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LICENSED ACUPUNCTURISTS:

  • Licensed acupuncturists (LAc) with an average of 2,700+ hours of master’s-level training
  • Master’s level, on-site training at a nationally accredited school or college of acupuncture
  • Hundreds of hours of clinical experience and at least 250 actual patient treatments before licensure
  • Required to pass the national certification exam in acupuncture in order to become licensed (NCCAOM)
  • Required to do regular continuing education to maintain national certification

NCCAOM POSITION ON DRY NEEDLING

LICENSED VS. CERTIFIED ACUPUNCTURISTS VS. DRY NEEDLING
  • When looking for a qualified acupuncturist in your area for serious concerns, chronic conditions, or long-term benefits, start your search for practitioners who are licensed acupuncturists (L.Ac.). They will have the highest level of training in the field.
  • A Dry Needling / Acupuncture Certificate can be obtained in a 1-2 day seminar, a License Requires several years of study, board exams, thousands of hours of supervised clinic rotations and continuing education.

​DRY NEEDLE / CERTIFIED ACUPUNCTURIST
  • Certified physician or chiropractors with as little as 50 hours of training
  • Training which is often comprised of home study and/or weekend seminars
  • Minimal clinical experience in acupuncture or no actual patient treatments before certification
  • Not required to complete the national certification examination to prove competency in acupuncture
  • Not required to regularly complete continuing education courses
Dr. Joseph Fiala, L.Ac., DACM

Joseph is a Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine, llicensed acupuncturist, herbalist and general practitioner of Neijing Acupuncture and Classical Chinese Medicine. He and his wife, Dr. Emaline Fiala, L.Ac., DACM, founded The Light Clinic in 2010. ​

His path to Chinese Medicine

Joseph made the decision to study Chinese Medicine during his early twenties while living in a Buddhist Monastery in Bodh Gaya, India. He embraces the idea that one can help others most effectively and enduringly by valuing self-cultivation and compassion. 

Joseph is very happy to have moved back to his hometown of Frankfort, KY where he makes every effort to give back to the community which raised him.

Credentials

Joseph is a founding member of The Light Clinic, Inc. (TLC).  He has his Bachelors of Science (B.S.) in Business Economics from The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Masters of Science in Oriental Medicine (MSOM) with a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Classical Chinese Medicine from the National University of Natural Medicine (NUNM).  This extraordinary school is one of the leading academic influences in the renaissance of classical acupuncture and herbalism. He is also a Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine through the Pacific College of Health and Sciences. He is a certified Dream Leader after completing a 2-year course in Jungian Dreamwork through The Haden Institute. He served as a past President of the ​Kentucky State Acupuncture Association.

He has a license of acupuncture from the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and has his national acupuncture certification through the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM). 


Teachers

Both Joseph and Emaline are fortunate to be disciples of some of the most talented Classical Chinese Medicine practitioners in the world. They have apprenticed for many years in Neijing acupuncture techniques and philosophy with Edward Neal, MD. They studied Chinese herbal formulas with an emphasis on Shanghan Lun and Jingui Yaolue under one of the foremost herbalists in the Western World, Heiner Fruehauf, Ph.D. and under the late Dr. Zhang Jun. 

They also maintain an active internal martial arts practice, training in a traditional style of Taiji Quan under Sifu Ko Pikshan. They also teach Jinjing Gong Qigong from the lineage of Heiner Fruehauf and Master Wang Qingyu.

In Asian tea arts, especially Chinese and Taiwanese pu-er and medicinal teas, Joseph and Emaline have worked extensively with Teamonk Po and Heiner Fruehauf. Teamonk Po continues to enliven their senses and has opened up a rare and transformative tea share with The Light Clinic. 

In the Jungian Dream world, Joseph and Emaline have learned from their beloved mentor Joyce Hudson and the Frankfort Dream Group, for which their constant community and intelligence is deeply needed.

Joseph and Emaline would like to extend their deepest gratitude to all of their teachers and mentors who have masterfully illuminated their path. They hope to continue to honor them, follow them, and with their aid continue to walk an upright path.