National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM)™ Celebrates 16th Annual Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Day


Weeklong Educational Activities Promoting Benefits of Acupuncture Services

WASHINGTON, Oct. 17, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM)®, a nonprofit organization that certifies competency of acupuncture and Oriental medicine (AOM) practitioners, and Modern Acupuncture™, the nation’s first acupuncture franchise, are collaborating to promote nationwide observations of the 16th annual Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Day on Oct. 24. In honor of AOM Day both organizations have joined forces to elevate acupuncture as a nonpharmaceutical pain-relief treatment and are asking the public to submit their success stories about effective acupuncture or Oriental medicine treatments at www.AOMday.org.  

“AOM treatments grow every year in popularity, as patients seek alternative options in pain management and discover the value of pill-free and patient-focused care,” said Kory Ward-Cook, Ph.D., CEO of NCCAOM. “AOM Day is designed to increase public awareness of the progress, promise and benefits of acupuncture and Oriental medicine.”

NCCAOM Launches Practitioner-Driven Social Media Awareness Campaign

First celebrated in 2002, the annual AOM Day was established to bring awareness to the progress and benefits of AOM treatments. To celebrate this year’s AOM Day, the NCCAOM is initiating a social media campaign spanning the week before AOM Day to spread awareness regarding the benefits of acupuncture and is seeking engagement among AOM practitioners.  NCCAOM is also inviting their National Board-Certified Acupuncturists to submit success stories that showcase how acupuncture or other Oriental medicines have helped their patients relieve pain and live a better quality of life. Additionally, these acupuncturists will be posting AOM Day events on their personal social media pages and on www.AOMday.org.

Organizations Seek to Combat U.S. Opioid Epidemic through Consumer Education

To NCCAOM and Modern Acupuncture, this year’s observance of AOM Day is more than a celebration of the industry and its practitioners, it’s a call to action to address the U.S. pain epidemic and reduce the raging abuse of prescription and illicitly obtained opioids as well as over-the-counter pain relievers. Drugs, including opioids, are often prescribed to deal with a patient’s pain as a first line of treatment; yet only 23 percent of patients with chronic pain found opioids to be a successful treatment choice. Acupuncture, a holistic form of treatment, has emerged in the U.S. as an evidence-based, safe, and effective method to counter opioid addiction and pain associated with various other health ailments. {http://www.nccaom.org/opioid-crisis/}

“The use of AOM practices can significantly improve the outcomes of chronic pain management,” continued Ward-Cook. “AOM treatments, like acupuncture, are non-addictive, are patient-centered with safe and effective practices, can be provided at a low cost and research shows that these treatments are effective in pain reduction and management.”

To learn more about acupuncture can help alleviate or relieve different health conditions, visit the NCCAOM’s Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine News and Resource Center. To find an NCCAOM National Board-certified Acupuncturist in your area, click on Find a Practitioner at www.nccaom.org. For more information about Modern Acupuncture, visit www.modacu.com. Modern Acupuncture employs NCCAOM Nationally Board-Certified Acupuncturists. As the only nationally recognized certification body in the United States for acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine, NCCAOM certification indicates to employers, patients and peers that one has met national standards for the safe and competent practice, as defined by the profession. For more information on AOM Day, please visit www.aomday.org.

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