I am a Licensed Acupuncturist, licensed by the State Medical Board of Virginia. I practice Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine. In 1996, my schooling required 3 years of didactic Acupuncture Theory and practice, Western Medical courses, septic needle handling training, and a year of clinical rotation under supervision of a licensed practitioner. My herbal medicine training was an additional 3 years of didactic and clinical rotation. Many other Acupuncturists now earn Masters of Acupuncture degrees, as do Physical Therapists, and go on the earn Doctor of Acupuncture degrees. Licensed Acupuncturists must pass a National Board Examination, as do Medical Doctors. The Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine exam is administered by the National Certification Commission of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM).

I find this comment process very unfortunate. It feels no more productive than arguing over politics or religion, yet I understand it because livlihoods are at stake. Acupuncturists feel there has been an incursion on their "turf" by what they see as upstart PTs doing "dry needling", and they want to protect what they worked long and hard to accomplish, many with student loan debt similar to many medical practitioners. 

Let's call this what it is. When we "Acu"rately "Puncture" the skin with a needle, we are doing Acupuncture, no matter if we call it TPDN. From what I understand, the gentleman who introduced "trigger point dry needling" first performed the procedure with a hypodermic needle, which can be very painful to the patient, so I can see a switch to filiform needles to minimize the pain. Yet, despite the filiform needles, reports from my patients who have had "dry needling" still show the procedure to be a painful endeavor.

I don't know what the outcome could possibly be from all of this, but the two camps are entrenched, to say the least. Livlihoods, and professional practices are in question. Acupuncturists feel wronged, and also feel a disparity between Acupuncture reimbursement strictures by insurance companies, and Physical Therapy reimbursements for 'dry needling'. I sincerely hope this will all be worked out equitably in the end.