Moxibustion – Moxa stick and loose moxa
Students at the Irish College of TCM in Dublin, on the Licentiate in TCM Acupuncture Training course are trained to provide treatments in Moxibustion as well as TCM Acupuncture.
Moxibustion is a form of Heat treatment used in Traditional Chinese Medicine. It can be used alone in treatment or in combination with Acupuncture or other treatment methods of TCM.
It involves the use of Moxa, which is a type of herb that is dried over long periods of time. Moxa means ‘slow burning herb’ and comes in different forms including Moxa cones, Moxa sticks or loose Moxa.
The dried herb is lit and placed over the area being treated, either directly or just above. The heat from the burning herb produces a therapeutic effect for those diagnosed in TCM terms as suffering from a Cold condition.
Moxibustion is often the main form of treatment used in areas of severe cold weather such as some parts of China e.g. in the north eastern region it can be -40 degrees for most of the year. Like Acupuncture and Herbalism, Moxibustion is claimed to be very ancient and has been mentioned in texts as old as 300 bc.
We will be accepting applications from January onwards, for the next October intake of students on the Lic.TCM. The 2024 Prospectus pack will be available soon. The 2023 Prospectus pack is currently available for reference.
Why study Acupuncture
The demand for Acupuncture as part of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is on the rise globally, with increasing interest in more natural, holistic alternatives to modern medicine. TCM has gained much recognition internationally as a serious alternative form of medicine (it was included in the World Health Organisations’ 2019 International Classification of Diseases).
Training in Acupuncture TCM offers the opportunity to be part of this growing trend, as well as opening a doorway to a whole new culture and an ancient wisdom which are underpinning its theory.
TCM is an ancient medicine that is holistic in its approach. By studying TCM one gains a whole new perspective on health that incorporates all aspects of the person including the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. TCM treats the individual as opposed to the condition. This means each treatment is specific to the person and includes all aspects of the person, therefore, all conditions can be treated by the same practitioner.
Studying TCM gives students the opportunity to learn this invaluable knowledge that has been used for thousands of years. TCM is primarily health promoting and so many of its teachings can be incorporated into daily life which can lead to improved health and wellbeing. In fact, many TCM Acupuncture practitioners, who have studied at ICTCM have reported that they find their work makes them healthier!
If you would like to learn more about Acupuncture Training at ICTCM, download a prospectus from our website. Applications for the next upcoming course 2024 open in January.
Acupuncture TCM training programme full
Since all available places are already filled for the 2023 – 2024 Acupuncture TCM training programme at the ICTCM, no further applications can be accepted.
The next course will commence in early October 2024.
Details will be posted on the website at the appropriate time.
2023 Acupuncture training applications closing soon
The next TCM Acupuncture training programme begins on the weekend of 7 and 8 October 2023.
The course is now nearly full so we will be closing applications soon. If you are considering making a late application you are advised to phone the Irish College of Traditional Chinese Medicine (ICTCM) on: 01 8559000 to check if any places are still available.
This three year, part time training programme in TCM Acupuncture provides a rigorous grounding in TCM theory. Clinical trainees undergo intensive, competency-based, training and assessment during the third year. Details of the course are available on the website.
Why do people want to get treated with Acupuncture?
Professional Acupuncture TCM Practitioners
People want to get treated with Acupuncture for a host of reasons. It is a popular and sought-after treatment option. Here at the ICTCM in Dublin, we train new Acupuncture practitioners every year. Details of the programme can be found on our website.
When used as a treatment method of Traditional Chinese Medicine, by a fully qualified and insured TCM practitioner, such as those graduating from the ICTCM in Dublin, Acupuncture is:
- Safe
- Effective
- Relatively cheap
- It has a more than 2000 year history.
- It is not experimental.
- It does not depend on hi-tec equipment.
- It is not very time consuming – each treatment usually takes about 30 minutes.
- It can be used alongside Western medicine.
Treatment with TCM Acupuncture can be used to alleviate present disorders; off-set the side-effects of other forms of treatment; build up the client’s own resources to enable them to be better able to resist illness and fight off infections.
In the hands of a well-qualified practitioner it can help the client to reach better functioning on a Mental, Emotional and Physical level. It is preventative, restorative, potentially curative and health-enhancing.
To find a qualified TCM Acupuncture practitioner go to the PRTCM.org website.
Acupuncture Training at the ICTCM College in Dublin 3 and via Zoom.
Some of the 2019 students and staff outside the College in Dublin 3
Acupuncture Training at the ICTCM College in Dublin 3 and via Zoom. We are looking forward to seeing our new first year students on the weekend of 7th and 8th October 2023 for the start of the new Lic.TCM Acupuncture Training group. Some places are still available and we are still accepting applications and arranging Zoom interview for suitable candidates. The closing date for TCM Acupuncture Applications for this Academic year is 15th September 2023. If all the places are filled before this date suitable late applicants will be placed on a waiting list.
Teaching in the First and Second years. In the First and Second years there are 12 teaching weekends a year, starting in October and finishing in the following July. Dates are set in advance and students are required to attend all the sessions and be present in person. About a third of the First year sessions are held in College in Dublin. These are devoted mainly to developing practical point location skills which are essential for future Clinical Training in the third year.
About the same amount of time is spend in College in the Second year. This is mainly skills-based training and also includes training in other Clinical skills such as Pulse Diagnosis and Tongue Diagnosis. We have small student groups which enables us to provide individual point location and clinical skills feedback face-to-face.
Most of the TCM Theory curriculum is currently delivered via Zoom. These are taught sessions and students need to attend in person on the specified training weekends, via Zoom.
