and Oriental Medicine. Thirty-two states regulate the practice of acupuncture, and of
the 6,500 acupuncturists practicing in the United States, about 3,300 have taken the
examination administered by the National Commission for the Certification of
Acupuncturists (NCCA). To take the exam, candidates must have completed three
years of full-time training and apprenticed with a certified acupuncturist for three
years. Immigrant acupuncturists trained abroad must have practiced acupuncture
for four years in lieu of apprenticeship.
An estimated 5,000 American doctors now include acupuncture in their practices.
Most are family physicians, anesthesiologists, orthopedists, and pain specialists. Few
physicians are NCCA-certified, but most are certified by the American Academy of
Medical Acupuncture instead. Even though acupuncture is used in China to treat
many conditions, in the United States conventional physicians have taken the tech-
nique out of context, using it most often to relieve acute and chronic pain.
Nationally, an estimated 12,000 nonmedical doctors practice acupuncture, including
nurses, naturopathic physicians, and chiropractors.
Professionals using acupressure are usually physical therapists or massage therapists
with special training in this field. Some nurses are trained in acupressure and use it
to help clients sleep and to reduce levels of anxiety. Midwives may use acupressure
techniques to promote relaxation during labor and reduce breast engorgement after
delivery. No specific license or certification is needed to practice any of the forms of
acupressure.
How Do Pressure Point Therapies Work?
Like most alternative medicine, pressure point therapy regards health as a state of
harmony, or balance, of the opposing forces of nature, both internal and environ-
mental. The body requires balanced yin and yang energy to function properly and
utilize its natural ability to resist disease. It is believed that everything you need to
maintain and restore health already exists in nature and that pressure point thera-
pies free up energy and restore balance, thus enabling individuals to maintain or
regain their health.
Symptoms are caused by an imbalance of yin and yang in some part of the body,
leading to excesses or deficiencies of life energy throughout the body. When the flow
of energy becomes blocked or congested, people experience discomfort or pain on a
physical level, may feel frustrated or irritable on an emotional level, and may expe-
rience a sense of vulnerability or lack of purpose in life on a spiritual level. When
the flow of energy is interrupted, the area cannot nourish or cleanse. If not corrected,
these blocks and imbalances in energy channels can result in disease and eventually
illness.
CHAPTER 12 PRESSURE-POINT THERAPIES 157
