February 16, 2012 from WPLN

In a fluorescent-lit exam room, Col. Rochelle Wasserman sticks ballpoint-size pins in the ears of Sgt. Rick Remalia.

Remalia broke his back, hip and pelvis during a rollover caused by a pair of rocket-propelled grenades in Afghanistan. He still walks with a cane and suffers from mild traumatic brain injury. Pain is an everyday occurrence, which is where the needles come in.

“I’ve had a lot of treatment, and this is the first treatment that I’ve had where I’ve been like, OK, wow, I’ve actually seen a really big difference,” he says.

via Military Pokes Holes In Acupuncture Skeptics’ Theory : NPR.

A friend of mine who’s a bit more open-minded than I am about alternative medicine told me to quit whining about how much my knee hurts and go to an acupuncturist. I thought she was nuts, but agreed to do it because even my fellow running friends were starting to give me that “you’re crazy” look.

So eight months ago, I contacted Dr. Yu Zhu at First Health Associates in Arlington Heights. As a critical and stubborn journalist, I had low expectations.

During the initial exam, Zhu looked at my tongue, sniffed around and felt my pulse points all while I gave her my litany of knee ailments. I told her my sole mission was to get running again — and she should know I would probably write about this (the cynic in me firmly believed this was all a scam). Zhu said no problem and then started digging her fingers into my knee, feeling around the joint, checking range of motion and how my kneecap moves.

via Acupuncture: There really is a point to it – DailyHerald.com.

Philadelphia Acupuncture Stress Milatary

SOUTHWEST ASIA — Stress is something that can affect anyone at anytime.

Two members of the 386th Expeditionary Medical Group visited the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing to give an idea of one way to manage stress: acupuncture.

“Acupuncture, in Western medicine, is considered an alternative or complimentary medicine,” said Col. Christian Hanley, a 386th Expeditionary Medical Group medical acupuncturist. “Acupuncture uses a single or series of needles to stimulate points along energy flow channels or meridians.”

via Airmen Poke out Stress With Acupuncture | Military.com.

Ease Chemotherapy Pain Philadelphia Acupuncture

MONDAY, Dec. 12 (HealthDay News) — Acupuncture may help relieve nerve pain caused by some cancer drugs, according to a new study.

Cancer drugs called taxanes, vinca alkaloids and platinum compounds can damage peripheral nerves, especially in the calves and feet, resulting in severe nerve pain or difficulty walking.

Currently, there is no effective treatment for the condition, called chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy.

via Acupuncture Might Ease Chemotherapy Pain – US News and World Report.

via More doctors embracing complementary and alternative medicine – chicagotribune.com.

Cancer patients treated with taxanes, vinca alkaloids, or platinum compounds can develop a condition known as chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy, or CIPN for short, as a by-product of their treatment.

These powerful drugs can damage peripheral nerves, particularly in the calves and feet, which can result in severe nerve pain and/or difficulty walking. As yet, there is no effective antidote.

Acupuncture relieves nerve pain in cancer patients – Times Of India.

Philadelphia Acupuncture Neuropathy

Acupuncture Reduces Stress, Improves Memory – New Study.

Would you be surprised to know that the Department of Defense has designated several billion dollars for research into these healing techniques. The Pentagon has also dedicated five million dollars as grant money to research into some of these methods such as acupuncture and meditation in order to treat PTSD in veterans. Let us not forget the U.S. Army who gave four million dollars in grant money for research into alternative methods to treat and heal conditions such as PTSD, anxiety, substance abuse and depression. These unconventional healing methods have been showing promise among veterans and military personnel.

Department of Defense embracing alternative medicine.

Nov. 21, 2011 — People who meditate may be able to use their brainin ways others can’t to tune out distractions and focus on the task at hand.

A new study shows that experienced meditators may have less activity in parts of the brain associated with daydreaming and distraction while meditating and in their day-to-day lives.

Researchers say this brain network, known as the “default mode network,” has also been linked to anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), andAlzheimer’s disease.

“The default mode is when you ruminate, think about yourself, or daydream,” says study researcher Judson Brewer, MD, PhD, medical director of the Yale Therapeutic Neuroscience Clinic. “Everybody has it, but experienced meditators have a different type.”

Meditation May Help Brain Tune Out Distractions.

Studies have shown that meditating regularly can help relieve symptoms in people who suffer from chronic pain, but the neural mechanisms underlying the relief were unclear. Now, MIT and Harvard researchers have found a possible explanation for this phenomenon.

In a study published online April 21 in the journal Brain Research Bulletin, the researchers found that people trained to meditate over an eight-week period were better able to control a specific type of brain waves called alpha rhythms.

“These activity patterns are thought to minimize distractions, to diminish the likelihood stimuli will grab your attention,” says Christopher Moore, an MIT neuroscientist and senior author of the paper. “Our data indicate that meditation training makes you better at focusing, in part by allowing you to better regulate how things that arise will impact you.” click to read more.

The benefits of meditation – MIT News Office.