Claudia Citkovitz, PhD, MS, LAc

Dr. Claudia Citkovitz began her acupuncture studies in a New York kung fu studio in the 1990s, and has been licensed in acupuncture and herbal medicine since 2002. Since 2004 she has led the Acupuncture Service at NYU Langone Hospital – Brooklyn, providing inpatient acupuncture instruction and conducting practice-based research in labor and delivery and acute stroke rehabilitation. In addition to private practice, she is an active educator online and at colleges in the U.S. and abroad, and recently published a book on acupressure and acupuncture during birth. She is an associate editor for the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine; a commissioner on the board of ACAOM, the accrediting body for U.S. acupuncture schools; and a Society for Acupuncture Research board member.

Previous Articles

Long COVID Response to Classical Chinese Medicine: A Case Series
August 1, 2025 (Vol. 26, Issue 8)
Trending
Acupuncture & Acupressure
It’s Time to Stop Prescribing Points
It's Time to Stop Prescribing Points

A student stands over a patient, needle poised. They have a “perfect” prescription: a textbook combination of points harvested from a lecture slide on chronic lower back pain. But as the needle meets the skin, the student hesitates - the symptom of a quiet habit that has taken hold of our profession. We routinely say we “prescribe” points. It sounds efficient. It echoes the authority of biomedical culture and fits neatly into the insurance field. But vocabulary is never neutral; repeated long enough, it dictates behavior.

Bruce W. Park, DACM
Acupuncture & Acupressure
Open the Orifices: Point Combinations for Allergy Presentations
Open the Orifices: Point Combinations for Allergy Presentations

Acupuncture can be highly effective in cases of nasal congestion so common in allergy presentations; so much so that I often treat such issues using acupuncture protocols alone. In cases of seasonal allergies with highly predictable causes such as obvious elevations of environmental allergens, I use a skeleton acupuncture prescription that can easily be fleshed out to target potential underlying patterns and effectively customized to the patient.

Craig Williams, LAc, AHG
News / Profession
Profession at a Crossroads: What Must Change
Profession at a Crossroads: What Must Change

The field of acupuncture in the U.S. continues to grow in visibility, patient demand and clinical effectiveness. Yet behind the curtain, many acupuncturists are quietly struggling to keep their doors open. While the profession is rooted in centuries of healing tradition, modern economic pressures – particularly those driven by insurance limitations, low reimbursement rates and job-market saturation – are making it increasingly difficult for licensed acupuncturists to thrive.

Shabnam Pourhassani, LAc, QME, DACM