Here are some links of interest from the national scene.
BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine is an open access journal publishing original peer-reviewed research articles in complementary and alternative healthcare interventions, with a specific emphasis on those that elucidate biological mechanisms of action.
www.biomedcentral.com
More than 80 million adults in the United States are estimated to use some form of alternative medicine, from herbs and megavitamins to yoga and acupuncture. But while sweeping claims are made for these treatments, the scientific evidence for them often lags far behind: studies and clinical trials, when they exist at all, can be shoddy in design and too small to yield reliable insights. Now the federal government is working hard to raise the standards of evidence, seeking to distinguish between what is effective, useless and harmful or even dangerous. “The research has been making steady progress,” said Dr. Josephine P. Briggs, director of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, a division of the National Institutes of Health.
www.nytimes.com
A new medical study, from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Hospital, finds that acupuncture, an ancient form of healing that has been around for thousands of years, is as good as, or better than modern medicine in helping ease the side effects of breast cancer treatment. (The video is worth viewing.)
abcnews.go.com
abclocal.go.com
cbs3.com
In a study involving 26 patients with clinically-diagnosed Alzheimer’s disease (AD), acupuncture treatment was found to stimulate areas of the brain associated with cognitive function which are known to be impaired in patients with AD.
discoverandrecover.wordpress.com
Positive findings published on emergent technology for treating chronic pain by combining 5,000-year-old art of acupuncture techniques with modern technology applied to anatomical and neurophysiological science.
www.marketwatch.com
Studies have shown that there is an increase in the number of children that have been diagnosed with autism. Until now, doctors have not yet found a cure to this illness which is why some parents want to experiment with alternative forms of treatment, and one example is acupuncture.
www.pillfreevitamins.com
Qigong therapy, a form of traditional Chinese medical practice, appears to be a potential complementary treatment for osteoarthritis dependent upon the capability of the healer, according to a study conducted at University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey by Kevin Chen, PhD, MPH, and Dr. Adam Perlman, MPH, FACP.
www.google-sina.com
www.thaindian.com
Acupuncture is touted for low cost care. A possible solution to high health-care costs might be coming from an unlikely source -- an alternative form of treatment that's been around for centuries.
marketplace.publicradio.org
Findings from a study on the effectiveness of acupuncture as a treatment for PTSD among military personnel may be reported later this year, according to research officials.
www.healingcombattrauma.com
Acupuncture as a career choice:
www.best-health-report.com
This from the Washington Post: Local hospitals are increasingly offering complementary and alternative treatment options to patients. Here are highlights:
www.washingtonpost.com
The New York Times discusses the condition of referred pain and acupuncture:
www.nytimes.com
Patients rest outside a medical clinic in a park-like setting. There is no air conditioning in the rooms, just open windows to keep the air circulating. Doctors visit a patient sitting in the lotus position while, down the hall, someone is being "cupped."
This is a common sight if you live in China, but not quite so common if you are Pierce College (Woodland Hills, CA) nursing professors Dr. Melva Giles and Lucinda Bramlett.
media.www.therounduponline.net
These research studies support how acupuncture relieves hot flashes and other side effects caused by breast cancer treatment.
www.allheadlinenews.com
www.turnto23.com
www.kutv.com
Senator Obama's support for preventative medical care is another little noted but important key point of difference with Senator McCain. Under Obama it is far more likely that insurance plans will cover alternative medicine, including acupuncture, therapy, and government approved herbs and vitamins. This category alone could more than double the current spending by pharmaceutical companies, and would give a boost to local market media as Alternative Care centers compete with traditional medicine. Again, a McCain presidency is likely to bring this windfall to a screeching halt.
www.huffingtonpost.com