As licensed acupuncturists with the ability to evaluate, diagnose and treat using a variety of modalities, including herbal medicine, we are entrusted with a high level of clinical responsibility. Yet in an age of professional forums, online groups and social media communities, there is a growing trend of practitioners asking for case-specific treatment advice without having completed a proper patient evaluation themselves.
While these forums can serve as valuable spaces for peer connection and continuing education, they are not appropriate platforms for crowdsourcing clinical decisions. When a patient presents with a condition outside your area of clinical focus – or you simply feel less confident formulating an herbal prescription, the professional and ethical response is to refer to a trusted colleague, not to rely on generalized input from online posts.
Offering Advice Without Evaluation: Legal Risks
As a licensed acupuncturist, giving specific treatment advice (whether acupuncture point prescriptions, herbal formulas, dietary recommendations, etc.) for a patient you have not personally evaluated can be considered a breach of professional conduct. Most states that license acupuncturists require:
Offering treatment suggestions for a patient you haven’t examined – even through another practitioner – may be interpreted as unlicensed practice, negligence or malpractice, especially if harm results from that advice. Even in private practitioner forums, liability does not disappear simply because the conversation was peer-to-peer.
When to Refer: Herbal Medicine, Acupuncture and Beyond
Herbal medicine is a powerful tool in our scope. If you’re less experienced with infertility, dermatology or complex herbal formulations, referring to a colleague who specializes in that area ensures the patient receives the highest-quality care.
Similarly, if a patient presents with a condition outside your comfort zone – such as chronic autoimmune illness, fertility cases or pediatric care, it is not only appropriate, but also professionally responsible to consult or refer to someone more qualified. This applies to acupuncture as well.
Referrals should be viewed not as limitations, but as evidence of clinical maturity and integrity.
Benefits of Building a Referral Culture
A Realistic Example
Let’s say a licensed acupuncturist posts: “I have a patient with eczema. I’ve tried basic formulas and a few point protocols. Anyone have a go-to herbal formula that works for this?”
Without evaluating the patient’s constitution, tongue, pulse, emotional state, diet, lifestyle, or the nature of the lesions, any advice given is essentially guesswork. The patient may have a damp-heat condition, blood deficiency with wind, or an autoimmune component – each of which would be treated very differently. This is where a referral to an herbalist with a dermatology focus could make all the difference.
Final Thoughts
As licensed health care providers and practitioners of Chinese medicine, we are part of a lineage that honors both deep individual knowledge and collective wisdom. But wisdom includes knowing when a patient’s needs are better served by someone else. By cultivating a strong referral network, we elevate our field, protect our licenses, and deliver safer, more effective care.
Next time you feel the urge to ask a forum for help managing a case outside your scope or comfort zone, consider this: A referral isn’t a sign of weakness – it’s a sign of professionalism. And in a profession that’s still working hard to gain broader recognition and integration, these choices matter.
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Our team of authors offer this paper (and this descriptive AT series) as a support for you as a professional, practitioner and member of the acupuncture community at large. We hope that it will serve to further the needs of acupuncturists everywhere and also act as a guide for those wishing to learn about Acupuncture Medicine – patients, healthcare decision makers, policymakers, and other stakeholders.