Fair and appropriate wages in health care are typically based on economic evaluations. A simple literature review illuminates that acupuncture is missing economic evaluations; which implies you are either underpaid or overpaid.
Licensed acupuncturists typically provide additional services other than acupuncture. The complexity of services provided by most American acupuncturists, which they are trained and certified to provide, must be reimbursed fairly.
If insurance does not cover additional services, the patient is expected to pay for the services out-of-pocket. Alas, most acupuncturists in private practice write off such services as basic evaluation and management, nutritional, lifestyle and exercise counseling, in addition to mental and emotional services. This has led to widespread expectation that acupuncturists will write off such services; and may lead to provider burnout.
It is important to consider not engaging in employment contracts that require the licensee to provide services for which they are not paid. Would an attorney spend an extra hour a day providing consultations for free?
These additional services often require postgraduate education, which is time consuming and expensive for the person holding the license to practice within their scope of practice.
Some acupuncturists have additional years of postgraduate education for their areas of specialty (for example, in my case, adjunct acupuncture for assisted reproductive technology: IVF). Specialists must be paid accordingly. Currently, medical doctors are unaware that many acupuncturists obtain postgraduate education to specialize in specific conditions at their own volition.
An incentive to obtain appropriate postgraduate education does not exist for general acupuncturists. This lack of education makes it difficult to hire acupuncturists or create employment opportunities. Perhaps appropriate salaries may encourage more acupuncturists to obtain the necessary education that is not provided during their master or doctorate program.
My recommendation for acupuncturists who are negotiating employment contracts is to consider the following:
Over my almost 30 years in clinical practice, I have used Chai Hu Long Gu Mu Li Tang extensively for a wide array of clinical presentations ranging from chronic headaches to anxiety, insomnia, and prescription drug withdrawal symptoms if these situations fit the appropriate patterns – all with extremely positive clinical outcomes.
There’s no doubt that many of your patients visit your practice because they are in pain. And there’s certainly no doubt that curcumin from turmeric (Curcuma longa) can be incredibly effective in stopping that pain, whether due to chronic conditions like arthritis or acute pain from intensive workouts. But your patients may also benefit from curcumin for other reasons.
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Low back pain is defined as pain the posterior superior iliac spine (PSIS), and it can be acute or chronic, localized or radiating. It is a common ailment for adults in the United States, with a lifetime prevalence as high as 65-80%. Whether or not an MRI is available to provide definitive knowledge of a structural issue, acupuncture can be an effective treatment for low back pain.
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