Have you ever heard someone say, “oh I tried acupuncture, but it didn’t work”? What this person needs to understand is that there are thousands of Acupuncture flavors, and just like ice cream, you want to find the flavor that is right for you.

The under-informed person will dismiss ever considering acupuncture to help with their condition because they believe ‘if I had it once, I had it all’. That couldn’t be further from the truth because acupuncture is style and practitioner skill dependent. There are literally tens of thousands of styles of acupuncture. There are Chinese styles, Korean styles, Taiwanese styles, Japanese styles, German styles, French styles and a myriad of new more modern styles of acupuncture. Within each of the mentioned acupuncture styles, there are thousands of more styles. To say one practices Japanese acupuncture is like saying they speak European. There are many similarities, but also many more differences.

The level of training is also paramount. Unfortunately in many states some people can practice acupuncture after a weekend course, or not taking any courses at all! It is scary and I wouldn’t want to be treated by someone like this. When I lived in Colorado I received acupuncture from a chiropractor who had a couple of weekend acupuncture courses under his belt. A weekend or two does not make a quality practitioner! I didn’t know any better some 16 years ago and figured, hey how hard can it be to stick in some needles? Well the acupuncture didn’t do anything for me and that is because the chiropractor in this case didn’t have a clue how to treat with acupuncture! I feel this is much too common and an unfortunate circumstance as acupuncture is a fabulous healing tool when done by the proper hands. You wouldn’t hire some random carpenter or contractor to remodel your newly designed kitchen would you? Rather, you investigate and look for someone that is properly trained and capable and knows how to use the tools. But we assume too much about healthcare professionals and give our power away. Check their credentials, ask who they trained with and ask for references.

Fortunately, in Massachusetts there are good acupuncture laws in place. I can’t say the same thing about our neighbor to the south, Connecticut, where literally anyone can practice acupuncture. Chiropractor, MD, nurse, physical therapist, all with little quality training. It is a shame and a disservice to the art. My acupuncture school training was 3 years full time (42 weeks out of the year), so effectively a 4 year program of over 3000 hours. This is pretty much the case for most NCCAOM certified programs. I also currently apprentice with Master practitioner Kiiko Matsumoto Sensei and David Euler helping teach assist their acupuncture for Physicians course at Harvard Medical School. I feel the MDs coming out of the course gain a good understanding how to use ‘Kiiko style’ acupuncture and are quite effective. But many MDs in other areas are not properly trained. I would suggest getting acupuncture from a properly trained acupuncturist, but if you do receive acupuncture from an MD ask if they are part of the “American Medical Acupuncture Association.”

Acupuncture is a truly amazing healing modality. I have seen incredible results from post-stroke recovery, insomnia, digestive disorders, and especially anxiety and stress. Give yourself a few sessions to see if you get some benefit. If you don’t notice a difference after 3-4 sessions then perhaps you need to find another acupuncturist or it may not be the correct healing modality for you at this time. But do realize that there is a tremendous variation between acupuncturists, styles, bedside manner, and training. You just need to find out what is right for you.

• Licensed Acupuncturist Massachusetts Medical Board
• Certified Nutrition Specialist (CBNS )
  
• Nationally Certified Diplomat in Oriental Medicine and Chinese Herbal Medicine (NCCAOM)
• Member American Association of Oriental Medicine (AAOM)
• Member Acupuncture and Oriental Medical Society of Massachusetts (AOMSM)
• Member of American Dietetic Association Nutrition and Complementary Care Working Group (NCC)
• Member of American College of Nutrition (ACN)

I began my study of nutrition and Eastern healing arts over 15 years ago and I’m grateful for how it evolved into the work I do today. I’m a licensed acupuncturist in Massachusetts, a nationally certified Chinese Herbalist through NCCAOM and hold a Master of Science in Human Nutrition. In addition to my nutrition degree from University of New Haven, I also obtained Master degrees from the New England School of Acupuncture (Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine) and Boston University (Engineering). I have completed clinical internships at Lemuel Shattuck Hospital, Dimock Community Health Center and the NESA community clinic.

