Northwest Arkansas Acupuncture: 3 Things to Look for In a Northwest Arkansas Acupuncturist

If you live in Northwest Arkansas and are looking for an acupuncturist, this blog will help you make the right decision. When you are in physical, emotional, or spiritual distress, finding the right health practitioner can be a difficult task.

Real healing requires a certain level of trust and understanding between the patient and the practitioner. If you are going to spend an hour or more seeking treatment with a practitioner when you’re feeling your lowest it should be with a person you feel confident in.

In my personal experience, from being on both sides of the table, here are a few things that can make an acupuncturist (or any health care provider) a good fit for you.

3 Things to Look for In a Northwest Arkansas Acupuncturist

CREDENTIALS

Make sure the person you are seeking acupuncture from is a licensed acupuncturist (designated as L.Ac. in Illinois). This designation is important because a few other professions can get “certified” to perform acupuncture (physical therapists, chiropractors and some medical doctors, called “certified acupuncturists”). The difference in education for a licensed acupuncturist versus a certified acupuncturist is very significant. Licensed acupuncturists (like myself in Illinois) undergo extensive training including 3500 hours of study in anatomy, physiology, orthopedic and neurological evaluation, pathophysiology, western diseases, acupuncture, herbology and Chinese medical theory (just to name a few). In addition, by the time we sit for board exams we have 1000+ hours of clinical experience, passed the Clean Needle Technique certification and are required to complete continuing education to keep licensure up to date.

Contrast that to the minimal requirements needed by physical therapists, chiropractors, and medical doctors to become “certified”. Certified acupuncturists only complete about 100-300 hours of training, which sometimes can be made up of home study, video lectures, or weekend programs. They have minimal clinical supervision or experience actually inserting needles into patients during this time. Most are also not required to complete the national certification exam to prove acupuncture competency, nor  Clean Needle Technique certification nor are they required to complete continuing education courses.

SPECIFIC CONDITIONS

In Traditional Chinese Medicine there are as many ways to treat the body as there are diseases. One of the things I love the most about this medicine is its flexibility and being able to successfully treat a wide variety of ailments. However, I do think that it’s important to see an acupuncturist who enjoys and is good at treating what ails you. Seek out someone who knows a bit about your condition and is genuinely interested in supporting your health goal.

Claretha at Jade Path Acupuncture excels at and enjoys treating people experiencing stress and anxiety, headaches and migraines, digestive complaints (constipation, diarrhea, IBS, Crohns, ulcerative colitis), insomnia, pain, women’s health (pms, fertility, postpartum, menopause) and chemotherapy support.

BEDSIDE MANNER

Every acupuncturist has a unique personality and bedside manner. It is a good idea to make sure that your personalities connect on some level. If you are a critical thinker and want minimum involvement, seek out a similar minded acupuncturist. If you are looking for a more heart to heart connection, find an acupuncturist with an upbeat approach. Your acupuncturist is someone you want to support, encourage, and help you heal – so you should feel that they always have your best interests at heart. One way to find out a little more about their personality and treatment style is to review their website, their reviews online (you can check my Yelp page here), or on social media sites like Facebook or Twitter. But, in the end, nothing is a substitute for a face to face consultation.

I have had a thriving Northwest Arkansas acupuncture practice for several years. If you would like support reaching your health goals call me at (773) 669-5724 or email claretha@jadepathacupuncture.com.