1.  License

Although this is pretty redundant: most practitioners who go about the trouble of setting up shop and advertising and putting their phone number in the phone book would most likely be licensed it bears researching.  I would not recommend directly asking your prospective practitioner  ”Are you licensed” as this may be misconstrued by us sensitive acupuncturists that you do not value our terrific work and think that we are among the ranks of unlicensed professionals such as eastern European tile layers.(No offense to any eastern European tile craftsmen)   A better approach would be to research your prospective practitioners credentials online.  A quick search of their website should state if they are licensed by their state board and national governing body.  You can always check the state board website for acupuncture and enter your prospects name to see if their license is available on line.   Another good place to check would be the National Certification Commission on Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine website www.nccaom.org. This is the national certification commission that certifies practitioners in about half of the states in the U.S.

2. Ask

Ask your friends, ask your family, ask your coworkers,  ask your facebook friends, send out a tweet, call your local yoga studio, ask the clerk at the local healthfood store, ask your doctor, ask your chiropractor, ask your therapist, ask your neighbor …..”Do you know of a good acupuncturist” ….chances are they do!

3.  Surf the web

True not all acupuncturists have websites, and yes not all acupuncturists have good websites, and I am sure that there are a handful of GREAT acupuncturists out there that rarely even visit the Internet, however this being 2010 in America you will do well to look on the web to find an acupuncturist in your town.   Now don’t judge a book by its cover( we practice acupuncture not  web design) but by visiting a practitioner’s site you can get a pretty accurate feel as to what direction this person takes in life.   Read the words and look at the pictures of a few websites, get a list of those that jump out at you and then move on to the next step which is make contact.

4. Contact

For many acupuncturists the best way to contact them directly is via email.  While in the office (hopefully) the practitioner is busy treating patients, making their pain go away, and helping heal the ills of the world.  Therefore a quick email to a practitioners direct line introducing yourself and asking them if they have experience in treating your condition is a great way to make contact.   If you like the response that you get but still are not sold on this practitioner, ask for a 10 minute free consultation at their office.   Check out their office, see how it feels, talk with the practitioner for a few minutes.   Don’t get too heavy into your condition as you are just sort of making contact to see if you would trust your most prized possession, your health, in the care of this person.

5.  Establish Goals and Expectations

Once you have found a practitioner and completed an evaluation of your case and your condition, ask them to establish some goals for your case.   It is important to understand that despite what you have heard acupuncture is not a miracle cure, it is a type of therapy that is very effective for a number of different conditions.   A good practitioner should be able to work out a good treatment plan and set some clear goals for you to work together on.  Be realistic, your acid reflux and sleep apnea that you have had for 30 years is not going to go away with two treatments.    A long term condition or a serious case usually will require  a series of treatments to effect a result.  On the other hand if your acupuncturist seems intent on seeing you three times a week for the next fifteen weeks to cure your simple low back ache, that might be your cue to cut ties and perhaps find another practitioner.   Try to establish a good plan right from the outset with your acupuncturist.    A usual course of acupuncture therapy is roughly 5-10 treatments.  Some cases may respond in less and some cases may take many more.