News>Battlefield acupuncture offers alternative pain relief for deployed service members
Photos
Retired Col. Richard Niemtzow shows observing healthcare professionals how to properly apply the acupunture needle into Master Sgt. Michelle Tancrede's ear during the battlefield acupuncture course Aug. 12, 2011, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. Battlefiled acupuncture is a simple, easy-to-use technique that offers fast and effective pain relief. Niemtzow is the Air Force Acupuncture Clinic director and Tancrede is the 779th Aerospace Medical Squadron mission operations NCO in charge. (U.S Air Force photo/ Bahja J. Jones)
Capt. Darrell Singer (left) and Col. Sal Lombardi practice placing acupuncture needles into oranges during the battlefield acupuncture course Aug. 11, 2011, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. Battlefiled acupuncture is a simple, easy-to-use technique that offers fast and effective pain relief.Singer is assigned to the Office of the Secretary of Defense with the National Institute of Health at the Pentagon and Lombardi is assigned to Joint Force Headquarters Maryland National Guard state surgeon. (U.S Air Force photo/ Bahja J. Jones)
by Airman 1st Class Bahja J Jones
11th WIng Public Affairs
8/25/2011 - JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. (AFNS) -- Officials from the Malcolm Grow Medical Center Acupuncture Clinic held a battlefield acupuncture course Aug. 11 for military medical and other healthcare professionals to learn the innovative pain relief technique.
Rather than service members opting for pharmaceutical drugs with possible adverse side effects that could affect job performance or duty abilities, battlefield acupuncture may be an effective alternative for treating mild to moderate pain.
Retired Col. Richard C. Niemtzow, the Air Force Acupuncture Clinic director, developed the technique in 2001. Acupuncturists place small gold, titanium or stainless steel semi-permanent needles in various pressure points within the ears to relieve pain, Niemtzow said. The needles interrupt the process of pain in the central nervous system to either temporarily or permanently relieve pain over time.
"The whole idea behind battlefield acupuncture is to find a rapid technique that would be simple to use for all types of pain," Niemtzow said.
During the four-hour course, service members learned the fundamentals and application techniques, and performed the technique on actual patients.
After practicing placement of the acupuncture needles on oranges, the group located pressure points on each other as Niemtzow observed. Once they showed proficiency with placement, they were able to perform the technique on patients.
Master Sgt. Michelle Tancrede, the 779th Aerospace Medical Squadron mission operations NCO in charge, visited the clinic with back pain. After two hours of training, the group was able to alleviate some of the pain she experienced.
"I definitely felt a difference," Tancrede said.
It has been reported that battlefield acupuncture is being implemented daily in Afghanistan and Iraq, Niemtzow said.
Army Maj. Charles Benner, a 29th Combat Aeromedical Physician Aviation Brigade assistant, attended the class only a few weeks before his deployment.
"I'm going to try it," Benner said. "I've seen it done in the past, and it worked."
"It is not better than western medicine, but it is a technique to relieve pain without any side effects that allows you to return back to duty much more rapidly than using medication," Niemtzow said.
Comments
8/27/2011 5:08:01 AM ET I find this appalling. The Air Force is spending money and wasting technician's time on training them to do something that does not work. Will they be providing training on palm reading next? I am currently deployed and if anyone were to try to practice this technique on me, regardless of my injuries, I would do everything in my power to remove myself from that medical facility.
Kevin, Kandahar AB Afghanistan
8/26/2011 9:17:49 AM ET So. Much. Rage. I am reminded of a story from a couple years ago where Thai soldiers were given magic amulets in place of bullet-proof armor. Is our military really advocating the substitution of superstitious nonsense in place of pain medication for our soldiers? There's a reason why pain medications have side effects. It's because they also have ACTUAL effects. Acupuncture has been extensively studied and determined to be ineffective for subjective symptoms. It has no place on the battlefield.
MarshallDog, Boston
8/25/2011 12:49:07 PM ET Wearing the bling in my ears didn't look so great but Dr. Niemtzow made my back pain disappear in a few short weeks. I was diagnosed with sciatica and could barely move. After mulitple pain pills and massage therapy, they asked if I would be interested in this procedure. I had nothing to lose and am really glad I did it. Hats off to Dr. Niemtzow for this type of procedure.
