Zantac, the brand-name medication widely used for indigestion and heartburn, has been in the news lately, and as we've increasingly come to expect with many medications, not for a good reason. Late last year, the Food and Drug Administration found unacceptable levels of a cancer-causing compound, nitrosodimethlyamine in both Zantac and its generic equivalents (apparently drugs can have acceptable levels of cancer-causing compounds), prompting worldwide recalls and litigation.
Fortunately, a safer, natural alternative to medication has also been in the news lately: acupuncture. In fact, a new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that 12 treatments (three per week for four weeks) helped relieve postprandial distress syndrome – a common type of chronic indigestion that includes symptoms such as postprandial fullness, upper abdominal bloating, and early satiation when eating.
Researchers compared acupuncture with sham treatments among 278 patients ages 18-65, all of whom had been diagnosed with postprandial distress syndrome. In the acupuncture group, more than 80 percent responded to treatments by the four-week mark, compared to just over 50 percent in the sham group. Nearly 30 percent reported complete elimination of their primary symptoms (27.8 percent) versus only 17.3 percent of sham group participants.
According to findings, these benefits were maintained during 12 weeks of follow-up. Researchers also stated, "[t]here were no serious adverse events" – a claim that apparently can't be made with Zantac and similar medications these days.
Source: Wang J-W, et al. Effect of acupuncture for postprandial distress syndrome: a randomized clinical trial. Ann Intern Med, 2020 May 12 (online first).
Think of your most difficult patient – the one you try to motivate and work so hard with to develop a realistic treatment plan with achievable and measurable goals. Week after week, you see this patient struggle, sinking deeper into hopelessness as their health and quality of life continue to worsen. What if there was something else you could do that could change their outlook and their life? The solution is as simple as an automated program.
To paraphrase the Tao de Jing; a bowl is useful because of the empty space. Recent anatomical research uncovered evidence for previously undescribed large-scale pathways that span organs, blood vessels and other connective tissue. These pathways are defined by what is known as the interstitial space between cells. The newer research provides evidence that these interstitial spaces actually make very large-scale networks between different types of tissue.
As a practitioner, if you're wondering why your social media efforts aren't working the way you had hoped, or if you're not using social media at all, use this article to get your social media marketing strategies (back) on track.
