The legalization and medical insurance system improvement for acupuncture and moxibustion has triggered the rapid growth in the number of acupuncturists seeking employment in the United States.The safety issues and legal risks in the practice of the acupuncturists newly coming to the United States emerged along with the booming of acupuncture and moxibustion.Through investigation and interview of experienced acupuncturists，we identified some problems that acupuncturists may encounter.These problems include the violation of patient's confidentiality and privacy due to inadequate understanding of patients' rights，neglect of informing patients before treatment to ensure patients' consent and right of self-determination，performing of certain procedures out the scope of the license，failure to identify contraindications before treatment，lack of experience in handling emergencies，and poor awareness of risks in non-clinical environment.We suggest that acupuncturists should strictly observe the medical laws，regulations，ethical codes，and principles for safe practice.