PRACTITIONER & AMOUNT/TYPE OF TRAINING
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS
Licensed Acupuncturist (L.Ac.)
Acupuncture Physician (A.P.)
Registered Acupuncturist
Their primary training is in Acupuncture and/or Oriental Medicine, and has: (a) Obtained a 3-4yr Master’s-level degree or diploma from a school approved by ACAHM (Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture & Herbal Medicine), and, (b) is awarded the Dipl.Ac. (Diploma in Acupuncture) designation upon successful examination by the NCCAOM (National Commission for the Certification of Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine) which is the national standard used for licensing in most states.
1363 hours-2000 hours in Acupuncture -or- 2000-3000 hours in Oriental Medicine
– Used for a broad range of health issues, including chronic disease, pain, internal medicine, rehabilitation, and prevention based on Oriental medical theory.
Medical Doctor
Osteopath
Naturopath
Chiropractor
These practitioners use acupuncture as a complementary therapy: the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that medical doctors have 200 hours of training in order to understand when to refer patients to a more fully-trained Acupuncturist or Oriental Medicine practitioner
300 hours or less for the practice of:
- Medical Acupuncture
- Meridian Balancing/Therapy,
- Chiropractic Acupuncture
- Naturopathic Acupuncturea
– Most commonly used for pain and basic ailments
Detoxification Technician (under the supervision of a L.Ac., and are limited to five (5) points on the ear)
Chiropractor
These practitioners use acupuncture as a complementary therapy: the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that medical doctors have 200 hours of training in order to understand when to refer patients to a more fully-trained Acupuncturist or Oriental Medicine practitioner
Around 100 hours or less:
- Detox Technical Support
- Chiropractic Acupuncture
- Medical Acupuncture
– Most commonly used for pain and basic ailments