COURSE DESCRIPTION
UNIT 1 | UNIT 2 | UNIT 3 | Study Expectations | Program Goal | Clinical Faculty | Course Chairman

THE COURSE

Medical Acupuncture for Physicians presents the fundamentals of acupuncture theory, channel and point location, approaches to diagnosis and therapy, needling techniques, and patient management. It is a practice-oriented program that creates a sophisticated structure for the intelligent use of acupuncture. The course gives full dignity to both the medical tradition found in classical Chinese texts and to contemporary biomedical science, and encourages you to creatively adapt acupuncture into your specialty practice and clinical environment.

The training is organized into three units that involve lectures, home study and videocourse viewing, and supervised clinical training. The introductory weekend and core videocourse curriculum are the same for all participants, while the specialty videocourse curriculum and clinical units are offered in the following two pathways:

The primary care pathway focuses on applications of acupuncture to the broad range of clinical problems that are evaluated and treated by the primary practitioner. These problems can range from premorbid functional and stress-related disorders, to organic lesions, to musculoskeletal pain. The acupuncture models presented in the primary care videocourse and clinical units span from rarefied equilibration treatments aimed at reestablishing homeostasis, to dense neuromuscular stimulation.

The pain management pathway emphasizes acupuncture as treatment for patients referred to pain management specialty practices. This pathway addresses the pain of acute trauma, musculoskeletal problems such as myofascial pain and muscle tension headaches, pain of diskogenic lesions and peripheral neuropathies, and pain of organic and malignant lesions.

There is about an 85% overlap between the two pathways. The theoretical foundation for both pathways is identical: the introductory weekend, palpation and needling, core video course, textbook, syllabus, and handouts. The difference between the pathways is in the specialty videocourse lectures, and in the practical emphasis in the clinical unit. Because physicians practicing acupuncture rarely treat only primary care or only pain management patients, participants following the primary care pathway are also introduced to pain management techniques, and, likewise, participants following the pain management pathway are familiarized with the full spectrum of medical applications.

There are two format options for the full program. Both involve the introductory weekend and one clinical unit. The comprehensive HMI curriculum represents 300 hours of formal instruction in the medical acupuction. There is also a reduced 220-hour format of the essential HMI curriculum, which involves fewer home study videos than the comprehensive curriculum. Participants in the essential format will be able to responsibly integrate acupuncture into their medical practices at the conclusion of the program, but will not have the breadth or depth of theoretical and clinical information that participants in the comprehensive format have.

There is a special exposure program for residents, fellows, and hospital administrators who wish to learn some fundamental skills in medical acupuncture, but who are not at the point in their careers to embrace the entire discipline. This program includes just the four-day introductory weekend, and will enable participants to understand the range of acupuncture application for a collection of uncomplicated symptoms. Exposure program participants will receive a copy of the Acupuncture Energetics textbook, but none of the video material.

UNIT 1: INTRODUCTORY WEEKEND

You will receive a copy of the Acupuncture Energetics textbook upon acceptance into the program, and are required to read sections of the book prior to attending the introductory weekend. In Los Angeles, course chairman Dr. Joseph Helms begins the program with an historical and scientific overview of acupuncture, and explains its context in modern medicine. He discusses the traditional models of acupuncture, including the circulation of Qi energy, characteristics and symptoms of the energy axes, the action of command points, and the five phases model. He talks about the realistic application of acupuncture to primary care and to pain management problems. The introductory weekend is a preview of all the material that is covered in the course. Its goal is to create an intellectual structure to organize the new information.

Sections addressing palpation and needling skills are integrated into the introductory weekend to initiate learning the manual skills of acupuncture. This involves lectures on the anatomy of major acupuncture points, and small group work palpating trigger points, acupuncture channels, and acupuncture points. Basic needling technique is also taught. You are requested to watch one videotape of the acupuncture points and channels prior to attending.

OPTIONAL CLINICAL INTENSIVE WORKSHOP

An optional one-day program follows the introductory weekend for those physicians who wish to begin needling simple cases while completing the full training program. This day offers supervised training at the treatment table on point anatomy, palpation, and needling, and will enable you to safely treat uncomplicated acute musculoskeletal pain. Enrollment is limited. Please apply early.

UNIT 2: HOME VIDEO STUDY

The core videocourse curriculum involves the precise identification of the acupuncture channels and points. The integration of gross anatomy, physiology, pathology, and therapy in acupuncture becomes progressively clear as you learn the locations and indications of the points. You are expected to read the textbook during this study period, and fill out a brief test on each textbook chapter and video as you progress through the material.

Specialty videocourse lectures are provided for each clinical pathway. These explore either classical or specialty applications of acupuncture, such as auricular acupuncture, traditional Chinese acupuncture, and techniques of pain management with acupuncture. These videos may be watched at the same time as, or following the core curriculum videos. Tests completed for each video and book chapter must all be submitted prior to participation in the clinical unit.

UNIT 3: CLINICAL EXPERIENCE

The clinical units bring the acupuncture learning process to practical clinical thinking and application. The first 5-day clinical unit involves a supervised review of channel and point locations, needling technique, and patient evaluation. Practice management is addressed
at the end of this session. The second 5-day clinical unit is an intensive hands-on session,
where you gain experience as both an acupuncture patient and as an acupuncturist.

STUDY EXPECTATIONS

The ideal time to complete the course is within the 6 to 8-month sequence following the introductory weekend. You must be prepared to devote a regular period each week to study the videos and locate points on yourself and on family and friends. Completion of the 300-hour curriculum requires six to eight hours of video viewing and study each week. These requirements are reduced by 40% if you take the 220-hour curriculum. You are also encouraged to reserve at least six hours of weekly study time for the month following the clinical program to review the videos.

PROGRAM GOAL

The goal of the Medical Acupuncture for Physicians program is to enable you to employ acupuncture in your medical practice immediately after the clinical unit, and to be well prepared for later study in any specialized or advanced aspects of acupuncture. Three to six months of serious independent clinical integration following the final unit will ground your experience and allow you to gain confidence in this new modality.

COURSE CHAIRMAN

Joseph M. Helms, MD, a diplomate of the American Board of Family Practice and the American Board of Pain Management, is a clinical instructor in the Department of Anesthesiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. His training in acupuncture is from l'Association Francaise d'Acupuncture. He is the founding president of the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture, president of the Helms Medical Institute, and the author of the textbook Acupuncture Energetics: A Clinical Approach for Physicians. Dr. Helms has a private medical acupuncture practice in Berkeley, California. His latest book, published in 2007, is Getting To Know YOU: A Physician Explains How Acupuncture Helps You Be The Best YOU.

UNIT 1 | UNIT 2 | UNIT 3 | Study Expectations | Program Goal | Clinical Faculty | Course Chairman