News from the Field

Abstract

Aama Calls for Research Articles and Posters Ahead of Symposium

The American Academy of Medical Acupuncture (AAMA) is accepting applications to present original research at the 31st annual AAMA Symposium, which is to be held April 11–14, 2019 in Phoenix, AZ. The top three research article authors will receive stipends and registration to the Symposium. The first-place article will be presented at the Symposium. Entries must be received by February 15, 2019. The AAMA is also calling for submissions of poster presentations and article presentations. These submissions must be received by January 26, 2019. Please visit the AAMA website for further details. www.medicalacupuncture.org/

67% of Insurers Do Not Cover Acupuncture, New Study Reports

U.S. researchers investigated Medicaid, Medicare Advantage, and commercial insurance coverage policies for nondrug options for treating chronic lower-back pain in 2017. James Heyward, MPH—at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, MD—and colleagues, reported in JAMA Network that they found inconsistent insurance coverage for acupuncture. Most policies covered physical therapy, occupational therapy, and chiropractic care, while acupuncture and psychologic interventions were not covered or the policies lacked information about coverage for these services. The team found that 67% of the policies did not cover acupuncture. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2705853

Medical Acupuncture Calls for Articles About Health Promotion

Medical Acupuncture has issued a call for articles on the topic of acupuncture for health promotion and disease prevention. Planned content includes prevention of pediatric conditions, including asthma and allergies; prevention of hypertension, coronary disease, addiction, fatigue, and other adult conditions; and male and female health challenges. The deadline for submissions is February 15, 2018. https://home.liebertpub.com/cfp/acupuncture-to-foster-health-promotion-and-disease-preventio/158/

Acupuncture Reduces Asthma Emergency Department Visits

At the CHEST 2018 Annual Meeting in San Antonio, TX, Joseph Simonson, MD, led a session about the association of emergency department (ED) visits for asthma and the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Dr. Simonson and colleagues analyzed data from the National Health Interview Survey. They found that use of CAM—including acupuncture—was associated with fewer ED visits for asthma exacerbations. https://journal.chestnet.org/article/S0012-3692(18)32566-2/abstract

NIH Releases Roundtable on Emotional Well-Being

Highlighting both existing research on the role of emotional well-being in health and the implications for public understanding, the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health and the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research, in collaboration with other National Institutes of Health (NIH) departments, cosponsored a roundtable discussion with the goal of advancing research in this area. Its stated focus was on issues in developing, testing, and implementing intervention strategies to promote emotional well-being. Emmeline Edwards, PhD, director of extramural research at the Center, recently wrote a blog post about the report. https://nccih.nih.gov/research/blog/New-Report-Reflects-NCCIH-Interest-in-Emotional-Well-Being?nav=govd

New Integrative Medicine Program to Include Acupuncture in Cancer Care

The Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, has launched a new integrative medicine program, which will offer acupuncture and other evidence-based integrative therapies to patients with cancer as an adjunct to traditional cancer treatments. Heather Greenlee, ND, PhD, a Fred Hutch epidemiologist, will lead the program. Dr. Greenlee also led the Society for Integrative Oncology's development of clinical guidelines for using acupuncture and other integrative therapies for patients with breast cancer. Dr. Greenlee and others at the program also plan to conduct research. www.fredhutch.org/en/news/center-news/2018/11/integrative-oncology-clinic-opens-at-scca.html

Acupressure to Stop Nail Biting

Auricular acupressure appeared to reduce nail biting in children; this reduction was likely a result of decreasing the person's anxiety, according to a study in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. Dalei Sun, MS, of The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, China, and colleagues, conducted a randomized, crossover, pilot trial with 83 nail biters, ages 8–12. The children also received habit-reversal treatment and either auricular acupressure or placebo auricular acupressure, with a 2-month washout period. Forty-one children completed both arms of the study. Acupressure was found to reduce anxiety levels, making it easier to stop the habit. www.liebertpub.com/doi/pdf/10.1089/acm.2018.0063

Consumer Reports’ “Guide to Natural Cures” Includes Acupuncture

The magazine Consumer Reports has issued a “Guide to Natural Cures” to help consumers learn more about integrative medicine. The guide includes acupuncture, yoga, cupping, and more. A survey by the magazine found that 52% of respondents said that they prefer to use natural remedies rather than mainstream medicine. The section on acupuncture describes results of 2 studies that suggested acupuncture was helpful for treating back pain and depression. www.consumerreports.org/alternative-medicine/guide-to-natural-cures-alternative-medicine/

Study to Investigate Enhancing Acupuncture With Neuromodulation

Jian Kong, MD, MS, MPH, an associate professor and an associate researcher at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, is leading a clinical trial to examine the brain mechanisms behind the synergistic effects of combining acupuncture and transcranial direct-current stimulation treatments. Patients with chronic low-back pain will be recruited and randomized to 1 of 4 groups, which will receive different combinations of either verum or sham acupuncture and verum or sham transcranial direct current stimulation. The researchers plan to enroll 120 participants and complete the study in April 2022. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03716830?recrs=abdf&cond=acupuncture&draw=2&rank=102

Nondrug Interventions Reduce Menopausal Hot-Flash Frequency

A pooled analysis of 3 randomized controlled trials investigating the effectiveness of nonpharmacologic interventions used to relieve hot flashes in menopausal women found that acupuncture, yoga, and health education were effective for decreasing the frequency of hot flashes. Nancy E. Avis, PhD, and colleagues, at the Wake Forest School of Medicine, in Winston-Salem, NC, analyzed 2 acupuncture studies and 1 yoga study and reported in the journal Menopause that these interventions decreased hot flashes more than usual care did. https://insights.ovid.com/crossref?an=00042192-900000000-97475

Expert Spotlight

Jay Sandweiss, DO, FAAMA, will present an AAMA Workshop, “Treating Acupuncture Points and Their Associated Channels with Manual Manipulation Techniques to Enhance Pre- and/or Post-Acupuncture Treatments,” January 26–27, 2019, in Tampa, FL. Attendees will learn the major principles and mechanisms osteopathic physicians use to identify and release somatic dysfunctions that are affecting the myofascial system and the specific joints of the body, including spinal segmental dysfunction.

Iliana Robinson, MD, MPH, FAAMA, at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and a member of the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture, was quoted in a segment for Public Radio International (PRI) about using acupuncture to decrease the need for opioids. She said that acupuncture has few side-effects.

Joseph M. Helms, MD, FAAMA, president and course director of the Helms Medical Institute in Berkeley, CA, and a member of the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture, presented a “Medical Acupuncture for Physicians” program December 6–10, 2018 in Tempe, AZ. It included hands-on clinical training and instruction about pain-management alternatives.

Kavitha Reddy, MD, ABoIM, at the VA St. Louis Healthcare System, Veterans Health Administration, and Washington University School of Medicine, was one of 3 guest editors for a special issue of Medical Acupuncture about the Veterans Health Administration using acupuncture.