Our Story

We are the oldest and most experienced team of physician teachers and practitioners of medical acupuncture in the United States.

Acus Founder and President, Dr. Joseph Helms, and our team of instructors and clinical preceptors have pioneered teaching and clinical research in medical acupuncture. Since 1978, we have trained 90% of the licensed physicians practicing acupuncture in this country.

In 2007 the U.S. Air Force asked Dr. Helms to create acupuncture protocols to relieve acute pain, chronic pain, and post-traumatic stress. The team developed an acupuncture treatment known as the auricular trauma protocol (ATP). Military physicians and medics now use the ATP worldwide with great success.

Today, Helms and the Acus team regularly teach medical acupuncture that addresses the physical and psycho-spiritual dimensions of military injury, in both active duty and veteran military patients.

The Best of Conventional and Integrative Medicine

Acus-trained physicians treat our service members and veterans with the best combination of conventional (Western) and integrative medicine (acupuncture).

From 2008 to 2012 the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) funded the training of 120 military physicians. Funding slowed in 2012 and stopped altogether in 2013. Dr. Helms created Acus Foundation in 2014 to continue this important work, funded by charitable contributions.

    Our Work

Our research team spent a decade refining specialized protocols to treat combat-related pain and stress. Our teaching team has trained more than 500 military physicians since 2008. These doctors have performed over 20,000 medical acupuncture treatments.

They’ve weaned service members off opioids.
They’ve eased the phantom pain of amputees.
They’ve brought veterans back from ideas of suicide.
Acupuncture has given them back their lives.