WAS Joins ASA

The Wyoming Acupuncture Society has recently become a member of the American Society of Acupuncturists (ASA).  The American Society of Acupuncturists works to promote the highest standards of professional practice for acupuncture and East Asian Medicine (EAM) in the United States.  Through strengthening the profession at the state level, the ASA provides its members, the public, legislators, and regulators resources for ensuring the best expression of this ancient and modern medicine.​

The ASA collaborates nationally and internationally with policy makers and legislators on behalf of practitioners, state associations, and allied stakeholders.  Additionally a valuable range of professional networking opportunities, practice development resources, governance training, and operational tools are provided to members.  The purpose of these resources are to strengthen professional representation, to further the business of members, and to safeguard the depth and breadth of the profession.

The ASA works to create a world where all Americans have widespread awareness of and access to the best of acupuncture and EAM.  Integration into healthcare delivery and funding models, creating parity with traditional Western medicine approaches is part of the vision of the ASA.

WAS Hosts First Continuing Education Event

Wyoming Acupuncture Society was pleased to host its first Continuing Education event for acupuncturists on May 4th and 5th, 2019.  Eleven participants from Wyoming, Utah and South Dakota spent 2 days learning Orthosport Acupuncture techniques from instructor Chad Bong. 

Mr. Bong is a licensed acupuncturist who practices in Philadelphia, PA and holds Masters Degrees in both Oriental Medicine and Exercise Science as well as an 800-hour certification in massage therapy.  Combining the knowledge of both Eastern and Western views gives him a unique perspective on how injuries happen and how they can be treated. 

Over the weekend, participants learned anatomically significant acupuncture points, and needle techniques to assist in the treatment of sports injuries and common pain patterns of the neck, back, and hips seen in the acupuncture clinic. Also discussed were the anatomical significance of the injuries, medical pathology underlying common symptoms, and when a referral to a medical doctor is necessary.

​What is 'Dry Needling'?

​You may have heard the term 'Dry Needling' and had some questions about this modality.  The chart below gives you more information about Acupuncture and Dry Needling.

Dry Needling

• Dry needling is Acupuncture  Dry needling is a technique using acupuncture needles to treat musculoskeletal pain. A thin, solid needle is inserted directly into muscles and “trigger points”.
• Training  Physical therapists in Wyoming practice dry needling with a 27 hour training course over one weekend. There is no exam, clinical practice or supervision required.
• Patient Safety  No regulatory board exists to regulate the practice of dry needling. There have been reports of punctured lungs and other organs, nerve damage and infections from dry needling by non-acupuncturists.
• Patient Comfort  Patients tend to report much more pain during and after dry needling than with acupuncture.
• Holistic Care  Dry needling treats local muscle pain or tightness only. 

Acupuncture

• Dry needling is Acupuncture  Acupuncture is the insertion of thin, solid needles into the body to treat disease, injury, pain or dysfunction, and to promote health and wellness. “Trigger points” are acupuncture points and have been used by acupuncturists for thousands of years.
• Training  Acupuncturists have over 1000 clinical hours of training, including over 3 years of needling techniques, depths, angles and locations under supervision of practiced professionals. Acupuncturists are trained in both traditional acupuncture and modern biomedical theories.
• Patient Safety  Acupuncture is regulated nationally and is one of the safest procedures available in contemporary medicine when performed by qualified acupuncturists with adequate training.
• Patient Comfort  Treatment can be tailored to each individual patient’s needs, progress and comfort and is usually very relaxing.
• Holistic Care  Acupuncture treatment encompasses local pain as well as whole body health and vitality, allowing the body to heal itself, providing lasting results in most cases. Acupuncture treats pain and many other conditions, including; sleep issues, digestive problems, headaches, stress, anxiety, women’s health and more.

Acupuncture Practice Act

CHEYENNE, WY, March 28, 2017 – A long, arduous journey has come to an end for acupuncture and Oriental medicine practitioners and proponents living in Wyoming. Governor Matt Mead signed HB 165, the state’s first law regulating acupuncture, also known as “The Wyoming Acupuncture Practice Act”, making Wyoming the 47th state to implement laws regulating the practice of acupuncture. The Wyoming Acupuncture Society, who worked closely with the bill’s authors to create and pass this milestone legislation, participated in the bill signing.

“With nearly 100% of Wyoming’s acupuncturists backing this bill and very supportive legislative bill sponsors, we were able to successfully share our story of why regulating acupuncture is so important”, said Whitney Fessler, President of the Wyoming Acupuncture Society. “We look forward to increasing the availability of acupuncture in all corners of rural Wyoming.”

This practice act is designed to prevent untrained and inexperienced practitioners from performing acupuncture reducing unnecessary risk to Wyoming patients seeking acupuncture services. The bill requires Wyoming Acupuncturists to graduate from an education program accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine  (ACAOM) and pass National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM®) exams.
“Now that Wyoming has become the 47th state to regulate the practice of acupuncture, this will ensure that its citizens will be better protected and the state will attract acupuncturists who are nationally board certified,” said Dr. Kory Ward-Cook, chief executive officer of the NCCAOM. “When you raise the standards, you attract highly qualified practitioners.”

The creation of a first practice act will establish the board of acupuncture enabling it to regulate the practice of acupuncture and also provide rulemaking authority to include providing penalties. The law will go into effect January 1, 2018.
Acupuncture is one of the oldest, most commonly used medical treatments in the world. It is low-cost, non-invasive and has very little adverse side effects and has been used with great success for more than 3,000 years. Today, many patients and doctors consider acupuncture a mainstream integrative treatment.
Source: ​http://www.nccaom.org/blog/2017/03/29/wyoming-practice-act/