East meets West

Week #9, Article #1

1.    Hassan, Anita. (2013, October 27).  Health Zone:  East Meets West – Traditional doctors bring acupuncture into medical treatments for conditions ranging from pain relief to cancer therapy, even drug rehab.  Houston Chronicle, K2/K4.

2.    Category of problem:  Health

3.    Level of problem:  National level

4.    The article concerns:  Over the years, acupuncture has seen a growing use by many American hospitals and health care providers for pain management.

5.    Why is this important to families / individuals OR how does it affect individuals / families?

a.    Pain management for people suffering from various ailments or diseases is seen as an alternative to traditional medicines.  Cancer patients are increasingly seeking this method to ease the pain and nausea associated with cancer treatments.  Research data funded by the National Institutes of Health indicate acupuncture really works.

6.    What are your views on the issue / policy?       

a.    I never really thought about the use of acupuncture as method to treat pain associated with a disease or injury.  The thought of sticking up to 20 needles in my skin – on purpose – has never appealed to me.  But, after reading the article, I may be changing my views on this technique although I still feel pretty squeamish about doing it myself.  For people who live with pain every day, I can see this could be an alternative, especially, if methods they have tried in the past have had limited success.  Many skeptics talk about the “placebo effect” where treatment is compared to studies in which some people take a drug while others are given a placebo (a drug-less sample) to determine the effects of a particular drug.  I think the point is if someone is driven to the point of having needles inserted into their body, and it helps them with the pain, then what is the harm – even if it is only a mental state.  There does not appear to be any real danger from the procedure, other than making sure the needles are clean and the process is done by a reputable medical professional.  The body is an amazing machine, and if acupuncture can redirect pain signals from the brain and central nervous system away from the affected area, then I do not see any problem with a person giving it a try.  One of the main issues, though, may be the availability of the procedure to the masses since acupuncture is usually not covered under insurance benefits.  But, once more research is done and data collected, maybe the procedure will be seen as beneficial, and could be covered under a policy even if it is only a limited benefit.  Who knows, with all the ambiguity of the new health care law, maybe it is covered in the 2500 pages of the law, and we just do not know it!