Training in Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine

There is more acceptance and training available today in acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine today than there has ever been in the Western world. Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine are now being seen as a useful supplement to the medical field, with the practices being long documented as useful in the Eastern world for thousands of years. In addition, acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine are still the most common mainstream medical practices in the Eastern world, and are paired with modern technology to create a holistic approach to medicine.

Chinese herbal medicine has been used for fertility issues, skin problems, digestive problems, psychological issues and other illnesses and diseases. Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine is based on the assumption that the body has electrical currents running through it in different patterns and pathways. If these currents are blocked or changed in some way, then it causes an imbalance to the body that must be corrected so that there are not problems and illnesses contracted because of the imbalance.

Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine looks at the different plains of the body so that, when a person is examined, he is not just looked at physically, but he is also questioned about his diet, the climate he lives in, he preferences, and his exercise patterns. The doctor will look at what foods, climate and exercise are good for his body type and will make recommendations for changes to his current activities and food intake. He will also usually prescribe an herbal medicine remedy for the individual to take for a prescribed amount of time. The individual must weight out the herbs in the proper amounts and boil them in water so that they make a tea each day that they will drink to restore the balance in their body. In addition, acupuncture may be used to help restore the blocked electrical flow in the body so that the body can more naturally heal itself and restore balance.

There are colleges and universities now that will offer certification in Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture. In order to be licensed in acupuncture now, it requires the individual to have at least twenty-five hundred hours of training in the field so that they can be considered an expert. Acupuncture techniques are complex and require the individual to know the body very well and all the key point in the body for use in creating a cure for the patient. It takes many hours of training to learn all that is needed, which is why there are strict requirements for licensing.