Acupuncture & Massage BLOG

More than 1.6 million U.S. adults use complementary and alternative therapies to treat insomnia, according to the results of a national survey published in a recent issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

Approximately 10 to 34 percent of Americans regularly experience difficulty sleeping. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies used to treat insomnia include acupuncture, herbal medicine and relaxation techniques.

Nancy J. Pearson, Ph.D., and colleagues at the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md., analyzed data from a national survey of 31,044 adults conducted in 2002. Respondents answered one question about whether they regularly had insomnia in the past 12 months and completed a survey on the use of 27 types of CAM therapies. Four items assessed behavior and motivation for using CAM therapies.

Of the adults interviewed, 17.4 percent reported that they regularly had insomnia in the past year. Difficulty sleeping was more common in women than men, most prevalent between ages 45 and 64. Of those with insomnia, 4.5 percent reported that they had used CAM to treat the condition, which is equal to about 1.62 million adults in the general population. Survey respondents who were younger and who had a higher level of education were more likely to use CAM to help them sleep.

Among those who use CAM therapies for their insomnia, 65 percent used biological methods, which include herbal medicines, diet interventions and vitamin therapy; 39 percent used mind-body therapies such as meditation. The survey results provide valuable information about the use of CAM that can guide future studies of these therapies, the researchers concluded

Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine used in conjunction can be an effective therapy for both transient and chronic insomnia. Acupuncture for insomnia improves sleeping patterns, decreases pain and promotes deeper breathing. Acupuncture can regulate disturbed sleep patterns caused by cardiovascular conditions, stress, digestive disorders, hormonal imbalances, neurological disorders, environmental noise, and nutrition.
Various malfunctions in the endocrine, cardiovascular and digestive body systems that cause insomnia can be regulated with acupuncture. A combination of acupuncture, moxibustion and lifestyle changes may be recommended for the treatment of insomnia.
For more information about acupuncture for the treatment of insomnia call Dr. Richard Browne, Acupuncture Physician, at (305) 595-9500.

More than 1.6 million U.S. adults use complementary and alternative therapies to treat insomnia, according to the results of a national survey published in a recent issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

Approximately 10 to 34 percent of Americans regularly experience difficulty sleeping. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies used to treat insomnia include acupuncture, herbal medicine and relaxation techniques.

Nancy J. Pearson, Ph.D., and colleagues at the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md., analyzed data from a national survey of 31,044 adults conducted in 2002. Respondents answered one question about whether they regularly had insomnia in the past 12 months and completed a survey on the use of 27 types of CAM therapies. Four items assessed behavior and motivation for using CAM therapies.

Of the adults interviewed, 17.4 percent reported that they regularly had insomnia in the past year. Difficulty sleeping was more common in women than men, most prevalent between ages 45 and 64. Of those with insomnia, 4.5 percent reported that they had used CAM to treat the condition, which is equal to about 1.62 million adults in the general population. Survey respondents who were younger and who had a higher level of education were more likely to use CAM to help them sleep.

Among those who use CAM therapies for their insomnia, 65 percent used biological methods, which include herbal medicines, diet interventions and vitamin therapy; 39 percent used mind-body therapies such as meditation. The survey results provide valuable information about the use of CAM that can guide future studies of these therapies, the researchers conclude.

Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine used in conjunction can be an effective therapy for both transient and chronic insomnia. Acupuncture for insomnia improves sleeping patterns, decreases pain and promotes deeper breathing. Acupuncture can regulate disturbed sleep patterns caused by cardiovascular conditions, stress, digestive disorders, hormonal imbalances, neurological disorders, environmental noise, and nutrition.
Various malfunctions in the endocrine, cardiovascular and digestive body systems that cause insomnia can be regulated with acupuncture. A combination of acupuncture, moxibustion and lifestyle changes may be recommended for the treatment of insomnia.

For more information about acupuncture for the treatment of insomnia call Dr. Richard Browne, Acupuncture Physician, at (305) 595-9500.

