military trains
doctors in
Acupuncture
T
he ancient Chinese practice of
acupuncture is catching on in the
military as a pain treatment for troops
wounded in combat. While only a
handful of medical centers currently
use acupuncture, Walter Reed Army
Medical Center has considered it a vi-
able treatment since the 1980s. Now,
Andrews Air Force Base, which oper-
ates the military’s only acupuncture
clinic, is boosting interest by training
doctors to take acupuncture into the
war zones of Iraq and Afghanistan.
In a pilot program started in
March, the military is preparing 44
U.S. Air Force, Navy and Army doc-
tors to use acupuncture as a part
of emergency care in combat and
frontline hospitals. Air Force physician
Col. Richard Niemtzow developed
the battlefield acupuncture method in
2001; based on traditional ear acu-
puncture, it uses shorter needles, to fit
under combat helmets.
Niemtzow says that most of his
patients report a decrease in pain
within minutes. Acupuncture treat-
ment also allows troops to reduce
narcotics prescribed for pain, giving
physicians a more accurate assess-
ment of any underlying brain injury.
Plus, according to Col. Arnyce Pock,
medical director for the Air Force
Medical Corps, acupuncture’s pain
relief avoids traditional painkillers’
side effects.
Source:
Military.com, 2009
April 2009 11
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