NEWS RELEASE

American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Celebrates National Hospice/Palliative Care Month

San Francisco, CA November 2008 marks the 30th annual National Hospice/Palliative Care Month, an event that honors the men and women who have dedicated their lives to taking care of those in need.

In support of hospice care, the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine offers care, free of charge, to the residents and staff of the Jewish Home for the Aged (JHA) in San Francisco. Here, ACTCM clinical interns, under the supervision of a licensed acupuncturist, use acupuncture to maximize patient function and minimize pain and the side effects of pain medication given to the JHA's residents. JHA's medical staff refers residents to receive acupuncture for a myriad of health issues, including depression, anxiety, insomnia, nausea, fatigue, pain, weakness, tremor, shortness of breath, neuropathy, edema, urinary incontinence, degenerative joint disease and memory/hearing loss. The staff of JHA receives benefits from the acupuncture as well; helping them to deal with the emotional and physical toll of caring for terminally ill residents, with whom many staff forge close relationships.

According to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), 1.3 million people in the U.S. with life-limiting illness received care from over 4,500 hospice providers last year. This represents continued growth in both patients served and number of providers. As of 2007, approximately 35 percent of all deaths in the United States were under the care of a hospice program.

As the baby boomers age, the number of seniors in America has been increasing and the trend is projected to continue. While there were only 33.9 million people over the age of 65 in 1996, by 2030, that number is expected to reach 69.4 million. As of 2004, persons over 65 years or older represented 12.4% of U.S. population, which turns out to be about one in every eight Americans. With such a large portion of the population facing old age, more Americans are turning to holistic modalities that are less invasive, have fewer side effects and are less costly than conventional surgeries or pharmaceuticals.

According to the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), acupuncture is beneficial as a primary therapy for treating both acute and chronic pain. Acupuncture is effective in reducing pain due to its ability to increase the circulation of blood and lymphatic fluids and release endorphins, the body's natural painkillers. The functional MRI has shown predictable and reproducible changes in very specific areas of the brain when acupuncture needles are placed in specific sites around the body. The placement of acupuncture needles at specific pain points have been found to release endorphins, opioids, immune system cells and neurotransmitters in the brain.

The Journal of the American Medical Association estimates that approximately 42 percent of all Americans are using complementary therapies such as acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and spending more than $34 billion annually. The National Certification Commission for Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM) estimates that nearly one out of every 10 adults in the United States has tried acupuncture.

For more information on how acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine can help ease the pain and suffering of individuals at the end stages of life, please call American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine at (415) 355-1601 x12.