Acupuncture & Massage College’s Community Clinic will soon be offering affordable acupuncture to clinic patients. AMC’s clinic is in the process of restructuring facilities to accommodate a community based medicine, practiced in group rather than individual patient settings. The new facilities will support the practice of affordable acupuncture, encouraging patients to receive acupuncture frequently and regularly, providing patient access to acupuncture treatment at a low price.
The clinic will provide acupuncture treatment which focuses on distal acupoints (acupoints located below the knee and elbow and on the head and neck.) Treatment in a community setting utilizing distal acupoints allows patients to remain fully clothed during treatment. Patients who prefer acupuncture treatment in an individual patient setting will still be offered this option at the regular acupuncture treatment cost.
The clinic is located at 10506 N. Kendall Drive, Miami. Call (305) 595-9500 today to learn about how acupuncture can effectively treat conditions ranging from joint pain, headache, osteoarthritis, asthma, to tennis elbow, myofascial pain and carpal tunnel syndrome, among others.
Patients can be assured that their condition is confidential. Consultation is done in a private office before treatment. Following consultation, the patient will receive acupuncture in a group setting. Up to 12 patients, seated in recliners, will be able to receive treatment simultaneously, allowing for the acupuncture physician to treat several patients at once. This group setting results in lowered, affordable acupuncture treatment costs for patients. Group treatment is geared towards average workers’ budgets.
The goal of AMC’s Community Clinic is to make the benefits of acupuncture available to all people, regardless of income level. Providing acupuncture in a communal setting is part of the clinic’s mission to help people experience greater health.
The clinic communal practice model enables patients to receive low-cost, high-quality acupuncture at affordable prices, compared to the traditional private setting acupuncture treatment cost, which usually ranges from $65 to $200.
Because treatment is communal, the clinic will be able to schedule patients on short notice, often on the same day or within a couple of days. This is in sharp contrast to most private practices which generally have less flexible scheduling options.
For more information about affordable acupuncture for health and wellness call Dr. Richard Browne, Acupuncture Physician, at (305) 595-9500.

According to a national consumer survey conducted by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) and AARP, almost two-thirds of people age 50 or older are using some form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), yet less than one-third of these CAM users talk about it with their providers.
NCCAM, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has launched Time to Talk, an educational campaign to encourage patients and their health care providers to openly discuss the use of CAM.

The NCCAM/AARP survey indicated that some of the most common reasons this doctor-patient dialogue about CAM does not occur were: There was not enough time during the office visit; the physician never asked; they did not know they should discuss CAM.
More than one-half of respondents who had talked about CAM with their physician said they (not their physician) initiated the CAM discussion. The telephone survey was administered to a nationally representative group of 1,559 people age 50 or older.

The Time to Talk campaign is aimed at ensuring safe, coordinated care among all conventional and CAM therapies. Talking allows for integrated care and minimizes risks of interactions with a patient’s conventional treatments. When patients tell their providers about their CAM use, they can more effectively manage their health. When providers ask their patients about CAM use, they can ensure that they are fully informed and can help patients make appropriate health care decisions.

“As frequent users of CAM, people 50 and older need to understand the importance of discussing CAM use with their providers to ensure coordinated, safe care. Simply put, it’s time to talk,” said Josephine P. Briggs, M.D., NCCAM Director. “Giving your health care providers a full picture of what you do to manage your health helps you stay in control.”
NCCAM’s Time to Talk campaign encourages patients to tell their providers about CAM use and providers to ask about it by offering tools and resources - such as wallet cards, posters, and tip sheets - all of which are available for free on the NCCAM Web site (http://www.nccam.nih.gov) or can be ordered from NCCAM’s information Clearinghouse (1-888-644-6226).

For more information on Time to Talk, to order or download materials, or to read the full NCCAM/AARP report on CAM use communication, please visit nccam.nih.gov/timetotalk/.
“In an era of genomics and personalized medicine, we need to remember that a key ingredient to good health care is the dialogue you, as a patient, have with your providers,” said Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D., NIH Director. “And talking about what CAM therapies you use is an important part of that discussion. This is important for people of all ages.”

For information about Acupuncture & Massage College’s Masters of Oriental Medicine and Massage Therapy programs call Joe Calareso at (305) 595-9500. For information about AMC’s Stop Smoking and PTSD acupuncture study programs, which are currently registering participants, ask for Dr. Richard Browne, Acupuncture Physician.