I just can't seem to get enough of the feel-good stories in the media about acupuncture on animals.  Here's a news clip about Talyn the rescue dog, who received acupuncture successfully for the overuse injuries in his hip and back.  Now Talyn can go back to finding missing persons! 

http://www.kcci.com/news/22308928/detail.html

I have some thoughts about acupuncture as we close out the decade.  Apparently, so do some journalists who are including acupuncture in their lists of "Things that changed our lives in the past decade."  Acupuncture and alternative medicine are on those lists, right up there with reality TV, crocs and google.  I graduated acupuncture school in 2000, so I've been riding the growing wave of popularity for the past ten years.  I've definitely seen the surge and think that it's much easier for a new graduate to build a practice now than it was ten years ago.  I like to think that I've been a small part of the mainstreaming of acupuncture by getting some articles published in national magazines and creating the event Acupuncture Happy Hour.  I've introduced hundreds of people to acupuncture who hadn't experienced it before.  However, I think the popularity of acupuncture is mainly due to it's effectiveness in resolving or mitigating many medical conditions and the fact that it has no side effects.  I like the direction that medicine in our country is going, where alternatives like acupuncture are being utilized in combination with conventional medicine.  I'm sure that eventually, acupuncture will be commonplace in clinics and hospitals, but maybe not in our lifetimes.  Until then, I appreciate how many people support solo practitioners and I'm glad that the press has recognized the trend of more and more people seeking us out. 

http://life.globaltimes.cn/life/2009-12/494197.html

Had I known about Tiki the giraffe when I was in the Bay Area last month, I would have gone for a visit.  Apparently Tiki has arthritis, which the zookeepers are treating successfully with massage and acupuncture.  (Of course the pedicures help as well!)  The acupuncturist uses the same needles I do - the ones for humans!  Even though Tiki weighs 1,500 pounds, she feels the Qi and gets the benefit.  After five baby giraffes and a life of service to the Oakland Zoo, she deserves to be pampered.

http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local-beat/Bay-Area-Zoo-Opens-Spa-for-Beloved-Animal-59651092.html

Acupuncture studies seem to be in the news just about every month now.  Some claim to prove acupuncture efficacy and some claim to disprove it.  The latest study in the press comes from the August Issue of "Neuroimage."  The study consists of 20 women with chronic pain who underwent brain scans at the University of Michigan.  The scans were performed during the women's first and eighth acupuncture treatments.  The result?  The brain's pain control centers showed increased receptivity to opioid substances.  These opioids are either pharmaceutical pain killers or the analgesic chemicals produced by the body such as endorphins.  Either way, acupuncture is increasing the effects of the body's pain control mechanism. 

My favorite thing about this article is the comment by Richard E Harris, the study's author.  He's a molecular biologist and a licensed acupuncturist.  He suggests that acupuncture's ability to increase the effects of natural pain killers as well as medications is complementary.  He doesn't see them as "mutually exclusive, and in some cases, they may work synergistically."  I think this is where medicine as a whole is heading.  I don't see why we can't combine the strengths of modern medicine with the strengths of alternative medicine and have one awesome system for everyone.  Also, one last thought.  If anyone out there doesn't think that acupuncture has a profound and immediate effect on the brain, just come and spend one day in my office.  You'll see the effects in each client who gets up off of the table!

http://organizedwisdom.com/helpbar/index.html?return=http://organizedwisdom.com/Acupuncture_Impacts_Pain_Effect_on_Brain&url=latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/2009/08/acupuncture-boosts-effects-of-painkillers-whether-natural-or-prescription.html

It's one of my favorite times of year in NYC - US Open Tennis season!  I make the annual pilgrimage to Flushing Meadows and I'm looking forward to this year's trek.  In the news this week is an article about Sania Mirza, a 22 year old tennis pro from India.  Apparently, she had acupuncture recently on her right wrist injury in preparation for this year's Open.  She says she feels good going into the event, so we'll see how she fares.

http://sports.rediff.com/report/2009/aug/28/sania-mirza-nursing-wrist-trouble.htm

http://www.usopen.org/en_US/index.html

Acupuncture for... Rappers?  This week, the Canadian Rapper Drake fell down on stage during two separate shows.  He tore his ACL a few weeks ago and has been getting acupuncture for the swelling.  "For the last two weeks, I've been really going hard, getting all types of acupuncture, trying to bring the swelling down. I'm walking around -- no cane.  I'll put a brace on it tomorrow night. No one will probably even know I'm injured..."  (Hear that kids?  Your idol is getting acupuncture!)  None of my adolescent idols ever had acupuncture, as far as I knew.  So, I'm happy that a whole new generation is learning about it so early!

http://www.themoneytimes.com/featured/20090802/rapper-drake-injured-again-collapses-stage-id-1078662.html