If you are reading this article on any other site than What Everyone Needs To Know then you are reading a stolen article. It seems there are a lot of scrapers out there steeling posts and putting major excerpts on their fake sites for content.
The other day I wrote an article about an experience I had under the hands of a Naturopath/Acupuncturist. A comment was left by a Chiropractor linking back to the article to help inform his readers about how to choose a health care practitioner wisely. Well I thought that would be a good topic for a series of articles on choosing an acupuncturist, chiropractor, and naturopathic physician. Since I’ve been through the rounds of health care I think I’m a good person to give a little info on this topic, and I’ve seen just about every type of health care possible. Unfortunately most of it was a waste of time and I hope this little series will help you in your search. So lets start with how to choose an acupuncturist.
Searching for an Acupuncturist
Today many people are turning to the Internet to find health care practitioners. If you search for an acupuncturist you most likely will get a return of many directory listings. This is about as useful as a 100 needles. These acupuncture directories don’t give enough information about the practitioner for you to make any kind of informed decision. If you find a listing with a web site then you can at least check out that acupuncturist’s web site and maybe get a little background on their philosophy however, that’s often a problem because acupuncture seems to attract people that either know nothing or put nothing about their style on their site, if they even have a web site.
Therefore, it’s often best to leave the acupuncture directories alone or use them only to find a list of practitioners in your general area in order to do a search to find their actual web sites. The reason you want to view their “professional” site is, it will give you a clue about how they feel about their practice and how much effort they put into their site and their continued education.
What an acupuncturist’s web site can tell you
There are several things that their web site can tell you very quickly.
- Is there a lot of information? Regardless of their theories, if they have very little to say that usually means they have very little knowledge. You want a site where at least the practitioner seems to know a little.
- If they have lots of information do a quick search on the Internet to make sure that it’s not stolen or duplicated. This quickly tells you their ethics. Many practitioners plagiarize because they are too stupid to write about their own profession. Sorry, but this is true. Also, many of the practitioners will have several websites trying to spam Google, yahoo!, and MSN Live. If you see the same site with multiple URLs it’s a clear sign that that practitioner is too lazy to do the work required to have a professional web site that ranks for what they want it to rank for. If they are too lazy for that what else are they too lazy to do? Yep, study!
- What you are looking for in the beginning are signs of laziness. Acupuncture is a modality that requires diligent and continual study. You can’t just learn it all in school. . . actually the only thing in the acupuncture schools is very bad acupuncture and that’s why you want someone who has stretched their wings and broadened their understanding.
Quick clues from an acupuncturist’s web site
- Are they ethical
- Are they lazy
- Have they studied beyond their original education
- Do they sound like everyone else
- Do they give a free initial consultation
- Do they have a clear theory as to how and why they practice the way they do
- Do they care about their practice
Going beyond the acupuncturist’s web site
Once you have found someone that sounds and looks like they have a clue then you want to give them a call. Ask them about their philosophy on acupuncture. Ask them why they practice the way they do. Ask them why you should go to them vs someone else.
Here are the things to look for in the conversation
- Do they practice Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) only? This is the major form taught in the schools. It’s good for herbs but bad for acupuncture. . . very bad. If they haven’t studied beyond it then run.
- Are they self taught, apprenticed, or seminar only? You will find that the lazy ones take lots of seminars and practice those styles because they are too lazy to either study on their own and learn or follow someone worth while. So they take seminars because TCM doesn’t work worth beans for acupuncture. After you talk to them just search the styles they say they use. Often you will find things like, Tan’s balance method, Tung (or Tong) acupuncture, Toyo Hari, George Soulie de Morant (I strongly suggest finding someone who understands Morant’s work), and 5-Element. It isn’t that any of these are good or bad. It’s that the practitioner understands acupuncture and doesn’t just rely on what someone told them. You can’t get a lot out of a seminar, let’s face it. They need to have gone a little beyond the seminar. This is often the case. No one questions what they are told and they just apply it hoping for some results and never really put in much self study.
- You want someone that studied it, applied it, tested it, and found what works and what doesn’t and can tell you why they are doing what they do.
- Finally, what’s the practitioner’s attitude like? If they are “short with you” then just forget them. If they want to help you find the right practitioner whether it’s them or not then that’s someone to talk more with—they aren’t afraid of the “competition.” They want you to be informed. Do they sound all woo woo? Often you will hear things like, “I love helping people.” What a load! That just means it’s all about them and their self grandization and it isn’t about getting people well. Run form this type of practitioner because they are the worst! Everyone in health care at some level wants to help. It’s the ones that study hard that really do, not the ones that say they want to help.
What to look for during treatment
Now that you have chosen someone, or you already are seeing someone, here are the important things to look for.
- How many needles do they use? The more needles the less likely they know what they are doing. When you start getting over 10 needles per treatment you are looking at a shotgun approach. If they are over 20 then you are definitely looking at that.
- What acupuncture points do they use? If they use the same points each treatment, run. . . don’t walk, run out of that clinic. They are a hack! Believe it or not but this is what you will find 90% of the time, regardless of education and/or cultural background.
- Do they check the radial pulses often during treatment to see how things are changing? This is a sign of a knowledgeable acupuncturist. They should be checking the pulses before and after each and every needle and while palpating to find a good acupuncture point for your condition.
- Finally, do they use the “4 gates” +yin tang as a standard base formula. These are liver 3, Large Intestine 4, and and extra meridian point called yin tang which is between the eyes at the level of the eye brow. These are the most over used and incorrectly used acupuncture points on the planet and sadly, it’s what 90% of acupuncturist use 99% of the time. Again, run don’t walk away from these practitioners.
If you follow these basic guidelines you will most likely end up with a good acupuncturist whom you will want to stay with for a very long time.
Final thought on choosing an acupuncturist
Always make sure you are seeing a licensed acupuncturist that as been to an actual acupuncture school. Many states allow health care practitioners to practice acupuncture with little or no training whatsoever. It’s hard enough finding a good acupuncturist that has actually gone through 4 years of educations for it.
Furthermore, you may find that when you search for “how to choose and acupuncturist” you find sites that want to tell you, find someone you connect with or someone you feel comfortable with. . . etc. This is nonsense for the most part. Certainly you want someone with a good “bedside manner,” but you don’t want a new best buddy. You want someone that knows what they are doing and will treat your problem appropriately and effectively. If you want to bond with your acupuncturist. . . well then, forget everything I’ve said here. I generally avoid anyone telling me to “bond with them.”
Hope this helps in your search. Best of luck.
