AOM Day Is October 24

The National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM), the only organization that certifies acupuncturists and practitioners of Oriental medicine in the United States, is a sponsor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Day, October 24, and hopes to raise awareness of the benefits of acupuncture and Oriental medicine. This year marks the 25th Anniversary of NCCAOM and several other national acupuncture and Oriental medicine organizations. These groups joined together in 1982 to establish national standards for the practice of acupuncture in the United States.

Acupuncture and Oriental medicine have become increasingly popular in the United States. Oriental medicine includes acupuncture, Chinese herbology, and Asian bodywork therapies such as acupressure and shiatsu. An estimated 36 percent of US adults use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), according to a survey by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Acupuncture is a medical treatment involving the stimulation of points on the body with the insertion of thin, disposable needles. This relatively painless and effective treatment is useful in treating conditions such as migraines, stress, obesity, and addiction. Unlike the needles that are used to give shots or take blood, acupuncture needles are extremely thin with most patients reporting that they feel no pain.

Acupuncture and Oriental medicine have become an integral part of mainstream health care. According to Massachusetts acupuncturist Bryn Clark, Dipl, OM (NCCAOM), chair of the NCCAOM Board of Commissioners, prestigious academic medical centers such as Northwestern, Georgetown, Duke, and Harvard Universities have opened up integrated medical centers in which Western medical physicians work with certified acupuncture practitioners using complementary therapies to treat patients. Research from NIH shows acupuncture is effective for use in pain management, osteoarthritis, postoperative or chemotherapy-related nausea, addition, stroke rehabilitation, infertility, and asthmas, among others.

NCCAOM is the only national certification organization in the Unites States to certify practitioners in acupuncture, Oriental medicine, Chinese herbology, and Asian Bodywork therapy. NCCAOM certified practitioners must complete a master’s-level education, pass a series of rigorous exams, and become nationally certified in their chosen certification program. NCCAOM has an extensive database of certified and active practitioners on its website, www.nccaom.org, where consumers can locate a local practitioner.

For more information about the benefits of acupuncture and Oriental medicine, go to the AOM Day 2007 website at www.aomday.org.