2012 Best Acupuncturist !
NE Community Acupuncture ;)

In a recent research, it has been claimed that acupuncture could reduce excruciating pains associated with specific types of cancer. The study was made public in the journal “Acupuncture in Medicine”. It was done by a team from the HanseMerkur Centre for Traditional Chinese Medicine at the University Medical Centre in Hamburg. There were 11 patients involved in the study which was based to identify impact of acupuncture on cancer patients.

“The data suggest that acupuncture has a positive effect on CIPN”, said the team, though they feel that extensive research is required to be done.

It has been known that after going through chemotherapy, one can go through range of health concerns, including pain and at times, one find it difficult to walk down also. For the study, six people were made to go through ten sessions of acupuncture over three months. It was being tracked and found that there is considerable impact on cancer patients.

It was also found that the blood flow also improved and that’s why there are hopes that more research is required to be done so that conclusive assertions are made. It has been more found that cancer patients are more susceptible to a condition called chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN). This condition can only be developed after one consumes some anti-cancer drugs, including vinca alkaloids, platinum-based drugs such as cisplatin, oxaliplatin and carboplatin, and the taxanes docetaxel and paclitaxel.

It has been found by the team that such drugs could affect peripheral nerves in the calves and feet, and that is what causes severe pain to patients. There is no doubt that cancer patients do go through range of health concerns after they are diagnosed with the disease. There is need for such patients be given the right amount of care as far as possible.

“This is the story of how a small group of loud-mouthed, over-educated, under-employed activists and a massive group of ordinary people with average incomes revolutionized healthcare systems by using large empty rooms, old recliner chairs, and two-cent needles.”

 

You can also view it here.  

 

Thank you to Brian Lindstrom who took the time to really *get* what Community Acupuncture is about, and then captured that with his talents in filmmaking. Special thanks to the patients of Working Class Acupuncture and Philadelphia Community Acupuncture for their patience and participation in this endeavor.

 

Filmed & Directed by:

• Brian Lindstrom

 

Co-Produced by:

• Moses Cooper
• Jessica Feltz
• Lisa Rohleder
• Ellen Vincent
• CAN Board of Directors

 

“Like” our Facebook Page and share your comments here!

Our intention is to place this documentary in front of as many viewers as possible, so please share freely and distribute widely.

 

DVD’s were shipped last week to those who pre-purchased.  If you’ve not yet received your copy, please know that it is on its way.  If you’d like to order one, please email pocacoop@gmail.com  DVD’s are available for $25 apiece or 5 for $100.

 

Documentary screenings are encouraged in your community!  Stay tuned for Press Release templates that you can use with your local media.

Test your knowledge about this ancient art.

By

Jamie Starkey, LAc

Myth: Acupuncture is ancient medicine; no legitimate healthcare professional would recommend it.

Fact: Acupuncture is a treatment option currently recommended by many medical institutions, including Cleveland Clinic. Many clinical research trials on acupuncture are funded by the National Institutes of Health, and the World Health Organization recognizes acupuncture as a valid treatment for a wide range of conditions. 

Myth: Acupuncture’s effects are psychological. It doesn't really do anything.

Fact: Many clinical studies show that acupuncture affects the body’s nervous and endocrine (glandular) systems, and decreases inflammation associated with different diseases. MRI studies reveal that during acupuncture, our brains begin to release endorphins (natural painkillers), as well as serotonin and dopamine (the body’s “feel-good” mood-regulating chemicals).

Myth: Most people who use, or practice, acupuncture are into ‘New Age’ healing.

Fact: On the contrary, you probably have a friend, coworker or neighbor who is getting acupuncture treatments. And in Ohio, acupuncture practitioners must be licensed, with a master’s degree involving both classroom and clinical training. Finally, all licensed acupuncturists must pass board exams in Eastern and Western medicine.

Myth: Acupuncture may conflict with medication, physical therapy and other ‘mainstream’ medical treatments.

Fact: There is no conflict between acupuncture and Western medicine; they complement one another. Acupuncture works nicely as an adjunct to your conventional treatment plan.

Myth: Acupuncture is only useful in treating pain.

