ACUPUNCTURE vs DRY NEEDLING

You may not realise but there is a massive difference between Acupuncture and Dry Needling. Acupuncturist's train for 3 years and do a degree at university. They follow the same program as a Physiotherapist, with the addition of Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture.
Many Dry Needlers do a weekend course and refer to their treatment as Acupuncture...when its nothing of the sort. Yes that's right...A WEEKEND COURSE! Scary thought isn't is? After only 16 hours of weekend tuition, someone can be let loose with needles, that if used incorrectly can kill someone. Keep in mind an actual degree qualified Acupuncturist does over 3000 hours training. Big difference!!
But I'll let you know what happens very often in dry needling. The dry needle practitioner effectively says to the client 'does this hurt, when I press here?' If the client says 'yes,' they stick a needle in that area. That's it. Whereas, during Acupuncture, we look at both local areas of pain and we are considering distal areas, and is something else causing pain the client is experiencing. Many times pain is referred from somewhere else, and Acupuncturists keep that in mind. There are also occasions where someone experiences pain, and absolutely no Acupuncture or Dry Needling should take place because something serious internally is going on. Acupuncturist's are fully trained to spot these things, just like a Physiotherapist.
Dry Needling and actual Acupuncture are worlds apart. If not done right it can be extremely dangerous. As the case with Ellen White recently.

Potential Dangers

This very sad story in the media recently, highlights EXACTLY why short courses lasting a few days in ‘dry needling’ are potentially dangerous.
Sports Physiotherapists are Dry Needling - they are NOT Acupuncturists ⁉️ They do a weekend course, and are NOT fully trained in Acupuncture. 😱
☯️ If you decide you want Acupuncture, ensure your Acupuncturist has a ✅*minimum of a 3 year degree training * to ensure you’re in safe hands 🙌
🥇I did over 3000 hours of training for my 3 year degree, which is THE gold standard. I also do CPD every year to make sure my Acupuncture skills are kept up to date.

Degree Standard

Our BSc degrees equip us for safe practice 👍
UK Organisations admit ONLY degree level practitioners - the minimum standard the public deserve when receiving acupuncture treatment.
✅Association of Acupuncture Clinicians
✅Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine
✅British Acupuncture Council
🖕 So make sure if you get Acupuncture it's from a fully qualified Acupuncturist, not from someone doing Dry Needling.
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