Acus Foundation

Acus Foundation (Latin for ‘needle’) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization founded in 2014 and headquartered in Berkeley, California. Our mission is to educate military physicians in the science and art of medical acupuncture.

In 2017, Acus Foundation was named by The Economist as one of 8 programs nationwide successfully combating the opioid epidemic. Our flagship program documented a 45% drop in opioid prescriptions since adding acupuncture to patient care. Acus founder, Dr. Joseph Helms, was also named one of Oprah’s 2018 Health Heroes.

Teaching and research constitute our main program activities. Our training sessions take place at various locations throughout the U.S., with our flagship program based at Nellis AFB in Las Vegas. These are blended courses that offer a mix of online learning and classroom instruction. Our current research program is also in Las Vegas.