Unfortunately, figuring out whether an acupuncturist is licensed is not as easy as it looks. Although the most common degree designation for an acupuncturist is LAc, some states use different titles or abbreviations to signify that their practitioners are licensed.
Listed below are some of the most commonly used abbreviations (and their titles) in the acupuncture and Oriental medicine profession. If you know of another title or organization that should be on this list, please contact us at Editorial@AcupunctureToday.com and we will add it to the list.
| Abbreviation | Title |
| ABT | Asian Bodywork Therapist |
| AcD | Acupuncture Doctor (used in Canada) |
| AP | Acupuncture Physician (used in Florida) |
| ASA | American Society of Acupuncturists |
| CA, CAc | Certified Acupuncturist |
| CH | Chinese Herbalist |
| CT | Clinical Technician |
| DAc | Doctor of Acupuncture (used in Hawaii) |
| D. Acu | Doctor of Acupuncture (used in Rhode Island) |
| DACM | Doctorate of Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine |
| Dipl. ABT | Diplomate in Asian Bodywork Therapy |
| Dipl. Ac. | Diplomate in Acupuncture |
| Dipl. CH | Diplomate in Chinese Herbalism |
| Dipl. OM | Diplomate in Oriental Medicine |
| DNBAO | Diplomate, National Board of Acupuncture Orthopedics |
| DAOM | Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine |
| DOM | Doctor of Oriental Medicine |
| DTCM, Dr. TCM | Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine (used in Canada) |
| FIAMA | Fellow, International Academy of Medical Acupuncture |
| LAc, Lic. Ac. | Licensed Acupuncturist |
| MAOM | Master, Art of Oriental Medicine |
| MSOM | Master, Science of Oriental Medicine |
| MTCM | Master, Traditional Chinese Medicine |
| MTOM | Master, Traditional Oriental Medicine |
| OMD | Oriental Medicine Doctor |
| PhD | Doctor of Philosophy |
| RAc, Reg. Ac. | Registered Acupuncturist (used in Colorado and Canada) |
| R. TCM. H. | Registered Traditional Chinese Medicine Herbalist (used in Canada) |
| R. TCM. P. | Registered Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner (used in Canada) |
| TCMD | Traditional Chinese Medicine Doctor (used in Canada) |
| Abbreviation | Organization |
| AAMA | American Academy of Medical Acupuncture |
| AAOM | American Association of Oriental Medicine |
| ACAOM | Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine |
| AOBTA | American Organization for Bodywork Therapies of Asia |
| CCAOM | Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine |
| FAOMRA | Federation of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Regulatory Agencies |
| IAMA | International Academy of Medical Acupuncture |
| IVAS | International Veterinary Acupuncture Society |
| NADA | National Acupuncture Detoxification Association |
| NAOMA | National Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Alliance |
| NCCAOM | National Commission for the Certification of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine |
| NSAA | National Sports Acupuncture Association |
| SAR | Society for Acupuncture Research |
Structured water (H3O2) can be considered a fourth state of water between liquid and solid. It has the hexagonal structure of ice; however, missing a critical bond, it behaves more like a gel than a solid, but retains some of its crystalline structure.
In the past five years of my clinical practice, I have seen an astonishing upsurge in the chronic use of proton-pump inhibitor (PPI) medications for the gastrointestinal issue diagnosed by allopathic medicine as GERD. It is not uncommon to encounter patients taking these prescriptions for five-plus years.
Working with chronically ill patients entails acknowledging the reality that not all patients will survive their diagnosis. Chinese medicine and acupuncture play a crucial role in palliative and end-of-life care, addressing medication and disease side effects, alleviating pain associated with death, reducing anxiety and stress, and helping patients find peace during the dying process.
