There is no similarity between dry needling and acupuncture.  The differences bertween the two are extensive including the goals, evaluation, and training.  The requirments for using dry needling for Virginia includes 54 hours of post graduate training but more importantly a 3 year graduate degree in Physical Therapy and a 4 year Bachelors degree.  The minimum to practice dry needling then is 7 years of education prior to 54 hours of training. I think the differences in training and education speak volumes and we should focus our attention on that more than the similarity of using a needle.