Acupuncture: Treatment

What led to your interest in acupuncture and how do you use it in your clinical practice?

Acupuncture has a long tradition in Chinese Medicine and is increasingly being used in health care settings in the United States.

This is part one of a two part series on acupuncture. Part one focuses on how two expert clinicians were drawn to the study and use of acupuncture.

DAVID SOLLARS M.Ac., Lic.Ac.:

David Sollars is the Clinical Director of FirstHealth of Andover, in Andover, Massachusetts. Founded in 1990, the program serves as a practice model that blends the skills of practitioners trained in fields including: acupuncture; oriental medicine; chiropractic rehabilitation; massage therapy; and nutrition counseling. He is a frequent lecturer, consultant and author.

As a teenager in the early 1970's I accompanied my father to an acupuncturist for treatment of pain from rheumatoid arthritis. I was interested in medicine and my entire family was hoping to find "a solution". Even though what I observed of the patient interview and examination was like a regular medical visit, I thought that acupuncture looked weird. I was amazed the practitioner left the needles in my father after inserting them, and was surprised that the needles did not hurt, and eventually helped him feel better. My plan was to go to medical school, but then I met a Chinese family who had an Oriental Medicine clinic here in Boston's China Town. Coincidently, they were looking for an assistant. I started there as a volunteer which provided a unique opportunity for a Westerner to learn. They invited me to stay as an apprentice. This was during the changing times in Massachusetts prior to acupuncture being licensed. I registered at the Board of Medicine and my patients were overseen by a medical doctor. At the time, this apprenticeship qualified me as an acupuncturist. I've witnessed the positives that have grown from the evolution of the acupuncture educational system. The acupuncturist entry level degree is often a Masters and the profession is currently evaluating a doctorate program. Educational standards have expanded as the industry continues to be integrated into a variety of medical opportunities including its role in community medicine.

The New England School of Acupuncture (NESA), the oldest such school in the country, opened in 1977, a time well before any of the discussions of licensing acupuncturists as medical providers. They were one of the leaders in the Oriental Medical community for establishing educational and practice standards. I was in the first class of graduates to complete a 3 year master's degree program at NESA. Now most states, including Massachusetts, require completion of a master's level program, including prerequisites of a bachelor's degree and premed. Once an acupuncturist passes the state boards, they are then licensed. In Massachusetts, acupuncturists are regulated by the Board of Registration in Medicine, similar to other medical providers in the state.

People are still looking to acupuncture for a solution to their problems. The main impetus for the growth of acupuncture is the consumer. Consumers are finding acupuncture helpful and able to fill a gap in care that exists in many conditions. I have seen the transition of thought and practice philosophy shift from the "alternative medicine" model to what is now being describes as an Integrative Medical approach. Patients and practitioners used to think of the either or notion of using something like acupuncture in their care. Recently practice principles are changing. After almost three decades of acupuncture being more widely practiced in this country, both patients and medical providers are learning how to work together in a patient centered environment. I have over twenty years clinical experience and have seen the benefits of integrating acupuncture therapy in a patient's existing healthcare pain protocols. Our clinic has enjoyed a long history of referrals from local physicians and physical therapists that wish to find solutions for their patient's pain by combing therapeutic efforts. We have found a common language for communication, discovered unique and effective treatment protocols and increased understanding of our potential contributions through learning appropriate referrals.

A growing number of individuals joining the acupuncture profession are already medical professionals and thus will be "double boarded". They are viewing acupuncture as a viable profession that has begun a new era of integration in medicine. At our clinic we have professionals who are education-minded. Many of us are writers, speakers and educators. Our clinic team teaches a semester course at Merrimack College on Integrative Approaches to Sports Medicine. We also guest lecture in the athletic training department. Students are interested in finding out what integrative therapies, such as acupuncture, may offer to their future patients. As educational experiences become more widely available and acupuncture research continues to guide the medical industry, acupuncture will find its place among the therapies available to the pain professional.