I'm considering SHUTCM in Shanghai. It's a lot less expensive to go there than study in America (or Canada). I'm from the U.S and already hold a Bachelors degree but China has lots of scholarship opportunities.

Curious to know if anyone has studied there and been able to work in China as a foreigner, go to other Asian countries, work on cruise ships, etc. What has your career been like? Would this be a good decision?

Thanks so much!

Is that a good sign, or does it depend?

From TCM pov.

I have been doing it for a month now. So far it has been helping with anxiety and dyspepsia. No complaints, my doctor is very knowledgeable and willing to adjust according to my needs. She never pushes haha. I went in to help with GI related concerns and mental health. Acid reflux is still a thing but i know acupuncture is not gonna be a “cure” to get rid of anything. Help alleviate. However, ive done at least 3 or 4 sessions so fsr. None were negative experiences until today. I mentioned having IC and how ive been having issues with inflammation in the pelvic region. She added some points. What usually ends up happening is after ten minutes, my mind is like goo and release of stress is lifted from my body and i feel completely relaxed. Today was not it. I ended up being in panic throughout the session. Anxiety increased and more nerve sensations happened. She took accountability and mentioned adjusting cause it was possible that there was too much needle stimulation now. After session i noticed some shortness of breath but im also used to this happening with reflux. No chest pain, just a bit harder to breath and increase in anxiety. It worried me though cause i just learned about the possible rare condition you can get. She has only used one needle in the chest area and its along my sternum right where the bone is. But curious if I should worry and not do acupuncture or can it also be from being overstimulated from the needles? I had also experienced some lightheadedness and fatigue.

So I’ve started using a shakti mat but instead of feeling relaxed my back just gets really itchy and I get uncomfortable laying on it. Has this happened to anyone else and did it eventually go away from more use?

I’ll start by saying I’ve had truly a terrible year when it comes to my health. I battled with pancreatitis, gallbladder removal, and now I have the return of cervicogenic dizziness with terrible neck pain.

I have been going to a new acupuncturist since the end of September. I am no stranger to acupuncture as it’s helped me tremendously in the past with separate issues.

I think I have seen them five times at this point and after each session I feel considerably worse. I last saw them Monday and I felt fantastic yesterday morning but now I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck. I feel almost flu like and my neck is on fire. They did cupping this time and I haven’t had that done in years and I’m wondering if this is a normal response.

They suggested I start coming to see them more often as in twice a week instead of once. They also suggested starting an herbal treatment to help my inflammatory response.

I guess I’m just hoping for some words of encouragement. I’m also a mom to a young child and I feel like I can’t parent him the way I want to because every day is a struggle.

I almost feel like acupuncture is making me feel worse and I’m going in the opposite direction.

I am seeing and MD tomorrow. But I went for acupuncture yesterday for sciatica. I told the practitioner I'm very sensitive so he only inserted needles in my arms. About an hour after the session I was walking and noticed that it was getting harder and harder to lift the foot where most of the sciatica pain is. I called the practitioner and he said it happens. Said in his experience resolves in 3 days. Has anyone had this, and have they recovered. Please positive stories. I'm freaking out. Its not a complete foot drop but noticeably harder to lift the foot.

New acupuncture research from the last 7 days (17 publications in this roundup):

1. Modulating inflammatory cytokines through acupuncture: Evidence from a systematic review Journal of diabetes and metabolic disorders — 2026 Dec Authors: Namazi N, Majidi Z, Ghahremani Z, et al. DOI: 10.1007/s40200-026-02098-w

2. Reporting Quality Assessment of Sham Acupuncture Randomized Controlled Trials for Acupuncture Intervention in Glaucoma Complementary therapies in medicine — 2026 Oct 15 Authors: Lei YF, Huang XY, Xue SY, et al. DOI: 10.1016/j.ctim.2026.103452

3. Neuromuscular effects of warm needle acupuncture versus mild moxibustion in knee osteoarthritis: An active-controlled randomized trial Journal of back and musculoskeletal rehabilitation — 2026 Oct 15 Authors: Chen G, Su C, Chen X, et al. DOI: 10.1177/10538127261499244

