Specials Acupuncture

Unconventional Medicine

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - About four in 10 U.S. adults and one in nine children are turning to unconventional medical approaches for chronic pain and other health problems, health officials said on Wednesday.Back pain was the leading reason that Americans reported using complementary and alternative medicine techniques, followed by neck and joint pain as well as arthritis, according to the survey by the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About 38 percent of adults used some form of complementary and alternative medicine in 2007, compared to 36 percent in 2002, the last time the government tracked at the matter.For the first time, the survey looked at use of such medicine by children under age 18, finding that about 12 percent used it, officials...

Live! from the AAAOM Conference

As we wrap up this 5 day seminars, I wanted to share some thoughts of the highlights and low-lights of the conference.Pre-conference:Classical 5-Element Acupuncture with Judy Worsley I was excited for this seminar. I use some of the principle in treatment, but was looking for a deeper understanding of the diagnosis and treatment applications, and who better than to learn from. To the devotees of 5-Element, Judy is a living first degree relic of their messiah. This was also her first conference and she admitted to reluctance and lack of tech-savvy which should have given the organizers pause. This could have been a bang-up seminar and for the 5E folks, it probably was, but I left with the same knowledge I came in with. Well, I did learn...

Breast Cancer Studies

It is not worth posting the numerous reports out concerning the effectiveness of acupuncture and the alleviation of side effects in the treatment of breast cancer. Those of us who practice on patients undergoing chemo know how well it works. So do the patients. The interesting (well, typically disturbing) thing is, the amount of people already crying foul at the research design.A double blind study is not possible in acupuncture research and I am sick of people like "Orac" (a self-described humble surgeon scientist that will not give a real name) calling acupuncture studies worthless because of that fact. Oriental Medicine cannot be researched in the same way pharmaceuticals can be, but that does not mean all positive outcomes are the result of the...

Quick Personal Update

Here is the short version:I opened my new location in August - I bought it after looking at it or over a year and I can now walk to my office! My clients love the new space and I am already getting booked up!I have been teaching at Bellamine all summer and will probably have a full Fall/Spring loadI have been taking a few classes for my NP at Bellarmine that are kicking my tushI have been traveling like crazy and am going to Albuquerque next week for my husbands art show (yeah!)I have been ignoring this blog for the 3rd time this year Will post something meaningful so...

In Keeping with the Olympic Spirit

One cannot help hear of the controversies concerning censorship, human rights violations, end environmental nightmares concerning the host city for the 2008 Olympics. At least we can find humor in some corners. CHINESE acupuncturist stuck 205 needles into his face, head and body to celebrate Beijing hosting the Olympic games. Wei Shengchu, attached flags to each needle to represent all the countries participating in the games.   He said: “We are used to seeing people with flags painted on their faces so I thought, why not just put them into your head?”   The self-taught doctor of traditional Chinese medicine inserted the needles one-by-one while spectators took photos and looked on in wonder.Read and See More ...

Yo Ho-Ho and a Bottle Bao He Wan

When I was younger, I thought working for a cruise line would be an amazing job. I had actually considered it when I got my RN but did not want to leave my acupuncture practice. If this becomes a continuing trend, I may have to consider a little working vacation!LOS ANGELES, July 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Enriching its portfolio of wellness opportunities, Crystal Cruises is introducing onboard acupuncture, along with a menu of Chinese herbs revered for restoring and enhancing health, beauty and longevity. A menu of optional acupuncture treatments, launching this month on Crystal Serenity, focuses on weight loss, pain management, stress reduction, detoxification, smoking cessation, facial rejuvenation and even sea sickness. "For many, a vacation offers the freedom to try something new,"...

