SEE THE FRONT PAGE OF THE HOPKINTON CRIER!!!

ANNOUNCING THE ADDITION OF Acupuncturist & Herbalist TRACY LACRETA, MAOM to Root & Branch on SATURDAYS!!! (Yea! -Acupuncture on the weekend!)

Tracy will be starting Saturdays on MARCH 15TH @ 10AM and she will be doing a Community Acupuncture shift in addition to individual treatments on Saturdays (for those of you who have a hard time making it during the week due to work schedules). We are excited to have her!

Tracy trained in several places such as local hospital's, women's health centers and public health centers. She also worked as an acupuncturist in a multi-disciplinary holistic health clinic before joining Root & Branch. She also traveled to China this past October to participate in continuing education courses in Shanghai. Her specialty is women's health and chronic illness, but she will help anyone during the community sessions.
So nudge that person who has been meaning to try acupuncture but couldn't get the time away from work to give us a call.

The next "ASK THE ACUPUNCTURIST" column in the Crier will be on...

Acupuncture Education, Credentials & Safety

We are taking a respite this week from the Q & A format to address a couple of commonly asked questions. We often meet people who are confused as to how to know if an acupuncturist is licensed and what educational background is required to practice acupuncture and Chinese medicine. One reason we feel this is an important issue to address is that many people are interested in getting acupuncture, but because they don't know the answer to this, they don't know where to start looking to find a practitioner, and many seem shy about calling and asking practitioners.

The second question that many people have is about needles, beyond will it hurt, they want to know if they are sterilized and whether they are reused.

Let's begin with the first question, education & training. In this state, and in most states in the US, acupuncturists are required to complete a 3-4 year master's degree in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. This not only means that they have to have a bachelors degree, but also have completed usually about 2 years of western science prerequisites in order to start or complete their degree. In some states, though not in MA, acupuncturists are considered primary care practitioners and are able to order blood work, x-rays, and other western medical diagnostic tests. In other states, they can call themselves Dr. (in Rhode Island for example they are called "Doctor of acupuncture- even though the training is the same), however, until recently there have been no doctorate programs in Chinese Medicine in this country, so unless they are trained in a doctorate program in China or abroad, the use of Dr. can be misleading. Chinese practitioners of acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine often are Medical Doctors who have been trained in China in a 6 year program which includes a full medical degree, with a concentration in Chinese Medicine. Medical doctors in this country are able to take abbreviated courses in acupuncture that generally do not include a great deal of Chinese medical theory (only about 200 hours of training total). However, there are a number of nurses and physicians in this country that have completed full 3-4 year training in Chinese medicine, and Harvard Medical school currently runs a medical acupuncture training for their medical students that is becoming extremely popular among physicians.

In most states, acupuncturists are licensed by the Board of Medicine for that state. Licensing usually requires that practitioners have attended and graduated from an accredited Chinese Medicine college, and have taken a National exam that includes 3 branches: a written exam on Chinese medical theory, a point location exam, and a clean needle technique practical exam. For practitioners who work with Chinese Herbs, which is required in some, but not all, states, another national exam is required for National board certification.

So, if someone represents themselves as an acupuncturist, they will usually use the letters Lic.Ac. or L.Ac. (Licensed Acupuncturist) after their name, along with M.Ac. (Master of Acupuncture) or MAOM (Master of Oriental Medicine-which is inclusive of both acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine). Places to look for National board certification are: the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (http://www.nccaom.org/), they have a "find a practitioner" page which will list certified acupuncturists & Chinese herbalists. Another local resource is the New England School of Acupuncture (http://www.nesa.edu) which lists their alumni by the state and town in which they practice.

As for the second question, "can I be exposed to a disease from the needles"? Due largely to the concerns about adequate sterilization techniques and the potential to transmit disease, US acupuncturists mostly use pre-sterilized and packaged acupuncture needles. In our practice, we use them exclusively. These needles are one-time use only, and are discarded in a biohazard container and disposed of by medical waste companies. This is a common question, and I think one that many people feel uncomfortable asking, though they have every right to do so. I have noticed that most practitioners have some mention of this on either their web sites or their brochures in order to calm the concerns of the public. We are trained to behave as if anyone could be carrying an infectious disease and to act accordingly, a practice in the medical field called Universal Precautions.

We welcome any questions that people may have, and encourage you to feel comfortable asking. We feel that it is an important part of your treatment to feel like you can ask questions comfortably, especially if you have fears or concerns about anything.

If you have questions about alternative medicine you would like answered, please feel free to write to your friendly, local acupuncturists Geoff and Eileen DePaula @ info@RootandBranchOM.com and see how we can give you a little piece of the "ancient Chinese secret" of health and vitality! : )

Sincerely,