August 2008 Archives

CHICAGO (Reuters) - "Acupuncture helped alleviate lingering pain and decreased shoulder mobility in people who had surgery for head and neck cancer, U.S. researchers said on Saturday.

The ancient Chinese therapy also resulted in significant improvements in extreme dry mouth or xerostomia, which often occurs in people who have had radiation treatment for head and neck cancer, they said at a meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago.

Researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York " (Further studies are cited at the link) "studied 70 patients who were at least three months past their surgery and radiation treatments. About half got standard treatments, which include physical therapy and treatment with anti-inflammatory drugs. The other half got standard treatment plus a weekly acupuncture session. After four weeks, 39 percent of those who got acupuncture reported improvements in pain and mobility, compared with only 7 percent in people who got typical care.

"Although further study is needed, these data support the potential role of acupuncture in addressing post neck-dissection pain and dysfunction, as well as xerostomia," Memorial Sloan-Kettering's Dr. David Pfister said at the meeting."This article comes from Reuters

Several of my relatives had head and neck surgery for cancer and suffered from these symptoms. My uncle did use acupuncture for pain and discomfort after he left the hospital. My mother was open to it but never tried it; it was too far away from her established ideas, plus her insurance did not cover it. My aunt had serious back pain and immobility while vacationing in China, was taken to an acupuncture clinic as an emergency patient and got immediate relief. She talked about it for years later, but did not continue with acupuncture. She ended up wearing a narcotic patch on her back for pain and got very disturbed and ill-tempered when the time neared to replace the patch with a new one because the dosage in the patch was declining.

Tai Chi benefits older adults' mobility, study shows

In two studies - one quantitative, one qualitative - presented... at the North American Research Conference on Complementary & Integrative Medicine, lead researcher Yang found that healthy seniors who practiced a combination of Qigong and Tai Chi three times a week for six months experienced significant physical benefits after only two months.

Not only did participants demonstrate noticeable improvements in laboratory-controlled tests designed to measure balance, lower body strength and stance width, a subset of participants who contributed responses in the qualitative study provided dramatic evidence of how Tai Chi and Qigong practice had also enhanced their lives from a mental, emotional and spiritual perspective.

For example, in assessing the effects of Tai Chi and Qigong practice on participants, the researchers used a number of standard physical-activity measurements, among them, the single leg stand, or SLS. The SLS measures the length of time an individual can stand on one leg, with eyes closed and eyes open.

"With eyes open, we saw an 83 percent improvement after two months," Yang said. "With eyes closed, we did not see results - 29 percent improvement - until the end of six months.

Numbers alone don't tell the full story of the results, however, Yang said.

"But when you see how it translates to functional performance ... how meaningful it is to their daily life - putting on jeans, taking groceries out, even the posture you have when you hold your grandchildren - the results are significant."

Also telling, he said, is the strong desire among study participants to continue practicing Tai Chi and Qigong beyond the bounds of the research.

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2006, June 29). Research Reinforces Findings That Chinese Exercises Benefit Older Adults. ScienceDaily.

Older adults who adopt an exercise regimen combining Taiji and Qigong may get an extra boost from their annual flu shot.

"We have found that 20 weeks of Taiji can increase the antibody response to influenza vaccine in older adults," said the study's lead author Yang Yang, an adjunct professor of kinesiology and community health, and a Taiji master with 30-plus years of experience as a practitioner and instructor.

"In this study, we found that five months of an easily performed behavioral Taiji and Qigong intervention could improve the magnitude and duration of the HI anti-influenza antibody titer response in a small cohort of older adults," write the authors, who also include Karl S. Rosengren, a U. of I. professor of psychology and of kinesiology and community health, and Jeffrey A. Woods, a kinesiology and community health professor who researches the effects of exercise on immune function. Rosengren and Woods helped design the study. Other co-authors are former U. of I. graduate students Rachel A. Mariani and Jay Verkuilen, and Scott A. Grubisich and Michael Reed of the Center for Taiji Studies, Champaign.

According to Yang, one problem with the flu vaccine is that older adults often do not reach what are considered to be "protective levels" after receiving the vaccination.

On average, he said, the Taiji group had much higher antibody responses to the vaccination than the control group, and the percentage of persons who achieved protective levels also was higher in the Taiji group.

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2007, August 14). Traditional Chinese Exercises May Increase Efficacy Of Flu Vaccine. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 27, 2008

Tai Chi program adopted in Senior Community Centers in Oregon

In the July issue of the American Journal of Public Health, Oregon Research Institute (ORI) senior scientist Fuzhong Li, Ph.D., describes how senior community centers in Lane County, Oregon successfully adopted an evidence-based Tai Chi program to prevent falls among older adults. Based on this success, the Oregon Department of Human Services, in partnership with 4 counties in Oregon, has now adopted the Tai Chi program as part of its efforts to disseminate evidence-based interventions to promote physical activity and reduce falls among community-living older adults.


New York College of Traditional Chinese Medicine & Nassau County NY sponsor Tai Chi Day

Last Fall New York College of Traditional Chinese Medicine (NYCTCM) and Nassau County, as part of the Healthy Nassau program, co-sponsored Tai Chi Day at Eisenhower Park in Nassau County. NYCTCM staff taught Tai Chi to about 70 participants.

