Military applications of TCM

[herb ox]

USAF to use Acupuncture in battlefield medicine

an article about Air Force physicians being trained to use acupuncture (http://www.acupuncturetoday.com/mpacms/at/article.php?id=31882) in battlefield situations.

Is this a good thing? On one hand we have more exposure and legitimacy now that the USAF has picked it up, but is it detrimental as well, as it could lead to a 'standardized' methodology? Do physicians with only 200-300 hours of training in acupuncture really know what they're doing?

ox

[GeneChing]

Physicians with only 200-300 hours of training know more than those with no training at all. That's great that the Air Force is using it. I'm sure they're using it for very specific purposes. It reminds me of some of the auricular acupuncture therapists were learning for addiction. It was just a few simple points, but that was all that was needed for them. That's closer to how I've seen it done in China. While there are certified acupuncturists in China for sure, like anything in PRC, it's a people's practice, so a lot of people know a little. It's not uncommon for elders to throw some needles to cure a family headache.

I cut and pasted the article below for archival purposes.

February, 2009, Vol. 10, Issue 02
AOM Flying High With the Air Force
Physicians to be trained in battlefield acupuncture. (http://www.acupuncturetoday.com/mpacms/at/article.php?id=31882)
By Editorial Staff

The U.S. Air Force has started a first-of-its kind pilot program designed to train its active-duty physicians to provide battlefield acupuncture services, expanding health care services to personnel on the front lines in Iraq and Afghanistan.
American Acupuncture Council

In its Winter 2008 newsletter, the Air Force Medical Corps announced: "The Air Force Surgeon General is pleased to announce a pilot program to train a cadre of active-duty physicians in the emerging discipline of medical acupuncture. This is a unique course whose goal is to incorporate acupuncture into the practice of military medicine in the clinic and battlefield environments."

Armed service personnel can present special challenges for AOM treatment. Some of their most common complaints may include posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and chronic low back pain from continuously carrying backpacks that weigh a minimum of 45 pounds. Fortunately, there is solid research backing the use of acupuncture to treat these conditions.1,2 However, in most cases, acupuncture is administered only to vets returning from their tour of duty, which could be months or even years after the initial trauma or injury. The Air Force is planning to fund 32 scholarships specifically for this training. The scholarships will cover the cost of study materials, supplies and any associated temporary duties. The upshot of all this is that Air Force physicians now have an expanded opportunity to bring the effectiveness of acupuncture treatment to a historically underserved population - and to do so more efficiently than ever before.

The Air Force announcement added, "The curriculum has been developed by the AF/SG Consultant for Complementary & Alternative Medicine, Col (Dr.) Richard Niemtzow, and by the Helms Medical Institute and has been specifically designed for use in a military environment. It is in fact, the first course of this kind to be offered in the Department of Defense. The techniques that will be taught are time-tested and can be used to treat neuromusculoskeletal pain as well as common functional and organic problems.

"All major disciplines of acupuncture that have practical clinical value will be taught by experienced civilian and military physicians. The curriculum includes fundamentals of acupuncture theory, channel and point location, approaches to diagnosis and therapy, myofascial palpation, needling techniques, electrical stimulation, and patient management. The live sessions are intensively supervised so that all participants will receive substantial individual attention."

According to officials at the Air Force Surgeon General's office, "Over the past few years, acupuncture has been found to be quite effective in ameliorating some of the complex pain syndromes affecting many of our severely wounded warriors. The purpose of the pilot program is to a) more formally evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture in reducing pain and facilitating an earlier assessment of TBI [traumatic brain injury] in seriously injured patients, and b) to assess the effectiveness (and practicality) of using acupuncture as a medical adjunct, in a deployed setting."

In addition to expanding the use of AOM, there is a potential for a real cost-savings in terms of care.

Joe C. Chang, MAOM, Dipl. OM, LAc, was the first acupuncturist in the United States selected to work with returning Iraq/Afghanistan vets at Ft. Bliss Restoration & Resilience Center-William Beaumont Army Medical Center. In an interview with Acupuncture Today, he explained that a study done by the RAND Corporation (a California-based think tank) has demonstrated to the military the value of alternative treatment approaches.

