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----------------------------------------------------------------------- Limited endorsement for acupuncture ----------------------------------------------------------------------- WASHINGTON (November 5, 1997 7:22 p.m. EST http://www.nando.net) -- Long a stepchild in American medicine, the ancient Chinese needle therapy acupuncture got a limited endorsement Wednesday from federal experts for treatment of some types of pain and nausea. A committee of medical experts selected by the National Institutes of Health cited "clear evidence" that acupuncture effectively treats pain after surgery or dental procedures and controls nausea and vomiting caused by cancer chemotherapy or pregnancy. "We came to the clear-cut decision that the treatment ... really did work" for those limited uses, said Dr. David J. Ramsay, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and chairman of the NIH panel. "I view this as a beginning to a better integration of acupuncture into traditional Western medicine and to start to take it seriously," Ramsay said a news conference. The committee report said evidence has been found that acupuncture also is effective in some patients for tennis elbow, muscle pain and menstrual cramps but the studies lack convincing proof. The report recommended more research. Organizations representing some 4,000 doctors licensed to practice acupuncture viewed the report as a clear indication their ancient art is now becoming part of mainstream American medicine. "For the first time there is a public statement from the Health and Human Services that acupuncture might have a role in treating certain health problems," said Dr. Helga Well-Apelt, a medical doctor who uses Chinese medicine in her Sarasota, Fla., practice. "The medical community always before has ignored acupuncture." "It can now be called real medicine," said Dr. Bradley J. Williams, president of the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture, an organization of about 3,000 doctors certified to perform acupuncture. Williams said he hopes the action will encourage more insurance companies to include acupuncture in health policies. Only about 10 percent of health plans offer acupuncture benefits, he said. Medicare doesn't cover the therapy. Treatments generally cost from $95 to $125. Many medical acupuncture practitioners lack medical degrees and often advertise in telephone books with claims of solutions for a long list of illnesses and disorders. Dr. Gary Kaplan, an officer in the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture, said his organization favors using the Chinese therapy only as part of a comprehensive medical treatment plan that includes physicians. Acupuncture, practiced in China for more than 2,000 years, is a major part of an Asian tradition of medicine that is completely different from the European-developed system. The Chinese theory includes the concept that patterns of energy, called "qi," flow through the body and that disease occurs when the flow is interrupted. Needle acupuncture involves sticking thin, sharpened rods into specific nerve junction points on the body. The needles often are rotated or electrically stimulated. Although Chinese practitioners have long offered acupuncture in the U.S., the therapy moved toward the mainstream only after President Nixon's visit to Beijing in 1972. Hundreds of American doctors have since taken the 200 or more hours of training required in most states to become licensed to practice acupuncture. The Food and Drug Administration recently redefined acupuncture needles. Instead of labeling them as "experimental," the agency put the needles in the same regulatory category as scalpels, syringes and other approved medical equipment. Ramsay said millions of Americans "have voted with their feet" by seeking out acupuncture treatments, despite the technique's absence from most health care programs. He said the committee, comprising 12 experts in medicine, acupuncture and other sciences, took a tough, stern look at acupuncture research. They dealt only with studies that met the standards of Western science. The fundamental question asked by the committee about acupuncture, he said, was, "Does it work?" After three days of evaluation, Ramsay said, the committee decided it had sufficiently strong evidence to prove that acupuncture does work for limited uses. Evidence for using it to treat other conditions, however, was weaker and will require more study, he said. By PAUL RECER, AP Science Writer Copyright 1997 Nando.net Copyright 1997 The Associated Press <http://www.nando.net/newsroom/ntn/health/110597/health19_12199_noframes.html> ----------------------------------------------------------------------- janet [log in to unmask]