Figuring out what Acupuncture is and what it can do for you can be confusing enough for the average person, but then figuring out what type or style of Acupuncture and what type of practitioner to go to can add confusion to that. So who or what style to choose?
Most Acupuncturists (you will typically see the designation of L.Ac after their name) in the United States practice Acupuncture that has come from China. Acupuncture has been present in the United States dating back to the 1800's, but began to be more widely known in the United States starting in 1972, when a journalist traveling with Richard Nixon received acupuncture as part of his treatment for an appendectomy in a Chinese hospital. After this experience the journalist wrote a story for the New York Times about how effective the therapy was.
Most of the Acupuncture schools in the United States teach Acupuncture that has come from material that has been brought over to the West from our relationship with China. TCM style acupuncture (Chinese Medical Acupuncture) is taught in three to four year schools where students learn not only about Acupuncture but also about Western biomedical treatments, diseases, pharmacology, and in most cases, herbal medicine. There is a two to three year clinical rotation that is either done at the school or in an established acupuncture clinic, both under the guidance of an experienced licensed acupuncturist. With this style of education, the student not only learns about Chinese Medicine but also Western Medicine in order to be able to appropriately refer patients as well as to understand the tests, diagnoses, and pharmaceuticals that the patient may be on. After graduating from TCM style Acupuncture school, the student has taken anywhere from 2500-3500 hours of training and must complete a series of board exams in Acupuncture, Herbal Medicine, and Biomedicine in order to get National Licensing through the NCCAOM (National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine).
TCM style Acupuncture relies on the memorization and usage of meridians and points located through the body. There are twelve primary meridians (channels) that run through the body, most with names that you may be used to that correlate with organs of the body (the Lung meridian, for example). Through the usage of Acupuncture points in specific places on that Lung channel (which may be anywhere on the channel, starting near your actual lungs and going down your arm) we are able to stimulate the channel and balance Lung energy in the body, as well as stimulate the Lung organ, treating things like asthma, allergies, and other lung issues as well as emotional issues like grief and sadness.
Japanese Acupuncture has typically a similar education track as TCM style Acupuncture (in the United States many Acupuncturists like myself went to TCM school and did post-graduate training in this style) with extensive study in an Acupuncture school required. The difference with Japanese Meridian Therapy is that it is gentler style of Acupuncture, uses thinner needles (or can use even non-insertive techniques) and the practitioner will rely heavily on information gathered from palpating the channel or part of the channel as well as the abdomen to feel what points to use in treatment (rather than TCM style, which largely relies on dictionary type knowledge of the points and point function to figure out points and point combinations).
Chiropractic or Medical Acupuncture is typically done for pain syndromes. Chiropractors and Medical Doctors receive approximately 200 hours of education in Acupuncture (usually none of it hands on) and then can call themselves certified in Acupuncture. Personally, I have met some chiropractors and medical doctors that have received more training than the 200 hours required of them and have devoted themselves to learning about Acupuncture and Acupuncture theory, but Acupuncture is a complex subject and requires extensive study. For very basic pain syndromes, it may be effective, but most people who I have talked with who have stated that Acupuncture doesn't work or that it caused them pain (it shouldn't!) have not gone to a licensed Acupuncturist.
There are other styles of Acupuncture and Acupuncturists that have become famous in the United States have developed their own styles of Acupuncture. Korean Hand Acupuncture, Auricular Acupuncture, Detox Acupuncture (NADA), and Scalp Acupuncture are some of the other styles you may have heard of, all with benefits. As with anything, ask your practitioner what their education was like, what their hands-on training was like, and if they have experience treating what they are coming to you for (and how many patients they have treated with your particular condition).