accupunture
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Herzing University *
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Course
636
Subject
Medicine
Date
Dec 6, 2023
Type
docx
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3
Uploaded by fransochieng
NU636
Alternative Modalities
Discussion2
Acupuncture
My uncle developed severe chronic back pain after being in the military for many
years and being subjected to rigorous physical exercise.
Plan
- The initial plan was to try massage and physical therapy, but after months of
trying, that didn't work, and the plan was adjusted to try acupuncture.
A study
published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews found that
acupuncture could be a viable treatment for chronic back pain.
Do
- After going through multiple sessions trying this non-conventional modality,
my uncle showed improvement and reported that acupuncture was a very
effective treatment in reducing his chronic back pain. This is what he said after
completing his sessions, “I have no knowledge of any parallel universe, so I can’t
compare what my life without acupuncture would be like to see exactly how much
it has helped, but my feeling is that it does help me, so I won’t stop. Equally, I
recognize that it is good to meet a qualified doctor on a regular basis for a one-to-
one session lasting 45 minutes
.”
NCCIH 2017 review of Complementary approaches with the opioid crisis in mind,
to identify which ones might be helpful for relieving chronic pain and reducing the
need for opioid therapy to manage pain. The study shows that acupuncture, yoga,
relaxation techniques, tai chi, massage, and osteopathic or spinal manipulation may
have some benefit for chronic pain, but only for acupuncture; there is evidence
that the technique could reduce a patient's need for opioids, NCCIH, (2023).
-The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and its health care system, the Veterans
Health Administration (VHA), has also recently invested in an innovative patient-
centered approach called the Whole Health Initiative, which specifically supports
the uptake of complementary and integrative health approaches, with the focus,
especially for pain management.
Treatment involving using acupuncture and similar treatments has shown
promising results, Kerns & Brandt (2020). Through this experience with my uncle, I
can testify to the effectiveness of acupuncture treatment for chronic back pain.
Study
- Moderate evidence from the clinical trials supports the effectiveness of
several nonpharmacological and noninvasive approaches, including acupuncture
in improving patient outcomes for a range of acute and chronic pain conditions,
Kerns & Brandt (2020). However, there are disparities in the experiences of those
treated with acupuncture for the same conditions, as some patients did not find it
effective.
Act
- Unfortunately, there seem to be several barriers from expert panels and
organizations to promote the integration of these approaches into clinical care.
lack of knowledge and skepticism about these approaches and their effectiveness,
which limits the availability of providers who will adopt these findings, Kerns &
Brandt (2020). Acupuncture was a very effective alternative for my uncle to regain
his strength and consider upgrading it.
References
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (2020).
https://www.ahrq.gov/health-
literacy/improve/precautions/tool2b.html
Kerns, R. D., & Brandt, C. A. (2020). NIH-DOD-VA pain management collaboratory:
Pragmatic clinical trials of nonpharmacological approaches for management of pain
and co-occurring conditions in veteran and military health systems: Introduction.
Pain Medicine, Suppl.2, 21
, S1-S4. doi:https://doi.org/10.1093/pm/pnaa358
McNicholas, C., Lennox, L., Woodcock, T., Bell, D., & Reed, J. E. (2019).
Evolving quality improvement support strategies to improve Plan-Do-Study-Act
cycle fidelity: a retrospective mixed-methods study. BMJ quality & safety, 28
(5), 356-365.
https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjqs-2017-007605
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. (2023)
Chronic Pain: What You Need To know
ttps://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/chronic-
pain-what-you-need-to-know
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