So how does all my training and clinical experience serve you? I’m able to blend the energetic work of acupuncture and personalized functional nutrition to provide you with comprehensive care. I assess my patients health with Oriental diagnosis, modern blood and urinalysis testing as well as a detailed questionnaire and diet history. These ancient and modern diagnostic skills help paint a clear picture of what treatments would serve you best.

Would you like to know what foods would be optimal for you? I guide patients through dietary and lifestyle modifications particular for their body and where they are at in this particular moment. Do you ever wonder if the supplements you are taking are doing you any good? I develop a protocol with Chinese herbal medicine and/or supplements to help restore you body back to balance. Would you love to balance your body’s energy while relaxing on a table? I use Japanese and Chinese acupuncture to guide your body to homeostasis whether it is a chronic health issue or acute musculoskeletal pain. I love helping my patients and I take great pride in making sure they obtain their health goals.

Now about my personal story for the inquisitive…

It has been a long and winding path; first formally studying macrobiotics in 1992 with former UK Kushi Institute director Bill Tara in Boulder, Colorado. Through my in-depth study with Mr Tara along with other teachers such as Steve Gagne and Lino Stanchich I began offering macrobiotic counseling. While in Colorado I also studied at the Rocky Mountain Institute of Yoga and Ayurveda led by Sarasvati Buhrman. Besides Sarasvati I had the gift of studying with brilliant teachers such as Vasant Lad , John Douillard and Ayurvedic cooking with Amadea Morningstar. It was an exciting time of learning while merging the Macrobiotic and Ayurvedic concepts. In Macrobiotics we studied shiatsu and in Ayurvedic we studied marma point therapy. Similar concepts, and both opened up my world to becoming an Oriental bodyworker. I also became Reiki Level 1 Usui tradition certified in 1994.

In 1996 I moved back to Boston and studied shiatsu at the Boston Shiatsu School. I have tremendous interest in both physical body work, energy work, as well as nutrition and my heart truly desired to switch careers and go back to school entering the health field. But it seemed like a crazy idea and I wasn’t bold enough to make the leap. So, I continued my formal and informal studies of nutrition, oriental bodywork and Eastern healing modalities while occasionally doing computer work I never felt a passion towards. Late August 2001 I was part of the dot.com bust and no longer had a company to work for. Then Sept 11th was my wake-up call that I had better start pursuing what I love — thus I began a Master’s degree in Human Nutrition from the University of New Haven and my Oriental Medicine studies at NESA. So here I am today, excited about the work I do and enjoying the challenges of individual health histories and treatment modalities. I truly enjoy assisting people in discovering how they can decrease dis-ease in their lives and find their desired health.

I have taken hundreds of hours in post-graduate nutrition seminars and constantly keep myself up to date with weekly teleconferences, reading research and on-line practitioner discussion groups. I am a member of the American Dietetic Association Nutrition and Complementary Care working group. I plan to be a Certified Nutrition Specialist this May after I pass a challenging nutritional biochem exam through the American College of Nutrition national certification board.

I assist two days a week with Master acupuncture practitioners Kiiko Matsumoto Sensei and David Euler. The ‘Kiiko” style of acupuncture is taught to MDs at Harvard Medical School where I have the privilege of attending as an assistant. In my nutrition practice I use a comprehensive 300-question intake form and palpation diagnosis that dovetails nicely with the functional approach of Kiiko style acupuncture. The combination of Oriental medical diagnosis, the nutritional questionnaire, laboratory testing, and functional exams are powerful tools to uncover physiological imbalances and correcting them through acupuncture treatments, lifestyle, diet and supplementation.

I find that patients who eat well for their body type/needs respond quicker to acupuncture treatments. I feel that nutrition is an important foundation and if folks aren’t eating well it is much harder to treat them with acupuncture. I believe nutrition is a key to physical health. However I also feel that acupuncture can help with emotional issues and facilitate the process of people taking better care of themselves. So it is a two way street and each have their important merits treating at a different level. Most patients do a combination of both nutrition and acupuncture, but that is probably because I do not separate the two when discussing your health goals.

In Health,
George Mandler

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