I am a Ukrainian-American acupuncturist in private practice in New Orleans, La. I have a VA-based practice – most of my current clients are U.S. veterans. To my knowledge, I am the only American acupuncturist who has been able to gain access to work with Ukrainian military members and willing to travel to a war zone.
After the war in Ukraine started, I felt pulled to travel to Ukraine (where I grew up) to volunteer as an acupuncturist. I used my connections to find a place to volunteer in Kiev, my hometown, as an acupuncturist at the Lisova Poliana Veterans Mental Health and Rehabilitation Center from July to September 2022.
The Lisova Poliana facility is a 200-patient inpatient center that focuses on treating psychological trauma, brain injury, and orthopedic injuries of veterans of the current war. Recent veterans of heavy artillery war have shown mild to severe stuttering, loss of speech, post-concussion headaches, bullet injuries, severe insomnia, anxiety, orthopedic pains, acute PTSD, and signs of acute brain injuries.
The conversations and decisions for treatment were made quickly. I worked individually and in group settings, oftentimes simultaneously from three different rooms. Over the two months I gave treatment to more than 200 wounded soldiers, seeing 15 to 25 patients daily. Each patient was seen every day for the duration of 2-3 weeks.
Many of my patients reported significant improvement. As a very specific patient population, they were very practical, oriented on results, and have spread the word to other patients through the "soldiers' telephone". Some said that acupuncture was their most effective procedure. Many have been able to relax, sleep better and release tension – a huge step in their recovery process.
In my last week in Kiev, I met a local Ukrainian acupuncturist, Oksana Dovbnya, who has agreed to continue volunteering at Lisova Poliana. Since then she has seen 15-20 people daily from October 2022 to the present. Her work has had a big impact, helping veterans reduce symptoms of head injuries, normalize their sleep, reduce their pain, and relieve PTSD.
Oksana and I have since partnered with Acupuncturists Without Borders, which committed to support our project. Our ongoing budget goal is to raise small stipends for Oksana and other acupuncturists who might join us to ensure that their presence at Lisova Polyana is sustainable. You can help support this unique, difficult work by making a donation here: https://gofund.me/ac43a106.
My next trip to Ukraine is scheduled for April-May 2023; and again in July-August. I would like to relieve Oksana and hopefully find other volunteers who can join our local team. If you would like to know more about this opportunity, please email me at kch@communityselfhelp.org.
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.
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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.
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