New publications
Acupuncturist
Last reviewed: 03.07.2025

All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.

Acupuncture therapists have been and remain very popular specialists in the field of both alternative and traditional medicine, since acupuncture is a fairly effective method of treating and preventing many diseases, especially diseases of the nervous system and musculoskeletal system.
Acupuncture dates back to the times of Ancient China, even then this method of treatment was very popular and considered very effective.
Who is an acupuncturist?
An acupuncturist is a doctor who specializes in acupuncture. The profession of an acupuncturist appeared a long time ago and remains popular to this day.
In the modern world, acupuncturists are specialists with higher medical education (most often these are neurologists or neuropathologists) who have undergone special training in acupuncture and, accordingly, received the necessary certificate, which allows them to practice this type of treatment. In the modern world, it is not so difficult to obtain a certificate of an acupuncturist, so if you have already decided to contact this specialist, then be sure to make sure that he has a higher medical education, which implies good knowledge of human anatomy. Otherwise, you risk getting to an unqualified specialist, whose treatment may not give any result or, in the worst case, may even harm your health only due to the banal lack of good knowledge of human anatomy and physiology.
When should you see an acupuncturist?
You can contact an acupuncturist if you have any disease that causes you discomfort. Naturally, the disease should not be in an acute stage. Before starting treatment with an acupuncturist, you need to consult a general practitioner and then, after the treatment prescribed by the therapist, you can additionally undergo a course of acupuncture for better efficiency.
It is not advisable to use acupuncture as the only independent method of treating a particular disease, it should be an addition to a specific type of treatment. You can also contact an acupuncture therapist if you need to relieve tension or stress, in which case acupuncture is quite acceptable to use as an independent method of treatment.
Contraindications to visiting an acupuncturist include the presence of malignant neoplasms in the body, blood cancer, infectious diseases of various origins, active tuberculosis, acute poisoning, treatment with hormonal drugs, and elevated body temperature.
What tests should be taken when visiting an acupuncturist?
When you contact an acupuncturist, there is no urgent need to take any tests, but the doctor may well require a general blood test to rule out any diseases that can be transmitted by transmission. You also need to provide the acupuncturist with the results of the tests you took before you started treating your disease. They will help the doctor choose the right treatment tactics depending on the patient's obvious problem.
What diagnostic methods does an acupuncturist use?
Among the main diagnostic methods used by acupuncturists are acupuncture combined with pulse diagnostics, psychological diagnostic techniques using mudras and muscle testing. Also, very often acupuncturists use special electrical devices to more accurately determine active points on the patient's body.
What does an acupuncturist do?
Acupuncturists treat various types of diseases by means of acupuncture, massage or cauterization of active points of the body (but most often it is acupuncture). The human body has 664 such points, all of them are projection points of internal organs on the surface of the skin. In his work, an acupuncturist uses special thin sterile silver or steel needles, or special devices that can affect active points.
Acupuncture is a very effective method of treatment, especially in cases where traditional medicine does not give the expected result. This method of treatment is considered safe and, if used correctly, does not cause any complications or side effects. Acupuncture therapists work mainly in private medical clinics or specialized health centers.
What diseases does an acupuncturist treat?
The spectrum of diseases treated by an acupuncture therapist is very large. For better results, acupuncture is combined with other treatment methods, but is also often used as an independent treatment method. Most often, acupuncture is used to treat:
- cardiovascular diseases;
- diseases of the respiratory system;
- chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
- diseases of the spine and joints;
- pain syndrome;
- chronic fatigue and sleep disorders;
- diseases of the genitourinary system;
- alcoholism, nicotine addiction;
- headache;
- hair loss;
- obesity;
- depression, etc.
With the help of acupuncture, you can also significantly improve the condition of your facial skin, make it more elastic, get rid of a double chin and restore the normal oval of your face. Acupuncture is also very effective for weight loss. In addition to all this, acupuncture also has its own contraindications - the presence of infectious, some dermatological and oncological diseases.
Advice from an acupuncturist
A very large proportion of patients of acupuncture doctors are people with diseases of the musculoskeletal system and the bone and joint system. Patients complain of back pain, joint pain that can radiate to the limbs, complain of numbness in the limbs, and limited movement. Doctors strongly recommend that such patients immediately contact a specialist and take appropriate treatment measures. In no case should you self-medicate, take strong painkillers without supervision, or treat yourself with traditional medicine. This can only worsen your condition and complicate the work of your doctor. In such cases, complex therapeutic treatment along with acupuncture helps well. It is also important to engage in the prevention of various diseases. The main preventive measures include giving up bad habits, normalizing nutrition, a healthy lifestyle, regular walks in the fresh air, playing sports, and getting enough rest.
As a conclusion, we can say that an acupuncturist in the modern world is a fairly sought-after specialist who can provide comprehensive treatment for almost any disease. Acupuncture has been considered a very effective method of treating various diseases since ancient times. Its effectiveness has been proven by numerous scientific studies and directly proven by patient reviews who have undergone treatment with an acupuncturist.