Although acupuncture and TCM are very effective for a wide range of health conditions, it is only true if the practitioner is properly trained and has reasonable experience.

Firstly, practitioners that are fully trained in TCM have a complete understanding of the theory and practice of Chinese medicine and acupuncture, and will be able to formulate treatments that are suitable for you.  In other words, make sure the practitioner is also a Chinese medicine doctor.  Be aware that in Ontario, many healthcare practitioners, such as chiropractors, physiotherapists, massage therapists and nurses are ed to use acupuncture, although they are not fully trained in TCM and acupuncture.

Experience.   Ask about the years of practice and whether they only practice acupuncture.  Also ask about the experience on the specific health issue you are seeking help in; how many cases he / she has treated and what is the success rate.

Approach: it is important to understand how the practitioner is going to assess and treat your health conditions.  A Chinese medicine doctor should use TCM diagnostic techniques to assess you to accurately determine the internal problems and design a course of treatment based on it.  The most important diagnostic techniques are tongue diagnosis and palpation.  If the practitioner never mentions these when you inquire about their services, ask questions to clarify how they diagnose the patients.

Cultural background.  This may not appear to be important, but there is definitely an advantage to have a practitioner who is from the cultural background where the Chinese medicine system originated.  Many of the concepts and practice are already part of their everyday lives and they have an inherently better understanding of the seemingly abstract concepts.

Research.  Finally, spend some time doing research to better understand the key concepts of TCM and acupuncture. Feel free to browse our site to learn more on these concepts.