Prosecutors say an unlicensed acupuncturist in Queens punctured a woman’s lung during a treatment, leaving her unconscious on the street and requiring major surgery.
Yong De Lin, 66, was charged Monday in a four-count indictment charging him with assault, reckless endangerment and unauthorized professional conduct.
“The defendant did not have a license, had no intention of applying for one, and almost killed the patient,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said in a statement.
Prosecutors said he operated at an office called C&W Medical on Union Street in Flushing, where he met the victim, Shujuan Jiang, 63, in May 2022. She sought treatment for her abdominal and back pain and received 17 treatments over the next six months.
During her last treatment on Oct. 28, she became unwell, but Lin sent her home after giving her more acupuncture treatment, according to the indictment. Halfway through she ran out of breath and she collapsed. A bystander called 911 and Jiang was taken to the hospital, where her doctors determined that both of her lungs had collapsed as a result of her acupuncture treatment. Her doctors had to perform surgery to save her life and she was hospitalized for six days.
The indictment accuses Lin of using “dangerous instruments” and operating them “under circumstances exhibiting a depraved indifference to human life,” creating a “grave risk of death.”
Katz urged others who have received acupuncture treatment from Lin to contact her office.
To obtain a license to practice acupuncture in New York, applicants must pass an exam administered by the National Certification Board for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine in Washington.
Acupuncture is a treatment that involves inserting small needles into specific areas of the skin to bring the body back into balance, following the principles of traditional Chinese medicine.
Dr. Yemen Chen, president of the New York College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Mineola, New York, said he has never heard of a punctured lung in his nearly 40 years in the field.
Dr. Chen, who served on the state Department of Education’s acupuncture committee for 10 years, said it’s a clear risk that students are carefully taught to avoid. Using the wrong technique at the point in the upper back between the spine and shoulder blades can puncture the lung, he said.
“You have to be very careful about the depth and direction of the needle,” he said. “That’s why you need a license. The purpose of a license is public safety.”
A 2013 article published in the Journal of Thoracic Disease found that pneumothorax (the presence of air between the chest wall and the lung, which can cause lung collapse) is the most common serious acupuncture complication. states that it is a disease. But the study says the condition is “rarely reported.”
Dr. Chen said people seeking acupuncture can easily check a practitioner’s license on the state Education Department’s Occupational Bureau website.
If convicted on all charges, Lin could face up to 25 years in prison. His public defender, Kathleen Gallo, said a Chinese interpreter was available only virtually during Monday’s arraignment and was unable to personally communicate with her client in open court.
So a judge ordered Lin to return to court Wednesday, during which time he was held on $50,000 bail.
