US Air Force Using Medical Acupuncture

Main Category: Complementary Medicine / Alternative Medicine
Also Included In: Pain / Anesthetics;  Primary Care / General Practice;  Palliative Care / Hospice Care
Article Date: 24 Dec 2008 - 1:00 PDT

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Medical acupuncture, which is acupuncture performed by a licensed physician trained at a conventional medical school, is being used increasingly for pain control. Richard Niemtzow, MD, PhD, MPH, Editor-in-Chief of Medical Acupuncture, a peer-reviewed journal http://www.libertpub.com/acu) and the official journal of the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture, is at the forefront of these efforts in the military.

The technique developed by Dr. Niemtzow has been so successful that the Air Force will begin teaching "Battlefield Acupuncture" to physicians deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan in early 2009. "Battlefield Acupuncture" can relieve severe pain lasting several days.

Based on modern neurophysiological concepts, Niemtzow developed a variation of acupuncture that involves inserting very tiny semi-permanent needles into very specific acupoints in the skin on the ear to block pain signals from reaching the brain. This method can lessen the need for pain medications that may cause adverse or allergic reactions or addiction.

"This is one of the fastest pain attenuators in existence," said Dr. Niemtzow, who is the Consultant for complementary and alternative medicine for the Surgeon General of the Air Force, and is affiliated with Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda. "The pain can be gone in five minutes."

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Medical Acupuncture is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published quarterly in print and online, written for physicians by physicians, that presents evidence-based clinical papers, case reports, and research findings that integrate concepts from traditional and modern forms of acupuncture with Western medical training. Tables of contents and a free sample issue may be viewed online at http://www.libertpub.com/acu

Recent papers on acupuncture for pain published in the Journal include "Pain: An Evidence-Based Approach Through the Auricular Acupuncture Microsystem," "Effect of Acupuncture in Trigeminal Neuralgia," "Acupuncture for the Treatment of HIV-Associated Acute Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyradiculoneuropathy (Guillain-Barré Syndrome)," and "Acupuncture Clinical Pain Trial in a Military Medical Center: Outcomes."

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, Journal of Women's Health, and Journal of Palliative Medicine. Its biotechnology trade magazine, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's 60 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available at http://www.liebertpub.com

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. 140 Huguenot St., New Rochelle, NY 10801-5215 http://www.liebertpub.com

Source: Vicki Cohn
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News

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