About HMI

Helms Medical Institute is dedicated to excellence in the teaching and practice of medical acupuncture. Our mission is to deliver high-quality medical acupuncture training to physicians so they can provide this service to their patients.

Acupuncture today has become a highly respected and popular modality of medical treatment in the United States. The growing acceptance of acupuncture by physicians and patients is in large part due to the successful work of graduates of HMI’s Medical Acupuncture for Physicians program. The program has provided over 6,000 physicians with responsible training in this emerging discipline, most of whom have incorporated acupuncture into their primary care or specialty practices.

The first Medical Acupuncture for Physicians course was held in 1980 under the sponsorship of the American Holistic Medical Association. From 1982 though 2008 HMI offered the course in collaboration with the continuing medical education offices of UCLA and Stanford Schools of Medicine. HMI has been accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education and since 2008 is the sole sponsor of the physician acupuncture course. In addition to the primary medical acupuncture training program for new learners, HMI has developed the curriculum for intermediate and advanced clinical programs, as well as a video library offering dozens of continuing acupuncture education titles.

HMI lecturers and clinical preceptors have completed a rigorous medical acupuncture training process that stresses the highest standards of professionalism, respect for the tradition of acupuncture, attentiveness to the needs of the students, and creativity and enthusiasm in disseminating physician acupuncture education.