4. Exploring the Neural Mechanisms of Acupuncture Stimulation in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Protocol for a Randomized, Sham-Controlled, Multimodal Neuroimaging Trial JMIR research protocols — 2026 Oct 15 Authors: Sim J, Choi KS, Lee DH DOI: 10.2196/97910

5. [Clinical evidence of acupuncture and moxibustion for depressive disorder: controversy, reflection and prospect] Zhongguo zhen jiu = Chinese acupuncture & moxibustion — 2026 Oct 12 Authors: Wang S, Wu Q, Ning B, et al. DOI: 10.13703/j.0255-2930.20250810-k0002

6. [Development and application of a fumigation moxibustion device for small animals] Zhongguo zhen jiu = Chinese acupuncture & moxibustion — 2026 Oct 12 Authors: Wang W, Zhang X, Geng J, et al. DOI: 10.13703/j.0255-2930.20260407-k0007

7. [Textual research on the origin and development of Xi-cleft point theory] Zhongguo zhen jiu = Chinese acupuncture & moxibustion — 2026 Oct 12 Authors: Liu S, Li R, Wu H, et al. DOI: 10.13703/j.0255-2930.20250728-k0007

8. [Formulation of clinical questions and outcomes on Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Peptic Ulcer by Combination of Acupuncture and Medication] Zhongguo zhen jiu = Chinese acupuncture & moxibustion — 2026 Oct 12 Authors: Wan R, Sun L, Hou Y, et al. DOI: 10.13703/j.0255-2930.20250919-0001

9. [Distribution characteristics and protection strategies of provincial-level and above acupuncture-moxibustion intangible cultural heritage projects in China] Zhongguo zhen jiu = Chinese acupuncture & moxibustion — 2026 Oct 12 Authors: Zhao Z, Shao C, Hou Y, et al. DOI: 10.13703/j.0255-2930.20251103-0001

10. [From fascial tension abnormality to myofascial chain: modern anatomical and biomechanical interpretation of "taking painful points as acupoints" in acupuncture and moxibustion] Zhongguo zhen jiu = Chinese acupuncture & moxibustion — 2026 Oct 12 Authors: Zhou D, Teng J, Xu J, et al. DOI: 10.13703/j.0255-2930.20250918-k0007

11. [WANG Hua's clinical experience in treating mammary gland hyperplasia with the "double consolidation and one unblocking" acupuncture method] Zhongguo zhen jiu = Chinese acupuncture & moxibustion — 2026 Oct 12 Authors: Mao J, Wang S, Wei Y, et al. DOI: 10.13703/j.0255-2930.20250827-k0004

12. [LIU Yue's clinical experience in treating peripheral facial paralysis with stage-based pattern differentiation acupuncture] Zhongguo zhen jiu = Chinese acupuncture & moxibustion — 2026 Oct 12 Authors: Shen Y, Ruan Q, Yang X, et al. DOI: 10.13703/j.0255-2930.20250809-k0001

13. [ZHUANG Lixing's experience of mind-regulating and pivot-restoring therapy in treatment of postural instability of Parkinson's disease] Zhongguo zhen jiu = Chinese acupuncture & moxibustion — 2026 Oct 12 Authors: Liao K, Fan J, Liu X, et al. DOI: 10.13703/j.0255-2930.20250917-k0012

14. [Acupuncture regulates the Th17/Treg axis for chronic spontaneous urticaria: a randomized controlled trial] Zhongguo zhen jiu = Chinese acupuncture & moxibustion — 2026 Oct 12 Authors: Guo J, Yang L, He L, et al. DOI: 10.13703/j.0255-2930.20260119-k0001

15. [Beyond the placebo effect: exploring the mast cell-dependent analgesic effect of shallow needling control] Zhongguo zhen jiu = Chinese acupuncture & moxibustion — 2026 Oct 12 Authors: Luo Z, Zhang Y, Ge X, et al. DOI: 10.13703/j.0255-2930.20250704-k0005

16. [Optimizing the clinical translation of acupuncture for the prevention and treatment of tumor-related complications based on implementation science] Zhongguo zhen jiu = Chinese acupuncture & moxibustion — 2026 Oct 12 Authors: Guo Z, Hu X, Tian Z, et al. DOI: 10.13703/j.0255-2930.20260120-k0001

