One of the questions asked during Meet the Acupuncturist Month is:
“What do you wish people knew about Traditional East Asian Medicine versus modern medicine?”
For Dr. Katrina Giangarra, DACM, LAc, Dipl OM, the answer is simple.
She wishes we would stop thinking of healthcare as competing systems and instead think of it as medicine working together with a greater emphasis on prevention, health, and wellness.
Healthcare shouldn’t be divided into “traditional,” “modern,” or “integrative.” Every discipline has strengths. Every profession has something valuable to offer. The ultimate goal should always be helping people live healthier, happier lives.
Prevention Should Be the Foundation
One thing Dr. Katrina has observed throughout her career is that the healthiest people rarely wait until something is seriously wrong before taking care of themselves.
People who prioritize:
- Nutritious foods
- Regular exercise
- Quality sleep
- Proper hydration
- Stress management
- Mindfulness
- Acupuncture
- Herbal medicine when appropriate
often stay healthier, recover faster from illness and injuries, and maintain their independence much longer.
Health shouldn’t begin when disease appears.
It should begin long before that.
Traditional East Asian Medicine has embraced this philosophy for thousands of years.
Acupuncture Is More Than “Dry Needling”
One misconception Dr. Katrina wishes people understood is the difference between acupuncture and dry needling.
While both may involve thin needles, the education behind them is dramatically different.
Licensed acupuncturists complete thousands of hours of graduate-level education, including anatomy, physiology, pathology, safety, diagnosis, clinical training, acupuncture theory, herbology, and foundations of East Asian medicine.
To become nationally board certified through the National Certification Board for Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine (NCBAHM)—formerly the NCCAOM—students typically graduate from a four-year ACAHM-accredited master’s or doctoral program with more than 2,600 hours of education and clinical training, complete Clean Needle Technique certification, and pass rigorous national board examinations.
By comparison, some dry needling certifications can be completed in as little as 24 to 48 hours of weekend training.
Interestingly, the trigger point techniques commonly associated with dry needling have been taught for years within acupuncture programs as part of sports medicine training.
The extensive education required of licensed acupuncturists isn’t simply about learning where to place needles.
It’s about understanding when to needle, when not to needle, how to needle each point at the proper depth, angle, and direction, how to safely adapt treatments to each individual, and how to view the entire person—not just focus on a symptom.
Acupuncture is often incredibly gentle.
In many cases, less is more.
Traditional East Asian Herbal Medicine Is More Than Supplements
Another area that deserves greater understanding is herbal medicine. Many people think herbal medicine simply means taking a handful of supplements. Traditional East Asian herbology is much more sophisticated.
Herbal formulas are carefully designed much like recipes. Each herb has a purpose, and the ingredients work together to enhance effectiveness while balancing one another.
Dr. Katrina has often found properly prescribed herbal formulas to be more effective than people trying to piece together numerous supplements on their own.
Food also plays an important therapeutic role. Many everyday foods are considered medicinal in Traditional East Asian Medicine, making nutrition an integral part of treatment—not simply calorie counting or taking another pill.
Modern Medicine Has an Important Place
Although Dr. Katrina is passionate about Traditional East Asian Medicine, she does not believe it replaces modern medicine. There are absolutely times when medications, surgery, emergency care, or advanced medical procedures are necessary and lifesaving.
The goal isn’t choosing one over the other. It’s knowing when each approach is most appropriate.
At one point, Dr. Katrina worked in a pharmacy. She witnessed firsthand how some patients accumulated medication after medication—sometimes taking additional prescriptions simply to manage the side effects of previous ones.
She also observed many people living sedentary lifestyles while depending almost entirely on medications to manage their health problems.
At the same time, she’s cared for patients in their 80s and 90s who maintain active lifestyles, take few or no medications, and enjoy remarkable health.
She’s also helped patients recover after surgeries when lingering pain remained despite the procedure going exactly as planned.
These experiences reinforced an important lesson:
Medicine works best when we support the body’s ability to heal whenever possible.
Balance Is the Key
Dr. Katrina has also seen the opposite extreme.
Some people avoid all conventional medicine, rely on dozens of supplements, pursue every natural therapy imaginable, and still struggle because they’re overwhelming their bodies.
Health isn’t about extremes. It’s about finding the right balance for the individual.
Traditional East Asian Medicine includes many tools that work together, including:
- Acupuncture
- Herbal medicine
- Cupping
- Gua Sha
- Therapeutic nutrition
- Qi Gong
- Tai Chi
- Yoga
- Mindfulness and healthy lifestyle practices
Every person is unique. Every treatment plan should be unique as well.
A Personal Journey
Dr. Katrina’s own path reflects this philosophy.
Growing up with a mother who was a nurse, she was raised in a healthcare environment where the solution to most problems was taking medication along with visiting the doctor.
It wasn’t until acupuncture transformed her own health—improving her back injury, sleep, allergies, immune system, energy, and overall well-being—that she realized there was another way to support the body.
That experience changed the course of her life and inspired her to dedicate her career to helping others discover what Traditional East Asian Medicine can offer. After more than a decade of treating patients, Dr. Katrina believes the future of healthcare isn’t choosing sides. It’s bringing together the best of modern medicine and Traditional East Asian Medicine to help people live healthier, stronger, and more fulfilling lives.
Because true health isn’t just about treating illness.
It’s about creating wellness.
