Posted on 03/25/2005 7:52:39 AM PST by MizSterious
(excerpt--more at the Globe site)
But a growing body of evidence -- brain scans, ultrasound and other techniques -- now shows that acupuncture triggers direct, measurable effects on the body, including perhaps activation of precisely the regions of the brain that would be predicted by ancient Chinese theory. This is potentially good news for the millions of Americans now scrambling for pain relief in the wake of conflicting government recommendations on painkillers Vioxx and Celebrex.
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
McLaren's photonic therapy does the same thing (but better) with a beam of light.
My son had a wrestling injury that doctor and chiropractor couldn't help. Just one accupuncture session reduced hia pain 80%.
Honestly, the medical evidence is still very questionable about the true benefit if any of acupuncture. There are a number of really poorly conducted studies that have shown benefit of acupuncture for a variety of conditions, but due to the placebo effect one cannot determine if it is a true benefit.
There are some well designed and conducted medical studies that show some benefit from acupuncture. The role of acupuncture is still being defined.
Honestly, I have no problem with people trying acupuncture for whatever condition they want---so long as it is their money and they have some understanding of the risk/benefits.
However, why should my insurance premiums and other people's money (Medicaid/Medicare)cover these unproven medical therapies???
I'll look that up, thanks!
The only thing I've found that helps my migraines without side effects is an acupressure technique I've learned. For this purpose, I swear by it. It's terrific, and takes between 20 minutes and an hour--left alone, these migraines will last 24-72 hours, sometimes even longer.
Do you mean "unproven therapies" like a lot of the prescription drugs on the market today--you know, the ones that keep getting pulled off the market AFTER they've done the damage?
I think most Western and Eastern medicine techniques have their share of warts. Acupuncture is one of the better researched "alternative" techniques, and I would have no problem with insurance covering it. There are also some snakeoil types of things out there too, though--let the buyer beware.
However, I would like to note that acupressure is also very effective, and it can be done without visiting a clinic. There are several good books on acupressure healing techniques, and in general, they are easy to do for oneself. My headache remedy, though, works better if someone helps me with it--other things I just do for myself. I have never visited a clinic to have any of it done.
I was one of the pioneers of this research on acupuncture.
While a college student in the 1970s, I was a paid volunteer in a clinical acupuncture trial. They induced pain in our arms by using a tourniquet to cut off circulation. Then as the pain started to grow, they would stick needles in us and ask us to grade the pain on a scale of 1-5. When it reached 5, they would stop and release the tourniquet.
I never did see the results of the study, but I was told that I had more billable hours than any other volunteer because I had the highest pain tolerance and went the longest in the sessions.
Truth was, I just really needed the money, and as I knew the pain was not dangerous, I just gritted my teeth and sucked it up. Guess the other volunteers either didn't need the money as bad, or were a real bunch of wusses.
Been there; done that. I did about 6 sessions. The first was fairly effective, but subsequent treatments were less successful.
I think it works like that cayenne derivative applied to the skin, they call it a "counter irritant."
My problems are due to my sore back. I've found a good chiropractor and he's been most effective with my most recent problems.
Why is it that my car insurance covers accupuncture, but not my medical insurance?
I think acupuncture/pressure has very specific uses--I've never heard of any success at all with, for instance, weight loss and/or smoking. I've heard of some people who had success using hypnosis for those, although that might depend on the subject as well as the therapist. But for migraines, I just can't find anything this effective that doesn't have a side effect.
Chiropractors do use some of the same basic principles, applied quite differently--but yes, once I had an adjustment done that completely ended some back pain I was having--it never came back after just one session.
Try this book: Allen Carr's Easy Way to Stop Smoking. It's a long time bestseller in Europe and supposedly 80% effective. You can get it at www.barnesandnoble.com and it may be in their stores by now. He also has a website:
http://www.allencarrseasyway.com/
Ah...Ha!
I always wondered what made guys become Republicans.
Can you direct me to where you found your information? I get migraines that tend to last about the same, and I've found if I put pressure on different parts of my hard, it provides temporary relief.
Yes there are problems with some prescription medications. There is no medication that I am aware of that does not have some potential side effects and adverse effects. The question is the appropriate balance of benefit with risk through discussions between patients and physicians. This is achieved by having a transparent policy on how medications are approved and access to the data the pharmaceutical companies have about the clinical studies.
I agree there are enough warts on both sides to go around, but one of the main differenes between Western and Eastern Medicine is that Western medicine has at least purported to be evidence based.
Some alternative therapies are now being scrutinized by evidence based medicine precepts finally.
Please check out the link about some questionable alternative medicine practices.
http://www.quackwatch.org/
If it lasts longer than 4 hours, you must seek immediate medical attention and refrain from the use for at least two weeks thereafter.
Check your freepmail. :)
Boy, I totally butchered that sentence.
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