Oxygen Getting to Brain Cells Is the Problem During Stroke, But Wait! There's Possible Relief Heading Your Way!

You don't do it for you, stroke survivors. You already had a stroke. You're thrilled for them, the loved ones who come after. But don't get too excited. Researchers have been only experimenting on mice and dogs so far. But if these results translate to humans, FDA approval is likely. Imagine reducing the side effects of stroke by restoring oxygen to the brain with an intravenous injection that has an oxygen carrying drug molecule so small it passes through the clot like water passes through sand.  It would be administered as soon as side effects appear and should have no downside effects if it’s deemed safe. Many possibilities for the drug exist like stroke. Tissue oxygenation is possibly coming your way and quite soon. 

Mike Sheikh, with a pedigreed degree, a Pharma consultant, and a load of smarts, shared this with me. Here is the fascinating discovery authored by Mike Sheikh himself.

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Extending the Golden Hour for Stroke Victims 

Researchers refer to the first hour from the onset of stroke symptoms as “the golden hour” because “time lost is brain lost.” The sooner the patient gets in the que to get a diagnosis for the type of stroke, the better the outcome.  Diagnosing a stroke is as simple as FAST which stands for Face, Arms, Speech, and Time.  The time it takes to identify the patient is suffering from a stroke is only 1 minute, but the paradox is that treatment cannot begin until imaging is complete and the doctors have ruled out a hemorrhagic stroke.  

According to a UCLA research study the average time from onset to treatment is 2.5 hours.  Ischemic strokes which account for 87% of all strokes can be treated with a powerful clot busting drug called Tissue Plasminogen activator (tPA).  Ethics dictate that doctors can do no harm.  This means that even though there is an 87% chance that tPA will bust the clot and stop the brain from dying, medical professionals have to sit on the sidelines while the brain deteriorates until the diagnosis is complete.  If any hemorrhagic patients were given tPA, they would surely die.

Average Stroke Patient Experiences Almost a Decade of Brain Aging Before Treatment

The focus to reduce the time to diagnosis is critical with respect to brain aging.  Patients receiving treatment sooner than 2.5 hours had a better ability to walk, live independently, and had reduced mortality.  The clinical benefit of tPA was best used before 4.5 hours of onset.  Studies have shown that an ischemic stroke consumes almost 2 million neurons ever minute until blood flow is restored.  This translates into 14 billion synapses lost and 7.5 miles of myelinated fibers lost every minute and accelerated aging of the brain by 3.1 weeks.  

In a typical stroke scenario 30 minutes is spent getting to the hospital which results in a brain aging of 1.8 years and then the additional 2 hours to get imaging results in another 7.2 years of aging.  This brings the total aging of the brain to 9 years in the average stroke case.  The indirect cost of stroke care in terms of lost productivity and care taking is estimated at $22.0 billion annually.     

Fast Treatment Has Medical Benefit

Researchers also found that faster treatment results in better outcomes. They have quantified that to mean that for every 15 minutes knocked off the time to treatment results in a 4% greater chance of walking, 4% less likely to have a brain hemorrhage, and 4% are less likely to die. Putting this into perspective, if brain tissue oxygenation could be restored in 15 minutes, there is a 40% great chance of walking.  

Blood Clots are Actually Porous and Not Impermeable Barriers

The crux of the problem during a stroke is getting oxygen to the effected brain tissue.  The only transport mechanism to the effected brain tissue are through the arteries blocked by a blood clot.  Blood clots, however, are not solid impermeable barriers and are more like fish nets full of fish (blood cells) that will allow smaller molecules and fluid to pass.  So when the road is closed to large oxygen transporting vehicles like the red blood cells, they are still open to the much smaller co-polymers in the blood plasma that pass without consequence.  When these arteries start to form clots, they are exacerbated by fibrins that eventually form a net that ends up trapping more red blood cells.  Fibrinogen is normally dissolved in blood plasma and through a cascade of interactions generates thrombin which converts the fibrinogen in the blood plasma into long strands of fibrin that radiate from the clumped cells designed to trap more blood cells.  [Bottom line:] Instead of breaking up the clot, the simpler solution is to try to get an oxygen delivery vehicle that is small enough to pass through the clot.     

