Acupuncture Moves Toward the Mainstream

[HuckleB]

Acupuncture Moves Toward the Mainstream

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/28/health/policy/28acup.html

"...

Acupuncture, long shunned by mainstream medicine but for centuries considered the crown jewel of alternative therapy, is slowly gaining ground in doctors' offices around the country. While some experts still question its effectiveness, studies in recent years - including one at Duke last week - have thrown scientific weight behind its benefits, supporting its usefulness in alleviating conditions from morning sickness to carpal tunnel syndrome.

In the past few years, the number of hospitals offering acupuncture and other alternative therapies has doubled. At the same time, postgraduate training programs in alternative medicine have sprung up at universities around the country, most recently at Harvard and the University of San Francisco.

"There's a greater demand for these programs now because so many physicians are interested in learning acupuncture," said Dr. Nader E. Soliman, an anesthesiologist in Rockville, Md., and president of the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture. "A lot of physicians who used to be extremely reluctant to refer patients for the treatment are now doing it regularly." Patients curious about alternative medicine and increasingly skeptical of the drug industry are also seeking out the procedure, experts say.

A visit to an acupuncturist can cost $50 to $100. For people working at the right companies, however, it runs a lot less. More and more employers looking for low-cost additions to medical plans are embracing the treatment. Nearly 50 percent of workers with benefits received coverage for it in 2004, compared with just over 30 percent two years ago, according to a survey this month by the Kaiser Family Foundation and Health Research and Educational Trust.

..."

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Good news all around, IMHO. More people are open to it. More research is being done, examining efficacy, so we know when it's most valid. Etc... etc...

My experience, both personal and via reports from acquaintances, is that acupuncture can do much for insomnia, anxiety, pain and joint issues, such as arthritis and even injury.

[crispini]

1. I LOVE my acupuncturist!

that stuff works!

[RivetJoint]

2. The Andrews AFB Hospital (Malcom Grow)

Has an acupuncture center.

[HuckleB]

3. Sweet.

It's good to know that even the Feds are providing some treatment options.

[Eloriel]

4. Well, let's not forget that the NIH sanctioned acupuncture

for a number of conditions back in 1997 or 98. That was a good start.

One problem, though, is that in many states there are laws that prevent anyone but MDs from using it. As an acquaintance of mine put it (himself an acupuncturist working "illegally" in my state), "Hah, 10 years ago they derided acupuncture; now they're the only ones who can do it." He also shared that their "education" in acupuncture was far inferior to the kind of education licensed acupuncturists go through.

I will also say that I've studied a little TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) myself. It's a far, far different system -- in fact a whole different paradigm completely -- than Western medicine. It's difficult to adequately describe the difference in worldviews involved. So it's hard for me to envision MDs actually doing well at it since the knowledge system and underlying philosophy are so entirely antithetical to Western medicine. My guess is they tend to succumb to a cookbook, one size fits all approach to applying the needles for various things.

BUT, even so, I'm thrilled that these advances are happening within Western medicine. Chiropractice has also become far more mainstream over the years. Once upon a time not all that long ago it was laughed at as quackery. Nowadays there are more and more MDs routinely referring their patients to chiropractors and more and more MDs and DCs actually sharing offices together. I consider my own chiropractor my primary healthcare provider. I see him first and foremost for everything but emergencies. His bag of tricks (like most DC's these days) so far exceeds mere spinal manipulation that it's not even funny -- applied kinesiology, homeopathy, special nutritional formulations, etc., etc. AND, mine is currently enrolled in school to become a Doctor of Chinese Medicine, so he'll be expanding his repertoire even more. :D