Acupuncturist

by Kathleen Green

You’re a what?

ot a headache? It could be your liver.

And as part of your treatment, Jon Simon

might stick a needle in your toe.

Jon is an acupuncturist. He uses

needles, herbs, and other devices to treat

ailments such as headaches, back

problems, and foot pain. Through his

work, Jon advocates Oriental medicine’s

centuries-old precept that the body is

interconnected—head to toe and everything in between. It’s a complex approach

to well-being, he says, not a quick fix:

“Acupuncture is more than just sticking

needles in somebody’s body. It’s a whole

system of healing.”

Patients begin visits to Jon’s New York

City office by completing a form to

describe their condition. Jon reviews the

form and then, in an interview with the

patient, focuses on specific symptoms. “It

may seem like I’m asking a bunch of

unrelated questions,” he says, “but I’m

trying to find the nature of the complaint.” Based on information gathered

from the form and the interview, Jon

recommends treatment.

The most common acupuncture

treatment is needling: strategically

inserting and manipulating thin, solid

needles at specific points along the skin.

Other treatment methods, often used in

conjunction with needling, include

prescriptions of herbs or herb mixtures;

acupressure, which involves massaging

instead of needling acupuncture points;

and recommendations for lifestyle

changes, such as dietary modifications

and exercise.

Jon usually gives a brief description of

Oriental medicine so that patients

understand his suggested treatment.

Oriental medicine is based on the

principle that human energy circulates

along interconnected pathways known as

meridians. Pain or illness results when the

flow of energy is disrupted; by stimulating meridians via specific points on the

skin, acupuncture eliminates disruption

and restores balance.

Modern medicine’s explanation is that

acupuncture stimulates the nervous

system, releasing chemicals in the

muscles, spinal cord, and brain. These

chemicals, which include endorphins,

help the body to influence its internal

system for regulating pain.

Jon then devises a “point prescription”

for the patient. Applying light to heavy

pressure, he uses his trained hands to feel

around acupuncture points on the

patient’s body to determine where to

place a needle. “When I first started, I was

more precise about following the points

as memorized,” he says. “Now I’m more

imprecise because I’m going by feel.”

Once he finds what he’s looking for, he

holds the acupuncture point with one

hand and, with the other hand, uses a

guide tube to insert the needle.

Most treatments, Jon says, require

between 4 and 20 needles that vary in size

from as thin as a strand of hair to about

the width of a small sewing needle.

Sensitivity to the needle’s prick varies

from one person to another and depends

on factors such as needle type and

treatment style; temporary sensations

after insertion may include warmth,

itching, or numbness.

The needles—and the patient—stay in

place for an average of 20 minutes. In

Jon’s practice, an entire treatment session

lasts about 1 to 2 hours for a first visit,

which includes the interview, and 45

minutes to an hour for subsequent ones.

According to Jon, some patients feel

better immediately; others don’t notice a

change until hours later, and a small

number have no response. Most patients

need two or three treatments, he says,

before they see a difference—regardless

of their body’s response to the first visit.

“Over the course of several treatments, I

expect a patient to get better,” says Jon. “It’s

genuinely surprising to me if someone says

there’s been no improvement.”

Point taken. Data show that acupuncture and other forms of traditional Oriental

medicine are gaining popularity as a

treatment choice. A study in the November

1998 Journal of the American Medical

Association reports that between 1990 and

1997, patient visits to practitioners of

alternative medicine increased about 47

percent. And in a survey published in the

January 2001 American Demographics, 70

percent of respondents had tried at least 1 of

8 selected forms of alternative medicine,

including acupuncture.

Not surprisingly, the number of

acupuncturists also has risen. According

to the Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine

38 Occupational Outlook Quarterly ● Summer 2002

Kathleen Green is managing editor of the OOQ,

(202) 691-5717.

G
Alliance, the number of licensed acupuncturists nearly tripled in less than a decade:

from 5,525 in 1992 to 14,228 in 2000.

Jon joined those ranks in 2000. He had

completed a bachelor of arts degree in

history at Bates College, then joined the

Peace Corps and taught for 2 years in

Nepal. During a stop in Japan on his return

to New York, Jon decided “on a lark” to

visit an acupuncturist about a nagging

ankle injury. The treatment more than

helped, he says: the acupuncturist did a

thorough workup still unmatched by any

Jon has seen performed in this country.

As effective as the treatment was,

however, Jon forgot about it for several

years. Back from the Peace Corps and his

travels, he received a master of fine arts

degree in writing from Columbia University and freelanced as a writer, swimming

instructor, and dog walker. It was while

walking a dog a few weeks after the birth

of his first son, as Jon pondered the

financial responsibilities of fatherhood,

that he recognized the need for a stable

income. The successful acupuncture

treatment leaped to the forefront of his

mind, and he decided to look into

acupuncture as a career.

Jon checked the phone book, investigated program credentials, and applied to

two accredited acupuncture training

schools in New York City. Through the

Pacific College of Oriental Medicine, Jon

took classes and gained clinical experience. He earned a master of science

degree in traditional Oriental medicine,

took and passed the rigorous examinations required for licensing, and completed requirements for certification in

acupuncture and Chinese herbology.

The Pacific College of Oriental

Medicine is 1 of 38 programs fully

accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental

Medicine, an agency recognized by the

U.S. Department of Education. The

accredited programs confer primarily

master’s-level certificates, diplomas, or

degrees. Some schools offer programs

that grant a combined bachelor’s and

master’s degree.

Programs vary in length and specialty,

but most take 3 or 4 years, including

summers, of study and clinical experience. Coursework includes both commonly taught subjects—such as anatomy,

biophysics, and nutrition—and those

exclusive to instruction in traditional

Oriental medicine—such as acupuncture,

herbology, and needle technique. Clinical

experience comprises observation,

assistantships, and internships. Each State

has its own licensing standards.

As a basis for their licensure rules, 40

States and the District of Columbia use

an exam administered by the National

Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. Applicants

for Commission certification must be at

least 18 years old and have fulfilled

formal training and experience requirements, agreed to a code of ethics, passed

the Commission’s comprehensive written

and point-location exams, and completed

a course in clean-needle technique. The

latter requirement emphasizes preventing

transmission of blood-borne diseases,

such as hepatitis.

Like most acupuncturists, Jon is self

employed. Self-employed acupuncturists

must pay their own business costs—

which include those for malpractice

insurance, equipment purchase, office

rental, and advertising—out of their

earnings. The Bureau of Labor Statistics

does not collect earnings data on acupuncturists. The American Association of

Oriental Medicine says acupuncturists

usually charge between $40 to $70 per

session; some charge more or less,

depending on the cost of treatment in

Occupational Outlook Quarterly ● Summer 2002 39

their location.

But financial reward is not Jon’s chief

motivation for his work. Helping people

heal is what’s most meaningful to him—

whether he’s volunteering his services, as

he did for rescue crews working in the

World Trade Center wreckage last fall, or

treating patients who visit his office

routinely. “I see people—including those

who have chronic illnesses and feel they

have no hope—get better, and I get to be a

part of that,” he says. “You gain an

awareness of what it means to be truly

sick and the courage it takes to get better.

“It’s inspiring.”

Background photos courtesy of the American Association of

Oriental Medicine. Photo of Jon Simon by Andrew Simon.