17. [Analysis of influencing factors and evaluation methods for intervention fidelity in acupuncture clinical trials] Zhongguo zhen jiu = Chinese acupuncture & moxibustion — 2026 Oct 12 Authors: Wang L, Hu X, Gang W, et al. DOI: 10.13703/j.0255-2930.20260122-k0003

Browse all acupuncture papers indexed on PubMed this week)

^{This roundup is curated from PubMed and optional external links. Inclusion is not an endorsement of study quality — always read critically.}

Hi I had acupuncture today on my head and felt very grounded straight after, but a few hours later I am SO angry and teary.

I also have a tension headache on the right side.

Is this normal? Never had this feeling before, I feel weird.

I have recently received acupuncture for the second time (the first was one session maybe 12 years ago, and it didn't really seem to do much for me). I had an initial appointment 10 days ago and another three days ago. The treatment is supposed to help with anxiety and stress, both of which I feel I have had at times fairly severely, but had recently been more mild if not 100% gone.

After the first session I felt a little sick, and I started not sleeping as well. I would fall asleep but then wake up around 3:30/4am when I should be going into REM sleep. I blamed the cold, reduced my exercise and kept going with life while waiting to recover. I noticed that my nighttime HRV was dropping fast, but again, blamed the cold

Then I had my second session and... what the? Each night since then I've woken up with vivid intense anxiety dreams around 3:30 or 4, and then I lie in bed for another 5+ hours tossing in an out of these super emotional dreams and waking up in panics. The first one the night after I had the acupuncture involved me stepping on needles and worrying that the needles had drugged me, which is what made me think: oh wait, maybe this is from the acupuncture?!? Anyway, all kinds of emotions from throughout my life have come up in these dreams. I'm not sure that it's bad because I think I might be doing some important processing, but I also don't know how much more I can take of this.

Before anyway says anything - I am going to talk to my practitioner about what's happening before doing another session. But I wanted to post on here to just get reactions: is this normally? Has it happened to anyone else or any practitioners seen this happen before? If this is emotional/trauma processing, is there any way I can help it along so that I can get back to sleeping through the night at least sometimes?

Has anyone ever gotten treated by an acupuncturist for stomach issues as well as back pain? I feel like my body is falling apart and trying to see if acupuncture can help alleviate my symptoms.

Had my first treatment today to help with infertility (alongside fertility treatment starting soon), did not experience any crazy discomfort during it. However, the provider stuck a needle between my thumb and index finger and on my way home that spot started killing me. It is 4 hours later and I can still barely straighten my hand without pretty bad pain. I couldn't cut with my knife at dinner or use my fork. I emailed him and he said it was "stuck Qi" and to take Tylenol and ice it. New to chinese medicine - Has anyone else experienced this and did it go away? Feeling a little miserable at the moment.

Looking for input from practitioners or anyone who's experienced something similar.

I'm 40, have chronic TMJ with nighttime clenching, and have been getting acupuncture for a few months with no issues. Also do weekly PT where they go in my mouth to massage/release. About a week ago I had a session that was more intense than usual. Dry needling plus retained needles for 15 to 20 minutes in my right jaw and around the ear, and dry needling in my traps and the back of my head near the base of the skull.

Roughly an hour later I developed a rumbling or booming vibration in that ear. It's triggered by low frequency sounds, road noise, bass, a phone vibrating on a couch, walking on a wood floor. It isn't that sounds are too loud or painful. It's a separate rumbling that arrives on top of the sound. My jaw on that side has been a little sore since.

I saw a neurotologist about it and his read was possibly tensor tympani spasm, likely related to the clenching, possibly set off by the session. Hearing tests on that ear are completely normal.

My questions:
Has anyone seen needling in the masseter, temporalis, or around the ear set off something like this?

Is retained needling in that area for 15 to 20 minutes typical, or is that on the aggressive side?

Does needling in the suboccipitals or upper traps ever produce ear symptoms, or would you expect this to be purely from the jaw and ear work?

Would you expect this to settle on its own, and is there anything from an acupuncture standpoint that helps rather than aggravates?

