Integration Of Acupuncture Research Articles

Integration of Acupuncture for Outpatients and Inpatients in a General Hospital in Brazil

Acupuncture and related techniques have increasingly been offered in conventional medical settings in Western societies. In Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, Brazil, acupuncture has been integrated into the care pathways since October 2005. Since then, medical acupuncture has been offered for both inpatients and outpatients. Acupuncture has become an integrated therapeutic modality both for outpatients in the clinic setting and for inpatients in the wards. It has been observed that acupuncture performed in a hospital differs in specific characteristics when compared with acupuncture performed in an outpatient setting. The main differences found between inpatients and outpatients treatment are summarised and attitudes and cautionary measures to be taken into account during application of acupuncture in inpatients are suggested. Future plans for the service include offering acupuncture in the emergency ward and surgical centre. The description of this experience could encourage other hospitals to develop an acupuncture service.

Integration of Acupuncture into Family Medicine Teaching Clinics

As growing numbers of patients use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), improvement is needed in communication between providers of CAM and allopathic medicine. This study describes collaborative acupuncture clinics (CACs) run by providers from Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) and the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine (OCOM) in the setting of family medicine teaching clinics. It examines patient demographics, quality of education for medical learners, referral practices of primary care physicians (PCPs), and quality of communication between acupuncturists and PCPs at these clinics. Demographic data were abstracted from electronic medical records of patients treated at least three times in the CACs between 2006 and 2007. A survey on quality of education at the CACs was given to acupuncture interns, medical students, and acupuncture supervisors. A separate survey collected information from PCPs at the family medicine clinics regarding referral practices to acupuncture and quality of communication between PCPs and acupuncturists. Of the 96 patients seen at the clinics, 74% were female, 76% were European-American, and the mean age was 45.9 years. Sixty-one percent (61%) of patients were insured through private insurance, 31.3% had Medicare or Medicaid, and 7.3% did not have insurance. Most of the 51 acupuncture providers who responded were satisfied with the quality of education at the CACs. Eighty percent of responding PCPs had referred at least one patient to the CACs. The majority of referrals was for a pain condition. Most PCPs would find a summary of the acupuncture visit helpful. Referral practices to different modalities were most influenced by patient interest and physician's belief in whether or not the modality would help. Demographics of patients at the CACs were comparable to those of patients seen in other acupuncture clinics. The collaborative structure of the CACs allowed for a unique learning experience and improved communication between providers of CAM and conventional medicine.

Treatment of 40 cases of poststroke shoulder-hand syndrome by acupuncture

Acupuncture and rehabilitation therapies were used to treat 40 cases of shoulder-hand syndrome, the results show that integration of acupuncture and rehabilitation can increase therapeutic effects and shorten treatment courses to accelerate recovery.

'From Outcast to Inboard': the Transmission, Professionalisation and Integration of Acupuncture Into British Medical Culture

Early forms of body piercing to move the body's qi have their social and cultural origins over 2,000 years ago in China, thousands of miles away from British soil, where today modern Chinese acupuncture is used by approximately 16 per cent of the public and 37 per cent of primary-care practices. This process of cross-cultural assimilation has taken place over a number of phases, spanning over 400 years; and has been a result of interested individuals and particular historical occurrences. Today, acupuncture is at the forefront of the state regulation of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM), which seems to illustrates just how far acupuncture has integrated into British medical culture. However, a closer look at this debate reveals not only serious flaws in the processes of professionalisation and integration of acupuncture, but it also raises significant doubts as to their merits.

The Integration of Acupuncture within Medicine in the UK – the British Medical Acupuncture Society—s 25Th Anniversary

Acupuncture was first used in China, probable about 2000 years ago. When acupuncture first arrived in the West in the 17th century, the principles which the Chinese had used to explain its actions were at variance with current scientific knowledge of the body's structure and function. This led to the rejection of acupuncture by the medical profession in the UK, although individual practitioners adopted it with enthusiasm, usually needling the point of maximal tenderness to treat musculoskeletal pain. Acupuncture was more generally accepted in France and Germany, where the pioneering British physician Felix Mann encountered it in the 1950s. He then taught acupuncture to other medical practitioners and organised regular meetings in London, from which the British Medical Acupuncture Society, BMAS, emerged in 1980. The tradition of biannual scientific meetings has continued since then. The Society has many connections with prominent acupuncturists internationally and is a founder member of the International Council of Medical Acupuncture and Related Techniques (ICMART), and has hosted two world congresses. The Society was involved in standardisation of the meridian nomenclature published in 1990. The Society's scientific journal, Acupuncture in Medicine, was founded in 1981 and has gained international recognition, being indexed on several databases. The Society has established regular teaching courses at different levels, which lead to professional qualifications of Certificate and Diploma. The membership is now open to different health professionals, has grown steadily and now stands at nearly 2500. The Society is administered from offices in Cheshire and London. Many individual members have contributed to the Society's characteristic Western 'medical' approach to acupuncture in which needling is seen as a form of neuromuscular stimulation that owes little to traditional meridians or points. The Society has shown a particular interest in acupuncture for myofascial trigger point pain. Members of the Society have contributed to the evidence base of acupuncture with several books, clinical trials and reviews. The Society is optimistic that it will have an increasingly important role in promoting the use and scientific evaluation of acupuncture for the public benefit.

