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).
When we talk about fertility, the focus is often placed on the ovaries and the uterus. Yet sperm-related factors contribute to nearly half of all cases of infertility. Whether someone is navigating fertility care alone or with a partner, and whether building a family through intercourse, IVI, IUI or IVF, it’s vital to include sperm health in the picture.
With some plans – and it starts with Medicare (CMS) – there is a payment protocol that may be referred to as a multi-therapy discount, but its official name is the multiple-procedure payment reduction (MPPR). If a health care provider performs multiple procedures during a single patient encounter, Medicare (and many commercial insurers) typically will pay “full price” for only the highest-valued procedure.
Our team of authors offer this paper (and this descriptive AT series) as a support for you as a professional, practitioner and member of the acupuncture community at large. We hope that it will serve to further the needs of acupuncturists everywhere and also act as a guide for those wishing to learn about Acupuncture Medicine – patients, healthcare decision makers, policymakers, and other stakeholders.