinating science behind acupuncture's impact on stroke recovery! This article, part two of a series, explores how functional MRI (fMRI) technology is revealing the objective brain changes induced by acupuncture treatment for stroke. Research highlights distinct patterns of brain activation immediately and long-term after acupuncture, particularly in regions like the left cuneus,...

Exciting news for aspiring Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioners! Yo San University in Los Angeles has forged a groundbreaking dual-degree partnership with Zhejiang Chinese Medical University (ZCMU) in Hangzhou, China. This unique collaboration offers an unparalleled opportunity for students to earn not one, but two degrees across continents, fostering a truly international and immersiv...

Uncover the sacred, subtle flame within: this article beautifully explores the compelling and symbiotic relationship between the "fire element" and the pelvic bowl in Chinese medicine. Far from being devoid of fire, the pelvis is home to a generative flame that sustains life, transformation, and essence. The discussion delves into concepts like the lower tan tien, often called the body's cauldron,...

Empower your senior patients with the secrets to radiant, natural skin! This article highlights how holistic practitioners can offer an arsenal of natural treatments for seniors seeking aesthetic confidence as they age. With growing awareness of harmful chemicals in cosmetics—the U.S. bans only 11, compared to the EU's 2,400+—choosing healthy skincare is vital, especially for a vulnerable senior p...

A significant evolution is on the horizon for the acupuncture profession! The National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM) has officially announced its name change to the National Certification Board for Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine (NCBAHM), effective January 2026. This pivotal decision, approved by the Board of Commissioners after extensive stakeholder inpu...

In a healthcare landscape where MRI, the "gold standard" for diagnosing radiculopathies, often requires elusive preauthorization, this article shines a spotlight on re-emphasizing case history and observation as crucial diagnostic tools. It challenges the over-reliance on physical tests, which often have marginal reliability, advocating for clinicians to bring detailed patient history and astute o...

Unlocking a powerful new pathway to holistic health for individuals with Type 2 Diabetes, this article highlights a groundbreaking randomized, controlled trial. It reveals that combining acupuncture with an anti-inflammatory diet is significantly more effective than diet alone or standard care in managing T2DM, especially when compounded by depression and anxiety. Imagine a therapy that not only r...

California recently marked a pivotal moment in healthcare history: the 50th anniversary of acupuncture's legalization in the state, signed into law by then-Governor Jerry Brown in 1975. This commemorative grand gala, co-hosted by the Asia Pacific American Public Affairs Association – Pacific Coast Chapter and the UCLA Center for East-West Medicine, celebrated five decades of progress where acupunc...

This article offers a compelling look at the evolving state of acupuncture in the U.S. in the 21st century, highlighting its increasing clinical utilization and growing integration into mainstream healthcare. Twenty-eight years after WHO and NIH recommendations for acupuncture's widespread use, patient utilization has doubled, with a significant rise in pain management applications, moving from 1%...

Acupuncturists face a critical, often unacknowledged role in today's fragmented healthcare system: navigating the complexities of chronic pain care for PPO patients. This article highlights a glaring gap: while acupuncture offers measurable relief, these patients frequently lack a functioning relationship with a primary care provider (PCP), leading to neglected basic screenings and undetected cond...

Eleven years strong, Cleveland Clinic's Herbal Medicine Program stands as a beacon for integrating traditional healing with Western medical practice, demonstrating a profound shift towards holistic patient care. Founded by the visionary Dr. Tanya I. Edwards, the Center for Integrative and Lifestyle Medicine offers a diverse array of complementary therapies, from herbal medicine and acupuncture to...

This article explores using acupuncture's transverse Luo vessels to cultivate emotional processing capacity, particularly for patients struggling with difficult emotions. Author Nicholas Sieben emphasizes that understanding patients requires going beyond symptoms to "see their spirit, emotions, and mind," creating resonance rooted in spirit. Acupuncture channels are described as "roadways of life,...

The Acupuncture Herbal Vendor Coalition (AHVC) is a newly formed alliance of companies supplying needles, herbs, and practice supplies to the East Asian medicine community. Shifting from rivalry to collaboration, the AHVC aims to advocate for the profession by pooling resources to foster growth, resilience, and continuity. The coalition seeks to amplify support beyond individual company contributi...

This article unveils ancient Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) rituals and lifestyle practices employed by imperial women, such as Empress Dowager Cixi, to preserve youth, vitality, and Jing (essence). The Daoist concept of nei dan or internal alchemy was central, involving practices like microcosmic orbit meditation to strengthen kidney jing, and reverse breathing to prevent jing leakage. Secret...

This article introduces near-infrared (NIR) light therapy as a compelling alternative to traditional moxibustion, particularly for modern clinical and hospital settings. While moxibustion, which involves burning mugwort, aims to improve qi and blood flow and relieve pain, it presents significant challenges such as smoke production (leading to respiratory issues, discomfort) and safety concerns lik...

This article highlights the critical, yet often overlooked, role of sperm health in fertility, noting it contributes to nearly half of all infertility cases. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and East Asian medicine (EAM) offer a holistic and comprehensive approach to optimizing reproductive vitality, encompassing not just sperm quality but also systemic balance and emotional well-being. TCM view...

This article clarifies the Multiple-Procedure Payment Reduction (MPPR) protocol, often seen as a "multi-therapy discount," applied by Medicare and many commercial insurers to healthcare claims. MPPR dictates that when a provider performs multiple procedures in a single patient visit, only the highest-valued procedure receives full reimbursement; subsequent procedures are reduced. This reduction ac...

With nearly 8 in 10 Americans experiencing foot pain, this article proposes red light / infrared therapy as a highly effective, non-invasive alternative to conventional pain medications or injections. This therapy is lauded for being painless, dependable, and easy to administer, with a mere 20-minute treatment cycle that can be largely unattended in a clinical setting, posing almost no adverse eff...

This article, the first in a series, argues for a precise definition and naming convention for the 21st-century acupuncture profession in the U.S.. The authors contend that calling practitioners "TCM practitioners" is inaccurate and misrepresents the profession. The original 17th-century translation of "acupuncture" from Chinese reduced a vast system to merely "piercing the skin," overlooking its...

The New England School of Acupuncture (NESA), the oldest professional acupuncture school in the U.S., is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2025. Founded in 1975 in Watertown, Mass., by Dr. James Tin Yau So, who later became known as the “Father of American Acupuncture,” NESA began with a small group of students and a one-year diploma program rooted in Chinese medicine philosophy. Dr. So’s vision...

This article highlights a crucial aspect of Chinese herbal medicine: patent formulas often share names but vary significantly in ingredients across different manufacturers. While seemingly confusing, these variations offer clinicians an expanded therapeutic palette to precisely target individual patient patterns. The author illustrates this with Jin Gu Die Shang Wan, a formula traditionally used f...