Fact: It’s true that acupuncture helps relieve joint pain, back pain and sciatica, headache, stomach pain and menstrual cramps. However, acupuncture is also used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, nausea/vomiting, chemotherapy side effects, morning sickness, hypertension (high blood pressure), allergies, depression, infertility and other conditions.

Myth: Acupuncture hurts — after all, we're talking needles!

Fact: Although we use needles, they are very slender and fine. You may or may not feel an initial prick, sometimes described as a mosquito bite. Any discomfort will either fade on its own or will be relieved as your acupuncturist adjusts the needles. You should experience a Qi (pronounced “chee”) sensation, often described as heaviness, throbbing or an electrical sensation. That’s your body’s healing energy doing its work.

Myth: Acupuncture has a lot of side effects and you’ll need time off work.

Fact: Acupuncture has few to no side effects; they occur in less than 1 percent of reportable cases. After your acupuncture session, you should be able to carry on throughout your day with no restrictions.

Myth: Once you start acupuncture, you’ll always need acupuncture.

Fact: For most conditions, acupuncturists want to get you to the point where your main problem has been resolved and you no longer have to return. Some people stay on a maintenance schedule, however, such as returning once a month, because acupuncture continues to help a chronic condition.

Myth: If you do not see results in one or two treatments, then you’re unlikely to benefit from acupuncture.

Fact: The response to acupuncture is always an individual one. Some people respond quickly — within one, two or three treatments. Others need a full course of eight to 10 treatments. Acupuncture’s effects are cumulative, building with each treatment, so the acupuncturist will assess its effects after you complete a full series of treatments.

Myth: You’ll need a doctor’s referral or a prescription for acupuncture.

Fact: Guidelines vary by state. (In Ohio, anyone can make an appointment for acupuncture.) Start by asking family and friends for recommendations. Then search the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine website at nccaom.org for licensed acupuncturists in your area. You can also visit your state's medical board website to be sure that the acupuncturist has a valid medical license with no disciplinary actions.

Jamie Starkey is Lead Acupuncturist for the Cleveland Clinic Center for Integrative Medicine, within our Wellness Institute.

 

Related Content

Acupuncture Fact Sheet

About Integrative Medicine

Integrative Medicine Services at Cleveland Clinic

Published February 2010

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Recently I've been involved in creating and hosting a series of documentaries on integrative medicine. The three films are aimed at healthcare professionals. The first is about the science of tai chi, the second is about the science of meditation and the third is about the science of acupuncture. I've just wound up the last on-location filming (interviewing experts) for the acupuncture film, and am struck by how this ancient healing modality is blossoming in popularity across the country.

A healing tool of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), acupuncture has been successfully administered for more than 2,500 years. According to the TCM view, a vital energy called qi flows through the body along channels called meridians. I like to think of these channels as a sprinkling system for the body, bringing qi to vital organs and extremities in much the way hoses bring water to your garden. In the TCM model of health and disease, when qi flow is blocked it stagnates. Stagnating qi causes illness. Acupuncture therapy unblocks the qi flow, strengthens or weakens the qi (think opening and closing the garden spigot) and directs it to areas of need.

A holistic practice, acupuncture seeks to re-establish the body's healthy equilibrium and function, as opposed to forcing healing using surgery or pharmaceuticals. Interestingly, Chinese practitioners were not the only (and may not have been the first) to identify these energy pathways in the body. The frozen body of a man recovered well-preserved from the Alps features tattoos that correspond to Chinese acupuncture's qi meridians.

Much research is afoot to attempt to define qi in Western terms. This is a challenge, as the word runs deeply through not only Chinese medicine, but through Chinese art, literature, philosophy, pugilism and daily life. From the standpoint of Western medical science, qi is likely to be revealed as some amalgam of endorphins, the bioelectric potential of cell membranes, nervous conduction, circulating hormones and perhaps even photons (light) and infrared radiation (heat). In attempting to define and quantify qi, acupuncture research may end up identifying a whole new system of biological information, such as the conduction of impulses through the body's connective tissue.

