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NCCAOM & CALE – Acupuncture Licensing
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Month 1 – TCM Foundation
Weeks 1-4 – Theory, diagnosis, patterns
Wk 1-2Yin-Yang – 5 Elements – Fundamental Substances▾
5 Element table – drill cold: organ / emotion / color / season / taste / sound for all 5 elements
Generation (Sheng) cycle + Control (Ke) cycle – draw from memory
6 types of Qi: Yuan (original) – Zong (pectoral) – Ying (nutritive) – Wei (defensive) – Zhong (central) – Zang-Fu Qi
Blood – formed from Ying Qi + food essence. Heart governs – Liver stores – Spleen controls
Jing – Pre-heaven (inherited, finite, Kidneys) vs Post-heaven (food/water, replenishes)
Shen – resides in Heart. Disturbed: insomnia, anxiety, palpitations, incoherent speech
Jin-Ye – Jin (thin, with Wei Qi, moistens skin) vs Ye (thick, nourishes joints/brain/marrow)
📅 Daily: 20 flashcard reps – 20 practice Qs – Mnemonics section
Wk 34 Examinations – 8 Principles – Extra Vessels▾
Tongue regions: Tip=Heart/LU – Sides=LV/GB – Center=SP/ST – Root=KI
Tongue body: 5 colors + meanings. Coat: white/yellow/greasy/peeled/absent. Shape: swollen/thin/cracks/teethmarks
14 pulse qualities – location (floating/sinking) – rate – strength – shape – rhythm
8 Principles – 4 pairs: Exterior/Interior – Cold/Heat – Excess/Deficiency – Yin/Yang
6 Pathogenic Factors – Wind/Cold/Summer-Heat/Dampness/Dryness/Fire: season, nature, organs, symptoms
7 Emotions → organ → direction of Qi (Joy slows – Anger rises – Worry knots – Grief dissipates – Fear descends – Fright scatters)
8 Extraordinary Vessels – master point + coupled point, all 8 pairs
📅 Daily: 20 flashcard reps – 20 practice Qs
Wk 4Zang-Fu Patterns – all 6 organs▾
Liver: Qi stagnation – Blood def – Yang rising – Fire blazing – Internal Wind – LV/GB Damp-Heat
Spleen: Qi def – Yang def – Not holding Blood – Cold-Damp obstructing – SP/ST Damp-Heat
Kidney: Yin def – Yang def – Jing def – Not grasping Qi
Heart: Blood def – Yin def – Fire blazing – HT-KI disharmony – Phlegm-Fire harassing
Lung: Qi def – Yin def – Wind-Cold invasion – Wind-Heat invasion – Phlegm-Heat in LU
Stomach: Cold/Qi def – Fire – Food stagnation – Yin def
For each pattern: tongue – pulse – key sx – tx principle – points – herbs – formula
→ Zang-Fu reference
📅 Daily: 20 flashcard reps – 20 Qs – 1 organ per day
Month 2 – Points – Herbs – Formulas
Weeks 5-8 – The clinical core
Wk 5Special Point Categories▾
5-Shu transporting points – all 12 channels (60 points total). Yin channels: Well=Wood. Yang: Well=Metal.
Yuan-Source (12 pts) + Luo-Connecting pairs (12 pts). On Yin channels Yuan=Shu-Stream.
Back-Shu (UB channel, 12) + Front-Mu (12) – all organ pairings cold
8 Hui meeting points – LV13/Zang – CV12/Fu – CV17/Qi – UB17/Blood – GB34/Sinews – LU9/Vessels – UB11/Bone – GB39/Marrow
4 Command Points – Face/Mouth→LI4 – Back→UB40 – Abdomen→ST36 – Head/Nape→LU7
13 Ghost Points (Sun Simiao) – GV26, LU11, SP1, PC7, UB62, GV16, ST6, CV24, PC8, GV23, CV1, LI11, Guiying
Ma Dan Yang 12 Heavenly Stars – ST36, LI4, SP6, LU7, GB31, UB40, HT7, SI3, UB57, LV3, LI11, GB34
📅 Daily: 30 flashcard reps – 30 practice Qs
Wk 6Point Indications – Needling – Clinical Prescriptions▾
Key points per channel with indications – all 14 channels
Needling depth/direction by region – chest (pneumothorax), neck, lumbar, eye region, head (GV20 transverse only), GB21
Pregnancy-contraindicated points – LI4, SP6, GB21, UB60, UB67, CV4, CV6, GV4 (strong stimulation)
Clinical prescriptions by condition – stroke, cold, cough, asthma, insomnia by pattern, headache by location, hypertension
📅 Daily: 30 flashcard reps – 30 practice Qs
Wk 7ACE 1 Single Herbs▾
65 ACE1 herbs – category, Latin, key clinical notes, NCCAOM Level 1 + CALE CAB flags
18 Incompatibilities (Shi Ba Fan) – 3 groups: Wu Tou group (5 Bs) – Gan Cao group (ocean/swamps) – Li Lu group (all Shens)
Pregnancy contraindicated – absolute (Fu Zi, Da Huang, Mang Xiao, Ban Xia raw…) vs relative blood movers (Tao Ren, Hong Hua…)