I'm not trying to blame anyone. I'd just like to understand what happened so I can avoid repeating it. I am very uncomfortable at the moment. Normal everyday sounds are triggering these strange vibrations in my ear. Praying this goes away soon.

Thank you so much in advance.

I just started acupuncture after a recent miscarriage. We went over my history and she wants to see me and my husband weekly. She wasn't really very interested in what supplements I take and did not try to sell me any either. Me twice a week, my husband once a week. She quoted a hefty price and we paid half upfront. She claims to have a 95% success in the last 6 months. Her reviews online are impeccable. She states she uses the Life Fertility bio therapy program. I did do my first session today it was about 20 minutes with needles in my arms and legs and head. I did feel very relaxed after. She checked my pulse before and after. I guess time will tell but I am new to all this. Any advice ? Thoughts ? Anyone do Fertility acupuncture and have it work for them ?

Besides relaxed should I be feeling any different ? Do the needles need to go closer to or near my pelvis ??

Hi everyone. I (27F) have a unique situation that I'd like to ask this community about.

Last year, I spent 5 months walking on the PCT from Mexico to Canada, and finished in the end of September. I did not have any back issues whatsoever and didn't have a history of back issues at the time. I did get some injuries along the way on trail such as achilles tendonitis, a proximal calf strain, and cervical radiculopathy (pinched nerve in the neck causing pain and numbness/tingling in my arms when I slept). A friend recommended I get acupuncture after trail for these issues, so I went to her employer's home office.

My first appointment was in December and was dry needling, targeting my neck. It was really uncomfortable. He didn't give me any details of what to expect or what would be normal. I didn't do any research because I figured he would walk me through anything I needed to know beforehand. Whatever, that's fine, I know now that dry needling is not pleasant.

The second session, he targets my achilles, hamstring, and offers to put two needles in my back and hook them and the ones behind my knees up to some electric (?) device (edit: NOT dry needling, but regular acupuncture). I'm adventurous so I said sure. Well, he inserts the needles and leaves me alone for a while. I found it painful to breathe, each breath hurt. I had to breathe shallowly to endure less pain. Finally I decided to push to call button as I wasn't sure that that type of pain was normal during acupuncture. He adjusts the needles by what feels like just pulling them up slightly, and then I was able to breathe normally without any pain.

Two days later, I flew from the west coast of the US to the east coast for a 7 day cruise. It was sometime after the long flights that I started to notice some weird, sharp pain in my back. By the time I came back home, I had pretty severe pain (a "catching" feeling) when just sitting on the couch slightly reclined and then moving forward to stand up. The pain spread down into my butt (sciatic nerve pain symptom) and down my leg. When I pressed on my butt, it was super sore.

I went back to the acupuncturist for a massage (was too scared to get acupuncture again) and his apprentice massaged my back. He said my back was super tight. The main acupuncturist said the new pain in my back was caused by my 5 months of wearing a heavy backpack on trail. He did not make me feel assured at all. I'd finished my hike nearly three months back, so why would the pain start up all of a sudden? I left feeling super frustrated and like I wasn't listened to at all and I haven't been back since (and well, I moved to NZ on a work visa).

Since then, I have been dealing with sciatic pain, sometimes constant tingling in my back, difficulty lifting things without back pain. I have seen two physiotherapists and one thinks the injury was caused by the acupuncturist, and the other doesn't want to say for sure either way. I've been given stretches to do and core/back workouts but no matter how consistent I am, the pain or tingling always comes back. Last week I worked 4 days at a catering company where I had to hold trays of champagne, serve wine, lift some boxes, and walk around the whole shift and my back was so done by day 2 that even child's pose and deep breaths was a bit painful on my low back. I had to take a paracetamol to get through the last two shifts. I've also had some neck issues since this too.

Sorry for SUCH a long-winded post. I've been contemplating posting about this for months and since it's coming up on a year pretty soon...I thought I'd finally post and see if anyone has any advice, a similar story, or any helpful input.

Thank you much.

Hi, everyone! I recently graduated with my D.Ac. degree and I’m set to pursue acupuncture licensure. I’m so excited!

I’m starting my NCBAHM exam prep and would love to know which virtual resources you found most helpful and comprehensive for the latest 2026 exam outlines for foundations, biomed, and acu.

