What are the different styles of acupuncture?
Acupuncture originated in China but has spread to Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Europe, and America. Different styles have developed over the centuries based on different opinions as to theory and technique.
Talk to your practitioner about his/her particular style and learn as much as possible about the treatment being proposed. While the basic theoretical principles of acupuncture remain the same, different styles of acupuncture differ greatly in technique and diagnosis. There is no evidence that one particular style is more effective than another, but you should know what you are getting into.
Traditional Chinese Acupuncture (TCM)
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is the most common form of acupuncture studied and practiced in the United States.
Japanese Style Acupuncture
Japanese style acupuncture takes a more subtle route than TCM. Fewer and thinner needles are used with less stimulation.
Korean Hand Acupuncture
Points in the hand correspond to areas of the body and to certain disharmonies.
Auricular Acupuncture
Points in the ear correspond to areas of the body and to certain disharmonies. This system is commonly used for pain control and drug, alcohol, and nicotine addictions.
Medical Acupuncture
When a Western Medical Doctor performs Acupuncture; it is defined as Medical Acupuncture. Acupuncture requirements for Western doctors are generally more lenient than for non-MD’s. Choose a physician who also a licensed acupuncturist (L.Ac.). If there are none near you be sure that the M.D. or D.O. is a member of the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture; it requires a minimum of 200 hours of training for membership vs. 3000 hours of training for a licensed and national board certified acupuncturist.
This educational difference makes itself know by the results achieved by a licensed acupuncturist or a “acupuncture practicing MD”.
Veterinary Acupuncture
Today, veterinary acupuncture is an acknowledged and respected field of medicine which requires formal training and certification in order to practice.
In most States, provinces and countries, veterinary acupuncture is considered a surgical procedure that, legally, may ONLY be performed by a licensed doctor of veterinary medicine.
Look for a veterinarian with formal training in the practice of animal acupuncture. Acupuncture and Oriental medicine is an art and a science that takes years to master. While any licensed vet can stick needles into an animal, for a positive experience and results, find a veterinary acupuncturist with experience treating a similar condition (with acupuncture) to what your animal has.
Is Acupuncture Tax Deductible?
Yes! So keep track of your treatments. The costs of acupuncture and prescribed herbal medicine are indeed deductible medical expenses.
What is a medical expense?
Acupuncture falls under the definition of a medical expense which is: “the costs of diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of diseases, and the costs for treatments affecting any part or function of the body. They include the costs of equipment, supplies, and diagnostic devices needed for these purposes.”
What expenses can you include?
ACUPUNCTURE TREATMENTS:
You can include the amount you pay for acupuncture for you, your spouse, children and dependents.
PRESCRIBED HERBS AND SUPPLEMENTS:
Nutritional supplements, vitamins, Chinese herbal supplements and other natural medicines that are prescribed by an acupuncturist or physician as treatment for a specific medical condition that is diagnosed by an acupuncturist or medical practitioner are tax deductible.
TRANSPORTATION TO ACUPUNCTURE APPOINTMENT:
The standard mileage rate allowed for out-of-pocket expenses for a car when you use it for medical reasons can be obtained by talking to your accountant or the IRS.
Bus, taxi, train and plane fares primarily for and essential to medical care are also included.
How much of the expenses are included?
You can deduct only the amount of your total medical and dental expenses for the year that is more than a certain percentage of your adjusted gross income.
Acupuncture’s Brain Activity Noted
One of the main stumbling blocks to greater acceptance for acupuncture in the West is the lack of understanding of how it works. This began to change with the publication of a seminal report by researchers at the Harvard Medical School.
The researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate how acupuncture affects brain activity in normal subjects.
Thirteen healthy volunteers (ages 27 to 52 years) were involved in the study. They were seated in the MRI scanner and after relaxing had an acupuncture needle inserted in the LI 4 or Hegu point (located on the hand between the thumb and forefinger).
Needle manipulation caused a pronounced calming of activity in the deep structures of the brain (e.g., amygdala, hippocampus, hypothalamus, etc.), accompanied by increased signal intensity in a key sensory region of the brain’s cortex. Researchers concluded, “Modulation of this neuronal network could constitute the initiating steps by which acupuncture regulates multiple physiological systems and achieves diverse therapeutic effect.”
Source: Human Brain Mapping, 2000