Nowadays in Mexico there is an Official Norm for the practice of human acupuncture, in which the general framework for the practice of this discipline as a complementary therapy in medical attention for open population is established (first level of attention) in our country.  This norm appears in the Federation's Official Newspaper with the date May 7th, 2002, and was made official during the second half of the year 2006.

Before 1986, the Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN) became the first institution of higher education to teach acupuncture as a medical specialty. Befor that, the teaching of acupuncture in our country was limited to associations of acupuncturists and private technical schools which did not request the student to have any prior medical education, therfore, the quality of the graduates from such courses was very heterogenous.  In our country, from the decade of the 70's,  in the wake of the efforts done by outstanding proffesionals in medicine, but especially thanks to the great acceptance of this therapy among the population, many efforts were made so that acupuncture could become a professional practice.  Thanks to those efforts nowadays, besides the IPN, also at the Autonomous University fo Mexico (UAM Iztapalapa) acupuncture is being imparted as a medical specialty.  There are other Universities that offer acupuncture courses at different levels and durations (majors and updatings) such as the University of Guadalajara, the Autonomous University of Chapingo, Autonomous University of Puebla, Autonomous University of Veracruz, The UNAM in the FES of Acatlan and Iztacla, besides other private schools and institutes.

Unfortunately, the slow professionalization of the practice of acupuncture in Mexico has given rise to quacks who with no scientific knowledge whatsoever have disseminated a mistaken idea about acupuncture.  In spite of having helped many sick people, they have also put others' lives in danger for not having the necessary knowledge to diagnose correctly and establish a treatment in consequence, or just by not being aware of the limitations that, like any other therapy, acupuncture can have.

Currently, the majority of scientific doctors (or allopaths, as they like to be called) have the idea that acupuncture does not have a scientific foundation. And in spite that many patients call upon acupuncture or other complementary medicines, the "allopath" doctor does not know the indications, mechanisms of action and effects of acupuncture, and they are also not aware that many of them are being scientifically well documented each time.  In order to verify the above, check out the list of serious scientific references that the Institute of Health and the FDA of the US government approved of its use.