"What the military is realizing is that the current standard treatment protocols are not working. Standard mental health therapies included pharmacotherapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy. And if the soldier did not get better and had difficulty coping with the standard treatment, they were forced out of the military against their wishes. This means life-long veteran benefits that the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates to be between $7 and $9 billion over the period 2008 through 2017 for Afghanistan and Iraq veterans. So, there is a big push for evidence-based research for PTSD and depression. The RAND Corporation estimates that the government could save as much as $1.7 billion, or $1,063 per returning veteran through evidence-based research."

Chang added that the Pentagon spent $5 million in 2008 on research in seeking new ways to treat troops suffering from combat stress or brain damage by researching alternative methods such as acupuncture, meditation or yoga.

With an estimated 144,000 troops (as of last August) stationed in Iraq and an additional estimated 20,000 troops in Afghanistan, this new Air Force program has the potential to reach out to vast new numbers of patients in need of AOM services.

References

1. Hollifield M, Sinclair-Lian N, Warner T, Hammerschlag R. Acupuncture for posttraumatic stress disorder: A randomized controlled pilot trial. J Nerv Ment Dis 2007;195:504-13.
2. Haake M, Muller HH, Schade-Brittinger C, et al. German Acupuncture Trials (GERAC) for chronic low back pain: randomized, multicenter, blinded, parallel-group trial with 3 groups. Arch Intern Med 2007;167(17):1892-8.

[taai gihk yahn]

Do physicians with only 200-300 hours of training in acupuncture really know what they're doing?

well, consider the thousands of hours they have devoted towards biomedical sciences, "western" diagnosis / treatment including safety practices, and direct patient care, it's not like you are taking a janitor and giving him 200-300 hours of acup. training; so in general, yes, the "know what they are doing" in context of their professional license;

second, the MD's who use it are self selected, meaning that they are invested in learning it and will be motivated to continually improve their skills in acupuncture;

third, the reality is that a thorough understanding of TCM is not necessary in order to be clinically efficacious w/acupuncture; using a "formula" approach will get you considerable results w/many people, and it is just one available modality for most docs who use it;

acupuncture is a modality; like any modality, it can be employed in context of a variety of different frameworks and get results accordingly; to wit, I practice osteopathic manual therapy in which I have had probably close to 2,000 post-graduate training; I have showed my taiji teacher a few maneuvers that he uses routinely on his acupuncture patients, even though he doesn't really know too much about the overall theory of osteopathy; but he still makes them work in his own practice, probably because he has contextualized them in terms of his TCM background;

[herb ox]

So, that would imply that there's something physiological to acupuncture beyond the hocus-pocus of Zang Fu diagnosis, Five Elements theory, etc., since these MD's are not using the traditional methods of diagnosis, only a formulaic approach to symptom treatment.

So easy even a janitor could do it :D

ox

[GeneChing]

And for that matter, if the formula works, what's the problem?

I'm not sure it's an either/or problem really. It's not that way in Chinese hospitals. Sure, there's generally a window for western meds and another for eastern, but overall, China seems to have found a happy middle ground where the appropriate treatment is used for the malady.

And like I've always said, there's some physiological impact whenever you poke some one with a needle. Simply put, I'd wager I could measurably change anyone's vital signs by sticking a pin in their butt.

I appreciate you firing up some debate/discussions here, herb ox. This forum has been a little slow lately.

[taai gihk yahn]

So, that would imply that there's something physiological to acupuncture beyond the hocus-pocus of Zang Fu diagnosis, Five Elements theory, etc., since these MD's are not using the traditional methods of diagnosis, only a formulaic approach to symptom treatment.

