One of my clients was asking me recently about the difference between Chinese acupuncture and Japanese acupuncture.  And as luck would have it, I just came across this blog which explains it fairly well.  Acupuncture was exported from China to Japan in the 6th century.  The Japanese then developed their owns techniques and approaches to acupuncture over the centuries that followed.  The main differences are that in Japanese approaches the needles are thinner, the needle sensations are very mild and moxibustion is very common.  I do some Japanese techniques in my practice when they're called for, but for the most part my approach is classical Chinese.

http://www.worldacupunctureblog.com/japanese-acupuncture-v-chinese-acupuncture

Acupuncture tends to be in the news more when celebrities do it.  And it looks like Jennifer Aniston is the most recent news maker.  According to Response Source which is a media outlet in London, she's having acupuncture treatments for fertility.  Acupuncture can increase the likelihood of pregancy and is being used more and more, especially in women over 40.  Aniston is following in the footsteps of other newsmakers like Kate Moss who walked around with ear tacks when she was in rehab and Gwenyth Paltrow who went out in public with cup marks on her back.  I guess in the case of acupuncture, all publicity is good publicity.

http://www.responsesource.com/releases/rel_display.php?relid=43635&hilite=

The World Health Organization is once again promoting the use of traditional medicine worldwide.  This weekend the WHO held a two-day meeting in Beijing with representatives from 70 countries.  The meeting consisted of seminars on regulatory standards for folk medicine, including acupuncture, around the world.  The WHO recognizes and enourages the global trend of integrating traditional medicine into national health systems.  And the outcome of the meeting is expected to include member countries agreeing to expand traditional medicine in their health care systems.  The WHO has an interest in bringing patient's the benefits of these traditions and ensuring their safety and proper use.  In my mind, this meeting is one more sign, that the sea change of integrative medicine is taking hold. 

http://africa.reuters.com/top/news/usnJOE4A60GR.html

People have been asking me in the last few weeks if I'm seeing a lot of stressed out clients from Wall Street.  I actually don't have a lot of clients in that sector, but of course everyone in NYC will be affected by the large-scale changes in that industry which is so close to home.  Maybe we can learn a lesson from India - recently a survey which included 400 Indian CEO's revealed that "128 of them get rid off their stress through yoga, gym, cycling, music and a morning stroll."  The survey also found that a "significant number of the corporate chiefs are also moving towards ayurvedic treatments like naturopathy, massage, acupuncture and acupressure."   (Interesting that they consider acupuncture an ayurvedic treatment, but that's beside the point!  Ayurveda is the traditional medicine of India.)  Hopefully we'll see our CEO's following this lead.

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/099200810121180.htm

In some of the latest news from the acupuncture world, I discovered this article on acupuncture for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in military personnel.  This year, a group of active service members are being studied at the Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington.  The researchers are exploring the role of acupuncture in healing combat trauma.  Acupuncture can be a successful treatment for stress and anxiety in other contexts and I see no reason why it couldn't have a role in the treatment of PTSD.  In my brief eight year tenure as an acupuncturist, I've seen positive results in clients with mood disorders.  I've seen it profoundly calm the nervous system and decrease the need for medicatons.  I'll be curious to see the results of the study!

http://www.healingcombattrauma.com/2008/09/getting-stuck-to-get-unstuck-army-studies-acupuncture-for-ptsd.html

Seeing as China is the birthplace of acupuncture, it makes sense that the Olympic Village in Beijing is offering acupuncture to athletes and officials.  It's the first Olympic Village to offer up this amenity.  And it's free!  Tony Smith, a Canadian gymnastics coach is sold.  He went in for treatment on his low back and got good results right away. 

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/olympics/2008-08/10/content_6921387.htm