What Is Acupuncture

What is Acupuncture?

On September 22, 2004, I went to the Acupuncture & Chinese Medical Clinic owned by Tara Anderson, M.S., LAc, located at 3118 Kimball Ave, in Waterloo, Iowa. Which is where I conducted an interview with Tara Anderson, she is a Chinese healer. Tara has her Masters of Science degree in Oriental Medicine and she also uses Chinese herbs in her practice. Tara also informed me that in the state of Iowa, you can be a MD., D.O., D.C., Podiatrists, or a Dentist and be allowed to practice acupuncture without any additional training. Chiropractors are allowed to practice acupuncture, but it is unknown what kind of training, if any, is required for them. To become a licensed acupuncturist, it is at least a four year degree. Tara went to school for 6 years. She got her degree from Midwest College of Oriental Medicine. She also did an internship in China for one year. She has been practicing for 2 years. There are 8 Registered Acupuncturists in the state of Iowa.

"Acupuncture" means promoting, maintaining, or restoring health, based on traditional oriental medical concepts. It uses areas of the human body, known as acupuncture points or meridians, by performing any of the following practices: Inserting acupuncture needles. Moxibustion which is an Eastern medicine, the practice of burning a cone or cylinder of downy or woolly material derived from various plants on the skin for its counterirritant effect; Applying manual, conductive thermal or electrical stimulation through use of acupuncture needles or any other secondary therapeutic technique except for use of other electromagnetic or ultrasound energy sources. To practice "a person shall not engage in the practice of acupuncture unless the person has registered with the board and received a certificate of registration pursuant to this chapter" registration and renewal required.

When I walked in, the first thing I noticed was a pungent odor. It's hard to describe, it was out of the ordinary. When I asked Tara's secretary what it was she replied "its moxa, a lot of people say it smells like pot." She later explained that after she leaves work, people say that she smells like pot. I sat in her modest clinic, as I waited for Tara to arrive back from lunch. I noticed there were a lot of jars with herbs in them; they were big and filled the shelves. There were a lot of certificates on the wall and a picture of Tara standing next to an older Chinese man. I found out later, he was one of her instructors in China.

Tara entered the office; She is a pretty woman with shoulder length blonde hair. She was wearing tan pants with an Asian style shirt and her shoes matched the colors in the shirt. She smiled a big smile and looked very healthy. We then went into a room where I conducted my interview. I explained that I was a student at Hawkeye Community College and that I am required to do a profile paper about something and I decided to do it on acupuncture.

I asked Tara "what exactly is acupuncture?" she said "It is the use of thin fine hair like needles inserted into the body to bring the body back into balance." Tara also said. "It works by using the meridians in your body. Meridians are channels in the body that carry "Chi" to the rest of the body. "Chi" is the energy of the life force." Tara also said, "acupuncture can help with many different ailments such as: attention deficit disorder, arthritis, headaches, women problems and even colds, basically anything." I was curious as to if it hurt she said "Most people feel little to no pain." To perform strictly acupuncture you have to be licensed. Tara stated that when you hit the right spot you can feel the "Chi" which Tara described as a tingly feeling. One of the most important concepts of Chinese medicine is that of natural balance. From this idea of balance arises the fundamental theory of yin and yang. According to this theory, life takes place in the alternating rhythm of yin and yang. Day gives way to night, night to