So easy even a janitor could do it :D

ox
seems like you're being facetious, but of course acup. has a physiological effect from a contemporary perspective; the ZF / 5-E theories are well-thought out metaphorical systems based on relatively macro-observation that allow for organization, prediction and prognosis; they are a "gestalt" approach, basically; and yes, probably a janitor could do a fair amount (bare-foot doctor, anyone?); meaning that in ~70% of the cases, most people with reasonable training could have a beneficial impact; of course, as a trained health-care professional, you know that it's those other ~30% where the learning curve gets a lot more steep, and thus are the wheat divided from the chaff, so to speak...

[herb ox]

Facetious indeed :p

That statement was simply to chide the people that believe acupuncture is based on supernatural or other non-scientific approaches. From the 'quackwatch' site:

"Its theory and practice are based on primitive and fanciful concepts of health and disease that bear no relationship to present scientific knowledge"

For the record, the author of the Quackwatch site claims to be a medical doctor, but is a retired psychiatrist (yes, that's technically an MD) who loves to debunk anything that doesn't fit in his extremely limited paradigm. In addition, he never seems to debunk anything like Vioxx or other questionable pharmaceuticals... I wonder if he'll debunk the USAF next.

Anyway, not to rant, but some folks just have it out for anything that challenges their perspective. I mean, just look at the arguments that emerged with topics concerning cannabis and urine drinking :D

peace

herb ox

[taai gihk yahn]

Facetious indeed :p

That statement was simply to chide the people that believe acupuncture is based on supernatural or other non-scientific approaches. From the 'quackwatch' site:

"Its theory and practice are based on primitive and fanciful concepts of health and disease that bear no relationship to present scientific knowledge"

For the record, the author of the Quackwatch site claims to be a medical doctor, but is a retired psychiatrist (yes, that's technically an MD) who loves to debunk anything that doesn't fit in his extremely limited paradigm. In addition, he never seems to debunk anything like Vioxx or other questionable pharmaceuticals... I wonder if he'll debunk the USAF next.

Anyway, not to rant, but some folks just have it out for anything that challenges their perspective. I mean, just look at the arguments that emerged with topics concerning cannabis and urine drinking :D

peace

herb ox
yeah, I know about Quackwatch - and TBH, a lot of what in on there is valid, in terms of just not swallowing wholesale a lot of the so-called "alternative" silliness that is out there; at the same time, it's really no longer appropriate to just dismiss things like acupuncture, manipulation, etc. wholesale, given that there is now a body of valid / reliable research supporting both the physiological effects as well as clinical efficacy; my personal feeling is that there is no such thing as a free lunch - if something can only do no harm, it's highly suspect (e.g. - a lot of "energy healers" maintain that no matter what, it's all good, ya know?); any modality that has actual impact can be beneficial or detrimental depending on how it is applied; I mean, especially herbal medicine, there's no denying it's "real", considering things like St. John's Wort having an anti-coagulation effect to the degree that surgery can be contraindicated if someone is taking it;

LOL, @ psychiatrists being "technically" an MD's - well, in the sense that PM&R and most DO's are, yeah, sure...

[herb ox]

I suppose what I'm getting at is that it's a double edged sword we're faced with here. It's great to have legitimacy but with it comes regulation and sterilization of an ancient medical culture. Eventually, you have something that was once accessible folk medicine that is reduced to a mechanistic approach that only a few can dispense at a cost.

Sound extreme? Maybe. That's my fear though. I believe everyone should have a right to optimum health (i.e. not just the absence of disease) without having to spend too much time or money with an 'expert' when really we should have access to the tools to maintain our health.

just some thoughts.

peace

ox

[Xiao3 Meng4]

http://insidesurgery.com/2010/01/battlefield-acupuncture-niemtzow-technique-needle-battlefield-acupressure-marcucci-technique-pain-control-acute-traumatic-injury-haiti/

The article describes the actual techniques used.



BATTLEFIELD ACUPUNCTURE (NIEMTZOW TECHNIQUE)

1. As delineateed by functional MRI studies, for many people, pain signals in the body as processed by the brain seem to somehow interact with specific points on one or both of the earlobes.

2. In these patients, there are 5 main points that can be stimulated through needles or pressure on each earlobe that will partly or totally block this reflex, thus diminishing or eliminating patients awareness/experience of pain.

