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Glossary
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All of the intials that indicate
degrees, certifications and training can be confusing. The following glossary
will hopefully help you understand their relevance.
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Licensed Practitioner of
Oriental Medicine (L.OM.)
In order to practice acupuncture in Pennsylvania, one must apply for a
license from the State Board of Medicine or the State Board of Osteopathic
Medicine. Depending on one's training, an acupuncturist can apply for a license
to practice acupuncture (L.Ac.), or a license to practice Oriental Medicine (L.OM.). A
Practitioner of Oriental Medicine is licensed to not only
practice acupuncture, but also Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine.
Certain minimal requirements
must be met in regards to education and
training before one can obtain either license.
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NCCAOM Certification (Dipl.O.M. (NCCAOM))
The NCCAOM is the National
Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. Most
states require passing grades on one or more NCCAOM exams in order to apply for
a license. I am an NCCAOM Diplomate in Oriental Medicine. This means that I
have passed 5 separate competency examinations covering acupuncture theory,
point location, western biomedicine, chinese herbology and Oriental Medical
theory.
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APA
The APA is the Association
for Professional Acupuncture in Pennsylvania.
This is a
professional organization for non-physician acupuncturists. It provides a forum
for acupuncture and herbology based continuing education and a means to stay
current on state legislation that affects the profession.
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Hari Style of Acupuncture
The
Hari style of acupuncture is a specific style of acupuncture that is
rooted in traditional Japanese meridian therapy. I have studied through the
Hari program in Boston outside of my regular schooling.
What may interest some patients is that the treatments may involve
non-insertive needle techniques. This is a wonderful treatment style for any
patient, but especially for children or those who may be afraid of needles.
While the treatments are very gentle, the effects are still powerful. If you
are interested in the lineage of this style, please
meet my teacher.
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NAET (Nambudripad's Allergy Elimination Techniques
NAET is a vibrational technique
to non-invasively identify and treat
nutritional, environmental, and auto-immune related sensitivities and allergies. Instead
of putting patients on long-term avoidance diets or lifestyles, this system provides
a means of treating each allergen or sensitivity, often in as little as one treatment
per allergen or sensitivity.
Only those holding a medical license can be trained in NAET. Training is done directly with
Dr. Nambudripad at her clinic outside of Los Angeles. Trainees must attend seminars up through
Advanced Level I in order to be listed on the NAET website as an NAET practitioner.
Trainees are also required to demonstrate Neuromuscular Response Testing skills as well
as pass a written exam for each training session.
For more information on NAET at Feel Good Acupuncture, please click here.
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Master's Degree in
Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (M.A.O.M.) from the
New England School of Acupuncture (NESA)
This degree indicates that I have studied traditional Chinese styles of
acupuncture, traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine and traditional Japanese
styles of acupuncture. The program included 2, 235 didactic
(academic/classroom) hours and 930 clinical hours, which included 705 hours of
supervised clinical interships. My clinical internships included shifts at the
NESA Clinic, the
Center for Women at Mt. Auburn Hospital, and the Winchester Hospital
Family Clinic in Wilmington.
Why are the hours of training important?
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NESA's program provided me with 3,165 of combined clinical and didactic
training. This surpasses the ACAOM
designated minimum of 2,625 hours by 540 hours.
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A physician acupuncturist in the state of Pennsylvania is only
required to obtain 200 hours of continuing education level
training in acupuncture. A physician is also not required to take or pass
any of the NCCAOM exams.
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Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
degree in Fine Arts and Russian Language from
Dickinson College
A pre-requisite to enrolling in a Master's Program for Acupuncture and Oriental
Medicine is a Bachelor's Degree. I earned my Bachelor of Arts degree in Fine
Arts and Russian Language from Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA.
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