Thoughts from a Student (future M.S.TOM/ D.P.T.)

I believe that the L.Ac title exists because there is a distinction between the depth of knowledge, amount of training, and, in my personal & humble opinion, respect for the cultures acupuncture and oriental medicine originated from.

If the acupuncture practitioner community were all required to pass the same licensing exams the "line that divides" us could not be challenged as it is now, between your site and the Medical Acupuncture Facts website.

When I move on to a D.P.T. program I will certainly have more than a few hundred hrs. of education ahead of me because the field is simply different. I will also have to pass the same exam as my peers for that title. The same should be true for clinical practitioners wanting to practice or specialize in (any type of) acupuncture.

Again, my humble opinion is that the patient should be well aware of the difference between medical and licensed acupuncturists.

1) Let us take our license equality concerns to the AAAOM instead of squabbling over the internet (I realize how that seems hypocritical)

2) Let all acupuncture practitioners be responsible enough to allow the patient to be informed of the difference and make their informed decision about their practitioner of choice.