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Well! After much thought and deliberation (and maybe some procrastination!), you?ve decided to see an acupuncturist. Just lately, it seems that everywhere you turn ? be it talking to a friend, chatting to your M.D. or reading Time Magazine ? the subject of acupuncture just keeps coming up. Finally you decide to research it a little on the Web and find that the roots of acupuncture go back thousands of years in history. Why didn?t they teach us this stuff in school?

By now you?re pretty excited about trying it out for yourself, but how on earth do you go about finding the right acupuncturist for you, not to mention making sure that he or she is proficient in their practice?

Part of the answer to this question depends very much on where you live. If you live in a small town, your choices might be very limited. In larger cities there are many acupuncturists to be found and those of us living in rural areas may have to be prepared to travel to receive this wonderful help.

The very first consideration in choosing your acupuncturist is to make sure that they are properly credentialed. In the United States there are several credentialing bodies for this purpose, but generally an acupuncturist must be licensed by the state in which he or she is practicing and these states often have their own examinations and licensure. If your state doesn?t license acupuncturists, it?s still a good idea to make sure that they are credentialed through a reputable body. Those states that don?t have independent certification rely on the National Commission for the Certification of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM). Acupuncturists certified by the NCCAOM must have a minimum of 1,725 hours of training in this field.

Among the other people who may practice acupuncture with or without certification are medical doctors, although if your local MD suggests practicing on you, you might feel more comfortable knowing that he/she has taken a course in medical acupuncture like the one at UCLA, which offers a two hundred hour training course especially tailored to MD?s. In some states Chiropractors, Naturopaths or Podiatrists may also practice.

The process of finding an acupuncturist may include talking to your physician, to friends and associates about their experiences with local acupuncturists, looking in the phone book and consulting the World Wide Web. Acufinder.com offers the largest single database of acupuncturists in the US. Other resources include the NCCAOM AAMA and your state acupuncture board.

After determining that the acupuncturist you?ve initially chosen is properly credentialed, the next step is to make sure that he/she has a substantial numbers of years in practice. It would be good to find someone with five to ten years in practice if possible. Although a less experienced acupuncturist or one that has had no previous history of treating your complaint may indeed turn out to be a wonderful find, staying with someone with adequate experience in both years of practice and success in treating your condition will usually be your best bet.

Although many insurance companies will not reimburse for acupuncture treatments, this is changing rapidly and it?s always worth checking with your provider to see if you can get some coverage. If the cost of the treatment is to be covered by you personally, you can expect to pay between $55.00 and $90.00 per treatment.

Finally, it?s very important that you and your chosen acupuncturist get along. Ask around and listen to what your friends have to say about people they have visited. If your acupuncturist?s personality suites you, you will get the maximum benefit from your treatment. Remember that the two of you should work closely together as a team in the joint effort to get you well and enjoying vibrant health again.

Good Luck and Good Health!