The researchers administered electrical stimulation of an Acupuncture point in the wrist of 14 healthy volunteers to discover the effect of this stimulation on “relaxations” of the lower esophageal sphincter muscle, the band of muscle that closes off the esophagus from the stomach. When this muscle relaxes, stomach acids can creep up into the esophagus and cause heartburn or acid reflux.

Among these volunteers receiving this treatment, there was a 40% reduction in these relaxations. In a second experiment, the researcher speculated that the improvement might be the result of the body’s release of pain-killing chemicals called enkephalins so they blocked their production with medication and tried the experiment again. Still, the acupoint stimulation produced an improvement in the relaxations of this muscle.

The researchers utilized an Acupuncture point on the wrist that has historically been used by Chinese medicine to aid gastrointestinal symptoms.

Researchers stressed that these results were preliminary and planned to follow these findings with more study.

The anti-depressant Effexor® (venlafaxine) produced by the drug company Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, Inc., has become part of the normal drug therapy treatment plan for women suffering from hot flashes. Usually, hot flashes are treated with hormone therapy, however, breast cancer victims can’t receive hormone therapy as it increases the chance the disease will return.

There are many good reasons, including weight gain, nausea, constipation and fatigue, not to use the powerful anti-depressant drugs. Many women prefer not to use the drug because of additional problems it is known to present such as insomnia, decreased libido and dizziness. And, some women simply don’t want to take drugs.

The study conducted at Henry Ford Hospital’s Department of Radiation Oncology in Detroit, much, involved 47 breast cancer patients. Following their surgery, each was experiencing at least 14 hot flashes per week. What was discovered was that Acupuncture was equally effective in reducing the hot flashes as the anti-depressant drug, but it also provided additional health benefits.

The researchers noted that the women who received Acupuncture had an increased sense of well-being about them. They also had more energy and, in some cases, a higher sex drive than those who underwent drug treatment for their symptoms.

“Our study shows that physicians and patients have an additional therapy for something that affects the majority of breast cancer survivors and actually has benefits, as opposed to more side effects,” said Eleanor Walker, M.D. who was the lead author of the study. “The effect is more durable than a drug commonly used to treat these vasomotor* symptoms and, ultimately, is more cost-effective for insurance companies.”

* Vasomotor: Relating to the nerves and muscles that cause the blood vessels to constrict or dilate.

“I smoked two packs of cigarettes daily. This had been going on for over two years. I’d tried nicotine gum and associated products, as well as stopping cold turkey many times. I’ve now completely stopped smoking and can’t even stand the smell or to be around it. If it wasn’t for Acupuncture, there’s one fact: I’d still be a smoker.”

An Acupuncture program to quit the habit recognizes smoking as an addiction that takes a good deal of will power and desire for the person to make it. However, the use of Acupuncture, supplemented with herbal remedies, can go a long way to help ease the process.

Leah Martino, a licensed acupuncturist, uses five different treatment points in her program. The Acupuncture points focus on helping a patient relieve tension, increase their will power, return proper balance to the body, relieve withdrawal cravings and diminish the appetite. She also makes use of herbs that help to relieve stagnations in the body and reduce physical cravings.

All of this contributes to improve the overall well-being of the patient and to heighten their resolve to break the addiction. It also provides the necessary support to get them through the tough moments when their cravings are telling them to break down and have a smoke.

One 47-year-old woman talks of her success with Acupuncture: “I smoked for 30-plus years. I no longer smoke and I owe it to the Acupuncture treatment. The treatments helped me a great deal to cope with the withdrawal symptoms associated with quitting smoking. I also had breathing and stomach problems which were also treated successfully with Acupuncture.”

And finally, one heart-lifting testimonial from a 46-year-old woman: “I have smoked since I was 16 and was able to kick the habit through Acupuncture and the use of Chinese herbs. I’d call it a miracle, but rather, it was the skill of my practitioner and the will to succeed. I feel very fortunate to have a man like my acupuncturist on my side.”

