Acupuncturist: law and professional requirements

Who can be defined as acupuncturist, what can this professional figure, as expressed by the legislator in Italy on the subject of acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine

Who can call themselves an acupuncturist

According to Italian law, only a Surgeon who has completed a four-year postgraduate course in a recognized school can be considered an acupuncturist . If you want to verify the real degree in Medicine and Surgery of the acupuncturist you are about to contact, you can ask for confirmation from the Order of Doctors to which he is enrolled, which is evident from the stamp with which he signs the recipes.

To check if the acupuncturist you want to contact has actually carried out the appropriate studies, you can contact F.ISA, the Italian Federation of Acupuncture Societies .

What the acupuncturist can do

The acupuncturist works directly on points of energy circulation through the insertion of the needles. The type of balance that goes to restore is psychophysical and energetic together. Before inserting the disposable needles, the acupuncturist must make a diagnosis that is as scrupulous as it is open to possibilities that arise during treatment.

The acupuncturist restores the regular passage of qi , the vital energy, the vital energy flow that runs through the organs, viscera and sense organs through the meridians. The protocol varies according to the pathology and excellent results are found regarding disorders affecting the motor and osteoarticular apparatus ( neck pain, lumbago, tendonitis, back pain ), dysfunctions in the field of gynecology-obstetrics ( menstrual disorders , infertility), skin allergies and respiratory, nervous system disorders (headache, anxiety , insomnia , depression ), digestive system disorders ( gastritis , colitis , eating disorder). Allopathic doctors are not rare who are opening up to a true integrated medicine approach, having touched the scientific and empirical evidence of traditional Chinese medicine treatments with their hands.

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The law in Italy

In Italy acupuncture can only be practiced by qualified doctors . Whoever practices it without this requirement commits an illegal act, punishable by law (judgment of the Court of Cassation, 1982). In fact, in schools of traditional Chinese medicine , while courses such as Tui na are open to all, acupuncture is a channel reserved for the medical profession. It may happen in practice that acupuncturists from China are hosted in some medical centers, supported by Italian doctors.

Being a doctor legally allows the practice of acupuncture but in Italy there are no university courses of medical training for this discipline. Therefore the doctor can privately follow qualified courses, but also “pseudo-courses” of a few months, when instead a serious course would require at least three years of study. Many doctors have formed themselves into specific associations or qualified schools.

The recent initiative of the Order of Doctors of Rome for the establishment of an official register of doctors who practice acupuncture is very important.

Upon resolution of the board of directors of the Order of Doctors of Rome (n ° 51/98 of 01.06.98) a permanent forum was set up, made up of representatives of effectively representative schools and associations. The task of this body is to provide the Board of Directors of the Order with the elements of evaluation which, according to the new amnesty procedure, allow the registration of doctors from accredited schools in the appropriate register, as regards complementary medicines. of reference.