The integration of acupuncture into physiotherapy practice

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use in the UK is increasing. There could be more than 60000 CAM practitioners and possibly 20000 statutory health professionals regularly practising CAM in the UK (Mills and Budd, 2000). Acupuncture has been estimated to be the fourth most popular form of CAM in the UK (Ernst and White, 2000), used in both private and NHS settings.

Acupuncture Pain Management for Patients with Cystic Fibrosis: A Pilot Study

Cystic fibrosis is the most commonly occurring genetic disorder among Caucasians. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of acupuncture for pain management in patients with cystic fibrosis; clinical data was obtained regarding the integration of acupuncture into the management of pain in patients with cystic fibrosis. Visual analog scales were used for pain measurement. Acupuncture was found to be effective in decreasing pain complaints in patients with cystic fibrosis. No side effects or complications were reported in relation to the acupuncture treatment. Acupuncture is effective for managing symptoms and illnesses associated with cystic fibrosis. Further randomized controlled trials will be necessary to evaluate additional efficacy in pain management and the improvement of the quality of life of patients with cystic fibrosis.

Akupunktur nach dem NADA-Protokoll am Fachkrankenhaus für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie Taufkirchen (Vils) – ein Erfahrungsbericht

For two years, Taufkirchen-Hospital for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy has been offering auricular acupuncture according to the „NADA Protocol” to patients in drug- and alcohol-detoxification programmes, patients with addiction and additional psychiatric disorder, and also to forensic patients. Alongside the positive experience of acupuncture according to the „NADA Protocol”, the integration of this method with conventional psychiatric therapy has impressed. Patients perceive acupuncture as a strengthening and motivating device. Compliance increases.For patients with a critical stance towards psychiatric drug medication and for whom drug medication can be postponed, acupuncture treatment in addition to psychotherapy can be offered. The effect is better compliance in later drug medication.The medical staff welcomes the integration of acupuncture in psychiatric work.

Integration of acupuncture into the oncology clinic.

Patients with cancer or symptoms referable to cancer therapy were offered acupuncture as potential palliation of their symptoms. This paper describes the physical integration of the discipline into the Oncology Clinic, and patient perspectives on its availability and efficacy. Between August 1999 and May 2000, 123 patients with varying symptoms received acupuncture in our Center's Radiation and Medical Oncology Clinics and Breast Health Center. These patients had 823 visits during this time period. A practice outcome analysis was performed on patients receiving therapy between 1 January 2000 and 30 April 2000. The 89 patients treated during this interval had 444 total visits. In June and July 2000, a questionnaire was administered by phone to 79 of these patients (89%). Standard allopathic care continued while patients were receiving acupuncture. Major reasons for referral included pain (53%), xerostomia (32%), hot flashes (6%) and nausea/loss of appetite (6%). Patients had a mean of five acupuncture visits (range 1-9). Most patients (60%) showed at least 30% improvement in their symptoms. About one-third of patients had no change in severity of symptoms. There were no untoward effects reported related to the acupuncture. When analysed by diagnosis, these values persist. Irrespective of response to therapy, 86% of respondents considered it 'very important' that we continue to provide acupuncture services. Acupuncture may contribute to control of symptoms for cancer patients. Expansion of providers, continued patient follow-up, optimization of techniques and prospective objective measurement of response continue in our clinic.

Acupuncture — from empiricism to science: Functional background to acupuncture effects in pain and disease Pain and disease

Acupuncture is part of Traditional Chinese Medicine, a system with an empirical basis which has been used in the treatment and prevention of disease for centuries. A lack of scientific studies to prove or disprove its claimed effects led to rejection by many of the western scientific community. Now that the mechanisms can be partly explained in terms of endogenous pain inhibitory systems, the integration of acupuncture with conventional medicine may be possible. Its use for pain relief has been supported by clinical trials and this has facilitated its acceptance in pain clinics in most countries. Acupuncture effects must devolve from physiological and/or psychological mechanisms with biological foundations, and needle stimulation could represent the artificial activation of systems obtained by natural biological effects in functional situations. Acupuncture and some other forms of sensory stimulation elicit similar effects in man and other mammals, suggesting that they bring about fundamental physiological changes. Acupuncture excites receptors or nerve fibres in the stimulated tissue which are also physiologically activated by strong muscle contractions and the effects on certain organ functions are similar to those obtained by protracted exercise. Both exercise and acupuncture produce rhythmic discharges in nerve fibres, and cause the release of endogenous opioids and oxytocin essential to the induction of functional changes in different organ systems. Beta-endorphin levels, important in pain control as well as in the regulation of blood pressure and body temperature, have been observed to rise in the brain tissue of animals after both acupuncture and strong exercise. Experimental and clinical evidence suggest that acupuncture may affect the sympathetic system via mechanisms at the hypothalamic and brainstem levels, and that the hypothalamic beta-endorphinergic system has inhibitory effects on the vasomotorcenter, VMC. Post-stimulatory sympathetic inhibition which proceeds to a maximum after a few hours and can be sustained for more than 12 hours, has been demonstrated in both man and animals. Experimental and clinical studies suggest that afferent input in somatic nerve fibres has a significant effect on autonomic functions. Hypothetically, the physiological counterpart lies in physical exercise, and the effect can be artificially reproduced via various types of electrical or manual stimulation of certain nerve fibres.

Use of Acupuncture in a General Practice: The First Two Years

The integration of acupuncture into a National Health Service (NHS) group practice is described, and its advantages and problems are discussed.

Integration of Acupuncture within a Pain Relief Clinic

Integration of Acupuncture within a Pain Relief Clinic