Medical Acupuncture by Physicians: Training and Practice

What the term means

"Medical acupuncture" or "Western medical acupuncture" is acupuncture delivered by a licensed health professional, most often a physician, who explains it using anatomy, physiology and nervous-system science instead of qi and meridians. This page explains how that differs from traditional styles, what training and rules exist, and what to ask. For acupuncture in general, see What Is Acupuncture?.

How it is defined

A definition published in the journal Acupuncture in Medicine describes Western medical acupuncture as an adaptation of Chinese acupuncture using current knowledge of anatomy, physiology and pathology and the principles of evidence-based medicine. [1] It says practitioners no longer adhere to concepts such as yin/yang and the circulation of qi, and regard acupuncture as part of conventional medicine. [1] Its proposed mode of action is mainly stimulating the nervous system. [1] This is a proposed mechanism, not a settled fact; the NCCIH says how acupuncture works is not fully understood. [2]

The definition says the approach is mainly used for musculoskeletal pain, including myofascial trigger point pain. [1] The British Medical Acupuncture Society (BMAS), a medical society that promotes this approach, also says some of its members are trained in traditional Chinese medicine, but most use Western medical acupuncture within their usual professional practice. [3] Note that this is a society describing its own approach.

What a physician visit may add

Proponents say a medical acupuncturist can discuss your health problems, understand your test results and medicines, and coordinate with your own doctor with your permission. [4] The BMAS also says acupuncture will not treat serious underlying problems such as serious lung disease, heart disease or cancers, so you should keep seeking normal medical advice and essential treatment. [4] That is a helpful statement for anyone considering acupuncture, whoever delivers it.

Being a physician does not by itself guarantee skill with needles, so ask about acupuncture-specific training (below).

What research shows

This page does not repeat condition-by-condition results; those are in Acupuncture for Chronic Low Back Pain and Neck Pain, Acupuncture for Knee Osteoarthritis Pain and Acupuncture for Migraine Prevention and Tension-Type Headaches. Two points are specific to this page.

1. Does a physician delivering acupuncture produce better results than another licensed practitioner?

   Insufficient evidence

   Proper evidence not found. We ran two PubMed searches comparing physician and non-physician acupuncturists and found no outcome comparison, and the professional-body pages we read give none.

2. Is the claim "very good evidence for knee, neck and low back pain" accurate?

   Promising but limited; the society's wording is stronger than the independent summary

   The BMAS says there is very good scientific evidence for short-term relief of knee, neck and low back pain, and little good evidence for other problems. [4] The NCCIH reports that acupuncture was better than no treatment, and better than sham for back and neck pain, but that the difference from sham was smaller. [2]

The definition paper also notes that needling used as a "sham" control may itself be active, which complicates trial interpretation. [1] See Sham Acupuncture and Placebo Controls.

An American physicians' group says its members offer "the best of both worlds: proven, ancient healing techniques". [5] Treat that as marketing language. It does not describe measured outcomes, and "ancient" does not mean proven.

Training and rules in the United States

• State rules for physicians. The American Academy of Medical Acupuncture (AAMA) says most physicians may practice acupuncture within their medical license, ten states require a set number of acupuncture training hours, and three restrict physicians; for example, in Hawaii a physician must be a Licensed Acupuncturist. [6] A 2019 review of state laws found 33 states allow physicians to provide acupuncture with no extra training requirement, 11 states and DC require 200 to 300 hours, and three require a separate acupuncture license. [7] The counts differ between sources and change over time, so check your state medical board.
• Voluntary certification. The AAMA says some physician acupuncturists pursue the board certification DABMA or the AAMA fellowship, which require at least 300 hours of acupuncture education. [8] Those are credentials of a professional society, not a government license.
• Non-physician acupuncturists. The same review found 40 states require non-healthcare professionals to complete an accredited program of more than 1,900 hours and pass an examination. [7] For this route, see Acupuncture Practitioner Licensing and Training by Jurisdiction and NCCAOM and Acupuncture Board Certification.
• United Kingdom. The BMAS runs training courses in Western medical acupuncture for regulated healthcare professionals. [9] It offers a Certificate in Medical Acupuncture that course graduates are expected to complete within 12 months. [10] We have not read UK regulator pages about acupuncture, so we do not describe UK legal requirements.

Questions to ask

• What acupuncture training do you have, and how many hours?
• Do you use sterile, single-use needles?
• How will you coordinate with my other doctors and my medicines?

For a longer list, see Questions to Ask an Acupuncturist Before Starting. We do not list or recommend practitioners.