The Oxygen Bridge

The key to overcoming the blood clot in the brain is to think small.  This is where BXT-25, a developmental drug that is 1/5000^th the size of a red blood cell, might have the right idea.  BXT-25 is a combination of Heme (from hemoglobin) and a co-polymer designed to stabilize it in the bloodstream.  BXT-25 can stay active in the blood for up to 9 hours.  Heme is the chemical structure that carries oxygen and is the fundamental building block of the human body’s oxygen transport system.  It is injected intravenously and then circulates within 3 minutes through the blood stream and picks up oxygen in the lungs and transports it to various tissues and organs including the brain.  

The concept behind this drug is to allow a first responder to give a stroke patient an oxygen bridge until imaging can identify the type of stroke and apply the treatment. [No matter what kind of stroke!] Providing this oxygenation has no downside risk regardless of the type of stroke, unlike the tPA, which could kill a hemorrhagic stroke victim. Getting this vital oxygen to the brain could dramatically improve patient outcomes and greatly reduce the amount of recuperation time from a stroke.  

BXT-25 could break the paradigm of the golden hour and put this lifestyle-saving drug in the hands of first responders much like the AED improved outcomes for patients undergoing cardiac arrest.
     

BXT-25 [BXT stands for the name of the company, Bioxytran] could be a game changer in the treatment of stroke patients.  The drug is currently under development and is NOT FDA approved.

For more information on how it works visit the website or play this video of how it works.

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Remember to click on the links to the website and video. Again, it's only being tested on mice and dogs, but that discovery is huge if the results translate to humans. Mike thinks that FDA approval could occur within 2 years. 

And keep this in mind. Prof. Avraham Mayevsky, on the Advisory Board of Bioxytran, is a worldwide authority in the field of minimal invasive monitoring of tissue and organ physiology, a professor in Israel at the Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University. 

Final point: Again, many of my readers already had a stroke. But stroke can be hereditary. So think of them! 

The 10 Most Read Posts Since My Blog First Appeared 10 Years Ago

I love to blog. (And I won two awards--one from Medical News and the other from Feedspot). It's a catharsis in a way, defined by Merriam Webster as the purging of emotional tensions, relieving oneself of the feelings that through catharsis, arise to the surface. In the 10 years my blog, The Tales of a Stroke Patient and More, has been alive (as opposed to "live" which in my mind doesn't have the same impact), I have always liked to bring you, my dear readers, thought-provoking and inspirational tales to keep your mind working.

There is a counter when you write for Google's Blogger which shows, among many other things, the 10 most read posts to date. I hope you gain something from them if reading for the first time, or re-read them for reinforcement, published around the world in every continent except Antarctica. (I'm starting to wonder if anybody even lives there!) Here they are in order:

A Place for EVERYTHING Stroke and Other TBIs--strokefocus.net 

(10,095 readers)

This is the story of amazing Daniel Gu and how he founded Strokefocus.net, the completed website coming in June. It's a touching, almost tear-producing process of his recovery. 

http://stroketales.blogspot.com/2016/10/a-place-for-everything-stroke-and-other.html

Alcohol and Stroke: You May Be Just Asking For It 

(8681 readers)

This post created some brouhaha because people took offense that it was directed at them instead of thanking me for the information. Oh, well. No good deed goes unpunished. 

http://stroketales.blogspot.com/2016/09/alcohol-and-stroke-you-may-be-just.html

The Words I've Been Longing To Hear: An Energizing Visit from the Cable Guy 

(8,360 readers)

Don't get any ideas of an intimate nature! We were just having a conversation. That was the first time the cable guy and I spoke without asking me to repeat myself. The post has near-comical elements.

