Action | Practice of dry needling |
Stage | Proposed |
Comment Period | Ended on 2/24/2017 |
We at the Iowa Association of Oriental Medicine and Acupuncture want to reiterate what your Board has likely already heard many times: dry needling is acupuncture, and must be treated as such under the law. The State of Virginia already licenses and regulates practitioners of Acupuncture, and any professionals wanting to perform Acupuncture must be held to the same standards and laws as Acupuncturists.
IAOMA has adopted the following Position Points on this topic:
Our Primary Assertions
Our Purpose in Presenting These Points
Educational Standards Must Be Upheld
Current opposition to the practice of Dry Needling Acupuncture by non-Medical Doctor, non-Acupuncturist practitioners should not be considered a ‘turf war,’ but rather a reflection of concern for objectively verified, minimal competency standards that protect the public from substandard and dangerous invasive medical procedures.
Thank you.
(For more information visit our association website, www.iaoma.org, the national acupuncture certification commission’s website, www.nccaom.org, the national center for acupuncture safety and integrity website, www.acupuncturesafety.org. In those places you will find accounts of injuries caused by the improper use of acupuncture needles by inadequately trained “dry needlers” as well as information on the rigorous standards of education and competency required for licensed acupuncturists.
Email questions or comments to IAOMAonline@gmail.com)