Licensed vs. certified acupuncturists

Qualifications of Acupuncturists

Not All Acupuncturists are Trained Equally

When looking for a qualified acupuncturist in North Carolina for serious concerns, chronic conditions, or long-term benefits, start your search for practitioners who are licensed acupuncturists (L.Ac.). They will have the highest level of training in the field. You will find a list of licensed acupuncturists at www.NCAAOM.org. Differences between the training of licensed acupuncturists and other practitioners performing acupuncture are in the chart below.

Some Licensed Acupuncturists Have Additional Training and Certification in Other Areas of Chinese Medicine

“Full service” Chinese medical practitioners can provide Chinese herbal therapy, eastern nutritional counseling and Asian body work, in addition to acupuncture. These practitioners are Nationally Certified Practitione5rs of Oriental Medicine or Diplomates of Oriental Medicine (Dipl. O.M.). A list of local practitioners can be found at www.NCCAOM.org.

Comparison of Licensed vs. Certified Acupuncturists

Certified/Physician Acupuncturist

Licensed Acupuncturist

Certified physician or chiropractors with 300 hours of training

Licensed acupuncturists (LAc) with an average of 2,700 hours of master's-level training

Training which is often comprised of home study and video-taped lectures

Master's level, on-site training at a nationally accredited school or college of acupuncture

Minimal clinical experience in acupuncture or no actual patient treatments before certification

Hundreds of hours of clinical experience and at least 250 actual patient treatments before licensure

Not required to complete the national certification examination to prove competency in acupuncture

Required to pass the national certification exam in acupuncture in order to become licensed (NCCAOM)

Not required to regularly complete continuing education courses

Required to do regular continuing education to maintain national certification

Even training among licensed acupuncturists can vary widely. Some graduate programs include training in all aspects of Oriental Medicine, including Chinese herbal therapy, food therapy and body work and may require as much as 3,500 hours of training.

Lorraine Harris has over 3,100 hours in graduate studies in Oriental Medicine with additional training in Chinese gynecology, Mei Zen cosmetic acupuncture, food therapy and many other areas of Chinese and Western medicine. She has worked in acupuncture clinics in San Diego and an herbal pharmacy. Ms. Harris is a licensed acupuncturist in North Carolina and California and is a Nationally Certified Practitioner of Oriental Medicine. She earned her Masters of Science in Traditional Oriental Medicine from Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in San Diego. Her training includes Traditional Chinese Medicine, Traditional Japanese Medicine, auricular acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, tui na, qi gong, Eastern nutrition.

Call for an appointment
828.215.8185

Office & Contact info >>

What is an acupuncture appointment like? >>

Your path to radiant health..

Lorraine Harris's Asheville acupuncture clinic is conveniently located in South Asheville. Ms. Harris is a licensed acupuncturist and Chinese herbalist and Nationally Board Certified Practitioner of Chinese Medicine. She is the only Mei Zen-trained cosmetic acupuncturist in Western North Carolina (WNC).


			Licensed Acupuncturist & Chinese Herbalist Asheville's Comprehensive Acupuncture Care

Licensed Acupuncturist & Chinese Herbalist Asheville's Comprehensive Acupuncture Care

Qualifications of Acupuncturists

Not All Acupuncturists are Trained Equally

Some Licensed Acupuncturists Have Additional Training and Certification in Other Areas of Chinese Medicine

Licensed Acupuncturist & Chinese Herbalist
Asheville's Comprehensive Acupuncture Care