To practice acupuncture in Colorado, one must be licensed by the State of Colorado, Department of Regulatory Agencies, Division of Registrations.  To obtain acupuncture licensure which results in the title of “Licensed Acupuncturist” (L.Ac.), the practitioner must have:

• completed a Master’s program in Oriental Medicine from an accredited institution, and
• passed the national board exams issued by the National Certification Commission of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM).

Furthermore, in Colorado, it is not currently mandatory to take the Chinese Herbal Medicine exam module of the national board exams.  In other words, not all acupuncturists are nationally board certified in Chinese Herbology; however, both Deanna has passed all the national board exam modules (five).

Also Medical doctors, doctors of Osteopathy and doctors of Chiropractic may practice acupuncture, but due to the lack of hours (0 to 100 hrs.) of Oriental   Medicine study required for these professions to claim that they can perform acupuncture; they are usually uneducated in the true understanding of acupuncture and Oriental medicine. (In comparison, Deanna has taken over 2900 hours of training.)  They may practice a modern or abridged form of acupuncture that may fail to connect the meridians to the body as a whole.  It is imperative to understand and grasp the full spectrum of Oriental medicine in order to obtain the best results and give the patient the best care.