How acupuncture is working wonders for people with HIV-Aids
By, Jim Pollard, The Nation, October 14, 2007
A pilot project in Chiang Mai province to treat people who have HIV and Aids with acupuncture and traditional Chinese massage has yielded such positive results it will soon be replicated in Africa, India and elsewhere in Thailand.
The project - launched by Dr Laura Louie, a Canadian naturopathic doctor trained in the traditional Chinese medicine - has been running at the small Mae On hospital, 35 kilometres east of Chiang Mai, for more than three years.
Acupuncture has worked minor miracles for some patients, who have enjoyed a big boost in their mental, emotional and physical wellbeing.
"I noticed after two to four treatments patients were having a dramatic improvement in their symptoms. People who'd had headaches or chronic pain for years reported that they no longer felt any pain. It really balanced their body out," says Louie.
"I thought 'Wow!' It still amazes me how much it [acupuncture] can help people.
One man in his early 30s, who she prefers not to name, was stuck in a wheelchair and unable to walk because of severe numbness and pain in his legs. He had little appetite and needed someone to assist him. After treatment he gained weight and is now back walking and working.
A study from 2004 to 2005 on 27 patients showed that 96 per cent had an improvement in their physical wellbeing. The acupuncture and short massage sessions had either resolved or decreased the frequency or intensity of their symptoms.
And "86 per cent said they had improvement in their sense of wellness and emotional well-being, which is important - quality of life is a significant factor in why I did this.
"We know we've got the [anti-retroviral] drugs to help them live for a long time, but what's their quality of life?"
About half of the patients say acupuncture has cut their physical symptoms and allowed them to work more, thus reducing their financial worries and enabling them to participate more in community and social activities.
The beauty of the programme is that it's cheap. "Acupuncture has few serious side-effects if used correctly," says Louie. "And it's very cost effective. It costs just US$6 (Bt216) to treat a person for one month, which is one session a week.
"It also treats the side-effects of anti-retroviral drugs - digestive problems, loss of appetite, numbness in the extremities or headaches. They are good drugs; however, they don't come without several side-effects. Those cause people to stop taking the drugs, so acupuncture is a very good regime to use in parallel.
"There are also secondary benefits - many patients came back saying 'I have more energy, better appetite, less stress and better sleep'. They were not treated for these conditions but acupuncture is a holistic medicine that balances out the whole body."
Louie, 47, has been practising acupuncture for 12 years. Originally from Vancouver, she has been coming to Thailand about three times a year for periods of between six and 12 weeks to train and supervise the staff at Mae On, plus helping with any problems or concerns.
Highly positive results from trial treatments in early 2002 prompted her to propose a programme of acupuncture training and treatment to the hospital director to complement the anti-retroviral drug programme already in place. The idea was accepted and Louie went home and started raising money.
"The official training programme started in April 2004 with two nurses who volunteered to do a course in traditional Chinese medicine in their own time."
By August they had undertaken 110 hours of classroom training. "We then opened the acupuncture clinic. I think we raised C$35,000 (about Bt1 million at the time) - both from my friends and family. We are not a registered charity, so it was just people who believed in me."
The money was spent on training the nurses - specially chosen by the hospital - in the fundamentals of traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture points and meridians.
It also paid for Louie's airfares plus the basic equipment and materials for a small clinic at Mae On Hospital.
"At the start, I taught them how to locate the acupuncture points and insert the needle. We'd interview patients and teach what questions to ask [to assess people's health]. Some patients had specific problems; others just said 'unwell'.
"Acupuncture is very individualised. You find imbalances and do acupuncture to help that. It's 3,000 years of knowledge that determine this system. That includes the depth the needle goes in, the angle and the function of the acupuncture point - points have particular functions associated with them - resolving dampness, or clearing heat, removing blood stagnation, etc."
As well as acupuncture, patients also get a 10-minute tui na massage -an ancient Chinese technique.
"It appears to help decrease the stigma of HIV because it's done without using gloves or a mask unless indicated," Louie explains.
"When I first volunteered, I'd be giving the tui na massage and many concerned individuals would ask why I wasn't using gloves. This gave me the opportunity to explain how one contracts HIV and this helped to decrease the stigma."
"The acupuncture clinic has also helped create a very nice support network. People can talk safely and there's laughing and telling jokes. Some even say the nice social atmosphere is why they come.
"I want to make sure the programme is a success and the nurses get good results. But now it's been running for three years, they know they can do it on their own."
Louie has spoken internationally about the Mae On Project, which she now plans to replicate in Tanzania and India. Early last year, she presented a talk on her findings from Mae On at the Global Summit on HIV/Aids, Traditional Medicine and Indigenous Knowledge held in Accra, Ghana. She met a doctor from Tanzania who asked her to set up a similar clinic in his country.
"People were very receptive. They like the fact that it's very easy to implement and also that's is so inexpensive.
"At home in Canada and in the US, lots of people with HIV use acupuncture and traditional medicine. I'd assume it's happening in China too."
American acupuncturists working for a US non-profit group treating Africans with HIV in Uganda have reported "the same dramatic results we get here in Thailand", she adds.
The only drawback for Thailand is that nurses are not allowed to undertake acupuncture unless supervised by a medical doctor.
"They're not allowed to sit exams to become licensed acupuncturists. Whereas in all Western countries that I know of - England, Canada and the US - nurses can go on and become licensed acupuncturists."
