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This issue features a number of articles you will want to share with your family, friends and co-workers. Please feel free to forward this newsletter to them via e-mail. If you have received this e-mail newsletter from someone else, you may subscribe free of charge and begin receiving your own copy by going to:

Whether it's caused by an illness or an injury, one of the most common symptoms patients have when they enter an emergency room is pain. A study published in a recent issue of Medical Acupuncture examined what role acupuncture could play in pain relief, and whether it could be a considered a viable option in the emergency room setting.

Initially, the study's author reviewed the cases of 198 emergency-room patients who suffered from a variety of conditions and were treated with acupuncture after being diagnosed by a physician. After adjusting for the time at which pain medication was delivered, the researcher narrowed her selection to 123 patients: 112 had no pain medication prior to treatment, and 12 cases had medication more than one hour before receiving acupuncture, but were still in a great deal of pain.

Patients were divided into five groups depending on their symptoms (headaches; musculoskeletal pain; facial paralysis; drug failure; and miscellaneous). Different points or groups of points were used depending on the condition being treated. Patient pain was measures on a scale of 0-10, with 10 equaling "worse possible pain." Improvement was documented either by the treating physician or the patient's nurse.

Of the 123 patients treated, 74 percent experienced greater than 40% relief of symptoms with acupuncture. Percentage-wise, patients in the "headache" group experienced the greatest pain-relief; 94 percent had an improvement on the pain scale of greater than 40%.

"The advantage of acupuncture is that patients leave the emergency department lucid, unclouded by narcotics or other sedating drugs," which allows them to drive themselves home, the authors wrote. Another benefit was that acupuncture "also promotes healing by increasing the local blood supply and can result in more rapid resolution of traumatic injury than treatment with pain medication and rest alone."

The researchers recommended that further research be conducted, using specific treatments and protocols, along with randomized patient selection of common injuries and illnesses, to document which types of ailments can be treated best with acupuncture.

Reference

Grout M. Medical acupuncture in the emergency department. Medical Acupuncture 2003;14(1):39-40.

Rehmannia is a perennial herb indigenous to China, Japan and Korea. It grows to a height of approximately 18 inches, with alternating leaves that contain reddish-violet flowers. The root tuber is used medicinally.

In traditional Chinese medicine, rehmannia is used as a diuretic and to strengthen the kidney, liver and heart. Fresh and dried forms of rehmannia tuber are used for different conditions. Fresh tuber is used to treat irregular menstruation; lowered immunity; insomnia; tinnitus; vertigo; impaired hearing; diabetes; and frequent urination. Dried rubber is used for fevers and fever-related conditions; dry mouth; nosebleeds; rheumatism; and constipation.

Most practitioners recommend taking between 9-15 grams of rehmannia depending on the condition(s) being treated. It is sometimes taken as part of a rice wine.

Whole rehmannia tuber is available at some Asian markets and specialty stores. It is available either fresh or dried, and can also be found in a powdered form.

As of this writing, there are no known adverse reactions or drug interactions with rehmannia. It is considered safe, as long as it is taken within the recommended dosage. As always, make sure to consult with a qualified health care provider before taking rehmannia or any other herbal remedy or dietary supplement.

References

Bensky D, Gamble A. Chinese Herbal Medicine, Materia Medica. Seattle: Eastland Press Incorporated, 1993.
Powerful and Unusual Herbs from the Amazon and China. The World Preservation Society, Inc., 1995.
Taylor M. Chinese Patent Medicines: A Beginner's Guide. 1998, p. 85.

Acupuncture Q & A: This Month's Highlights from the "Ask an Acupuncturist" Forum

The "Ask an Acupuncturist" forum provides a place for interested parties to ask questions about acupuncture and Oriental medicine and have them answered by a licensed acupuncturist. This month's questions:

Question #1: I wanted to know if anyone with rotator cuff tendonitis has been treated with acupuncture. What were their outcomes?

Answer: A large number of people with symptoms of the rotator cuff have been treated with acupuncture. It is one of the more common problems that people will seek acupuncture for. The majority of people do find satisfactory relief of their symptoms. Each case is evaluated individually. In Chinese medicine, the terms used in diagnosis are different than those used in Western medicine.

Question #2: I am pregnant with my fourth child. My previous pregnancies included much nausea and some vomiting in the early months. I am thinking of trying acupuncture to help ease the discomfort this time. Could you tell me what kind of success rate you see with acupuncture to treat nausea? I have tried the acupuncture "wristbands" you can buy in drugstores, etc., and they have not provided me with much relief. Is that any indication that acupuncture might not work for me, either?

Answer: Those wristbands are supposed to be a "one-size-fits-all" approach to nausea, and we all know how well that works: not bad for some people, not at all for others, and good for just a few people. They work on stimulating Pericardium 6, which is only one potential problem point.

I have found acupuncture to be an excellent non-medical alternative for morning sickness. I would strongly encourage you to seek treatment and enjoy your pregnancy more, rather than just endure it.

Have a question about acupuncture and Oriental medicine? Visit AcupunctureToday.com's "Ask an Acupuncturist" forum at https://www.acupuncturetoday.com/ask.

