Acupuncture

Acupuncture prevents headaches and migraines but faked treatments when needles are incorrectly inserted appear to work nearly as well, German researchers said Wednesday. Their findings suggest the benefits of acupuncture may stem more from belief in the technique, said Klaus Linde, a researcher at the Technical University in Munich, who led the analysis published in the Cochrane Review journal. Studies have shown that acupressure and acupuncture may stimulate the release of endorphins, which can relieve stress, pain and nausea.

The recent series of articles by Trine Tsouderos in the Los Angeles Times misrepresents the scientific contributions and future research agenda of the National Institutes of Health and its National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine ["New Age Cures Put to the Test," Jan. 23]. In its 12 years as an NIH center, NCCAM's more than 3,000 research studies have provided answers to important questions about complementary health approaches to help consumers and medical professionals make informed decisions.

Women who suffer from hot flashes and other uncomfortable symptoms of menopause may be able to find relief through acupuncture, according to a new study. The idea of having to lie still for 20 minutes with needles sticking out of you may not appeal to everyone. On the other hand, hormone replacement therapy – often employed to make menopause more bearable – has some problems of its own, including an increased risk of coronary heart disease, stroke and breast cancer.

As hospitals elbow one another to attract patients, increasingly they're hoping to tap into Americans' interest in - and willingness to spend money on - complementary and alternative therapies such as acupuncture and massage. According to a recent survey by the American Hospital Assn. and the Samueli Institute, a nonprofit research group focusing on complementary medicine, 42% of the 714 hospitals that responded offered at least one such therapy in 2010; five years earlier, only 27% of hospitals offered such treatments.

Traditional acupuncture treatments for migraines are no better at reducing pain than sham acupuncture treatments, researchers have found, contradicting earlier research. But, in an unexpected twist, both methods appear to significantly reduce migraine frequency. "Sham acupuncture seems to be very potent compared to no treatment," said lead researcher Klaus Linde, a clinical epidemiologist at the Technische Universitat Munich in Germany.

Jackie Apuzzo is 16 weeks pregnant -- something she was beginning to think would never happen. Following nine years of unsuccessful efforts to have a baby, including failed in vitro fertilization, a miscarriage and a diagnosis of endometriosis, the 37-year-old social worker finally visited an acupuncturist on the advice of a friend. After two months of acupuncture treatments and a regimen of Chinese herbs, she became pregnant.

For the last 24 years, Jose's life traced a dizzying loop between jail and a drug habit he could never shake once he hit the streets of his East Los Angeles neighborhood. Downers and hallucinogens turned to PCP and a crippling combination of cocaine and heroin he wryly calls the "Belushi," for comedian John Belushi, who died of an overdose. But Jose has found hope--in a treatment most people associate with aching bones and mysticism rather than the torments of addiction and withdrawal.

B is an active, healthy 71-year-old adult male. Four years ago, he had triple bypass surgery, similar to the procedure David Letterman had recently. His surgery was successful except for a lingering burning and stinging pain along the incision in his left leg where a vein had been removed, sections of which would replace those that had failed in his heart. Over the next few years, creams and lotions failed to ease the pain, which sometimes kept him awake at night.

Former state Acupuncture Examining Committee member Chae Woo Lew has pleaded no contest to conspiracy charges in a far-reaching scheme to sell answers to the state licensing exam for acupuncturists, district attorney's spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons said. So far 24 acupuncturists in Los Angeles have pleaded guilty in the scandal. Another 20 await disposition in their cases.

The Food and Drug Administration on Friday classified acupuncture needles as medical devices for "general use" by trained professionals. The agency did not go so far as to state that acupuncture is effective for any particular condition. But by designating instruments of acupuncture in the same category with such standard medical tools as scalpels and syringes, the FDA removed a major barrier to insurance coverage for the treatment.

Women who suffer from hot flashes and other uncomfortable symptoms of menopause may be able to find relief through acupuncture, according to a new study. The idea of having to lie still for 20 minutes with needles sticking out of you may not appeal to everyone. On the other hand, hormone replacement therapy – often employed to make menopause more bearable – has some problems of its own, including an increased risk of coronary heart disease, stroke and breast cancer.

