The California Acupuncture Board Enforcement Committee reviewed a newly drafted consumer brochure and agreed to solicit input from professional associations before finalizing language that describes what acupuncture treats.

Staff told the committee the board must stay within its consumer-protection role and avoid professional advocacy, noting the draft focuses on text and not images. "We are looking at just the text," staff said, adding that the board "cannot recommend treatments" and that legal counsel should review wording to ensure it does not cross into promotion of the profession.

Why it matters: the brochure will be a primary public-facing explanation of acupuncture and related Asian medicine on the Board’s website. Committee members and commenters said clear, evidence-linked language could reduce confusion for patients and help integrate acupuncturists with conventional medical providers.

Public commenters urged the committee to emphasize research and neutral, evidence-based resources. "I suggest put the link on the book, allow the public to search by themselves," said Ann York Lee, who recommended linking to UCI Samueli resources so readers can review the evidence themselves. A caller identifying as Chad urged a concise, evidence-backed list of ‘‘12 or 13’’ conditions acupuncture can treat so potential patients can identify whether they might benefit.

Several commenters called for modern clinical language that explains mechanisms and facilitates communication with physicians. Neil Miller, speaking on the record for his organization, said the draft's traditional-language framing (references to "chi" and yin-yang) could be used to argue the field is "not scientific," and recommended adding modern biomedical terminology and delaying final action until professional associations provide input. "I hope you will take no action on this," he said, calling the draft a useful foundation but premature for adoption.

Farshid Namin urged the Board to counter what he described as misleading online content and offered faculty support to help craft language. He also recommended changing the draft's use of the term "bruising" to the medical term "hematoma," arguing the latter is more accurate and less legally inflammatory.

Staff announced the draft is posted under Item 4 on the Board's meeting materials page and proposed sending a formal request to professional associations for suggested definitions and language, giving them until "perhaps January 31" to respond so legal counsel can review what would be acceptable for the consumer guide. Committee members agreed to that timeline and to incorporate submissions and today's public comments into a revised draft to be returned to the committee for further review.

A brief procedural vote earlier in the meeting approved the committee minutes from March 6, 2025. The meeting adjourned after confirming next steps and the plan to return a revised brochure at a future meeting.

Next steps: staff will solicit association submissions, work with legal counsel to vet language that remains within the Board’s consumer-protection role, and bring a revised draft back to the Enforcement Committee after the Jan. 31 submission deadline.