"The Obama administration on Thursday laid out a bold plan that
would turn the Pell Grant program into a true entitlement for
low-income students and pay for it in part by eliminating the Federal
Family Education Loan (FFEL) program once and for all...
The Obama administration doesn't see the need to keep propping up FFEL when there is a less costly, more stable alternative in place.
"The Direct Loan program, which uses market processes to determine
subsidy payments to servicers, has suffered no disruptions and
continues to function at lower cost to taxpayers," the budget overview
states. "The Administration's goal is to continue to tap low-cost,
stable sources of capital so students are ensured access to loans.""
Those coping with cancer and other forms of disease often
look to acupuncture and other alternative therapies to provide relief for pain,
stress and anxiety. Practiced as early as the Stone Age, acupuncture has been a
source of relief for numerous conditions for thousands of years. The exact way the
technique was discovered or developed is not well-understood, but one legend
claims that Chinese soldiers receiving arrow wounds in battle reported relief
from pain in other body parts, which inspired further research.
Acupuncture
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) defines acupuncture as
the "application of stimulation such as needling, moxibustion, cupping, and
acupressure on specific sites of the body known as acupuncture points." They
report that acupuncture may work by inducing physical response in nerve cells,
the pituitary gland and certain parts of the brain.
Some notable conditions that acupuncture has been known to
treat include allergies, gastrointestinal conditions, back pain, migraines and
infertility. Some proponents of modern Western medicine continue to doubt the
effects of acupuncture, but a growing body of scientific evidence has prompted
many medical professionals to consider the benefits of this treatment.
The World Health Organization (WHO) published a scientific
review of controlled clinical trials on acupuncture in 2003, and concluded it
was an effective method of treatment for 28 conditions. Some of the listed
conditions include adverse reactions to radiotherapy or chemotherapy,
depression, hypertension, nausea and vomiting, and postoperative pain. They
also found evidence that suggests acupuncture could be effective for several
dozen more conditions, including abdominal pain, cancer pain, insomnia and
whooping cough. Due to the relief of symptoms associated with cancer, breast,
colon and mesothelioma cancer patients,
among others, have turned to acupuncture for relief of their cancer symptoms
and side effects.
Acupuncture and
Cancer
Acupuncture can be used as an additional and complimentary
treatment for the side effects that cancer patients experience, such as overall
pain and nausea (caused by other cancer treatments like chemotherapy). NCI
reports that clinical studies of acupuncture as a treatment for cancer show
that acupuncture can reduce vomiting and nausea caused by chemotherapy. They
also found that acupuncture may improve the immune system, helping cancer
patients to fight their condition and its side effects.
The physical responses acupuncture can induce in nerve
cells, the pituitary gland and parts of the brain can cause the body to release
hormones, proteins and certain brain chemicals that affect a range of bodily
functions. Through this response, it is proposed that acupuncture can affect
blood pressure and body temperature, enhance immune system function, and
prompts the body to release natural pain killers (such as endorphins).
Considered a natural form of treatment, acupuncture can help
to treat side effects of cancers that are caused by exposure to natural,
environmental forces, such as UV rays, radon or the toxic mineral asbestos.
Clinical research currently suggests that a number of cancers are caused by
exposure to environmental forces in those who happen to be genetically
predisposed. A notable example includes skin cancer, but other lesser-known
cancers, including the rare cancer mesothelioma, are also caused by exposure to
environmental toxins. Asbestos exposure is one of the only mesothelioma causes and it is
even linked to ovarian and prostate cancer. Patients coping with the symptoms
and side effects of these cancers have reported relief after receiving
acupuncture.
Though the benefits of acupuncture are still questioned by
some medical professionals, numerous cancer patients have attested to the
healing effects of this age-old treatment approach. Acupuncture, along with
other forms of alternative medicine such as massage, meditation and yoga, have
certainly gained support from countless cancer patients, and clinical trials
continue to provide scientific evidence of the benefits of this treatment.