http://stroketales.blogspot.com/2016/09/the-words-ive-been-longing-to-hear.html

Fatigue and Stroke, aka I'm Hittin' the Wall 

(7,838 readers)

The world is filled with acronyms, and this post follows suit.  It's called PSF, Post Stroke Fatigue, and explains possible reasons for PSF and the foods that combat it. 

http://stroketales.blogspot.com/2014/05/fatigue-and-stroke-aka-im-hittin-wall.html

How Two Legal Drugs Caused My Hemorrhagic Stroke 

(6,717 readers)

The thinking was I was allergic to Heparin which isn't an allergy at all. As a result, the doctor finally took away every blood thinner. The right thing to do? Not really, I learned much later on. 

http://stroketales.blogspot.com/2014/07/how-two-legal-drugs-caused-my-stroke.html

Caregivers Are Suffering; Stroke Survivors Are Suffering: Who Has It Worse?

(5,964 readers)

When it comes to caregivers, they are passionate about the position whether they are burned out or lovingly embrace it. But GFYS? That came from one of the burned out ones. 

http://stroketales.blogspot.com/2017/02/the-caregivers-are-venting-and-stroke.html

Can't Do's and Can Do's: A Stroke Survivor's Thoughts

(5,389 readers)

I open up on my limits. Ten for each. If I think about my 10 "can't do" set , I try not to dwell on it. After all, I have 10 "can do" activities that follow.

http://stroketales.blogspot.com/2016/03/cant-dos-and-can-dos-stroke-survivors.html

Thoughtless Person: You Didn't Finish the Book YET? Stroke Survivor: No, Dumbass. Remember? I've Had a Stroke!

(5,339 readers)

Dyslexia and aphasia are only two of the subjects discussed. I read slower now, but I read, and other disorders are included. That title, by the way, happened to me.

http://stroketales.blogspot.com/2016/04/thoughtless-person-you-didnt-finished.html

Ten Things NOT to Say or Do to a Stroke Patient

(5,274 readers)

Insensitivity is at the heart of this post. After I wrote this post, some other bloggers copied the title. I didn't mind because that's stroke awareness, front and center. 

http://stroketales.blogspot.com/2015/02/ten-things-not-to-say-or-do-to-stroke.html

Sex and the Stroke Survivor: A Case of Futility?

(5,046 readers)

Sex is very important to some people, but after they had a  stroke, not so much anymore. Tips on how to do more are included with illustrations even. Hoo-hah.

http://stroketales.blogspot.com/2016/04/sex-and-stroke-survivor-case-of-futility.html

Life and Death, the Great Equalizers

Michael R. Strain, the well-known economist, once said, "That we all start life helpless and completely dependent means we have much more in common than I appreciated a year ago" [when his son was born]. I had the same newly-found thoughts like Strain when my boys were born, and for the one I lost in between, too, as birth being an equalizer. 

The other side of the discussion at hand? We all die. Thus, the title of this post. But of the two--birth and death--death is recognized as the greatest-of-all, the king-of-the-hill equalizer. "You can't take the money with you when you die," my father would always say about wealth amassed during any person's funeral. He died, too, and he followed the everlasting rule. #6, says the angel.

Once in a while, more often now, I think about death. The thoughts are random. I think to myself, in less than 10 years, I'm going to be 80. I feel 50, even now that I had a devastating, close-to-death stroke and wearing the leg brace. Go figure.

People always commented on my youthfulness, that I seemed 10 years younger than my current age.

"45?" they would say. "You look 35!"

"Come on. 55? You look 45," they argued. 

Those contradictions, that I looked younger than I currently was, all evaporated when I turned 65. Nobody says anything remotely like that anymore. Sometimes, I prompt them. They roll their eyes.

The baby boomers, some of them, maybe even most of them, and I believed in perpetual youth up to around 60 years old. Many of them are fixated on not only being alive but looking younger as well. There are under-the eye creams for bags, wrinkle products to get rid of those very fine lines, sometimes only apparent to you, and Jennifer Aniston and the like extolling the merits of items that give you a youthful glow. I tried them all. Hogwash. Growing old is not for sissies, Joyce #2's father would say. It sucks. 

