Well, I've managed to find an acupuncture news item in another unusual place - in the "Seasons of the Garden" column of Mother Earth News.  This column covers backyard gardening news and this month's edition has a piece on acupuncture for corn.  Apparently, when a toothpick is stuck through the base of an ear of sweet corn, the ear ripens earlier and has extra sweetness!  The way it works is that sugar concentrates near plants wounds.  Actually, a lot my clients seem sweeter after acupuncture, so I think this theory applies to humans as well.   

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/1985-07-01/The-Seasons-of-the-Garden.aspx

Acupuncture is hitting the mainstream in more ways than ever and the latest news out of Portland, Oregon proves it.  Portland is getting an acupuncture treatment!  Adam Kuby placed the first needle by the Willamette River and hopes to place more soon, giving Portland a boost of Qi where it needs it most.  It got me thinking, if I were to do an acupuncture treatment on NYC, where would I put the needles?  I would definitely put some local points around town - like Times Square and Penn Station for the stagnant Qi - and some distal points in the Tri-State area - say, Albany and Trenton for the harmonizing effects.  I'd have to charge more for the outcall though.  = )

http://www.torontosun.com/News/World/2008/05/11/5531451-sun.html

According to a survey sent to 1400 hospitals around the nation, about 25% offer complementary therapies.  The modalities offered include acupuncture, massage, herbal medicine and chiropractic care.  The hospitals which have these modalities available tend to be large facilities in urban areas.  I think we're trending in the right direction here, with the future of health care being an optimal blend of allopathic and alternative medicine! 

http://report-trans-union-expression.blogspot.com/2008/04/july-20-2006-more-than-one-in-four-us_27.html

I'm not a big fan of bureaucracy (who is?) but after reading this article, I have more appreciation for the way acupuncture is regulated in the US.  According to AdelaideNow, Australia is having a problem with fake acupuncturists!  It's scary to think that people who may be entirely unqualified are actually putting needles into other people.  However, we haven't gotten it right yet either.  In some states there are no regulations whatsoever.  In other states, acupuncturists have to be supervised by an MD.  I'm hoping that as American acupuncture evolves from it's stage of infancy to adolescence, these kinks will be worked out to the benefit of both practitioners and consumers.

http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,23578614-2682,00.html

In my acupuncture practice, I've shied away from treating anyone for weight loss - mostly because I think eating a healthy diet and doing proper exercise are the best roads to sustainable weight control.  But, a psychologist in New Zealand has been using gentle tapping acupressure of certain points as a tool for controlling cravings.  The technique is also being used to treat a variety of mood disorders.  This makes sense to me because stimulating acupuncture points can regulate the nervous system and stabilize the mood, leading to more control over cravings and subsequent weight loss. 

http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4489612a7144.html

As we all know, the health care industry in the US isn't serving a lot of us very well.  The for-profit system leaves millions without coverage and those that have coverage are sometimes still stuck with medical bills.  In my opinion, we need only to look just to our north for a better way.  In fact in British Columbia, the province government just passed a law to cover acupuncture for families who make $28,000 or less.  If only we could follow this good example.

http://www.westcoaster.ca/modules/AMS/article.php?storyid=3981

I'd never heard of "Battlefield Acupuncture" until today, when I read a paper in a journal called Medical Acupuncture.  Dr. Richard C. Niemtzow, who appears to be an air force colonel, developed a system of ear acupuncture to treat acute pain quickly and efficiently.  He uses five specific points in the ear and treats them each with a small ear tack, which stays in place for 3-4 days.  The paper explains that this method was conceived after 9/11 and has promise for treating pain on the military battlefield.  Wow, I think this quite an innovative use for acupuncture.  But, I wonder if soldiers in China used these methods thousands of years ago and we're reinventing the wheel once again?

http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/abs/10.1089/acu.2007.0603