Smoking is one of the world’s toughest habits to break, but it can be done. And, it does not have to involve the use of drugs or be done by replacing nicotine with another substance. Acupuncture offers hope for anyone who truly wants to break free of the addiction. It starts with a bit of will power and the first visit to an acupuncturist.

The program, the first of its kind in Maryland, has recently been approved for Montgomery County, just outside of Washington D.C. The county council recently voted to launch the program with a $20,000 measure to help addicts in county jails and treatment facilities.

The Maryland program will be modeled after one that has already shown positive results in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Here, Auricular (ear) Acupuncture is offered as an important portion of the program. Auricular Acupuncture has been shown to provide help to persons who suffer from various chemical or drug addictions. The specific procedure that will be followed by trained acupuncturists in Maryland has been developed by the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association of Vancouver, Wash.

Acupuncture plays a very important role in the first stages of a program that can take as long as year to complete. The primary concern in the first 12-15 days of the program is detoxification, and Acupuncture helps addicts deal with their cravings for drugs during this time period.

Once the cravings are under control, the patients can then move forward to learning more about how to control their cravings. Acupuncture is often continued during this stage on an individual basis. When this period of stabilization is completed, the participants then move on to more education and also to a course of vocational training.

Successful completion of the program has several advantages for the people involved. In addition to being clean and having a good chance to stay off harmful drugs, they will also have their criminal records expunged or sealed. This gives them an extra head start on a new, drug-free lifestyle.

Thirty acupuncturists from the area are being trained to deliver the Acupuncture techniques that will be an important part of the program.

“Initially, I thought I’d sought Acupuncture out to help with the symptoms of menopause, and when I explained exactly to the acupuncturist exactly what my situation was, he never promised me I’d get pregnant, but he did say that I was young, and healthy otherwise, and if we toned the body and responded to the treatment, there was a good possibility I could get pregnant,” Rosana told ninemsn, one of Australia’s most popular news and information web sites.

“After three months of treatment I was pregnant, and I had a beautiful baby girl, Sophia. She was born on Christmas Day, so we always say that she’s our miracle baby. I think something as radical as getting pregnant when you’re told your ovaries are not functioning and you’re not going to get pregnant, I think there’s more to it than just me believing the treatment would work.”

ninemsn.com has the largest online audience in Australia, with 8.02 million (as of February 2007) people visiting the site each month. This translates into 74 percent of active online Australians visiting the site.

But time and time again, studies have shown that Acupuncture helps those with the pain of cancer or the sickness resulting from treatment.

In 1986, two doctors in London studied whether or not patients at a Pain Clinic in a cancer hospital could benefit from Acupuncture treatment. The results were quite promising. This study found that 82 percent of the patients treated with Acupuncture received a benefit that lasted for hours or even days. Patients who were suffering from muscle spasms or unpleasant sensations such as itching, prickling or burning were among those who received the greatest help.

In 2009, a study executed by Jeanette Ezzo, a Maryland researcher, and a research group investigated the relief that might be provided to those who were receiving chemotherapy. It is very typical for those receiving chemotherapy to suffer vomiting and nausea. Needle Acupuncture, electroacupuncture and self-administered acupressure were tested together on this study.

The research group found that, “Electroacupuncture has demonstrated benefit for chemotherapy-induced acute vomiting.” It also determined that, “Self-administered acupressure appears to have a protective effect for acute nausea and can readily be taught to patients.” Further studies are needed to provide complete verification of the benefits.

Then treatments such as chemotherapy produce sickness and vomiting as a side effect, the usual medical solution is to give more drugs to combat those side effects. Rather than involve oneself in a never-ending round of drug-taking, it is always wise to see if a minimally invasive and nearly painless method of treatment such as Acupuncture can help before resorting to more drugs.

Avoiding more drugs leaves the body with a maximum amount of innate healing power with which to deal with the cancer.

The plantar fascia is a thick band of tissue that holds up the bones on the bottom of the foot. Due to overuse, overweight, sudden weight gain or tight tendons near the foot, it can get inflamed. And if it does, it can turn into a lasting, painful and limiting injury referred to as plantar fasciitis.

