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Board committee opens review of ambiguous “Asian massage” term in acupuncture scope
Summary
At a California Acupuncture Board committee meeting, members and stakeholders pressed for clearer language and regulatory or legislative action after long-running confusion over the statutory phrase “Asian massage” and whether it aligns with modern terms such as manual therapy or Tui Na.
At a California Acupuncture Board licensing committee meeting, members of the public and professional groups urged the committee to clarify the statutory phrase “Asian massage,” saying the term confuses providers, payers and patients and hampers reimbursement and consumer understanding.
The discussion centered on whether the phrase in statute — which appears alongside examples such as tui na, shiatsu and acupressure — should be modernized or clarified by regulation or referred to the Legislature. Legal staff and the board’s executive officer said the board can clarify ambiguous terms through regulations but that the legislature sets the statutory scope of practice.
The committee’s chair,…
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