On the Net: LauraLouieHopeFoundation.org
Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/10/14/lifestyle/lifestyle_30052248.php
A pilot project in Chiang Mai province to treat people who have HIV and Aids with acupuncture and traditional Chinese massage has yielded such positive results it will soon be replicated in Africa, India and elsewhere in Thailand.
The project - launched by Dr Laura Louie, a Canadian naturopathic doctor trained in the traditional Chinese medicine - has been running at the small Mae On hospital, 35 kilometres east of Chiang Mai, for more than three years.
Acupuncture has worked minor miracles for some patients, who have enjoyed a big boost in their mental, emotional and physical wellbeing.
"I noticed after two to four treatments patients were having a dramatic improvement in their symptoms. People who'd had headaches or chronic pain for years reported that they no longer felt any pain. It really balanced their body out," says Louie.
"I thought 'Wow!' It still amazes me how much it [acupuncture] can help people.
One man in his early 30s, who she prefers not to name, was stuck in a wheelchair and unable to walk because of severe numbness and pain in his legs. He had little appetite and needed someone to assist him. After treatment he gained weight and is now back walking and working.
A study from 2004 to 2005 on 27 patients showed that 96 per cent had an improvement in their physical wellbeing. The acupuncture and short massage sessions had either resolved or decreased the frequency or intensity of their symptoms.
And "86 per cent said they had improvement in their sense of wellness and emotional well-being, which is important - quality of life is a significant factor in why I did this.
"We know we've got the [anti-retroviral] drugs to help them live for a long time, but what's their quality of life?"
About half of the patients say acupuncture has cut their physical symptoms and allowed them to work more, thus reducing their financial worries and enabling them to participate more in community and social activities.
The beauty of the programme is that it's cheap. "Acupuncture has few serious side-effects if used correctly," says Louie. "And it's very cost effective. It costs just US$6 (Bt216) to treat a person for one month, which is one session a week.
"It also treats the side-effects of anti-retroviral drugs - digestive problems, loss of appetite, numbness in the extremities or headaches. They are good drugs; however, they don't come without several side-effects. Those cause people to stop taking the drugs, so acupuncture is a very good regime to use in parallel.
"There are also secondary benefits - many patients came back saying 'I have more energy, better appetite, less stress and better sleep'. They were not treated for these conditions but acupuncture is a holistic medicine that balances out the whole body."
Louie, 47, has been practising acupuncture for 12 years. Originally from Vancouver, she has been coming to Thailand about three times a year for periods of between six and 12 weeks to train and supervise the staff at Mae On, plus helping with any problems or concerns.
Highly positive results from trial treatments in early 2002 prompted her to propose a programme of acupuncture training and treatment to the hospital director to complement the anti-retroviral drug programme already in place. The idea was accepted and Louie went home and started raising money.
"The official training programme started in April 2004 with two nurses who volunteered to do a course in traditional Chinese medicine in their own time."
By August they had undertaken 110 hours of classroom training. "We then opened the acupuncture clinic. I think we raised C$35,000 (about Bt1 million at the time) - both from my friends and family. We are not a registered charity, so it was just people who believed in me."
The money was spent on training the nurses - specially chosen by the hospital - in the fundamentals of traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture points and meridians.
It also paid for Louie's airfares plus the basic equipment and materials for a small clinic at Mae On Hospital.
"At the start, I taught them how to locate the acupuncture points and insert the needle. We'd interview patients and teach what questions to ask [to assess people's health]. Some patients had specific problems; others just said 'unwell'.
"Acupuncture is very individualised. You find imbalances and do acupuncture to help that. It's 3,000 years of knowledge that determine this system. That includes the depth the needle goes in, the angle and the function of the acupuncture point - points have particular functions associated with them - resolving dampness, or clearing heat, removing blood stagnation, etc."
As well as acupuncture, patients also get a 10-minute tui na massage -an ancient Chinese technique.
"It appears to help decrease the stigma of HIV because it's done without using gloves or a mask unless indicated," Louie explains.
"When I first volunteered, I'd be giving the tui na massage and many concerned individuals would ask why I wasn't using gloves. This gave me the opportunity to explain how one contracts HIV and this helped to decrease the stigma."
"The acupuncture clinic has also helped create a very nice support network. People can talk safely and there's laughing and telling jokes. Some even say the nice social atmosphere is why they come.
"I want to make sure the programme is a success and the nurses get good results. But now it's been running for three years, they know they can do it on their own."
Louie has spoken internationally about the Mae On Project, which she now plans to replicate in Tanzania and India. Early last year, she presented a talk on her findings from Mae On at the Global Summit on HIV/Aids, Traditional Medicine and Indigenous Knowledge held in Accra, Ghana. She met a doctor from Tanzania who asked her to set up a similar clinic in his country.
"People were very receptive. They like the fact that it's very easy to implement and also that's is so inexpensive.
"At home in Canada and in the US, lots of people with HIV use acupuncture and traditional medicine. I'd assume it's happening in China too."
American acupuncturists working for a US non-profit group treating Africans with HIV in Uganda have reported "the same dramatic results we get here in Thailand", she adds.
The only drawback for Thailand is that nurses are not allowed to undertake acupuncture unless supervised by a medical doctor.
"They're not allowed to sit exams to become licensed acupuncturists. Whereas in all Western countries that I know of - England, Canada and the US - nurses can go on and become licensed acupuncturists."
On the Net: LauraLouieHopeFoundation.org
Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/10/14/lifestyle/lifestyle_30052248.php
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