Complete Story
 

09/18/2008

Chiropractic Physician Certified

by the State Board to Practice Acupuncture

The title of this article taken from Sec. 4734.285 of the Ohio State Chiropractic Board‘s Laws and Rules describes one of the official verbiage's now allowed by law to describe the Doctor of Chiropractic's involvement and practice of acupuncture for those who become certified to practice. The DC's of Ohio who will become certified in acupuncture as a result of this ruling are about to have their professional and financial lives change dramatically through the new legislation provided by Senate Bill 33 and the 127^th General Assembly. These select DC's are about to enter into one of the most exciting, clinically significant, lucrative, easy to learn and apply complements to chiropractic one can ever add to their practice. The benefits of adding acupuncture to a new or existing practice are overwhelming.

Acupuncture is defined in the Ohio Revised Code as "Acupuncture means a form of health care performed by the insertion and removal of specialized needles, with or without the application of moxibustion or electrical stimulation, to specific areas of the human body." "Moxibustion" means the use of an herbal heat source on one or more acupuncture points.

It is vitally important to understand, "Acupuncture is a principle, not a technique". Even though the state has defined acupuncture as the insertion and removal of specialized needles it is the basic philosophy and rationale why a practitioner will select specific points on the body which makes acupuncture the science which it is. In as much as acupuncture is officially described as the insertion of specialized needles into the body, in reality there are a host of non-invasive procedures which are globally accepted and practiced to some degree by the vast majority of practitioners around the world. These modalities are generally simple physiotherapeutic approaches which are inexpensive and quick and easy to use. All of the accepted non-invasive procedures are within the current Ohio scope of practice.

The non-invasive modalities which are classically used for acupuncture point stimulation worldwide, do not fit the official definition of acupuncture in Ohio of "insertion and removal of specialized needles....." however, one will understand very early in their practice that even though multiple acupoints may be stimulated for as little as 10-15 seconds or less with non-invasive approaches, a practitioner may find themselves in addition to that using just a few needles to as little as one needle strategically placed which not only meets the states definition of acupuncture, but is known to achieve stellar clinical results in very short treatment time.

In reality it is absolutely not necessary to utilize more than a few needles for most applications and there are a variety of techniques where only one needle may be used. Even though some practitioners may leave a needle in place for 20 minutes or more, many nations and techniques will only leave a needle in place for two to three minutes with some inserting and withdrawing within 5 seconds. In essence, acupuncture does not place a time burden on a busy chiropractic practice, it may be practiced quickly, easily and very effectively.

Just as there are numerous styles of martial arts and numerous types of Asian restaurants, the same is vitally true of acupuncture. There are a variety of styles which vary widely in its approach to health and application.

The DC's in Ohio have been awarded an extremely valuable addition to their scope of practice. Those who have taken this program and are currently practicing are reporting unprecedented increases in new patients, varied conditions seeking treatment and increased revenue. If your practice endorses and includes practice parameters beyond the simple correction of vertebral subluxations, to not include acupuncture into your practice as a compliment to your chiropractic practice would be without question one of the most questionable practice decisions of your career.

The Ohio State Chiropractic Association in cooperation with The New York Chiropractic Association Department of Post Graduate and Continuing Education in concert with The International Academy of Medical Acupuncture will be presenting the third 300 hour Ohio State Chiropractic Board Acupuncture Certification program. The program will begin on October 25-26, 2008.

This program is designed to offer the doctor the very best in clinical, practical, theoretical and both contemporary and ancient principles of acupuncture. It is presented in an extremely user friendly format of three classroom programs with the remaining classes offered through distance education. The program totally prepares the doctor for successful passing of the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners acupuncture exam. It does not get any easier or closer to attend than this.

Call the IAMA today at (800) 327-1113 for registration and course details.

Close Window