A little acupuncture humor

From The Daily Mash (UK)ACUPUNCTURE GOOD FOR COVERING BODY IN TINY HOLES, SAYS STUDY ACUPUNCTURE is extremely effective at making tiny holes all over the body, the biggest ever study of the ancient Chinese remedy has revealed. Researchers commissioned by the Acupuncture Society tested the needle-based complementary therapy on 2,000 patients, all of whom reported small holes in their skin after treatment.   The Institute for Studies then gave a control group of 2,000 different patients no acupuncture at all, after which they were examined and found to be entirely hole free.   Report author Henry Brubaker said: "If even one patient given the needle treatment had come back without a hole I might have had my doubts, but this shows that acupuncture works.   "As you can see, when the...

Who needs the PDR?

Only a few lines in this piece are about acupuncture, but I thought it was worth posting for the subject matter alone. The thing they do not mention is that the PDR does not include drugs that are off patent, so it is basically a sales rep disguised as an important looking book.8 drugs doctors wouldn't takeIf your physician would skip these medicines, maybe you should, tooBy Morgan LordWith 3,480 pages of fine print, the Physicians' Desk Reference (a.k.a. PDR) is not a quick read. That's because it contains every iota of information on more than 4,000 prescription medications. Heck, the PDR is medication — a humongous sleeping pill. Doctors count on this compendium to help them make smart prescribing decisions — in other words, to choose drugs that will solve their patients' medical...

Competition!

Well, I knew it was bound to happen. Doctors don't need acupuncture training to add it to their service list, chiropractors just assume they are qualified to be acupuncturists with or without a "certification course," and now physical therapists are getting in on the act!Needling' Becoming More Popular To Treat Pain DENVER (CBS4) ― Some physical therapists in Colorado are offering an alternative treatment for chronic muscle pain and stiffness. On Tuesday, CBS4 health specialist Kathy Walsh sat in on a session of the new treatment called "trigger point dry needling." Using very thin, solid needles to penetrate deep into areas of tension, dry needling promises to stimulate, reset and relax muscles. One satisfied dry needling patient is Sgt. First Class...

WARNING!

Acupuncture. Put needles in. Take needles out. All out? Yes, all out. Periodically, patients with fluffy hair or slippery clothing may have a souvenir left when they put on their hat or pull on their socks due to obstruction of the needle. However, the following is a serious example of when not having a system for insertion and withdrawal can cause a heap of trouble.Acupunture patient left with 'forgotten' needleMay 9 2008 Media WalesAn acupuncture patient returned home from treatment with a two-inch needle stuck in her back, she said today.Back pain sufferer Wendy Dempsey had her first acupuncture session on Wednesday at a hospital in Newport, South Wales.The 54-year-old claims she suffered excruciating pain as she drove the five miles to her Llanmartin home and only realised what was wrong...

Military Service (for them)

In an effort to prevent the situation many of our veterans faced following Vietnam, the VA has made wonderful progress in helping our military personnel re-acclimate to their lives before war. Yet in some areas, the services are spectacular, while in others it is sub-par or non-existent. This is why folks like the ones below are a wonderful boon to our soldiers, especially those returning home with PTSD.Acupuncturists serving the troopsMay 4, 2008Margaret Gargarian respects the fact that her son's high school in Belmont has a community service requirement. "I think it should be part of life," she said.To do her part, Gargarian - an anesthesiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital who has training in acupuncture - recently joined an offshoot of Acupuncturists Without Borders.Gargarian and...

Ahhh, Research!

Finding a research study involving acupuncture that has any statistical significance or reproducible design is not an easy task. This one involving hot flashes and tamoxifen is decent, despite the argument that it is not reproducible because there is no pill involved (?!) and the results are subjective (um, last time I checked there was no lab value for pain or discomfort). An objector does bring up a reluctance to send one of his patients to an acupuncturist he is not familiar with, and that should make any practitioner realize that MDs can be an important component to a successful practice. From my standpoint, I would have liked to have known what treatment protocol was used, but with a little digging I am sure it is not difficult to find.Acupuncture Can Relieve Hot Flushes Caused by TamoxifenMonday,...

