I was very touched by G. Michael Reynold's account of losing his first patient and I wanted to share it. I know people who are as ill as his patient.

You can read the whole post, O Death, at Deepest Health blog, http://deepesthealth.com/2010/o-death/.

"I lost my first patient recently, on the very doorstep of Autumn. He was literally my first patient, the first person ever to come to me for help. His condition was grave even from the beginning. Chronic renal failure, Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy that required a subcutaneous morphine pump in his side in order to bear the constant agony, wheelchair bound, legs swollen and edematous, skin unnaturally black, heart failing. Friendly, personable, courageous. He got into this shape via diabetes, during which his 5'9″ frame was forced to support over 300 lbs of weight, now shrunken to around 150 lbs. As a first patient, this was very much being tossed into the deep end of the pool and finding out if you could swim.

I was confident we could get him off dialysis, which he needed three times per week. I told him as much. I had access to nearly unlimited stores of Fu Zi and I knew how to use it. The fact that his radial arteries were so devastated from constant dialysis that I couldn't get a pulse didn't especially deter me, nor did the fact that he could only take in a few ounces of liquid per day, nor did the fact that he spent pretty much every waking hour hustling from one MD to the next to get this procedure or that test or these medications. In Chinese Medicine did I trust, and I would do my best."

read the rest of this long article at Deepest Health blog
 
What is Deepest Health site all about? Deepest Health is a center for education and connection around one broad topic - Chinese Medicine. Contributors to this website are united in their desire to see that relevant, vital and Classically based information about Chinese medicine be available to students, practitioners and interested members of the public.

A study published in the journal Pain shows promise for arthritis relief.

According to the abstract:

"Forty patients of either sex over 40 years with primary osteoarthritis knee were recruited into a single-blinded, sham-controlled study. For electro-acupuncture group the points were selected according to the Traditional Chinese Medicine Meridian Theory. In the sham group needles were inserted at random points away from true acupoints and no current was passed. Both groups were treated for 10 days with one session every day lasting for 20-25 min. Pre- and post-treatment Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC) index of osteoarthritis knee and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for pain were recorded and blood samples were taken for the measurement of plasma cortisol and β-endorphin levels. 

Following electro-acupuncture treatment there was a significant improvement in WOMAC index and VAS (p = 0.001), a significant rise in plasma β-endorphin (p = 0.001), and a significant fall in plasma cortisol (p = 0.016). In conclusion electro-acupuncture resulted in an improvement in pain, stiffness and disability. Of clinical importance is that an improvement in objective measures of pain and stress/pain associated biomarkers was shown above that of a sham treatment; hence demonstrating acupuncture associated physiological changes beyond that of the placebo effects."

Abstract: Pain December 15, 2009

I found this entry at TCM Student http://www.tcmstudent.com/main/Electro-acupuncture%20May%20Relieve%20Osteoarthritis%20of%20the%20Knee.html

Acupuncture on the Big Screen

By Sara Calabro, LAc

9000 Needles is bringing acupuncture to the masses. The documentary follows Devin Dearth, a 40-year-old former bodybuilder, to China, where he is treated with acupuncture after suffering a massive stroke.

The film made a splash at several of last year's film festivals, including the Gotham Independent Film Awards, where it was a finalist. It was directed by Devin's brother, Doug Dearth, whose frustrations with the U.S. health insurance industry during his brother's recovery inspired him to research international options. He spent three-and-a-half months filming in Tianjian, China, where Devin participated in an affordable, comprehensive stroke rehabilitation program that included frequent acupuncture treatments.9000 Needles tells a unifying story of how Devin's family and local community put aside preconceived notions about medicine to embrace the solution that offered their loved one the most benefit.

Doug Dearth recently spoke with me about filming his brother's journey and how he hopes it will improve perceptions and accessibility of acupuncture in the U.S.

I always assumed that the doctors there would speak very metaphysically or philosophically, like there was something mysterious behind acupuncture. But talking with them was the same as talking to any neurologist here in the U.S. They were very medically sound in their opinions. All of their explanations of how the medicine works were based in science and medicine.

One of your initial drivers in making this film was highlighting the shortcomings of the U.S. insurance system. What is your mission for the film going forward?

It's two-fold: to gain awareness for acupuncture and then to allow that to improve accessibility. Better accessibility means that insurance companies support patients who choose this kind of care, and also that the mainstream medical community really accepts this as a viable treatment that should be integrated into our medical system. It makes nothing but sense for a stroke program to integrate acupuncture. There are no side effects; it can only help.

http://www.acupuncturetoday.com/mpacms/at/article.php?id=32343

Read the whole article at Acupuncture Today