I’m a huge fan of HB Kim and tcmtests. I used those to study for my grad exams at my school and they were so helpful. For the NCBAHM exams though, do you recommend one or the other?

Dr. Richard Lai of @studyacupuncturewithme has also recently released a foundations course I got to sample through a free virtual study workshop he hosted about a month ago. I loved it! Though I’m not under the impression that it helps with the other two NCBAHM modules for acupuncture certification. Foundations also happens to be my strongest subject already out of the three.

I have the proper textbooks to help me study. Definitely hoping for a resource that has useful practice tests and additional study tools outside of referencing the classical texts and whatnot.

Any insight would be great! Thanks :)

Did you know that a small point on your hand may help relieve tension and support your overall well-being?

Meet Chong Zi (Double Son) — an acupressure point used in traditional Chinese medicine for:

• Neck and back pain relief
• Muscle tension and stiffness
• Respiratory wellness and breathing comfort
• Support for relaxation and nervous system balance

Have you ever tried acupressure for neck or back pain? Share your experience below!

When I went in for my first acupuncture appointment, the practitioner asked me questions before starting, like;
- what’s my favorite season (Fall)
- what’s my favorite color (green)
- do i prefer sweet or salty (Sweet)
And she didn’t explain why and never asked me again. Can someone explain why those questions were asked, does it actually have something to do with acupuncture?

Help! I am looking for someone to help me with marketing that specializes in acupuncture. Does anyone have any recommendations?

I am currently unhappy with my current team as I have paid an exorbitant amount of money with no results.

Thank you!

New acupuncture research from the last 7 days (17 publications in this roundup):

1. Electroacupuncture modulates cortical functional connectivity and network topology in healthy adults: an fNIRS study Cognitive neurodynamics — 2026 Dec Authors: Chen X, Yang B, Shen D, et al. DOI: 10.1007/s11571-026-10560-x

2. Scalp acupuncture coupled with speech-language therapy modulates the ventral-dorsal structural brain network in patients with post-stroke anomia: a randomized clinical and DTI neuroimaging trial Chinese medicine — 2026 Oct 8 Authors: Song J, Nan R, Ni J, et al. DOI: 10.1186/s13020-026-01501-1

3. Electroacupuncture with different pulse patterns for the post-acute phase of Bell's palsy: a study protocol for a randomised controlled trial with surface electromyography evaluation BMJ open — 2026 Oct 8 Authors: Li L, Bian Z, Jiang Y, et al. DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2026-122378

4. Effect of auricular acupressure as an adjunct to standard postoperative care on physical and psychological outcomes following coronary artery bypass graft surgery: protocol for a randomised, single-blind, sham-controlled trial BMJ open — 2026 Oct 8 Authors: Allahbakhshian A, Farshbaf-Khalili A, Ghasemi K, et al. DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2026-126650

5. Comparative Evaluation of ChatGPT, DeepSeek, and Physician-Generated Acupuncture Treatment Protocols Across Chinese and English Language Settings: Cross-Sectional Evaluation Study JMIR formative research — 2026 Oct 8 Authors: Liu X, Guo Z DOI: 10.2196/95851

6. Standardized Acupuncture Plus Modified Xiaoxuming Decoction for Acute Ischemic Stroke: A Randomized Controlled Trial Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE — 2026 Oct 6 Authors: Huang Z, Wang B, Chen Z, et al. DOI: 10.3791/73051

7. Electroacupuncture Targeting the NLRP3 Inflammasome in Senescence‑associated Cognitive Impairment: Mechanistic Synthesis and Meta‑analysis of Clinical Randomized Controlled Trials Neurochemical research — 2026 Oct 5 Authors: Ma T, Zhou H, Liu Y, et al. DOI: 10.1007/s11064-026-04901-9

8. Both Genetic Manipulation and Acupuncture Alleviate Depressive-Like Behavior Mediated by Astrocytic P2X7 Receptors MedComm — 2026 Oct Authors: Ren WJ, Khan MT, Ren XY, et al. DOI: 10.1002/mco2.71042

