Data Bits 2

For those that believe if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it must be a random coincidence, here are some objective findings.ACUPUNCTURE AND MIGRAINE: A NEW CONCLUSIVE STUDYLiterary search and editing by Francine L. Comtois, sec. trés. of the ACDMAcupuncture would help to relieve the chronic headaches, migraine in particular. Such are the conclusions of a clinical study, carried out in England and in Wales, which was published in British Medical Journal. The study was made with an aim of evaluating if acupuncture could be rather effective, in the case of the headaches, to be integrated into the free care of the system of public health in England.For 12 months, the researchers followed 401 patients suffering from chronic headaches, mainly of migraines. These patients had been...

Chinese Herbal Therapy

One of the more amusing points that many conforming MDs make is that herbal therapies do not work and any improvement in condition is a mere coincidence stemmed from the disease running its course. How quickly they forget the Foxglove-Digitalis connection or, more recently, Eli Lilly's use of tropical periwinkle in the development of the anti-cancer drugs Velban and Oncovin. Often times it seems that nothing is ever effective until it can be patented for profit (as a side note, I recently learned that the reason a lot of drugs are coming out with extended-release versions because the patent has run out and it is a method to continue having people buy the name-brand). It also seems many resort to amusing derogatory sound-bites rather than genuine research and a treatment of their own. Despite...

All But the Qualified

When I was in TCM school, there was a western medical doctor a couple of semesters ahead of me. This gentlemen had come to New Mexico from the Northeast and left his private surgery practice because he felt that in order to be an acupuncturist, he needed to go to a real school and obtain real certification. I admired that because he could have fobbed off with a 200 hour course and billed an outrageous amount for a substandard acupuncture treatment. He knew that anything doing was worth doing right. The trouble is, many people believe in cutting corners and in TCM that results in what I would consider practicing outside the scope of your license and endangering patient safety.I am not a chiropractor and although I did learn how to do adjustments during the course of my training, I feel that...

Sick? Enjoy Your Illness!

When I would get sick as a child, my only prescriptions were fluid, rest, and a little day-time TV. I came to believe that getting sick periodically was good for you and to this day I steer clear of flu shots and anything with the suffix -cillin. A couple of years ago I was sitting in on a lecture by one of the state's leading endochronoligists where she posed the theory that autoimmune diseases were on the rise because the industrialized countries were too clean, and too vaccinated. She believed that the immune system would essentially get bored and attack itself if there was nothing else available. These attacks could come in the form of random new allergies or in the more debilitating diseases such as Lupus, Multiple Sclerosis, and Rheumatoid Arthritis. Naturally, her theory stuck a cord...

Beneath the Surface

I have a standard speech I give clients that see me for acupuncture treatments. I provide my condensed version of acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, theory an explanation of Qi and what it is suppose to feel like, the type of needles I use and how they are disposed of, and expectation of treatment success. While most practitioners have their own routine, I believe it is always helpful to see how others describe the basics. Acupuncture can relieve pain and abate the symptoms of illnesses, proponents say.Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 06/18/06BY BOBBI SEIDELSTAFF WRITERFor a long time, Stefanie Hay was in constant pain any time she tried to eat.The Aberdeen teen, 18, had been to numerous medical doctors, her gall bladder had been removed, and she was told to take pain medication, says her...

Local Spotlight

I am always happy to see an article on alternative medicine on the front page, but when two fellow acupuncturists who have poured their energy and drive into making the Kentucky acupuncture law a reality, I am ecstatic. I had at least three clients tell me about this piece before I saw it for myself so I have high hopes that this kind of press will broaden awareness and bring people in the door.Alternative healing Acceptance grows for nontraditional treatmentBy Laura UngarDanielle Weakland lounged on a recliner as acupuncturist Jeffrey Russell stuck tiny needles into her arms, legs and left ear.The ancient Chinese treatment is supposed to correct the flow of "qi," or vital energy. Weakland said she hopes it regulates her menstrual cycle, just as it relieved digestive and gallbladder problems...

Broad Spectrum Collaboration

With all of the methods of pain management out there, acupuncturist are often "the last hope." While it is a gratifying challenge to help someone who has had years of long-standing pain issues, there is something fullfilling about hepling someone at the early onset. One of the best ways to reach people with potentially crippling diseases such as MS, Lyme Disease, or chronic fatigue is if more forward thinking doctors suggest acupuncture and other alternative therapies to their patients. When healers work together, the patient always wins.Acupuncturist focuses on healing mind and bodyBy Susan TuzTHE NEWS-TIMESAt age 20, Kelly McGarvey barely had the energy to get through the day. She had to drop out of college and was in chronic pain.The symptoms had been mounting for over 10 years and McGarvey...

Acupuncture spans culture divide

One of the things that many of us have a hard time with is patience. We are a culture in which instant gratification is not fast enough, and when it comes to healthcare, people want results . . . yesterday. Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine is not the instant miracle. While I have had some "eureka" clients who report and physically demonstrate vast improvement as soon as they get off the table, the majority take a few treatments to truly notice a difference. The good news is, since the majority of my clients come to me as a last resort after trying MDs, massage therapists, and chiropractors, they are willing to put in a little more time to see a change. This is a nice story that exemplifies how a little patience can have a lifelong impact.BENNINGTON — On a cold and dreary day in 1997 in Moldova,...

Scandal!

Well, maybe not a huge scandal, but copyright infringement is not something to dismiss. It is amazing to me that people would think in these times that an author would not find out you stole and retranslated his work, but even in the world of alternative medicine, some people are without scruples.Vietnam facial acupuncture publication violates copyright abroadA book of facial acupuncture researched by a Vietnamese scientist and published under his name in Vietnam 22 years ago was found recently to have violated copyright in three countries abroad.Methods in Facial Acupuncture and Gland Therapy (Dien Chan - dieu khien lieu phap) was written by Bui Quoc Chau and published in 1984 by the Minh Hai newspaper.The publication was recently translated, re-printed, and published in France, Spain and...

Get the Dynasty look

When I was in school, I was trained in how to perform acupuncture facelifts, although the professionally accepted description these days if acupuncture facial rejuvenation. I have begun to get more inquires about this in my practice and I have to say they one of those procedures that are a lot of fun to deliver. The results do not look like a surgical facelift, but then, who wants to spend $30,000 for surgery to have it look like you had surgery? This is a great alternative and nearly everyone I have treated has seen visible and lasting results. Acupuncture 'facelifts' given to Chinese empresses are now available here, as Charmian Evans reportsThe wrinkles say it all - we're getting older. More and more of us don't like what we see in the mirror and are turning back the clock by a variety...

Patients with Four Legs

Because veterinary acupuncture is almost exclusively limited to Doctors of Veterinary Medicine, my personal experience with equine acupuncture has been limited to observational training. Both the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society (IVAS) and its affiliate organization The American academy of Veterinary Acupuncture(AAVA) have done a wonderful job providing continuing educations for veterinarians who want to practice Oriental Medicine techniques. They have nearly 100 members, all DVMs, with the highest number of practitioners in CA, VA, KY, and NJ. Continuing education classes very, but I was delighted to find that the Chi Institute (www.tcvm.com) takes their education seriously and offers both basic and Master's level course work for those interested in certifying. Who knows - maybe...