After Vioxx Oriental Medicine's Role in Pain Therapy

San Diego , CA - Vioxx, Celebrex, Bextra - there's distressing news for people taking what were considered to be safe drugs for long-term use. It turns out that while a widely-used class of drugs called COX-2 inhibitors can produce less gastrointestinal damage than common anti-inflammatories such as aspirin and ibuprofen, all users do not enjoy the benefit. What's more, COX-2 use may greatly increase cardiovascular problems. This news is frustrating for the consumer. It is estimated that 70 million Americans have some form of arthritis. According to IMS Health, forty million COX-2 prescriptions were written in the first nine months of 2004.

Effective remedies for pain, however, may lie with a therapy that has been around for a very long time. Acupuncturists and Oriental medicine practitioners have been treating pain for thousands of years. Beneficial analgesic, anti-inflammatory, sedative, and regenerative effects may occur by stimulating key energy points on the body through acupuncture. From a western perspective, research has shown acupuncture's ability to trigger release of endorphins and enkaphalins - the body's opiate-like chemicals. In 2004 a Swedish study ( Clinical Journal of Pain ) showed improvement with acupuncture for hip osteoarthritis, and a Spanish study ( British Medical Journal ) showed improvement in knee pain with acupuncture over drug therapy alone.

Acupuncture can balance your energy to lessen symptoms, and herbal preparations can keep the inflammation in check and reduce sensitivity to pain. Additionally, joint pain can be substantially affected with consistent gentle exercises such as qi gong, tai qi, and long walks . Qi (chee) is the Chinese term for the body's energy flow. Suggestions for pain may well include developing more comprehensive ways of dealing with mental and emotional stress.

For more information on using Acupuncture for arthritis or on Pacific College please call (619) 574-6909.

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