Real Acupuncture
Acupuncture is commonly defined as ‘An Eastern Medical practice utilising the insertion of fine metal needles into the skin to gain a therapeutic effect.’
This is a complete sentence! The ‘Eastern Medical’ part, and the ‘fine needles’ part are not separate. The use of fine needles without training in Eastern Medicine is not Acupuncture. So if you have had needling done by someone who is not an Acupuncturist and not had the results you would hope for, this is most likely the problem.
There is a great deal of confusion in the general public about what the differences – and there are many – between Acupuncture and ‘dry needling’ are. Acupuncture is a registered term and profession, and dry needling is a term that has been newly created to avoid this training and registration.
Real Acupuncture, sometimes referred to as Traditional Acupuncture, Chinese or Oriental Acupuncture*, is practiced by a Registered Acupuncturist.
What’s the importance of being a Registered Acupuncturist?
A person holding the title of Chinese Medicine Practitioner/ Acupuncturist in Australia has completed a minimum 4 year Bachelor of Health Science – in Acupuncture. This is a degree with dual focus on Chinese and Western Pathology, Biomedical Science, Pharmacology and a minimum of 2000 hours practical experience, including at least 900 hrs of supervised practical clinical practice on the public, before they are permitted to graduate and claim the title of Acupuncturist.
All practicing Acupuncturists are required to be registered by AHPRA (Allied Health Practitioner Regulation Agency) and the Chinese Medicine Regulation Board of Australia (CMRB) to use the title of Acupuncturist in Australia. Someone who is not registered by AHPRA with the title of Acupuncturist, is, by definition, not practicing Acupuncture.
This is a level of training and expertise significantly and dramatically higher than the practice of ‘dry needling’ utilised for muscular release (as practiced by Physiotherapists, Chiropractors, Osteopaths and Remedial Massage Therapists), which is a short weekend course. Dry needling, sometimes also known as ‘trigger point needling’ or ‘western acupuncture’ is essentially highly simplified, untrained ‘acupuncture’ by a practitioner who has acknowledged Acupuncture as being effective but has not undergone significant training to commit to understanding and practicing it comprehensively. It is essentially the difference in training between a first aid certificate and a Paramedic.
The risks of being treated by someone who is not a Registered Acupuncturist
Acupuncture treatment – by a registered Acupuncturist – is recognised medically as being effective in the treatment of digestive, respiratory, cardiovascular, neurological, immune, gynaecological, urological and psychological diseases. These are conditions which are neither suitable, appropriate nor in fact possible for treatment with ‘Acupuncture’ by someone who is not a registered, trained Acupuncturist.
While dry needling/ trigger point needling can and does get occasional results, there are also serious associated health and safety concerns associated as potential risks with all needling techniques, and these have, as you would expect, been specifically linked as more likely with undertrained practitioners. Points at various places throughout the body have the capacity to activate and stimulate actions aside from just the muscle being treated. Trigger point needling is one of many possible needle techniques an Acupuncturist may utilise for your treatment, but not the only one. Additionally, we will look for a diagnosis and cause for your condition, rather than simply creating a muscle twitch to relieve symptoms periodically.
Here in Australia you are actually very fortunate as its easy to be sure the person sticking needles into you has more than a short course of ‘training’: you can simply go on the AHPRA site here and check, or look for the title of Acupuncturist – before you let someone put needles in you.
Due to the known efficiency and spreading popularity of Acupuncture for these conditions, there has been a surge of non-Acupuncturist practitioners claiming these results with dry needling. You should be aware that not only are these claims fraudulent, but that they are not approved by AHPRA, or their direct modality regulatory body. Nor are they covered by their insurance if something does, unfortunately, go wrong.
Some of these practitioners are also claiming that dry needling is ‘scientific’ while Acupuncture is not. This claim, quite simply, is not based on fact. Acupuncture has a considerable body of evidence, often considerably more so than these practitioners have for their own profession. This is why they are attempting dry needling! which is, incidentally, performing under remedial massage in clinical studies – makes you wonder who is getting benefit, if it isn’t the patients….
Most importantly, you, as a patient, are missing out on many of the benefits Acupuncture has to offer if you are not seeing an actual trained, registered Acupuncturist. Even if dry needling has worked for you in the past, there are many other options an Acupuncturist can offer for you to get better results.
For more information or to check that your Acupuncturist is registered visit the Chinese Medicine Regulation Board of Australia or the AHPRA website here.
*Acupuncture points do, in fact, physically exist. Numerous fMRI and other clinical studies have demonstrated that Acupuncture points exist within a 5mm radius, specific and accurate to the points found and documented in China 2000 years ago. These points exhibit higher levels of oxygenation, blood and nerve supply than other skin cells. Acupuncture points also regulate numerous biochemical, hormone and physiological responses, usually around homeostasis and natural equilibrium. Specific Acupuncture points often also activate areas of the brain specifically related to biological functions.