In Spain acupuncture and Chinese medicine are not regulated. There isn’t therefore any formal education offered at university level like in other countries.

So what to look for if you want to find a good and experienced acupuncturist?

Here 6+1 very important tips to help you find one:

1. Qualifications

Education is the basis of any profession and so it is with acupuncture and Chinese medicine.

In countries where Chinese medicine is regulated you need to undergo 4 to 5 years of full time studies and at least 800 hours of clinical practice. Ideally the program should include Chinese medicine subjects as well as main-stream medicine subjects.

Here you can have a look at a typical undergraduate course in Melbourne, Australia.

2. Registration

Even though acupuncture is not regulated in Spain there are professional bodies which guarantee that a practitioner has undertaken a minimum amount of training.

The two most common associations in Spain are the Societat d’Acupuntors de Catalunya / Sociedad Española de Acupuntura and the Practitioner’s Register.

Make sure your practitioner is an active member of at least one professional association.

3. Experience

Any good acupuncturist will be trained to treat general and more common conditions.

If you are looking to get treatment for more complicated and chronic conditions like fertility, dermatological problems, pregnancy related issues, etc., I would suggest to find someone who has at least two years of experience or is a specialist in that field.

There are different ways to gather experience in a specific field like seminars but I would say the most important is a high patient load in that specific area.

4. Personal connection

When you are dealing with any health professional, I believe it’s very important to create a healthy therapist-patient connection and relationship.

Communication is paramount. Being able to freely talk about your problems and feeling listened to is a must to developing healthy communication and a healing relationship.

It takes on more importance in acupuncture since treatment plans can last for several weeks to several months.

5. Convenience

Other types of treatment may be addressed with one or two sessions.

Acupuncture is generally an ongoing therapy which may require several weeks or months of treatment. Therefore, your practitioner’s location is important especially in case of more intensive treatment plans.

6. Reviews

If you do not know anyone who can recommend an acupuncturist, you can use the internet as a resource to finding one.

As for coffee shops and restaurants there are options on Google to rate businesses. While these opinions may or may not be reliable, they can help you identify popular practitioners in the area and review their specialties.

The majority of acupuncturist have websites with pictures of their facilities and information about their background and training.

– Bonus tip

Most of the practitioners in Spain are only trained in acupuncture.

If you want to experience Chinese medicine at its fullest and most effective, finding a practitioner who has trained in Chinese herbal medicine is very important. For certain complicated and chronic conditions the best results are achieved only with a combined treatment strategy.

If you want to know what acupuncture and Chinese medicine can treat, click here. Or you can check out my other articles on this blog.