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!
Well, acupuncture is in the news again. The fake news that is... The Onion is now covering this hot topic. Enjoy!
http://www.theonion.com/content/amvo/study_acupuncture_works
Since I'm fairly new to the blog phenomenon, I'm wondering if it's cool to blog about someone else's blog? I seem to write my own rules in life, so I'm going with yes. Today, I came across a blog posting about acupuncture for mood disorders. It's a quick read and gives a good overview of the topic. I wouldn't quite believe it if I didn't see it with my own eyes - but it really does work. Not for everyone - but in my clinical experience it's helped almost everyone who has walked through my door wanting treatment for anxiety or depression. How do needles make you feel more positive about your life? I really can't tell you exactly, but the important thing is that they do. This is especially good news for people who have tried almost everthing else.
http://fungz.com/yeeningmcnitt/2007/11/19/treat-insomnia-depression-anxiety-with-acupuncture/
In Western Medicine, tests are often done on rodents instead of humans because of the studies' potential ill effects. But why are researchers doing acupuncture on rats? There are no side effects to this treatment. Acupuncture has a homeostatic effect on the body or when done poorly, has no effect at all. This article reviews a study from the March issue of the Journal of Applied Physiology. The study aims to illustrate the usefulness of acupuncture for various cardiovascular conditions including hypertension. Why not just prove this on humans and leave the rodents to roam the NYC subways where they belong?
You have to check out this article for the picture alone. Nguyen Tai Thu, who is interviewed for the piece, is a prominent professor of acupuncture from a hospital in Vietnam. Apparently, he's known for his "snake needles." These needles are 80 cm's long! That's 31.5 inches!! You can thank your lucky stars that you ended up in my office and not staring down the barrel of a needle that's almost as big as you are. = )