It's better that the alternative--death, I mean--unless you're willing to die, even welcome death, and not discover how stories turn out while you're alive. For example, I don't want to die: 
Before I know if I will ever be a grandmother 
Before I'll finish the 5th book (I'm working on #3 currently) 
Before I improve enough to do a 5-mile walk without stopping

The country artist, Randy Travis, said it best in the song, Three Wooden Crosses:
I guess it's not what you take when you leave this world behind you.
It's what you leave behind you when you go.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cP8lCapcqwM

The final thing I'm going to blurt out in this stream-of- consciousness rant: if you're feeling anxious right about now, if I put thoughts in your head that you wish weren't there, watch  this video to feel better.  


https://youtu.be/PpJoM1Yvm-Y

Um, feel better now?

Sometimes, It's All About Your Shitty Genes

First some needed history. According to the esteemed doctors who sometimes don't know crap, I was told by one of them that I had to take Avelox for an ear infection. Avelox, I later found out, could give a person blood clots (the person in this case is me). I went to the Emergency Room for excruciating pain. 

Quoting from my previous blog (How Two Legal Drugs Caused My Hemorrhagic Stroke, and here's the link --https://stroketales.blogspot.com/2014/07/how-two-legal-drugs-caused-my-stroke.html), "The ER doctor admitted me and I was put on Lovenox, a low-molecular form of Heparin, to break up the clots. (Now here's where the story gets interesting). As a result of being on Heparin, I developed Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT), a serious side effect that may occur when one is being treated with heparin. HIT can lead to low blood platelet counts, which I had." 

HIT can also cause a brain bleed, ergo my hemorrhagic stroke. And that explanation, to my brain with parts that died, never to return, made sense enough.

But there's more to the story. Once I moved to Portland, I found out through a blood test that I had Protein S Deficiency, which causes abnormal clotting.

The National Institutes of Health say, "Protein S Deficiency (PSD) is usually hereditary, but may be acquired from lack of Vitamin K, for example. [My mother cooked everything more than it should have been, including  green vegetables, a primary source of Vitamin K, until they lost some of the vitamins inherently theirs].  The hereditary form of Protein S Deficiency is caused by a mutation in a gene called PROS1.  This condition is inherited in a dominant manner, which means that an individual who inherits only one mutated copy of PROS1 has an increased chance of developing symptoms of this disease."

So whether hereditary or acquired, I had PSD.

"There are tests for Protein S Deficiency, just ask your hematologist for screening," says James of the group dedicated to Protein S Deficiency.  [https://www.proteinsdeficiency.com/] "Apart from clotting related issues, I am not aware of any other issues caused by Protein S Deficiency."

I did a random poll among family and friends, knowing what happened to me, about whether they should get tested for abnormal blood clotting with Protein S Deficiency. Here are some of their stupid, meaningless responses:

"Hell, no. Why would I do testing if it's going to happen anyway?"

"If it's meant to be, it's meant to be."

"I hate going to the doctor."

The NIH also say, "The greatest life-theatening risk to patients with protein S deficiency is a pulmonary embolism (PE), a deep vein thrombosis (DVT) that travels through the bloodstream and gets stuck in the lungs. People with hereditary protein S deficiency have about a 2- to 11 times increased risk for developing a DVT or PE in comparison with those without a deficiency."

I had a PE, too, in 2015.

Whether the reason I got the stroke is from HIT, PSD, or both, there are tests to know the risks for both HIT and PSD. Wouldn't you want to know? 

Or are you like the ostrich who buries his head in the sand? (Not true, by the way. It's a metaphor. But it serves the purpose here). Why worry for a week or two if you have HIT and PSD before you get symptoms, if you could know the next day through tests? The tests would involve a blood draw, but man or woman up! 

