The Proof ACUPUNCTURE WORKS
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ACUPUNCTURE WORKS The Proof By Dr. Harvey Kaltsas, Acupuncture Physician, Dipl. Ac. (NCCAOM) Copyright © 2012 by Dr. Harvey Kaltsas, AP and Acupuncture Media Works This book may not be resold. No part of this may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical or electronic, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Legal Notice: While all attempts have been made to verify information provided in this publication, neither the Author nor the Publisher assumes any responsibility for errors, omissions, bias, or contrary interpretation of the subject matter herein. This publication is not intended for use as a source of legal, business, marketing, scientific, self- help, or accounting advice. The information contained within the book is only intended to educate and inform. Seek a professional opinion if you need any of the above. The Author and the Publisher want to stress that the information contained herein may be subject to varying federal, state/ or local laws or regulations. All users are advised to retain competent counsel to determine what federal, state and/or local laws or regulations may apply to the user’s particular business. The Purchaser and/or Reader of this publication assumes responsibility for the use and interpretation of these materials and information. Adherence to all applicable laws and regulations, federal, state, and local, governing professional licensing, business practices, advertising and all other aspects of doing business in the United States or any jurisdiction is the sole responsibility of the Purchaser and the Reader. The Author and Publisher assume no responsibility or liability whatsoever on the behalf of any Purchaser or the Reader of these materials. Research Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to accurately represent the scientific research in an unbiased way. The Author and the Publisher do not assume any legal responsibility for the contents of the information. All information in this book is directly quoted and referenced from the literature and existing research conducted by third parties. If there is any dissent, inaccuracy, untruths, and any form of erroneous and bias reporting from the resources sited, the Author and the Publisher are not held in legal responsibility. This book is not a substitute for the advice of a licensed and registered health care provider. Seek prompt attention for emergencies. Consult a health care provider for specific health concerns. Acupuncture Works – the Proof A Compendium of Peer Reviewed Research Studies By Dr. Harvey Kaltsas, Acupuncture Physician, Dipl. Ac. (NCCAOM) …altogether, 52 ailments with 157 studies inside Table of Contents Acupuncture Works – the Proof 3 Acknowledgments to: 5 Section One: Purpose and Introduction 6 Purpose 6 Introduction 6 How the studies in this book were selected 8 Section 2: Testimony before the U.S. Senate 11 Special Hearing 11 Acupuncture in the United States 16 The Chinese Example 16 Acupuncture in the Treatment of Chemical Dependency 17 Stroke, Paralysis, and Brain Damaged Babies 18 AIDS 19 Cancer 19 Pain 20 Requests for Congressional Support 20 Conclusion 22 Section Three: Peer-Reviewed Research Studies 23 Allergic Rhinitis 23 Angina Pectoris 25 Breech Birth Version 26 Cancer Care – Improving Quality of Life 27 Cardiac Arrhythmias 30 Carpal Tunnel Syndrome 31 Chronic Venous Ulceration 34 Depression 35 Diabetes 38 Diabetic Peripheral Neuritis and Neuropathy 40 Dry Eye Syndrome 42 Dysmennorhea 43 Dyspepsia 44 Endometriosis 45 Facial Paralysis 46 Fertility Support 47 Fibroids, Uterine 50 Fibromyalgia 51 Gall Bladder Disorders - Cholecystitis 57 Glaucoma 59 Headache 60 Hot Flashes and Post Menopausal Symptoms 65 Hypertension 67 Improved Gait Performance in Geriatric Patients 69 Inflammation 70 Insomnia 72 Copyright © 2012 by Dr. Harvey Kaltsas, AP and Acupuncture Media Works 3 Irritable Bowel Syndrome 75 Labor Pain 76 Leukopenia and Neutropenia Induced by Chemotherapy 77 Low Back Pain 79 Lupus 91 Migraine 92 Military Use 97 Musculo-Skeletal Disorders 99 Nausea and Vomiting 100 Neck Pain and Whiplash 107 NIH Consensus Statement – Various Disorders 114 Osteoarthritis of the Hip 116 Osteoarthritis of the Knee 117 Osteoarthritis Pain 124 Peripheral Joint Osteoarthritis 125 Pain 126 Poststroke and Other Forms of Paralysis - Rehabilitation 135 Raynaud’s Phenomenon 138 Restless Leg Syndrome 139 Rheumatic Conditions 140 Rheumatoid Arthritis 141 Schizophrenia 143 Shingles 144 Strength Performance 145 Substance Abuse and Alcoholism 146 TMJ Disorder 151 Tendonitis – Lateral Epicondylitis (Tennis Elbow) 152 Understanding the Placebo Effect 153 Using Chinese Language Databases in Research 155 Utilizing Acupuncture in Health Care Systems: the Economic Impact 156 Section 4: Breakthroughs in Understanding 159 How Acupuncture Works 159 Section 5: NFWL Resolution on Acupuncture 161 About the National Foundation for Women Legislators 161 Copyright © 2012 by Dr. Harvey Kaltsas, AP and Acupuncture Media