Calling all skeptics!  Here's a blog for you, which calls into question all of the recent studies on the so-called efficacy of acupuncture.  Mike Lacelle of The Rogues Gallery, which is the official blog of the Skeptics Guide to the Universe, notes that poorly conducted acupuncture studies are pouring into the media more and more.  One of his main points (pun intended) is that the methods of study are flawed, so he doesn't accept the conclusions of the researchers as fact.  I don't disagree that the methods are often lacking and the conclusions seem forced at times.  What I want to know is - when are Western researchers going to stop trying to study something which can't actually fit into their research models?  You can't double-blind acupuncture!  Researchers have tried to get around this gold-standard of medical science in a myriad of ways - and none all that successful as of yet.  The fact that most studies on acupuncture are poorly conducted is just another growing pain in the adolescent life of acupuncture in the West.  The studies are poorly conducted because the models of research dwarf the wisdom of this incredible system of medicine. 

http://www.theskepticsguide.org/sgublog/?p=151

This week's acupuncture-blog entry is only tangentially acupuncture-related.  I want to highly recommend a book that was written by Abdi Assadi, an acupuncturist right here in NYC.  His "Shadows On The Path" is quick read but packed full of insights - on the places where psychology, spirituality and health intersect.  These insights are informed by Abdi's own path of personal growth which includes recovery from addiction, as well as by his 20 years of experience as a practitioner.  Enjoy!

http://www.shadowsonthepath.com/

The most interesting acupuncture news this month comes out of Austin Texas, where a blind woman is petitioning the state for the second time, to allow her to practice acupuncture.  While there are no laws prohibiting this practice, the board of examiners is concerned about safety issues.  I'm definitely pro-blindacupuncture - she could treat me anytime!  If she has the smarts to get a master's degree and the gumption to lobby for her rights, she can probably give a good acupuncture treatment.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/5504805.html

Good news for sufferers of tinnitus!  As acupuncture is growing in popularity, so are scientific studies on the subject.  Hot off the press is a study that links ringing in the ears, also known as tinnitus, to hyperactivity of the touch-sensing nerves of the head and neck.  The study suggests that treatments such as acupuncture, which target the nerves in the head and neck, may provide relief for some people who suffer from the condition.  I know this to be true from my practice, but it's always nice to get the back up in print. 

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080110114501.htm

Another acupuncture study is in the news - this time it's acupuncture for GERD or gastroesophageal reflux disease.  This is a fairly common disorder which can cause acid reflux and heartburn.  Researchers studied a small group of people who's symptoms didn't resolve with standard doses of antacids or proton pump inhibitors.  One group was given twice the dosage while the other group was given the standard dosage plus acupuncture treatment.  It turns out that only the group with the acupuncture treatment had significant results.  Acupuncture, 1.  Doubling your pharmaceuticals, 0. 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17875198?dopt=Abstract

NewScientist.com reports that scientists at the University of Manchester have been studying the effects of acupuncture on chemotherapy patients.  The most common side effect of chemo is fatigue and preliminary results indicate that acupuncture can very effectively  mitigate this symptom.  In my practice, I've treated at least four women with breast cancer and I've seen these results before my eyes.  During such a difficult time for these women, I've witnesses improved energy levels and the resulting improvement in quality of life.  I think this is one of the best ways that Western and Eastern medicines complement each other.  My hope is that this type of complementary medicine continues to take hold and generations to come will benefit from the best of both worlds. 

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn13104-acupuncture-relieves-cancer-chemotherapy-fatigue.html

At happy hour this week, a few of the attendees had heard about me through the website going.com.  I had never heard of the site, but I found myself listed on it nonetheless.  I never know how exactly Happy Hour ends up listed on sites like this, but I'm not complaining.  Here's the write-up...

Editors' Take

I've heard of studying acupuncture in Europe, Korea, Vietnam, Japan... but in prison?  This is an interesting article called "A hard way to learn acupuncture."  Indeed!  Tom Tiam, a Canadian citizen serving a six year sentence in a Chinese prison started working in the prison hospital room treating inmates.  He says that  prisoners had long work hours and "medication was not easily available, but acupuncture treatment was available to help with the pain."  Now Mr. Tiam has his own clinic in Halifax!

http://thechronicleherald.ca/Metro/986140.html