Morning sickness can be one of the most miserable parts of pregnancy -- or, at least, so I am told. Unfortunately, new research reported Wednesday suggests that there is little women can do other than grin and bear it, since there appear to be no effective treatments. The pharmaceutical industry once weighed in on the issue heavily, with the result being the introduction of the now-notorious thalidomide, which caused severe birth defects in a large number of infants. That episode led to increased requirements for safety screening of drugs before they are marketed and led to the still-prevalent consensus that it is generally not safe for women to take drugs during pregnancy, especially in the first trimester, when morning sickness is at its worst.

As Alcoholics Anonymous prepares to celebrate its 75th anniversary, we asked one of its members to write about the group and how he came to join. Following in the tradition of the organization, he is using his first name only. My name is Chas. I'm an alcoholic. I stumbled into my first AA meeting in fall 1997. I had been a hard drinker for 20 years and a serious drunk for the last 10. I had lost my job, was about to lose my family and was having serious health problems.

Acupuncturists, dietary-supplement makers and other alternative health practitioners, some of whose treatments are considered unproven by the medical establishment, would be brought more squarely into the mainstream of American medicine under the health legislation now before the Senate. The legislation would allow doctors to incorporate alternative health providers in some treatment plans. It also includes language that some believe could require insurance companies to expand their coverage for alternative therapies, on which Americans now spend $34 billion a year.

Acupuncture prevents headaches and migraines but faked treatments when needles are incorrectly inserted appear to work nearly as well, German researchers said Wednesday. Their findings suggest the benefits of acupuncture may stem more from belief in the technique, said Klaus Linde, a researcher at the Technical University in Munich, who led the analysis published in the Cochrane Review journal. Studies have shown that acupressure and acupuncture may stimulate the release of endorphins, which can relieve stress, pain and nausea.

Acupuncture is not just for people. It's for cities too, if the city is Portland. Adam Kuby stuck a 23-foot needle into the ground down by the Willamette River and hopes to plant more, choosing locations where he figures the city's "chi," or vital energy, needs some help. Unusual? You bet. Unusual for Portland? Not really. For several years, Portland has been reaping praise from lifestyle magazines and specialty publications, as one of the nation's more livable cities. It's listed among the best places to have a baby, grow old, go for a walk, ride a bike, take a jog, breathe clean air, own a dog, take public transportation, start a business (green or otherwise)

Not all placebos are created equal. Harvard University researchers reported Wednesday that people who received sham acupuncture treatments felt more relief from arm pain than those who took an inert sugar pill. The different, but positive, responses to faux treatments illustrate that relief may lie in medical rituals as well as in the medicine, said Ted Kaptchuk, associate director of Harvard's division for research and education in complementary and integrative medical therapies.

The ancient Chinese therapy of acupuncture can help ease pain and improve movement for people with arthritis of the knee, a study concludes. "For the first time, a clinical trial with sufficient rigor, size and duration has shown that acupuncture reduces the pain and functional impairment of osteoarthritis of the knee," said Dr. Stephen E. Straus, director of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

An acupuncturist has been charged with sexually assaulting a patient he was treating for back pain, authorities said Tuesday. Kyoung Seok Jeon, 56, owner of the Hye Min clinic in the 9800 block of Chapman Avenue in Garden Grove, was treating the 38-year-old woman in January when he allegedly massaged her breasts and digitally penetrated her, claiming it was part of the treatment. The woman, who was not identified, told her husband, who contacted police.

Your article on itching captured well the misery and often resigned agony suffered by those of us with chronic itchy spots ["The Relentless Itch," April 2]. However, like most pieces on the subject, you focused on drugs and chemicals and did not even mention the only 100% effective relief I've ever found: a cold, wet compress. Not a long term solution, but enough to get to sleep -- and that's a blessing. ROGER WALTON North Hills A couple of years ago, I suffered from widespread persistent and severe itching.