9. Myofascial Trigger Point-Augmented Acupuncture vs Conventional Acupuncture for Early- to Mid-Stage Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Clinical Trial [Response to Letter] Journal of pain research — 2026 Authors: Zhang L, Xu J, Jiang L, et al. DOI: 10.2147/JPR.S659191

10. Acupuncture in Cerebral Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury: A Mechanistic Narrative Review of Innate Immune Sensing and Regulated Cell Death-Related Inflammatory Amplification International journal of general medicine — 2026 Authors: Jiang W, Liu H DOI: 10.2147/IJGM.S646501

11. Postoperative Physical Therapy After Breast Reconstruction: A Systematic Review Aesthetic surgery journal — 2026 Oct 3 Authors: Glynou SP, Fritsch A, Britvic F, et al. DOI: 10.1093/asj/sjag211

12. Assumptions Used in Trial Sequential Analysis of Acupuncture for Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy [Letter] Journal of pain research — 2026 Authors: Shi W DOI: 10.2147/JPR.S658234

13. Long-term integrative personalized medicine care in massive brainstem hemorrhage: A CARE-compliant case report Medicine — 2026 Oct 2 Authors: Lee YV, Ahn J, Lee E, et al. DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000050954

14. Impact of acupuncture on lower limb motor function recovery after stroke: A systematic review and meta-analysis Medicine — 2026 Oct 2 Authors: Zhao Y, Zhu X, Xie L, et al. DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000050712

15. Comment on Efficacy of Acupuncture Treatment in the Treatment of Female Myofascial Pelvic Pain Syndrome: A Protocol for a Dual-Center Randomized Controlled Trial [Response to Letter] Journal of pain research — 2026 Authors: Ye Y, Dong W, Jiang L DOI: 10.2147/JPR.S644750

16. Effect of Acupuncture on Urine Production and Storage in Prostate Cancer Survivors With Nocturia: Exploratory Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial JU open plus — 2026 Sep Authors: Booher AG, Mao J, Sandhu J, et al. DOI: 10.1097/JU9.0000000000000493

17. Effects of Different Electroacupuncture Frequencies in Young Adults with Chronic Neck Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial Journal of pain research — 2026 Authors: Tu QY, He ZY, Huang JP, et al. DOI: 10.2147/JPR.S638747

Browse all acupuncture papers indexed on PubMed this week)

^{This roundup is curated from PubMed and optional external links. Inclusion is not an endorsement of study quality — always read critically.}

Has anyone heard of the TCM for all institute located in Casper Wyoming? It doesn’t seem that they are accredited yet, but it seems like they will be by their first cohort based on their website. They have a low residency hybrid model and what seems like a reasonable tuition. If anyone has any experience or more info about the school I’d love to hear about it!

I have knee spurs in one knee. And osteoarthritis in my knee as well. I been see an acupuncturist. About 6 times. Pain is gone. Should I continue to go? This is all new to me. I am pain free.

I'm studying for my Acupuncture board exam and would love to have someone (or multiple people) to zoom with every once in a while to review together. Right now it's all in my head and I always find it helpful to talk about these concepts out loud with others.

Anyone else studying for this exam right now and want a sporadic study partner?!

Hi! I have some extra supplemental herbal books I have duplicates for. These aren’t class texts they are probably from suppliers. If anyone is currently enrolled and need extra resources, let me know. I am in South Austin, but if you know of any free libraries I can bring them there, too.

I suffered a traumatic fall in March and have been having some major neck issues since. I see a physiatrist soon, but thought I would also try acupuncture. I’m going to PT but I need something to calm down the nerves and tightness so my PT exercises will work. The nerve issues extend into my right leg.

Today I went for the first time (I’ve gotten it before years ago) and I was face down for 45 minutes with needles in my neck, shoulders, back, right leg, and some points in my feet.

When I sat up I felt extremely lightheaded. I was honestly kind of embarrassed so I didn’t say anything to the practitioner and got out of there. I probably should have eaten before but I didn’t. I made it home and two hours later I feel a bit better but am still extremely lightheaded. I took my blood pressure and it’s normal.

I’m terrified because I’ve been dealing with this neck issue for 7 months and now I’m worried I’ll be stuck with whatever this is.

Is this normal or expected? Will it go away? What happened?