Acupuncture by another name
In response to Diane Broncaccio’s article on Feb. 9 about so-called dry needling. Re-naming acupuncture “dry needling” can be seen as an attempt by other practitioners to practice acupuncture without the expense and time commitment of adequate training. I have practiced acupuncture in the Pioneer Valley since 1986 and believe this leaves consumers both at risk of injury and under-served.
Despite the semantic sleight-of-hand, so-called “dry needling” is the practice of acupuncture, without the accompanying three-plus years of professional training and hundreds of hours of supervised clinical practice. The fact that a physical therapist with a weekend’s worth of training is eager to add it to her repertoire is because acupuncture is remarkably effective at relieving musculo-skeletal disorders. A more conscionable approach would be to acknowledge the limitations in one’s own scope of practice and refer to a licensed acupuncturist for co-treatment.
There is a good reason that, as stated in the article, there is “only one other (physical therapy) practice west of Interstate 495” that is offering dry needling, and that is because it is the practice of a medical modality by frighteningly under-trained individuals.
Nancy Grossman
Leverett
Nancy Grossman, Lic. Ac.
www.rivervalleyacupuncture.com
Amherst, MA
413.585.1511
Specializing in the treatment of concussions and sports injuries since 1986