3. These points vary slightly in people but are close to the positions numbered in the photo below.

4. Stimulation of the points should be done sequentially as numbered below on each ear lobe. That is, point 1 on each earlobe is stimulated, then points 2 on each ear lobe, etc. (not 1-5 on one lobe, then 1-5 on the other lobe.

5. Pain control often begins within seconds after point 1 on each ear is manipulated and very likely will occur after the first two points on each ear are stimulated.

6. Stimulation is best done by using small, gold-plated, self-retaining needles that remain in place for a day or so and are left to fall out on their own.

7. Because these gold-plated needles are almost certainly not available in Haiti, conventional open-bore IV/venopuncture needles can be used – the smaller the better.

8. There are two possible techniques to stimulate the points if conventional medical needles are used.

9. Perferred method – the needles should puncture the epidermis, inserted approximately 1 mm and then left in place. Because they are not self-retaining they may fall out when the patient moves.

10. Alternately, the points can be manipulated using the 1-1, 2-2, etc. placement protocol by placing the needle 1 mm into the tissue and rapidly moving it in and out in the tissue without completely withdrawing it as in a “pecking” type motion. This should be done for 2-3 minutes at each point.

11. After both point 1’s have been stimulated, the patient should walk briskly about 15 paces away and then back towards the practitioner. By some unknown mechanism, this contributes an additive effect to the pain control by needle stimulation.

12. The patient should be queried after each point stimulation as to whether pain is diminishing. If stimulation of points 1-3 does not diminish pain, the procedure should be retried with slightly offset points from the ones listed below.

13. The effect of stimulating these points can cause a partial diminition in pain for hours to days after the treatment.

http://insidesurgery.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/EarPointsFinal2.jpg

[chusauli]

Real acupuncture is based on the channels and collaterals. In modern medical terms, acupuncture stimulates the nervous system, sends a signal to the brain. The brain is responsible for homeostasis. Endomorphins, monamines, and other chemical and physiological reactions are side effects of this stimulation.

As an international lecturer of Master Tung's Acupuncture, the Yi Li Acupuncture and Optimal Acupuncture systems, I have studied most forms of acupuncture and practice daily in my clinic.

The ear protocol illustrated above is a quick technique for the battlefield, and has its uses, but is just that. It is not therapy or treatment. 200 - 300 hours is a start, but real mastery does require a lot of practice and training.

[mawali]

an article about Air Force physicians being trained to use acupuncture (http://www.acupuncturetoday.com/mpacms/at/article.php?id=31882) in battlefield situations.

Is this a good thing? On one hand we have more exposure and legitimacy now that the USAF has picked it up, but is it detrimental as well, as it could lead to a 'standardized' methodology? Do physicians with only 200-300 hours of training in acupuncture really know what they're doing?

ox

For the amelioration of pain, acupuncture is cost effective and cost efficient!
Physicians+ acupuncture training is a great starting model providing the patient is getting the triaged care that he is in need of so that is excellent.

Yes! Physicians with 200-300 hours of training do know what they are doing per the level of acupuncture training they are receiving. As an example, there is an alcohol detox programme where specific points are utilized but that does not make the practitioners able to trat other conditions.

An astute practitioner (the few) of the aforementioned alcohol detox technique who is motivated can develop a more advanced methodology based on his/her leanings and with the proper training, will excel based on a combination of education and their experience!

[SoCo KungFu]

I'm not sure how much truth there is to those articles. You'd think that if it were the case, I'd have seen or heard something at this point on this subject, you know being that I'm actually a medic in the military and all. Which isn't the case. I couldn't find anything on this in actual military news sites. Which I expected. Really, they don't believe in it enough to let me get acupuncture treatment at home where its nice and safe and stress free and all that. You really think that being the case, they're going to put it in practice in a battlefield ER where there is limited time and resources trying to deal with what can be major trauma situations? I just don't see that happening anytime soon. They don't even have chiropractors on bases, let alone acupuncture.