Toxic herbs with safe handling – Fu Zi (cook 60 min), Ban Xia/Tian Nan Xing (processed only), Zhu Sha (mercury)
→ Herbs reference
📅 Daily: 30 herb flashcards – 1 herb category per dayWk 8ACE 1 Formulas – King/Deputy/Dosages/Modifications▾
84 ACE1 formulas – full King/Deputy/Assistant/Envoy, dosages, key modifications (jia jian)
Pattern → formula: given a pattern, name the formula and chief herb
Formula → pattern: given a formula, state the CAB indication and pathomechanism
Derivative chains – Liu Wei family, Xue Fu Zhu Yu 4 locations, Si Ni Tang vs Si Ni San (critical distinction)
Shang Han Lun formulas – Bai Hu Tang, Gui Zhi Tang, Xiao Chai Hu Tang, Si Ni Tang, Wu Ling San
Dang Gui Bu Xue Tang – chief herb is HUANG QI not Dang Gui (5:1 ratio, frequently tested)
→ Formulas reference
📅 Daily: 30 formula flashcards – 30 practice Qs
Month 3 – Clinical – Law – Mock Exams
Weeks 9-12 – Integration and finishing
Wk 9Biomedicine – Anatomy – Pathology – Lab Values▾
Cranial nerves – all 12: name, number, passage, type (sensory/motor/both), function
Spinal nerves C5-S3 – motor / sensory / reflex for each root level
Brachial plexus – major nerves, roots, motor, sensory, injury signs, common causes
Lab values – CBC, CMP, Lipid panel, Thyroid (TSH inverse), Coagulation, Cardiac enzymes MI timeline (CPK→AST→LDH→Troponin)
MSK conditions – orthopedic special tests (Lachman, McMurray, Thompson, Finkelstein, Phalen’s/Tinel’s)
Pathology – RA vs OA vs Gout vs Pseudogout – Osteoporosis – Ankylosing Spondylitis – Fibromyalgia
Red flags for immediate referral – thunderclap HA, cauda equina, acute chest pain, sudden vision loss
→ Lab Values reference
→ Clinical Conditions
📅 Daily: 40 flashcards – 40 practice Qs
Wk 10Clinical Patterns – Psychiatry – Dermatology – Gynecology▾
Insomnia – 11 TCM patterns: tongue/pulse/points for each (LV fire, HT fire, Phlegm-Heat, HT-KI disharmony, food retention…)
Anxiety – 6 TCM patterns with formula (LU+HT Qi def, HT Blood def, HT Blood stasis, Phlegm-Heat, Rebellious Chong)
Psychiatric: Dian (depression-phlegm) – Kuang (mania-fire) – Epilepsy (wind-phlegm) – ADD (HT/SP def)
Dermatology: urticaria (wind-heat/cold/damp-heat/Qi-Blood def) – acne – eczema – psoriasis – formula + points each
Gynecology – all 5 categories cold: vaginal discharge – infertility – postpartum – menopause – dysmenorrhea
Bi syndrome: wind (moving pain) – cold (severe fixed pain, heat relieves) – damp (heavy fixed) – heat (red hot swollen)
→ Gynecology reference
→ Clinical Conditions reference
📅 Daily: 50 flashcards – 40 practice Qs
Wk 11California Law – CALE Specific (13% of exam)▾
CALE format: 200 questions – 2 parts x 100 Q – 2.5 hrs each – 45-min break. Law = 26 questions.
CAB: 3 acupuncturists + 4 public = 7 members – 4-year terms – min 5 years experience – Governor appoints
Mandatory reporting: CANRA child abuse (36 hrs) – elder/dependent adult abuse – gunshot wounds (48 hrs to law enforcement)
CNT: single-use needles ONLY (reuse = unprofessional conduct) – hand washing brush-scrubbed – sharps = sealed unbreakable + Hazardous Waste
CE: 50 hrs/2 yrs – max 5 hrs Category 2 (home study) – records retained 4 years – expired license renew within 3 years
Business structures: sole proprietorship, corporation, partnership – NOT LLC
Scope edge cases: injecting herbal tincture into points = outside scope. Fictitious business name = allowed.
→ CA Law Q&A reference
📅 Daily: 50 flashcards – CA Law deck – 40 practice Qs
Wk 12Mock Exams Only – No New Content▾
No new content this week. Reinforcement only.
100-question timed blocks daily – all categories mixed
Review every wrong answer immediately – categorize by domain
Quiz all 5 categories – target 75%+ on each before exam day
Any flashcard deck under 80% mastered – drill it again
Confirm every checklist item is ticked
→ Open Quiz
→ Open Checklist
📅 Daily: 50+ flashcards – 100 timed practice Qs
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