In the top picture, Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi participates in Tai Chi. In the 2nd picture, World Tai Chi Champion Mr. Sitan Chen instructs Tai Chi class. Here, Dr. Chen is pictured with Thomas Suozzi at Tai Chi Day.

See the rest of the pictures from Tai Chi Day at NYCTCM Visits '07 page.

Using acupuncture before and during surgery significantly reduces the level of pain and the amount of potent painkillers needed by patients after the surgery is over, according to Duke University Medical Center anesthesiologists who combined data from 15 small randomized acupuncture clinical trials.

This video was made for the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare services by Mazur Media. From the "Mind/Body Medicine Show", this segment gives an overview and demonstration of acupuncture.

Many people would like to try acupuncture and Chinese herbology, but they are held back because many insurances do not cover acupuncture treatments. Affordable acupuncture treatments are offered by schools of acupuncture in their teaching clinics.

An acupuncture school's teaching clinic offers affordable Acupuncture and Chinese Healing Arts to the community while providing advanced students with a clinical internship.

The interns are senior-level students who have passed a series of qualifying exams that allow them to diagnose and prescribe therapies for the patients who come to the clinic. Licensed Acupuncturists and Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners supervise the interns.

I have had acupuncture treatment for back pain at the Teaching Clinic of New York College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Mineola, Long Island, NY. First there was an initial consultation with four students, myself, and a supervising acupuncurist. The four students gave me the acupuncture treatment. My back pain was much improved for months afterward, and after the treatment I felt great.

As a senior research project, Acupuncture students in Portland pursued the feasibility of treating veterans with PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) symptoms by using the group acupuncture model (everyone is treated in the same room using chairs instead of tables). It was not possible for them to actually treat the veterans because of insurance and liability issues, but they hope other students can bring the project to fruition. Good going, people.

"Our project began with the intent to open a free group clinic for veterans, where we would be able to needle them and change the world with the help of NIH (National Institute of Health) funds, endless supplies, and eventual support from the VA.  However.....we are students, and both insurance and liability are very limited. The idea of us actually needling on a non-intern site is a pretty difficult hoop to jump through, and can take longer than one year, which is all we had.

After several changes, we decided to do a qualitative study instead. We interviewed several practitioners about their experience in treating veterans, and if they had any advice for us, what points they would use, etc. We learned a lot about treating those with PTSD, and realized that it could be done the way we thought it could."

read complete article at Portland Acupuncture Blog

(3 PDA Points Pending NCCAOM Approval)

Speaker: Yemeng Chen, L.Ac., FICAE

Day: 09/28/08, 2:00 PM -5:00 PM

Location: NYCTCM, Room 106 155 First Street, Mineola, NY 11501

Course Description:

In our car-oriented society, whiplash injury cases are commonly seen in acupuncture practice. The lecture will introduce the viewpoint of whiplash injury, pattern differentiation and especially analysis of Musculo-Tendino Meridian theory applied in whiplash injury cases. Special acupuncture needle techniques corresponding to the musculo-tendino meridian system and points selection related to different complications will be introduced as well as effective Chinese herbal formulas and Tui Na manipulations. Demonstration included.

Read Dr. Chen's paper on Treating Whiplash Injuries with Acupuncture.

About the Speaker:

Yemeng Chen, L.Ac., FICAE, is the President of NYCTCM and the Vice-Chair of the New York State Board for Acupuncture. He also serves as an At-Large Member of Executive Committee and Chair of the Herbal Committee of the Council of Colleges of Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine. He has 23 years of experience as a practitioner, researcher and educator in Chinese medicine with numerous publications. 

Registration:

3 CEUs, $60 ($75 after 09/18), $45 for students ($60 after 09/18). Please download the registration form and mail it with your payment to

NYCTCM
ATT: Dr. Xu, Program Coordinator
Continuing Education Program
155 First Street
Mineola, NY 11501


Telephone: (516) 739-1545

email: Email CEU

Registration Form:
CEU_082308.pdf

Are you new to acupuncture? Do you know what to expect with your first acupuncture treatment? NCCAM, part of NIH, introduces you to acupuncture in this article.

An introduction to Acupuncture by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

"Acupuncture is among the oldest healing practices in the world. As part of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), acupuncture aims to restore and maintain health through the stimulation of specific points on the body. In the United States, where practitioners incorporate healing traditions from China, Japan, Korea, and other countries, acupuncture is considered part of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM)."

See pdf file D404_BKG.pdf for complete article or visit the NCCAM website.

The New York College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Teaching Clinic in Mineola, Long Island, New York and Manhattan offers reasonably priced acupuncture treatments and Chinese Herbal consultations.

Rootdown is a new online community for TCM practitioners and students; there is a database of herbs, case studies, formulas, and you can create your profile. They said it was like a Facebook for TCM practitioners and students.

"Rootdown.us is a comprehensive online resource and forum for current and aspiring practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Our goal is to provide the TCM community with a forum that provides a living, searchable and free resource for students, teachers, and practitioners.