[herb ox]

Just because one has not seen an article does not mean it does not exist.

From the USAF website:

http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123135495


2/18/2009 - ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE, Md. (AFNS) -- At the acupuncture clinic here, Col. (Dr.) Richard Niemtzow and Col. (Dr.) Stephen Burns run the service's first full time acupuncture clinic. For them, acupuncture treatments are a full-time job.

The Air Force surgeon general announced recently that a pilot program to train a cadre of active duty physicians in the emerging discipline of medical acupuncture will begin in March. The two doctors are are at the forefront of the training.

"This is a unique course whose goal is to incorporate acupuncture into the practice of military medicine in the clinic and battlefield environments," said Dr. Niemtzow.

The curriculum has been developed by Dr. Niemtzow and specialists at the Helms Medical Institute in Berkeley, Calif., and has been specifically designed for use in a military environment.

"It is in fact, the first course of this kind to be offered in the Department of Defense," said Dr. Niemtzow. "The techniques that will be taught are time-tested and can be used to treat neuro-musculoskeletal pain as well as common functional and organic problems."

Dr. Burns reinforces the value of acupuncture and its ease of application.

"Acupuncture may be performed using traditional needles. Or (physicians can use) electro-acupuncture or even laser acupuncture. It is just one more tool to help (them) do their job better"

Martha Lewis, a volunteer at the information center at Malcolm Grow Medical Center here, is a strong believer in acupuncture.

"My husband and I volunteer at the hospital," she said. "And we kept seeing these folks come into the hospital barely able to walk down the hall. They would be on canes. Or have walkers. And then about 30 minutes to an hour later they would be back. But the change was amazing. They would have a spring in their step! And no walker or cane.

"Well we wanted to know what was going on and where were these folks going that the treatment made such an amazing difference," Mrs. Lewis said. "So we stopped someone and they told us they were getting acupuncture. Well, I knew that whatever it was they were doing, I wanted some of that. So I tried it. And it gave me my life back!"

Mrs. Lewis says thanks to her treatments she can now can now get out and around. She has even been on cruises, something she never could do before due to her chronic pain.

"It really did change my life." said Mrs. Lewis.

Airman 1st Class Christa Jessen from the Women's Health Clinic here, was experiencing pain in the back of her legs. She came to the clinic and had battlefield acupuncture for the first time. She said she was skeptical before having it done.

"I had heard about this before," she said. "I thought I would try it. But I had no idea it worked this well! This is fantastic!"

The smile on her face when she was told to walk really showed why this procedure could help doctors in the future. She was glowing.

Lt. Col. (Dr.) Wilbur Peralta from 779 MDOS also swears by acupuncture. He was experiencing pain in his shoulders.

"They put the needles in one point on each side of the ear and the pain was immediately gone," Dr. Peralta said. "I can't believe in less than 10 minutes my pain is gone!"

[GeneChing]

A nice progressive approach to a growing issue.

Friday, September 30, 2011
Army tries acupuncture and other new ways to fight pain (http://www.telegram.com/article/20110930/NEWS/109309736/1052)
By Sig Christenson San Antonio Express-News

SAN ANTONIO — Army Sgt. 1st Class Jennifer Wright used to jog, walk, lift weights and ride her Harley-Davidson “Fat Boy,” the motorcycle she bought after serving in Iraq.

Today, she’s among a growing legion of war veterans suffering from scleroderma, a painful and potentially fatal disease. Wright, 40, feels pain in her face, joints and toes. She’s lost some of her hair, and her toenails fell off.

“It’s to the point I want them to deaden the nerves in my face. But (the doctor) said if you do that, you take a chance of developing muscle atrophy, Bell’s palsy with the real bad facial droop, no muscle control,” she said. “I said I’m willing to take my chances. Just do something about it. It’s just consumed me, and I’m miserable.”

Pain pills are part of the treatment, but in her case they don’t last long, so orthopedic physician’s assistant Duane Griffin last week performed an acupuncture treatment, injecting small gold needles into selected parts of her ear.

