Use of Acupuncture for Chronic Pain: Optimizing Clinical Practice

[Guest guest]

Holist Nurs Pract. 2005 September/October;19(5):217-221.

Use of Acupuncture for Chronic Pain: Optimizing Clinical Practice.

Eshkevari L, Heath J.

Department of Anesthesia Pain Services, town University

Hospital, and the Nurse Anesthesia Program (Ms Eshkevari), and the

Acute Care Nurse Practitioner and Critical Care Clinical Nurse

Specialist Program (Ms Heath), town University, School of

Nursing and Health Studies, Washington, DC.

Increasingly, individuals are turning to complementary therapies to

reduce or cope with chronic pain. Acupuncture, one of the oldest

complementary therapies, originated from China more than 2500 years

ago. It has steadily gained popularity in the United States over the

last few decades as a modality for pain relief among both

practitioners and patients. A 1997 National Institutes of Health

consensus conference concluded that acupuncture needling releases

endorphins and other neurotransmitters in the brain and should be

considered as an appropriate pain treatment option. This article will

provide an overview about acupuncture principles, discuss current

clinical evidence, and identify acupuncture resources to optimize

practice for chronic pain management.