Collecting Data on Stroke and Other Brain Injury Survivors Can Be Simpler When One Problem is Gone

Collecting stroke data are the bane of researchers. Few people are aware of https://clinicaltrials.gov/ where someone goes in search of a clinical trial. And to collect data from the patients or families themselves is not often done because of the strictly adhered to schedules of hospitalized stroke survivors. Welcome to the "disconnect" when patients are shamefully discharged out the door. So re-invent the discharge.

And once they are discharged, there aren't any places to find "us." The survivors and families are confused and angry to find the next step because often, there isn't any next steps. The hospitals take the brunt of their topsy-turvy positions because they struggle to get responses to their post-discharge surveys and live under the fear of readmission. Wouldn’t your life be simpler if you have a way to stay in touch with us? Why don't you work with a team who is collaborating to find a solution? 

The dreadful, devastating experience is real and is reflected on so many issues around data. You eventually lose trust with survivors, and the data is in jeopardy. When you have restored the trust and get back in touch, why would data ever be an issue? Strokefocus is the answer.

All the survivor wants is a light at the end of the tunnel, but months that turn into years live in the dark. Your research is therefore running empty often in total disconnect with the survivor community. 

I understand you are looking for data and participants to your carefully designed research projects. I have also heard so many times that you are struggling to find us. It often takes your team of very talented graduate students months to collect some data merely enough for your regression analysis. They hate how laborious it is to find us. They hate how much they have to work on the phone convincing us to come to your lab. Some of us who participated in your studies vowed to never go back. Many of us feel your researchers have no idea what we are going through and the help we want. Making matters worse, we hear that because it is so hard to demonstrate the value and impact of your research, funding becomes harder and harder to get. 

After all, there are 8 million of us crying for help. Shouldn't the task of getting a few thousand data points be like a cake walk? The issue is not with data but with a disconnect that destroyed the trust between us. 

Data collection is nothing more than “getting to know you” on an industrial scale. But you don’t even know, in most cases,  where the “we” are. And sadly, our ties with society breaks, or disconnects, at every discharge office. 

To rebuild the trust and connection, let me start by helping you understand what a survivor goes through. I had a stroke and spent 3-1/2 months in the hospital. Friends, family members, and colleagues, all of whom dwindled in time to a select few, came to visit me in the trauma center, the stroke rehab, and the step-down unit.

But after a while, I didn't want them to come. They said ignorant things like "Can you go home if you can't walk" (as if that condition would last forever) or "I hate seeing you in your condition" (even though I couldn't do anything about it) that added to my sorrow. Having the stroke itself is easy compared to what comes after: trouble peeing, constant and medically-induced constipation, double vision, speech and the resultant communication problems, one-sided mobility, anger, confusion, and frustration leading to depression, and lots more. I want to forget but can't. 

Does my stroke experience sound vaguely familiar? Of course, it does. Stroke survivors, even though no two strokes are exactly the same, follow similar patterns of recovery, similar to Elizabeth Kubler-Ross's 5 stages of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance). But even Kubler-Ross, if she were alive today, would say the stroke survivors take longer to go through the steps than, say, a death of a friend.

If you do not help turn the discharge office into the starting point of a new type of connection, then you will continue to be like chasing zillions of untethered flying kites into oblivion. We both have a stake in the game! Work with us! (1)

(1) This blog was a collaboration between me and Jing (Daniel) Gu, the founder of Strokefocus.net (new release coming this month), a site that's revolutionary for stroke survivors, caregivers, family, friends, health professionals, anybody who has stroke in their genetic pool, and other people who just want to know about strokes. If you want to read more about gracious, thoughtful, and oh-so-brilliant Daniel, check out   https://stroketales.blogspot.com/2016/10/a-place-for-everything-stroke-and-other.html

You Are What You Eat: 10 Top Brain Foods

Ryan Gosling, the famous actor, once said, "There's something messed up with my brain." 