Her care is part of the Army’s fledgling complementary alternative medicine program, which is testing new therapies, some of them unproven and one literally out of this world.

It’s another option for GIs who have returned from combat with pain from a variety of wounds and illnesses, for whom the Army has spent billions on drugs that have resulted in complications, dependency, abuse and even accidental deaths and suicides.

Pain psychologist Lewis Sussman, who came to Brooke Army Medical Center in 2007 from Dartmouth’s Hitch**** Medical Center, helps fight pain using hypnosis, biofeedback, relaxation therapy and SCENAR, a device that uses a small electric current. It was built to relieve pain for cosmonauts who cannot take medicine, which would contaminate recycled water on board spacecraft.

“I don’t know if things have evolved since (1997), but in academia you were not seeing acupuncture very well accepted because there weren’t the kinds of random, controlled, double-blind studies that you expect to see with more conventional medicine,” he said. “Some things don’t lend themselves to random, controlled-trial, double-blind studies, and acupuncture’s one of them.”

Qi gong, a form of Chinese meditation, is one of the alternative therapies adopted in the wake of an Army task force report. Instructor Lupe Gonzales recently held a demonstration, teaching a small group of soldiers and civilians deep breathing exercises to reduce stress.

“Picture this beautiful mountain with snow on top and it’s pretty cold,” he said. “You’re going to pull air all the way from that mountaintop … ”

It sounds a little New Age, perhaps. But advocates say qi gong lowers blood pressure and blood sugar levels, and note that sessions can run from seven minutes to a half hour.

The Army’s surgeon general, Lt. Gen. Eric Schoomaker, has become a powerful advocate for the alternative therapy movement. His Army Medical Command has launched an ambitious program to learn what alternative approaches work and make them a standard of care.

“What we’re doing here is to open the aperture . . . to a much wider range of modalities that can be applied to the management of both acute and chronic pain, and they’re largely focused on the results of pretty careful studies,” Schoomaker said.

“In fact, the use of acupuncture for pain management is almost mainline.

“We’re now using it in the battlefield, even in the special operations community and other places with much success.”

Sussman concedes that while mysteries remain, some of the new alternative therapies work. Col. Kevin Galloway, chief of staff for the Army’s Pain Management Task Force, said acupuncture was a safe, proven therapy.

“To ignore it would be the ultimate insanity for us,” he said. “We have patients with real experience with some of these modalities, things that have worked with no side effects, have gotten tremendous benefit from them, and we’ve had to ask ourselves the hard question of why aren’t we able to offer them things that are very low risk and potentially very high yield?”

Wright is up for anything. A survivor of a suicide bomb blast in Baghdad’s Green Zone, she now lives in Fort Sam Houston’s Warrior Transition Battalion and no longer jogs, lifts weights or works.

“This is the first time I ever tried acupuncture because I used to laugh at it. I’d be looking on the TV with the Chinese with all those needles and the person looking like a porcupine,” she said. “I used to laugh at it, I did. And not now. Not now. Isn’t that something?”

[GeneChing]

Russian Army to Start Using Traditional Chinese Medicine (http://sputniknews.com/military/20150120/1017130931.html)

http://cdn3.img.sputniknews.com/images/101716/43/1017164304.jpg
© AFP 2015/ CHINA OUT GETTY
MILITARY & INTELLIGENCE
16:45 20.01.2015(updated 12:08 21.01.2015)

Russian military doctors will visit China in order to become familiar with methods of Chinese doctors and further develop collaboration in the field of Chinese medicine.

MOSCOW, January 20 (Sputnik) —During an official visit to China, a Russian delegation plans to visit civil and military health institutes to hold a series of meetings with Chinese counterparts, announced the press release of the Russian Defense Ministry.

Russian military doctors will visit China in order to exchange experiences within the interagency cooperation and become familiar with the methods of the Chinese doctors.

"In accordance with the decision of Minister of Defense, Sergey Shoygu, a group of military medics of Russian Defense Ministry, headed by the Chief of the Main Military Medical Directorate, General Alexander Fisun, flew to Beijing to share experiences within the interagency cooperation," read the press release.