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April 2003 [Volume 2, Issue 4] To Your Health is brought to you by:

This issue features a number of articles you will want to share with your family, friends and co-workers. Please feel free to forward this newsletter to them via e-mail. If you have received this e-mail newsletter from someone else, you may subscribe free of charge and begin receiving your own copy by going to: https://www.acupuncturetoday.com/newsletter/TYH/subscribe.php In this issue of To Your Health: Emergency Room Acupuncture Herb of the Month: Rehmannia Acupuncture Q & A: This Month's Highlights from the "Ask an Acupuncturist" Forum Emergency Room Acupuncture Whether it's caused by an illness or an injury, one of the most common symptoms patients have when they enter an emergency room is pain. A study published in a recent issue of Medical Acupuncture examined what role acupuncture could play in pain relief, and whether it could be a considered a viable option in the emergency room setting. Initially, the study's author reviewed the cases of 198 emergency-room patients who suffered from a variety of conditions and were treated with acupuncture after being diagnosed by a physician. After adjusting for the time at which pain medication was delivered, the researcher narrowed her selection to 123 patients: 112 had no pain medication prior to treatment, and 12 cases had medication more than one hour before receiving acupuncture, but were still in a great deal of pain. Patients were divided into five groups depending on their symptoms (headaches; musculoskeletal pain; facial paralysis; drug failure; and miscellaneous). Different points or groups of points were used depending on the condition being treated. Patient pain was measures on a scale of 0-10, with 10 equaling "worse possible pain." Improvement was documented either by the treating physician or the patient's nurse. Of the 123 patients treated, 74 percent experienced greater than 40% relief of symptoms with acupuncture. Percentage-wise, patients in the "headache" group experienced the greatest pain-relief; 94 percent had an improvement on the pain scale of greater than 40%. "The advantage of acupuncture is that patients leave the emergency department lucid, unclouded by narcotics or other sedating drugs," which allows them to drive themselves home, the authors wrote. Another benefit was that acupuncture "also promotes healing by increasing the local blood supply and can result in more rapid resolution of traumatic injury than treatment with pain medication and rest alone." The researchers recommended that further research be conducted, using specific treatments and protocols, along with randomized patient selection of common injuries and illnesses, to document which types of ailments can be treated best with acupuncture. Reference Grout M. Medical acupuncture in the emergency department. Medical Acupuncture 2003;14(1):39-40. Herb of the Month: Rehmannia Rehmannia is a perennial herb indigenous to China, Japan and Korea. It grows to a height of approximately 18 inches, with alternating leaves that contain reddish-violet flowers. The root tuber is used medicinally. In traditional Chinese medicine, rehmannia is used as a diuretic and to strengthen the kidney, liver and heart. Fresh and dried forms of rehmannia tuber are used for different conditions. Fresh tuber is used to treat irregular menstruation; lowered immunity; insomnia; tinnitus; vertigo; impaired hearing; diabetes; and frequent urination. Dried rubber is used for fevers and fever-related conditions; dry mouth; nosebleeds; rheumatism; and constipation. Most practitioners recommend taking between 9-15 grams of rehmannia depending on the condition(s) being treated. It is sometimes taken as part of a rice wine. Whole rehmannia tuber is available at some Asian markets and specialty stores. It is available either fresh or dried, and can also be found in a powdered form. As of this writing, there are no known adverse reactions or drug interactions with rehmannia. It is considered safe, as long as it is taken within the recommended dosage. As always, make sure to consult with a qualified health care provider before taking rehmannia or any other herbal remedy or dietary supplement. To learn more about the benefits of herbal medicine, visit https://www.acupuncturetoday.com/herbcentral. References Bensky D, Gamble A. Chinese Herbal Medicine, Materia Medica. Seattle: Eastland Press Incorporated, 1993. Powerful and Unusual Herbs from the Amazon and China. The World Preservation Society, Inc., 1995. Taylor M. Chinese Patent Medicines: A Beginner's Guide. 1998, p. 85. Acupuncture Q & A: This Month's Highlights from the "Ask an Acupuncturist" Forum The "Ask an Acupuncturist" forum provides a place for interested parties to ask questions about acupuncture and Oriental medicine and have them answered by a licensed acupuncturist. This month's questions: Question #1: I wanted to know if anyone with rotator cuff tendonitis has been treated with acupuncture. What were their outcomes? Answer: A large number of people with symptoms of the rotator cuff have been treated with acupuncture. It is one of the more common problems that people will seek acupuncture for. The majority of people do find satisfactory relief of their symptoms. Each case is evaluated individually. In Chinese medicine, the terms used in diagnosis are different than those used in Western medicine. Question #2: I am pregnant with my fourth child. My previous pregnancies included much nausea and some vomiting in the early months. I am thinking of trying acupuncture to help ease the discomfort this time. Could you tell me what kind of success rate you see with acupuncture to treat nausea? I have tried the acupuncture "wristbands" you can buy in drugstores, etc., and they have not provided me with much relief. Is that any indication that acupuncture might not work for me, either? Answer: Those wristbands are supposed to be a "one-size-fits-all" approach to nausea, and we all know how well that works: not bad for some people, not at all for others, and good for just a few people. They work on stimulating Pericardium 6, which is only one potential problem point. I have found acupuncture to be an excellent non-medical alternative for morning sickness. I would strongly encourage you to seek treatment and enjoy your pregnancy more, rather than just endure it. Have a question about acupuncture and Oriental medicine? Visit AcupunctureToday.com's "Ask an Acupuncturist" forum at https://www.acupuncturetoday.com/ask. Unsubscribe Thank you for subscribing to To Your Health. If you have received this newsletter in error or wish to unsubscribe, you may remove your name from our e-mail subscription list at www.acupuncturetoday.com/newsletter/TYH/unsubscribe.php. Update your e-mail address To update the e-mail address your newsletter is sent to, click here. If you have any questions regarding your subscription, please complete this form at www.acupuncturetoday.com/newsletterhelp/TYH.