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Acupuncture
>> Is acupuncture safe?
Is acupuncture safe?
Acupuncture is incredibly safe when administered by Licensed Acupuncturists. In New York State , Licensed Acupuncturists must have graduated from an accredited professional acupuncture program, such as the one I completed which was sponsored by Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry , New York . An approved program consists of a minimum of 4050 hours of classroom instruction, supervised clinical experience, and assignments. Licensed acupuncturists must be very familiar with human anatomy. A small subset of fortunate and privileged acupuncturists in the United States , such as myself, studied anatomy with a cadaver.
As a side note, the title Licensed Acupuncturist is significantly different from that of Medical Acupuncturist. Follow this link for a discussion of the difference between Licensed Acupuncturists and Medical Acupuncture.
In addition to the extensive training received by Licensed Acupuncturists, acupuncture is safe because acupuncture needles are safe. In my practice, I use high quality stainless steel acupuncture needles that are sterile and disposable. Needles are never reused, even on the same patient. The use of acupuncture needles has included millions of needle placements with a remarkably low incidence of risk to patients and acupuncturists. Based on clinical studies which investigated safety, the FDA began classifying acupuncture needles as safe and effective medical devices in 1996.
In 2001, WebMD.com reported on a study that looked at the safety of acupuncture in the article, “Acupuncture Treatment Is Safe”. The study found no serious adverse effects to acupuncture.
Acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine is perfectly safe and effective for infants and children as well. An article from WebMD.com entitled Acupuncture Helps Kids and Teens With Chronic Pain details research that found acupuncture effective for children with chronic pain.
Some approaches are altered, though, when dealing with young
children. For
example, if needles are used, they may only be retained
for a second or two.
Children are so full of qi and blood that seconds are
all that are really
needed. In addition to needles, there are many other ways
to stimulate
acupuncture points on children, including acupressure,
electrical stimulation, heat, medical massage and cupping.
Do acupuncture needles cause pain?
What is a typical acupuncture treatment like?
What
is the difference between Licensed Acupuncturists and
Medical Acupuncture?
