Real Acupuncture in Austin vs. “Other” Acupuncture

The other day in the Paper I read of a practitioner calling themself an “acupuncturist” and it struck me as odd as they were in fact a Chiropractor. In further research I discovered that they had never attended acupuncture school, had no acupuncture license and really only put needles where you hurt on your back. This is NOT acupuncture. This typically gives all of the real people who practice this art for a living a very bad reputation. This pseudo-puncture that you will find in many chiropractic clinics and even some doctor offices in Austin has very little effect and no traditional Chinese medical theory to support it. They are taking advantage of unknowledgeable people who call looking for the real deal and get doctors who might be very good at whatever medicine they do, but typically acupuncture is not one of them. These people generally take a weekend course in this art and are then, by law, able to call themselves an acupuncturist. So here is a free tip: Check for an acupuncture license (LA.c. MSOM). If they do not have these initials behind their name, than expect a VERY sub-par result for this half hearted effort at an art that I am very passionate about. Real acupuncture comes from thousands of years of study, theory and has a profound effect on the patient on many levels. This was never intended to be studied in a weekend. After 4 years of Acupuncture College, over 3000 hours of study and clinical, passing exit and national board exams, the student is finally ready to truly begin learning. This is what it took to call myself an Acupuncturist.