I say, "Get over yourself, Ryan. There's something messed up with everybody's brain," (albeit some more than others). How can there not be? The brain has 3 main parts, and the Cerebrum alone is the largest part that performs higher functions like interpreting touch, vision and hearing, as well as speech, reasoning, emotions, learning, and fine control of movement including our decisions to get up or not, to lavish ourselves or not, to push ourselves to exercise or not. It's only a matter of time until something goes awry with everybody.

So with all this power that the human brain possesses, we should feed the brain correctly, especially with stroke or traumatic brain injury survivors, trying our hardest to save what's remaining.   

The saying "You are what you eat," often said, has an interesting route. Here are the most notable:  

Anthelme Brillat-Savarin wrote, in Physiologie du Gout, ou Meditations de Gastronomie Transcendante, in 1826, wrote:

"Dis-moi ce que tu manges, je te dirai ce que tu es."
[Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are].

In an essay titled Concerning Spiritualism and Materialism, Ludwig Andreas Feuerbach, in 1863, wrote:

"Der Mensch ist, was er ißt."
[Man is what he eats].

Later on, in the 1920s, Victor Lindlahr, a nutritionist, linked good food to health, and developed the Catabolic Diet, still in effect today that require more energy and contain negative-calorie foods, like blueberries, broccoli, and white meat chicken or pork. Proponents of the Catabolic Diet say that if your diet is primarily made up of these foods, you'll lose weight even as you eat more. "Ninety per cent of the diseases known to man are caused by cheap foodstuffs. You are what you eat," said Lindlahr.

So interestingly enough, I reviewed 12 sites that all screamed, "Here! The 10 best brain foods!" and except for nuts/seeds, salmon, and dark chocolate, the most repeated (1 through 7) are all on the Catabolic Diet and are considered negative calorie foods, meaning go ahead and eat all you want. (Prediction: At first, you'll be delighted to eat 1 through 7 unendingly. But before the week has ended, I think you'll come to a limit on just how much you can eat limitlessly without turning green and having "bathroom" problems from 1 through 7. Just sayin'.)

The 10 best foods for brain health are:

1.   Blueberries 
2.   Apples
3.   Citrus fruit including lemons and oranges
4.   Avocados
5.   Broccoli 
6.   Carrots
7.   White meat--chicken or pork with no fat 
8.   Whole grain foods and Nuts
9.   Salmon--broiled or baked 
10. Dark chocolate

Side note: Sodium, sugar, refined carbohydrates, and processed foods are all curbed on the Catabolic Diet. While you're on the diet, you're instructed to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day and to drink plenty of water, though not when you're eating your meals. Drink water half an hour before meals and as much as your body can handle after meals. Coffee and tea are allowed, but only before or after, the same as with water. If you get hungry between meals, Lindlahr said to munch on raw celery.

I don't want to end before saying I've tried all the foods of this "best brain foods" list as part of my daily regimen for 3 months. As a stroke survivor, I ate differently before. I've noticed that my memory is better, both short and long term, and my ability to concentrate and focus on one thing at a time have improved. My frustration levels have dropped and I have less anxiety now. It took me a while to notice my improvements and, in addition, I've given up dairy and feel less sluggish, too. It's my imagination? Well, who cares! I feel better and that's what counts.

If you try the 10 best brain foods consistently, let me know if you see an improvement. My email address is hcwriter@gmail.com. Bon appetit!

Acupuncture Cures What Ails You? "Fallacy Man" Produces Quality Points That Give You Pause

A year ago, I spent some time telling my story about acupuncture after the stroke in an ego-centric moment. Chronic pain is a  bitch. Less pain now but still super 
annoying.
(https://stroketales.blogspot.com/2018/04/acupuncture-it-isnt-for-faint-of-heart.html). This post, also about acupuncture, is radically different, and deals with the myths as well as the pros and cons about the ancient art. 

The is from Harvard Medical School, written by Daniel Pendick in 2013, who says, "Chronic pain in the muscles and joints can make life miserable. Standard treatments like ice and heat, anti-inflammatory medications, physical therapy, and appropriate exercises can often ease the pain. But when they don’t, acupuncture is an option with a good track record that’s worth considering."

