Florida Licensure: Licensed practitioners of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine use the initials A.P. after their names, and fall under the jurisdiction of the Florida Department of Health. In order to be a “Licensed Acupuncturist” in the state of Florida, a practitioner must pass national exams board and be certified by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM) and must complete a master’s degree level in an institution of Acupuncture or Oriental Medicine.

While other professionals may use Acupuncture in their practices, they may not be “Licensed Acupuncturists.” This means they may have taken as little as 50 hours of training in the use of Acupuncture and may have little or no knowledge of Oriental Medicine, the wholism theory of medicine under which Acupuncture was developed.

NCCAOM Certification: NCCAOM certification indicates that a practitioner has passed board exams and met the standards set by this national regulatory organization of Oriental Medicine.

Oriental Medicine is a complete independent system of healthcare that has been used for thousands of years. It is an accepted system of medicine for over 1/4 of the world’s population living in Asian Countries. Since the early 1970’s its use and popularity has grown rapidly in Western cultures. Oriental Medicine is effective in maintaining health and well being, and in the treatment of illness and pain.