One in five Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans suffer from Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or major depression. Nearly 20 percent of military service members who have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan report symptoms of PTSD or major depression, yet only half have sought treatment.

A national effort is required to improve the capacity of the health care system to provide effective health care to service members and veterans. The effort must include the military, veteran and civilian health care systems, and should focus on providing high-quality treatment options to service members and veterans.

A new trend is emerging within the acupuncture profession - community acupuncture. Community acupuncture is based on three principles: Community building, simpler acupuncture treatments and lower acupuncture fees for patients.

With lowered acupuncture costs, patients have the opportunity to receive acupuncture treatment several times a week, allowing for optimal treatment results for their particular condition. The goal of community acupuncture is to create a national community of like-minded acupuncture practitioners in independent clinics that provide low-cost, high-quality acupuncture to people from a wide variety of communities.