Treatment of knee osteoarthritis.

Am Fam Physician. 2011 Jun 1;83(11):1287-92

Authors: Ringdahl E, Pandit S

Knee osteoarthritis is a common disabling condition that affects more than one-third of persons older than 65 years. Exercise, weight loss, physical therapy, intra-articular corticosteroid injections, and the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and braces or heel wedges decrease pain and improve function. Acetaminophen, glucosamine, ginger, S-adenosylmethionine (SAM-e), capsaicin cream, topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, acupuncture, and tai chi may offer some benefit. Tramadol has a poor trade-off between risks and benefits and is not routinely recommended. Opioids are being used more often in patients with moderate to severe pain or diminished quality of life, but patients receiving these drugs must be carefully selected and monitored because of the inherent adverse effects. Intra-articular corticosteroid injections are effective, but evidence for injection of hyaluronic acid is mixed. Arthroscopic surgery has been shown to have no benefit in knee osteoarthritis. Total joint arthroplasty of the knee should be considered when conservative symptomatic management is ineffective.

PMID: 21661710 [PubMed - in process]

Knowing you have a specific disease is bad enough, but having the symptoms of illness without being able to get a specific diagnosis can be even more frustrating, writes Siski Green. With no diagnosis, it’s difficult for a doctor to advise on treatment and so often a patient simply has to go on suffering without any hope for a solution

Furthermore, NHS data shows that attempts to treat a patient with unexplained symptoms costs twice that of treating someone with a diagnosis. Now, however, research from the University of Exeter, UK, indicates that there is one form of treatment that appears to work for people suffering with unexplained symptoms: acupuncture.

Read the full article via Acupuncture for mystery symptoms – Saga.

Cramps. Just that word makes women shudder. This is the reason most of us got acquainted with Tylenol, Midol and whatever else painkiller was in the medicine cabinet.

But maybe we Westerners should think outside the box when it comes to beating this type of pain. What about acupuncture? Many persons absolutely swear by it and use it for ailments such as fibromyalgia, headaches, low back pain, and yes, even menstrual cramps.

Simply put, acupuncture “involves the insertion of extremely thin needles in your skin at strategic points,” as related by the Mayo Clinic.

Read more via Acupuncture for Menstrual Cramps – Does it Really Work? – EmpowHER.com.

When it comes to alternative healing therapies, acupuncture is certainly one of the more well-known. Thousands of years old, acupuncture is Chinese in origin. Practitioners believe that the insertion of thin needles at designated points along meridians rebalance your chi (also sometimes referred to as qi). Chi is the term used to describe your life force or energy flow. In traditional practice, acupuncture is believed to improve health by preventing illness, direct treatment of medical conditions, and generally promoting good health.

Read the full article via EmpowHER.com

World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes the use of acupuncture for a variety of medical conditions including:

• digestive problems (constipation, diarrhea, spastic colon, gastritis)
• urinary
• menstrual or reproductive disorders (eg menstrual cramps)
• respiratory conditions (bronchitis, sinusitis, asthma)
• neurological or muscular conditions (tendinitis, sciatica, headaches, neck and back pain, tennis elbow, osteoarthritis)

Acupuncture is frequently used to treat chronic pain, and various emotional and stress related conditions, fibromyalgia, and side effects of chemotherapy and radiation (nausea, vomiting, dry mouth).

Sitting across a small desk like table, I extend my arms toward her. She places her index, middle and ring fingers on each of my wrists. Like a skilled piano player, she moves her fingers, first lightly, then with a bit more force and finally with an even deeper touch, shifting these alternating pressures from one wrist to the other on three specific points on my radial artery, nine pulses in total.

Read the full article via Beverley Golden: Acupuncture: When East Meets West

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – For women who suffer severe hot flashes during breast cancer treatment, acupuncture may provide effective, long-lasting relief read more…