Fellowship Opportunity

If you like the cold and the security of working within the Western Medical setting, this sounds like a winning experience. I had not visited MCAOMs website before (http://www.nwhealth.edu/index.html) but the programs look impressive. This was actually from a chiropractic newsletter.Northwestern Health Sciences begins acupuncture fellowship program The Minnesota College of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (MCAOM) at Northwestern Health Sciences University now offers a post-graduate fellowship opportunity in collaboration with the Woodwinds Health Campus in Woodbury, Minn. The one-year fellowship, launched in November 2006, provides a licensed acupuncturist with post-graduate experience in a hospital setting. Mark McKenzie, LAc, MOm, dean of MCAOM, said he believes...

MIA Message

The news in the acupuncture world has been dismally uninteresting of late. Lots of private practice press releases and "did you know acupuncture was good for" types of news are the bulk of what I have been receiving. I have not felt compelled to pass along things I have already covered, but I also lost total track of time ans I see it has been over two months since my last post! I have not attend any more CEU seminars to report back on either, shame on me, and I am in a quandary as to weather I am going to go see Richard Tan or Mary Elizabeth Wakefield this summer.However, the other reason for the delay is general life. I started nurse practitioner school this semester and just moved into a new house a few days ago (we had been looking and planning for nearly a year). My practice is continuing...

Cringe

Hearing this sort of thing makes me cringe for a variety of reasons. Some of them are from being a woman and some are from professional fear of being accused of anything inapproprite. Even though I am slightly less at risk because I am female, that does not mean I can be cavilere. This is not on par with alleged abuse, but I know I lost at least one patient when I was in school because his girlfriend though I was flirting with him (backstory: we were allowed to give a certain number of free treatments per semester and I had made it my policy that the week before Christmas Holiday I would give out all my freebies. He was the first patient of the week and when his girlfriend, who had an appointment later in the week, found out, she was upset to say the least). But I digress. May the truth come...

"Would you go to a blind acupuncturist?"

I only have two words for this: Toyohari AcupuncturistsBlind woman tries again for state acupuncture licenseAssociated PressAUSTIN — A blind student of acupuncture is making a second request for a state license to practice the trade after being rejected last year because of her lack of vision.The licensure committee of the Texas State Board of Acupuncture Examiners was set to rehear Juliana Cumbo's request for a license today. She would be the first blind person to be issued a state license, board members said."I wanted to be more involved in health care ... and I thought it was a perfect profession for a blind person," Cumbo said of her decision to pursue acupuncture, a method of diagnosing, treating and preventing illness by placing thin needles along specific points on the body.The 31-year-old...

Acutonics and Placebo

Acutonics has been getting some attention lately. For a couple of years I have been incorporating some of the techniques in my practice with a pair of Om Tuning Forks. The majority of my patients give a positive review. What I like about this piece is the quote about placebo effect:"One out of three people, which is a pretty big number, get relief from placebos because pain is a mind/body type of phenomenon." What's wrong with that? I would love to be able to placebo away my ailments - a placebo pill is usually safer than the real thing! I find it amusing when people dismiss a modality because it is unfamiliar or because they don't want to accept it by saying, "it's just the placebo effect." I hear that a lot with students in the western medicine field because to them, if you can't be objectively...

2008 Sensationlism

Both Oprah and US News and World Report are talking about acupuncture (and CAM in general). What a boon to the profession!From Oprah.com:Oprah is ready to take a step toward the frontier of medicine…but she's a little scared of the whole needle part. Daniel was ready to ease her fears. "The needles that [Daniel] is going to use would actually fit through the hole in the needle that they use to take the blood from your arm," Dr. Oz says."Acupuncture treats any condition from allergies to, obviously, pain to gastrointestinal issues—a wide range of chronic diseases," Daniel says.Oprah doesn't suffer from those particular ailments, so Daniel recommends a wellness acupuncture treatment, which will help boost Oprah's immune system. This normally requires about 10 needles, he says, and the positive...