He goes on to say that there has been significant debate about acupuncture and its effectiveness for chronic pain. A  team of researchers studied the results of 29 different  studies involving nearly 18,000 participants. They concluded acupuncture relieved pain by roughly 50%, reported in Archives of Internal Medicine.

Acupuncture is virtually painless when done by an experienced practitioner, inserting hair-thin needles into the skin at various points. The purpose of the needles is to correct imbalances in the flow of energy called qi (pronounced “chee”), and "is thought to ease pain by affecting neurotransmitters, hormone levels, or the immune system," says Pendick. "Acupuncture treatments range from $65 to $125 per session." The acupuncturist usually takes a 3 or 4-year graduate degree covering all aspects of this Chinese medicine that include Chinese Herbal Medicine, Tui Na (massage), Tai Chi/Qi Gong (movement), and Chinese Dietary Therapy.

The Cleveland Clinic sponsored this 2014 article by Jamie Starkey, LAc (meaning Licensed Acupuncturist) in which she explores 10 myths surrounding acupuncture. 

Myth 1: Acupuncture hurts — after all, we’re talking needles

Fact: Although we use needles, they are very slender and fine (about the size of a cat whisker). You may or may not feel an initial prick, sometimes described as a mosquito bite. Any discomfort will either fade on its own or ease up as your acupuncturist adjusts the needles. You should experience a Qi (pronounced “chee”) sensation, often described as heaviness, throbbing or an electrical sensation. That’s your body’s healing energy doing its work

Myth 2: Acupuncture is ancient folk medicine; no legitimate healthcare professional would recommend it

Fact: Acupuncture is a treatment option that many medical institutions recommend. Even the United States military uses acupuncture. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) funds many clinical research trials on acupuncture. Both the NIH and the World Health Organization (WHO) recognize acupuncture as a valid treatment for a wide range of conditions.

Myth 3: Most people who use, or practice, acupuncture are into ‘New Age’ healing

Fact: On the contrary, you probably have a friend, coworker or neighbor who receives acupuncture treatments.

Myth 4: Acupuncture may conflict with medication, physical therapy and other ‘mainstream’ conventional medical treatments

Fact: There is no conflict between acupuncture and conventional medicine; they complement one another. Acupuncture works nicely as an adjunct to your conventional treatment plan.

Myth 5: Acupuncture is only useful in treating pain

Fact: It’s true that acupuncture [may] help to relieve joint pain, including knee pain, back pain, headache, stomach pain, chemotherapy side effects, morning sickness, (high blood pressure, allergies, and depression. 

Myth 6: Acupuncture has a lot of side effects and you’ll need time off work

Fact: Acupuncture has few to no side effects. After your acupuncture session, you can usually carry on with your day without any restrictions.

Myth 7: Acupuncture’s effects are psychological. It doesn’t really do anything

Fact:  Acupuncture and its effects are far from psychological. Studies show that during acupuncture, our brains begin to release chemicals such as endorphins (natural painkillers) Acupuncture also has an anti-inflammatory effect and helps people’s immune system.

Myth 8: Once you start acupuncture, you’ll always need acupuncture

Fact: For most conditions, acupuncturists strive to improve your main problem so you do not have to return for more treatment. For chronic conditions, some people stay on a maintenance schedule, however, such as returning once a month, because acupuncture continues to help.

Myth 9: If you do not see results in one or two treatments, then you’re unlikely to benefit from acupuncture

Fact: The response to acupuncture is always an individual one. Some people respond quickly — within one, two or three treatments. Others need a full course of eight to 10 treatments. Acupuncture’s effects are cumulative, building with each treatment, so the acupuncturist will assess its effects after you complete a full series of treatments. Acupuncturists use a variety of styles and techniques, so if you do not see results with one clinician, seek out another acupuncturist.

