Acupuncture treatments are gaining popularity at nationwide hospitals due to more recognition of its effectiveness in various conditions, according to a recent survey by the American Hospital Assn. and the Samueli Institute, a nonprofit research group focusing on complementary medicine.
The recent survey concluded found that 42% of the 714 hospitals that responded offered at least one therapy such as acupuncture in 2010; five years earlier, only 27% of hospitals offered such treatments.
According to the survey, the top treatments offered at outpatient centers were massage therapy, acupuncture and guided imagery.
Experts say hospitals aren't blind to the opportunity these therapies present to attract patients and perhaps make some money.
According to the most recent report from the National Center for Health Statistics, Americans spent $33.9 billion on integrative therapies in 2007 — with most of the money coming out of their own pockets, since the majority of these treatments aren't covered by insurance.
That figure includes fees for about 354 million visits to complementary and alternative medical practitioners, and it represents about 11% of total out-of-pocket expenditures on healthcare.
Hospitals offer most of their integrative therapies on an outpatient basis, with most of the treatments typically aimed at relieving symptoms of serious or chronic illness.
Many physicians use acupuncture to relieve nausea and pain in patients who are undergoing cancer treatments and various types of surgery. The hospital survey found that patient satisfaction was the No. 1 measure used to evaluate the success of a hospital's complementary and alternative medicine program, cited by 85% of respondents. Only 42% said they were using health outcomes to measure the success of their programs.
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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