Plantar fasciitis is not uncommon among professional athletes due to the wear and tear on the feet. Sidelined by plantar fasciitis or even ruptures have been Eli Manning of the New York Giants, Kobe Bryant of the L.A. Lakers, Marco Sutaro of the Boston Red Sox and P.J. Brown of the Chicago Bulls. It brought Jay Buhner’s career with the Seattle Mariners to an end as well.

Treatment may consist of exercises, splints, leg casts when serious, or painful injections of cortisone. An unresponsive case may require surgery. But complications of surgery include infection, nerve injury, lack of improvement or even a rupture of the plantar fascia. When a minimally invasive, drugless method of treatment is available, these complications can be avoided.

A new study evaluated the effectiveness of Acupuncture treatment to specific acupoints related to heel pain. Two groups of people suffering from heel pain received Acupuncture treatment – one group specifically to the heel pain acupoints, and one group to points that would tend to help pain in general. Both groups received ten treatments over two weeks.

At one month, the group that received heel pain treatment reported nearly twice the improvement in three different indexes of pain over the group that received only general pain relief treatment. No serious adverse effects were seen in either group. The study reported that, “The results indicate that Acupuncture can provide pain relief to a patient with plantar fasciitis.” And without the pain of surgery or injections or the risk of complications!

In the first study, British Acupuncturists mailed in reports of any problems occurring during or after Acupuncture treatment. They reported 34,000 treatments during one month, and in 2000, no serious adverse events were reported.

In the second study, 78 doctors and physiotherapists recorded any problems between June 1998 and February 2000. No serious problems were reported and 671 minor problems, such as bleeding or pain upon needle insertion, were reported, per 10,000 Acupuncture treatments.

“Non-physician Acupuncturists are the fastest-growing category of health professionals in the United States,” according to James Dillard, MD, DC, LAc. “People are looking for alternatives to surgery and conventional drugs because they are concerned about adverse reactions and side effects and prefer a gentler form of treatment.”

Available research indicates that Acupuncture is particularly effective in treating pain and nausea, Dillard said. “The best papers have been done on arthritis, facial pain, low back pain, and nausea,” he said.

When adverse event rates of Acupuncture were compared with those of drugs that are routinely prescribed in primary care, it suggested that Acupuncture is relatively safe, with no serious adverse events; whereas such drugs as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) cause GI bleeding, which can lead to death.

Research into the possibility that Acupuncture could help women with this condition was recently completed at the Sahlgrenska Academy in Göteborg, Sweden. Since medical help for PGP typically includes counseling, light exercise and the use of a pelvic belt to offer support, researchers wondered if a more natural treatment alternative could offer relief as another component of treatment.

The study involved 115 women who were studied between June 2006 and May 2007. All of the women involved continued on their normal medically prescribed treatment that involved using the pelvic belt and home exercises to strengthen abdominal muscles. Of the women, 58 also received standard needle penetrating Acupuncture and 57 of the group received sham Acupuncture. All of the women were asked to keep diaries about their treatment and complete questionnaires regarding the pain they experienced.

The main benefit noted by researchers was that the women who received standard Acupuncture had a greater ability to take part in their routine tasks which they could not do before treatment. And while there was no real difference in the levels of pain experience by both groups, those who had Acupuncture were more able to engage in regular work. This seems to be an important finding since PGP is one of the most common causes of sick leave during pregnancy and sometimes causes long-term sick leave.

Dr. Helen Elden of Sahlgrenska Academy had this to say about Acupuncture and activity levels: “This study shows that Acupuncture had no superior effect compared with non-penetrating sham Acupuncture on pain relief but improved women’s functional ability to perform daily activities. We therefore believe that needle penetration, at least to some degree, is one important component in Acupuncture therapy and provides additional support for the use of Acupuncture as one of several means of treatment of PGP in pregnant women.” The results of the study will be published in the BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.