A typical acupuncture treatment involves penetrating the skin with tiny needles, but some styles of acupuncture (Japanese toyohari, for instance) don't require such penetration. Some researchers link such distant healing to the so-called "non-local" effects of quantum physics. Cutting edge stuff! Still, studying the effects of acupuncture with the traditional, Western, double-blind placebo controlled model presents certain difficulties. These center on the fact that since we don't fully understand how acupuncture works, we don't know what the variables are; not understanding those elements, we can't adequately control for them. More, the term "placebo effect" (as in this treatment or that pill is no more effective than a placebo) is an inaccurate and pejorative term that is rapidly losing relevance as we learn more about the body's ability to heal itself. It turns out that the effect is powerful, and desirable, perhaps the new "gold standard" for the way the body should heal.

Despite the challenges of study design and the mind-bending possibilities for a new understanding of how the body works, acupuncture has been extensively studied and verified both by international studies and by our own National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM). Part of the National Institutes of Health, NCCAM alone sponsors more studies than I can list here, and their website (merely one, orthodox outlet for medical information from a Western point of view) addresses acupuncture for pain, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia and more.

Some folks, including older Western M.D.s, still talk about whether or not they "believe" in acupuncture. Such thinking is ill-informed and outdated. One might as well speculate about whether to believe in aspirin, morphine, insulin, surgery or an MRI. The question is not whether acupuncture works, but how it works, and whether it is the appropriate therapy for a particular syndrome, problem, symptom, disease or patient. In a clinical setting and performed by a licensed professional (licensure is by state) acupuncture is effective for a variety of complaints.

Over the years, I have received acupuncture myself and watched scores of people from different walks of life receive the treatment for a spate of different ills. While practitioners vary in their needling technique, for the most part acupuncture is not painful and gives results readily. Practitioners use smaller needles here than they do in China, and are generally gentler in their application, citing the lower pain threshold of American patients. In China, needles are thicker, longer, and sometimes as enthusiastically "rowed" while in a patient as an oar in the hands of a whitewater kayaker. Ouch. Discomfort seems to be expected by Chinese patients--here, not so much.

In China, the typical course of therapy seems to be every day for 10 days, a break, then another similar course if needed. On our shores it is more typical to go once or twice a week for a month or two before lasting results are gained. Most sessions last 15-30 minutes in a quiet room, during which the patient often falls asleep.

Does insurance pay for acupuncture? In the state of Washington coverage for acupuncture (along with other complementary treatments such as chiropractic and massage) is mandated. In other states it varies by company and policy. If you are paying for treatment out of your own pocket, the cost can add up, but should be weighed against other treatment options, your pain and suffering, and of course the modality's potential to forestall worsening health.

So should you try it? That depends on a variety of factors. Patients who have tried more familiar therapies without success, particularly for a chronic or recurring problem, are good candidates for acupuncture. Another type of candidate might be someone who is reluctant to endure the side effects of some more conventional Western therapies. A third acupuncture patient profile might be the person who wishes to emphasize wellness and prevention over the disease model of medicine and is willing to make concomitant lifestyle changes to achieve optimum health.

If you have needle fears, remember that acupuncture needles are more like a pin--very small and not open-ended like a hypodermic needle. Consider going to see a treatment and having a close look at the needle, or, if you have a real phobia, choose the nonpenetrating form of the therapy (toyohari) mentioned earlier. It's best not to expect results overnight, even though I have heard tell that it can sometimes interrupt a grand mal epileptic seizure, end an asthma attack and drop blood pressure quickly. Given time, acupuncture may be effective in addiction therapy (including helping patients stop smoking) weight loss, increasing fertility, treating back pain, migraine headaches and the symptoms of fibromyalgia, and valuable in a host of other chronic conditions.

Pushed along by cultural and financial forces, American medicine is evolving. Old prejudices are giving way to open minds. The new model of integrative medicine is patient centered, and embraces any and all effective solutions to the patient's health problems. Read, learn, ask questions, and take advantage of all options available to you in your quest to get well and stay that way.

Follow Arthur Rosenfeld on Twitter: www.twitter.com/machobuddha