Works 4 Acknowledgments to: • My parents, who instilled in me a love for learning and paid for my education at Williston Academy, Amherst College, and the New England School of Acupuncture. • Wiiliam Daley Hough, my first editor and most enduring friend • Professor Colston Warne for founding Consumer Reports, for mentoring me through college, and for teaching me the importance of consumer choices • Michio Kushi, for introducing me as a very young man to the philosophy of Oriental Medicine • Drs. James Tin Yao So and Dr. John Ho Fen Shen for taking me on as their apprentice in clinic and for showing me it is possible to cure difficult diseases simply and inexpensively with acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. (Dr. Ray Rubio offers a most enjoyable insight into Dr. Shen’s abilities at the following weblink: http://www.insights-for- acupuncturists.com/dr-john-h-f-shen.html) • Ted Kaptchuk for being a great teacher, researcher, and writer Jake Fratkin for his always handy book on Chinese Herbal Patent Medicines • Dr. Ralph Coan, MD and Margaret Naeser, Ph.D., L.Ac. for pioneering American research into acupuncture • Stephen Birch for introducing me to the works of Dr. Yoshio Manaka, Japanese acupuncture, and the paradigm of the body as a biological information network • Licensed Acupuncturists Claudette Baker, Carol Braverman, Rhonda Shine Wilbur, and Michael Jabbour for their earlier efforts to compile studies on acupuncture • Dr. Terry Larsen and her patient the late Jerry Berlin, former Chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, who became a great supporter of acupuncture in the highest of political circles • Senator Tom Harkin for his commitment to medical research of all kinds • Robin Read, President of the National Foundation for Women Legislators, and her husband Sam Brunelli who work tirelessly to make America a healthier country • Dr. Ji-Sheng Han for his seminal work, The Neurochemical Basis of Pain Relief by Acupuncture. Copyright © 2012 by Dr. Harvey Kaltsas, AP and Acupuncture Media Works 5 Section One: Purpose and Introduction Purpose As former President of Harvard University Derek Bok once said, “If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.” This quote applies to health care choices as well. Medical costs are skyrocketing in the U.S. when low-cost solutions from the field of acupuncture and Oriental medicine (AOM) are just waiting to be implemented. Sadly most Americans are ignorant about what AOM can do, and barely 1% of the population uses it. The purpose of this book is to give health care providers, patients, and legislators a tool to understand the effectiveness of acupuncture in treating a large number of health conditions. The benefits of Chinese herbal remedies and massage will be explored in ensuing books. Introduction “How is it possible for rich Americans to have diseases lasting five, ten, or fifteen years that only the very poorest people in China would have for such long periods of time – only those too poor to receive any medical care?” This question was posed to me by Dr. John Ho Fen Shen in December, 1975 when I first started my apprenticeship with him at his clinic in Boston. He sincerely wanted to know. The simple answer is that doctors of Western medicine often do not know how to treat many problems that are easy for practitioners of acupuncture and Oriental medicine (AOM) to resolve inexpensively and quickly. Most Western M.D.’s have not had ready access to the wisdom which comes from thousands of years of accumulated Chinese medical knowledge, although more than 5,000 have studied acupuncture, a tribute to their intellectual curiosity and integrity. However, by and large Western medical societies and schools have been too proud to adopt the humility needed to learn from another medical culture. Even worse, ever since 1971 many have fought to maintain professional hegemony by actively suppressing the legal practice of acupuncture. That’s when New York Times editor James Scotty Reston first reported on its benefits during a trip to China prior to President Nixon’s first visit. Back then fewer than 300 unlicensed and unregulated acupuncturists practiced in the U.S., almost all in Chinatowns, and following publication of Reston’s articles they were soon engulfed with demand for their services.1 In response to this frenzy of demand, the American Medical Association (AMA) convened a July, 1972 meeting of the FDA and all 50 state Boards of Medical Examiners (BOMEX). Their purpose? To shut down the practice of acupuncture. The FDA immediately outlawed the use of acupuncture needles, except when used by M.D.’s in pre-approved hospital research protocols (of which there were none); and the various BOMEX ruled the practice of acupuncture by anyone who was not an M.D. to be a third degree felony. Paul Root Wolpe, Ph. D., Yale University reveals this restraint of trade conspiracy in chilling detail in “The Maintenance of Professional Authority: Acupuncture and the American Physician” which appeared in Social Problems, Volume 32, No.