In Eric Brands' Traditional Chinese Medicine blog, he complains that Bensky's Materia Medica and other texts on herbalism state ginseng should not be taken with coffee or other stimulants but do not list any citations to back up this claim. He did extensive research and found no evidence in classical texts or modern databases to support the contraindication. He says that "primary sources, evidence-based decisions, and critical thinking" are essential to the future of TCM.
"It is, indeed, a bold claim to suggest that ginseng cannot be used with
coffee or other stimulants. Ginseng is the most famous herb in East
Asian medicine. Coffee is just about the most widely-used herbal
product in the world. Millions of people consume ginseng and coffee
together every day in Korea alone, much less the rest of the world. A
proven herb-herb or herb-drug interaction with ginseng and coffee or
other stimulants would be headline news. Yet this evidence is
strikingly lacking.
It is most likely that the reason for this caution is due to the
popular conception that ginseng is itself a stimulant. However, ginseng
is not a stimulant drug in terms of modern pharmacology; it has both
stimulating and inhibitory constituents, which gives it an overall
regulating and balancing effect on the body. The idea that
ginseng=stimulant and thus should not be combined with other stimulants
is based on a flawed and simplistic understanding of the actions of
ginseng. Certainly this simplistic thinking is not the standard that
professional practitioners are shooting for, and it damages our
profession if we espouse opinions that cannot be backed up with either
science or tradition."
Jonah Ewell, an acupuncture student, talks to his father about the swine flu H1N1 virus and the Chinese Medicine perspective. Please read the whole article on Everyday Health blog:
Its very informative on both the Western and TCM viewpoint on disease.
"In the framework of Chinese medicine, it's unimportant what exact
microbe or virus is causing you problems. Western science and medicine
is reductionist, always looking for that ONE THING that they can point
to and say is the cause of illness. When you find the exact bacteria or
virus, all you have to do is kill it, or remove it, or block it, or any
of the other things Western medicine does. This is a relatively recent
development, hinging on the invention of advanced microscopes. Thanks
to these instruments, we have made incredible advances in being able to
look at and detect these small microbes and viruses, which has helped
the world deal with serious health problems. However, as we are seeing,
looking for the one microbe and trying to eliminate it is a textbook
case of missing the forest for the trees.
What causes disease?
Why do some people get sick and others don't? If the swine flu was
really so contagious, why haven't more people become sick and died?
According to what I've heard on the radio and read in the newspapers,
less than 10% of people with swine flu have died. Over 90% recover.
Think of fruit in a basket. If you leave it for awhile, you might find
that one piece of fruit has mold on it. Another piece of fruit, sitting
right next to it and even touching it, cheek-by-jowl, is unaffected.
Why is that?"
Send letters to your senators and representative using AAAOMs fast and easy letter-writing tool at http://www.aaaomonline.org/hr646
The
AAAOM is issuing a call to action letter writing campaign in support of
HR 646. We are at the forefront of a momentous change in U.S.
healthcare, and acupuncture and Oriental medicine is an important part
of this crucial transition. In supporting and passing HR646, we are
creating a firm foundation for our profession to propel from
alternative medicine to mainstream, and we need everyone's voice to
make it happen! WHAT IS HR 646 AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
This
is a decisive moment for acupuncture and Oriental medicine. HR 646,
also known as "The Federal Acupuncture Coverage Act of 2009," amends
title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for coverage of
qualified acupuncturist services under part B of the Medicare Program,
and to amend title 5, United States Code, to provide for coverage of
such services under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. The
passing of this bill will open acupuncture and Oriental medicine (AOM)
to many more patients who could benefit from its effectiveness. For
practitioners and students, it will open the doors to new patients to
serve. It will provide us all with more affordable healthcare choices
and create a firm foundation for further integration into U.S.
healthcare.
WHAT CAN I DO?
Write a letter to your
Member of Congress. If you are a patient, practitioner, student or
professional partner in the integrative health fields: Write a letter
in support of HR 646! Ask each family member, friend, classmate,
colleague, and, most important, each patient to write a letter to their
Members of Congress.
H.R. 646 would amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for coverage of qualified acupuncturist services under part B of the Medicare Program, and to amend title 5, United States Code, to provide for coverage of such services under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program.
Stephen Burd - The Higher Ed Watch Blog