During his official visit to China in November, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu expressed interest in establishing a Center of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Moscow, reports RIA Novosti.

The Russian doctors plan to visit the research hospital Guananmen at the Chinese Academy of Traditional Medicine, where techniques of modern European and traditional Chinese medicine are widely used.

"As a result of combined work of Russian and Chinese military doctors a number of proposals to strengthen and develop further cooperation between military medical services have been proposed," read the press release.

In November, Sergey Shoygu noted that Russia is interested in the expertise of their Chinese colleagues in the field of military medicine.

Shoygu said, "We would like to start a new chapter in our cooperation with you and offer medical facility of the Armed Forces of China to exchange offices or clinics with us. We would like you to open clinic here in Moscow, and vice versa. Hopefully, with your cooperation we will have traditional Chinese medicine. We have something to share with each other." I wonder how many militaries in the world are implementing TCM today.

[-N-]

I wonder how many militaries in the world are implementing TCM today.

http://www.darpa.mil/NewsEvents/Releases/2014/12/11.aspx

http://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/darpa-developing-tiny-implants-trigger-self-healing

http://neurogadget.com/2014/09/17/electrx-darpas-shot-medical-microelectronic-revolution/10582

[SoCo KungFu]

http://www.darpa.mil/NewsEvents/Releases/2014/12/11.aspx

http://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/darpa-developing-tiny-implants-trigger-self-healing

http://neurogadget.com/2014/09/17/electrx-darpas-shot-medical-microelectronic-revolution/10582

I can understand why you're drawing this link. But to be honest, comparing this to TCM is like comparing climate modeling to bone reading.

[curenado]

That may be true, but what makes me wonder is that traditional medicine is the "zen of machine maintenance" and if I were incorporating inorganic techniques with organic systems I might dig deeper for reaction suppressors, nerve emollients and dna precursors to optimize the "10w40" I was putting in my bio bot.
My thought was that they don't seek this to go forward as much as because what they are working with calls for or benefits from a vastly expanded pharmacopeia ~ but who knows? Could just be for resistant pathogens ~

[mawali]

In the Vietnam War, there were instances of downed pilots who survived their injuries through the use of leeches. A few cases, when PJs arrived and some of the wounded were brought back to base, leeches proved their worth by
getting rid of the abscess or injured tissue and help the wounds to heal a lot faster than traditional methods. First cases were discovered by accident.

[GeneChing]

This reminds me of that old 'does it work on the streets?' argument. Well, this works on the battlefield. :cool:


Battlefield acupuncture? Yes, it exists, and the military is using it to fight troops’ pain (https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2018/02/09/battlefield-acupuncture-yes-it-exists-and-the-military-is-using-it-to-fight-troops-pain/)
By: Nicole Bauke   2 days ago

https://www.armytimes.com/resizer/mSgWMDSOdvpatlCGl11E7VK2MsU=/1200x0/filters:quality(100)/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-mco.s3.amazonaws.com/public/RB7XDV3F3NBLRMWKZP6OLFEUNE.jpg
Dr. Richard Niemtzow, chief of the Air Force Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine Center, performs battlefield acupuncture on a patient. BFA can be taught and safely performed by medics throughout the military. (Airman 1st Class Aaron Stout/Air Force)

The U.S. military has added the ancient holistic therapy of acupuncture to its arsenal for fighting opioid abuse in the ranks.

The practice, which first originated in China about 8,000 years ago, provides immediate relief for acute and chronic pain, and, without the risk of addiction, can be used without any restrictions.

One of the most popular forms used in the military has been dubbed ‘battlefield acupuncture,’ or BFA, because it’s simple to administer and easily transportable, according to Dr. Richard Niemtzow, who developed BFA in 2001. With BFA, service members can continue to participate, unimpaired, in work and life.