Information about how the Clinical Training year is delivered will follow on our next News post.
Acupuncture Course in Ireland 2023
The Irish College of Traditional Chinese Medicine’s Acupuncture Course, run in Ireland – the Licentiate in TCM – trains students in TCM Acupuncture. Students learn to diagnose and treat clients using the underpinning theories of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). This is far more comprehensive and all-encompassing than learning Acupuncture alone.
As is said on the College Website:
“The Acupuncture practitioner uses the ancient and well-established principles and theories of Chinese Medicine to diagnose and treat the client. These are exclusive to Chinese Medicine. They do not rely upon other medical systems or diagnostic methods, such as those used by Western Medical Practitioners.
A person who is working as a Practitioner of TCM Acupuncture can be referred to as an “Acupuncture TCM practitioner”, a “TCM practitioner specialising in Acupuncture” or a “Chinese Medical Acupuncturist”.
Other TCM treatment options are available to the Chinese Medical Acupuncturist including Moxibustion, Cupping, Dietary therapy and Life style advice. These treatment methods are all taught as part of our professional TCM Acupuncture Training Programme, the Lic.TCM.”
The next group of students on this part time 3 year Acupuncture Course start in October this year, 2023, some places are still available and an Application form is available on the website.
Acupuncture Course 2023
Students on the TCM Acupuncture Course at the ICTCM in 2022
Here at the Irish College of Traditional Chinese Medicine (ICTCM) in Dublin 4, just off East Wall Road, we have been successfully running Professional Training Courses in Traditional Chinese Medicine since 1983.
The TCM Acupuncture Course 2023 begins this year in early October and we are now accepting applications for the next intake (our fortieth). The Acupuncture Prospectus is available online and provides an Application Form, fee information and a Summary of this three year part time programme.
The Licentiate in TCM is a professional qualification which enables graduates to set up in practice as a TCM practitioner specialising in Acupuncture.
Further detailed information is available on our website, including the course structure and syllabus.
What does an Acupuncturist do? Part 2
In our previous post we described the different types of so-called “Acupuncture” and explained that only a TCM Acupuncturist is able to use Traditional Chinese Medicine techniques to make a diagnosis, determine a treatment plan and provide the correct TCM Acupuncture treatment.
Are Acupuncturists in Alternative Medicine or Complementary Medicine clinics all trained in TCM?
No, not all of them. Those who have graduated from the ICTCM are fully trained in TCM Acupuncture and will be members of a Professional Body such as the Professional Register of TCM. However, some therapists have learned how to insert needles but have not learned how to make a TCM diagnosis, or indeed may not make any medical diagnosis at all.
What about Cosmetic Acupuncture?
Most people offering cosmetic acupuncture are not fully trained and insured in TCM, and do not treat medical conditions.
Acupuncture Treatment in the Teaching Clinic of the Irish College of TCM
Where can I train to become a TCM Acupuncturist able to use Traditional Chinese Medicine techniques to make a diagnosis, determine a treatment plan and provide the correct Acupuncture treatment?
The Acupuncture Department, at the Irish College of TCM which was set up in 1983, has been training people to become wholly safe, competent, confident, professional practitioners of Acupuncture TCM since then.
Our Professional Acupuncture Training programme begins in October each year and anyone wishing to apply for this year’s intake should send in their application form as soon as possible.
We normally close applications in Early September to allow time for applications to be processed in time for the start of the new academic year. This year our first teaching weekend is on 1st and 2nd October.
What does an Acupuncturist Do?
What does an Acupuncturist do?
Pulse Diagnosis in the ICTCM Clinic
By definition, Acupuncture involves the piercing of the skin by a needle. So, the simplest answer to the question “What does an Acupuncturist do?” is, “they insert needles into a person (or animal)”.
Why is this done?
As the word “Acupuncturist” comes from the field of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) the objective is to treat a medical condition. Thus, a Chinese Medical Doctor, whose main treatment specialism involves the use of fine needles to treat a patient, is called a TCM Acupuncturist and the title would only be used to refer to a fully qualified Chinese Medical practitioner of Acupuncture. The doctor would make a diagnosis of the patient using all the specialist methods of TCM and would then select the appropriate Acupuncture points to needle in order to treat the patient.
In China, if the patient is a human being they will be treated in a Chinese Medical Hospital or Clinic. Animals would be treated by Veterinary Acupuncturists.
So are all Acupuncturists in Ireland, the UK, and other parts of Europe, fully trained practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine?
No. Those who have trained at an established and reputable college, such as the Irish College of TCM (ICTCM), will have studied intensively for 3 academic years to learn all the necessary theoretical knowledge and practical skills of Chinese Medicine that are required to safely and effectively treat patients with real medical conditions. They are fully trained practitioners of TCM and may refer to themselves as TCM Acupuncturists or Practitioners of TCM Acupuncture.
Is this the same as a Western Medical Acupuncturist?
No. Most Western Medical Doctors, nurses and Physiotherapists who say they use Acupuncture have only completed a short introductory course in Chinese Medicine and use the insertion of needles as an adjunct to their Western Medicine treatment. They make a diagnosis according the principles and theories of Western Medicine.
Some Western Medicine (WM) professionals, such as those who have trained at the Irish College of TCM, are Chinese Medical Acupuncturists as well as being WM Doctors or nurses.
We will answer more questions about TCM, Acupuncture and Training to become a TCM Acupuncturist in our next post.
Please note: the next academic year at the Irish College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Dublin begins on 1 & 2 October 2022 and we are currently accepting applications for our TCM Acupuncture Training programme.
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