Curricular Corrections
Dear Editor:
We enjoyed the November 2002 issue of Acupuncture Today here at the Five Branches Institute. I'd like to correct the number of hours in our curriculum that was printed in the table on page 36. Since the beginning of 2000, Five Branches' curriculum hours have been 1,952 didactic and 848 clinic, for a total of 2,800 hours.
Kaia Roman
Director of Public Relations
Five Branches Institute
Santa Cruz, California
Update on Master Tong's Acupuncture
Dear Editor:
In response to part one of Brain Carter's interview of Robert Chu (editor's note: see the December 2002 issue), I would like to alert your readers to the fact that the current Blue Poppy edition of Master Tong's Acupuncture is a revised and corrected version which was just printed a couple of months ago. We believe that many of the several mistakes mentioned by Robert Chu in that book have been rectified. Further, point locations in this edition were not simply based on Miriam Lee's teachings and commentary, but on a Chinese-language copy of Master Tong's own book published in Taiwan.
Honora Lee Wolfe, Dipl.Ac.
Marketing Manager
Blue Poppy Press
Boulder, Colorado
FITCM - Focus on the Positive
Dear Editor:
I am a graduate of the Florida Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine. I feel that the education I received was invaluable. It was, and continues to be, top-notch in the education and clinical training of serious students of traditional Chinese medicine.
Let's face it: all of the problems listed in the article (editor's note: see "Florida Institute of TCM Placed on Probation" in the November 2002 issue) are fixable. I suggest we focus on the positive instead of the negative, and pray that God's hand will be upon FITCM and Dr. Su Liang Ku.
Zoe Joy, LAc
Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
"Acupuncture Is Effective in Managing the Gag Reflex"
Dear Editor:
I am a dental practitioner (oral surgeon) practicing in Britain, who is also an avid practitioner of acupuncture. I also happen to know Janice Fiske, who is quoted in the article on the gag reflex.
The gag reflex is a significant problem to patients and practitioners alike. It can be so severe as to prevent patients from attending treatments, and certainly causes significant distress. The difficulties encountered also meant that (dental) treatment outcomes may be poorer, and diagnosis may be less accurate, particularly the use of X-ray films in the mouth, which are often impossible for these patients to tolerate.
Traditionally, many of these patients are sedated with inhaled nitrous oxide/oxygen mixture, or with intravenous midazolam. While these techniques are safe, there are costs and other implications to both the health service and the patient (e.g., a whole day off of work following IV sedation).
Acupuncture is effective in managing the gag reflex. Point CV24 is as effective as the ear point mentioned by Dr. Fiske, and is my preferred option. The interesting thing is that these points do appear to have a specific function not replicated by other points in the peri-oral tissues.
In this age of clinical audit and improving techniques, it is hard to ignore the potential benefits acupuncture may bring to these patients, with a reduction in postoperative morbidity. (That's problems associated with the technique, not mortality!)
Tom Thayer, SDO
University Dental Hospital of Manchester
Manchester, Great Britain
Acupuncture Today welcomes your feedback. If you would like to respond to an article, please send your comments to:
Acupuncture Today
ATTN: Letters to the Editor
PO Box 4139
Huntington Beach, CA 92605-4139
You may also send your comments by fax (714-899-4273) or e-mail (editorial@acupuncturetoday.com).
Over my almost 30 years in clinical practice, I have used Chai Hu Long Gu Mu Li Tang extensively for a wide array of clinical presentations ranging from chronic headaches to anxiety, insomnia, and prescription drug withdrawal symptoms if these situations fit the appropriate patterns – all with extremely positive clinical outcomes.
There’s no doubt that many of your patients visit your practice because they are in pain. And there’s certainly no doubt that curcumin from turmeric (Curcuma longa) can be incredibly effective in stopping that pain, whether due to chronic conditions like arthritis or acute pain from intensive workouts. But your patients may also benefit from curcumin for other reasons.
| Digital Exclusive
Low back pain is defined as pain the posterior superior iliac spine (PSIS), and it can be acute or chronic, localized or radiating. It is a common ailment for adults in the United States, with a lifetime prevalence as high as 65-80%. Whether or not an MRI is available to provide definitive knowledge of a structural issue, acupuncture can be an effective treatment for low back pain.
| Digital Exclusive