Myth 10: You’ll need a doctor’s referral or a prescription for acupuncture

Fact: Guidelines vary by state. In the state of Ohio, for example, you do not need a doctor’s referral or prescription for acupuncture, but a physician should perform a diagnostic exam  for the condition you plan to treat. It is important you seek out a qualified and medically licensed acupuncturist before starting any course of treatment. [I found in Oregon that a doctor's referral or a prescription is not needed, too].

Kim Hennessee, L.Ac. wrote about a year ago, "Originally acupuncture needles were not made of stainless steel but of stone, bamboo and bone. Today’s needles are extremely fine in diameter (about the thickness of two human hairs) and are sterile and disposable. 

"Acupuncture is highly individualized; for example, if 50 people with the common cold received acupuncture, all 50 people could have different acupuncture points chosen as part of their treatment."

The World Health Organization released a report, Acupuncture:Review of Reports on Controlled Clinical Trials, which endorses the use of acupuncture for over 200 symptoms and diseases including low back pain, headache, nausea/vomiting, allergic rhinitis, depression/anxiety, side effects of chemotherapy and induction of labor.

Hennessee continues, "Acupuncture gained attention in the U.S. after President Nixon’s visit to China in 1972 when an accompanying reporter experienced significant post-operative pain relief after undergoing an emergency appendectomy and wrote about the benefits of acupuncture upon his return to the U.S."

In the United States alone, it is most common to study Five Element Traditional Acupuncture, TCM or Traditional Chinese Medicine Acupuncture, Japanese Acupuncture and Korean Constitutional Acupuncture which are all based in ancient principles of Chinese Medicine.

And this from the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) in 2018: 

"One therapy that has received considerable attention for the treatment of chronic pain is acupuncture. In an update of patient data meta-analysis published in the researchers with the Acupuncture Trialists' Collaboration concluded that acupuncture is effective for the treatment of chronic pain, that the effects of acupuncture persist over time, and that the benefits of acupuncture cannot be explained away solely by the placebo effect."

Jennifer Frost, M.D., medical director for the AAFP's Health of the Public and Science Division, said, "Many family physicians are open to 'alternative' therapies such as acupuncture. Most insurance plans don't cover acupuncture, which significantly reduces access." 

But the bottom line? "It's important that family physicians become aware of which professionals provide high-quality acupuncture in their area to ensure patients receive the best care."

In another lengthy article on acupuncture, written by an unknown source who identifies himself Fallacy Man, he gives us pause to think that acupuncture is a cure-all. He is the "con" in the debate.

Posted on January 14, 2019 (thelogicofscience.com), Fallacy Man says, "Acupuncture is based on pre-scientific mysticism. It is supposed to work via the manipulation of acupoints, but scientists have been unable to find evidence that acupoints actually exist (i.e., they are not physiologically distinguishable from other points on the body." 

He adds, "There is no known mechanism through which acupuncture could work. Nevertheless, thousands of tests have been conducted. Meta-analyses and systematic reviews of these tests are extremely inconsistent, with little agreement among them. Many analyses failed to find evidence that it is better than a placebo, while others found a significant difference. However, the positive results usually had very small effect sizes, suggesting that the results were not clinically significant and were likely statistical flukes." 

Calling acupuncture "prescientific malarky," he disdains inserted needles into "acupoints" along "meridians" that correct the "flow and balance." He also says the literature, i.e. studies, surrounding acupuncture is a "messy one," full of "fanciful tales without having that data to back them up.

"How likely is it really that poking needles into the skin can relieve pain, cure infectious diseases, help with childbirth, treat gastrointestinal problems, etc.? It doesn’t make sense based on everything else that we know," he says.

But nowhere in Fallacy Man's diatribe does he say dangers exist for acupuncture. Just anecdotal references that may not have acupuncture at fault at all.  No deaths from acupuncture, the supporters cry out!

So my conclusion is this: If the chronic pain keeps you from enjoying or concentrating or resenting the life you have, give acupuncture a try, or exhausting your chronic pain options as you cross acupuncture off your list as a failed experiment.