“They don’t have to wait hours for medications to take maximal effect or endure side effects, like drowsiness or allergic reactions, of common pain medications,” said Air Force Col. Lynda Vu, who recently administered BFA while deployed in Qatar. “This allows personnel to go back to the fight with minimal impact to continuing mission operations.”

https://www.armytimes.com/resizer/qhRO6j1eGWeEhFx5k0Esraax1xU=/600x0/filters:quality(100)/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-mco.s3.amazonaws.com/public/IQ65PAN55RDC3GUCZ5E6JZJUDQ.jpg
Dr. Richard Niemtzow shows a patient the needle that will go in his ear. Niemtzow was introduced to a new, smaller needle for acupuncture treatment on ears. (Airman 1st Class Aaron Stout/Air Force) Dr. Richard Niemtzow shows a patient the needle that will go in his ear. Niemtzow was introduced to a new, smaller needle for acupuncture treatment on ears. (Airman 1st Class Aaron Stout/Air Force)

Service members who use BFA can still fly aircraft, unlike those who use opiates, according to Vu. The one challenge she faces is a lack of BFA-trained physicians on deployment.

“This requires either training prior to deployment or having a trained instructor administer the provider BFA course in the deployed location,” Vu said. But once learned, the technique is easy to use.

BFA, which involves a small needle inserted into the ear, has a “central effect” on the nervous system and the cingulate gyrus, an area of the brain that processes pain, according to Niemtzow, who is the director of the U.S. Air Force Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine Center at the Malcolm Grow Medical Clinics and Surgery Center on Joint Base Andrews, Maryland.

“The insertion of the needle into the ear seems to disrupt this process,” said Niemtzow, essentially preventing the pain from surfacing.

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Dr. Richard Niemtzow inserts an acupuncture needle in a patient's ear. He developed Battlefield Acupuncture in 2001 as a way to give rapid relief from pain in just a few minutes. (Melanie Moore/Air Force) Dr. Richard Niemtzow inserts an acupuncture needle in a patient's ear. He developed Battlefield Acupuncture in 2001 as a way to give rapid relief from pain in just a few minutes. (Melanie Moore/Air Force)

Most patients who seek BFA are those who have tried traditional Western treatments and have not responded well, according to Niemtzow. But with BFA, many patients can immediately begin to feel relief.

“There’s an excellent possibility that the pain will be successfully treated during the first encounter with a patient,” said Niemtzow, citing an 80 percent efficacy.

Once evaluated with a physical examination, patients can begin to receive BFA, and can decide for themselves how much treatment they need. Often, it isn’t that frequent. One dosage provides relief that lasts for several days, and patients cannot grow dependent on it or require higher doses, as with oral medication.

“A good majority of our patients come in several times and then begin to improve, and then we may not see them for months or years,” said Dr. Stephen Burns, chief of the Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine Center.

Side effects are rare, but include irritation, infection, or bleeding. However, the three doctors say they have never seen a patient develop an infection or endure significant bleeding.

“Sometimes when we treat patients they might feel a little bit of lightheadedness, or transiently feel a little relaxed or giggly,” said Burns. “But that’s a pleasant side effect.”

Niemtzow’s long-term hope is that BFA can displace opioid usage, or at least reduce it.

“You have a patient who is on, say 10, 15, 20 medications. Some of them are muscle relaxants, some are pain medications, some are sleeping agents, some are anti-anxiety agents,” said Burns. “Adding the BFA often reduces the pain and reduces the need for some of the medications.”

By removing the pain, explained Burns, patients can be on their way to solving related health issues.

“If we can reduce their pain medications, they may be able to be more and more functional during the day,” said Burns.

But it’s not a cure-all, said Niemtzow, and may not work on every patient. It can also be used in combination with oral medications, which Niemtzow said are helpful treatment options when used appropriately.

The doctors also encourage patients to explore other holistic treatment options, and to look beyond medicine and surgery. Vu recommended full spectrum acupuncture as a complementary therapy and listed physical therapy and osteopathic manipulation as other popular modalities.

“This is another tool in our toolbox,” said Niemtzow.

[PalmStriker]

:) Interesting article about the use of acupuncture for dealing with pain.