Recent News and Articles on the Keywords: acupuncture + mind + all  Related to the article below (Last Update: 8/5/2008)

Daily Mail It's NOT all hokum! A new book reveals which herbal remedies work ... Daily Mail, UK - BENEFICIAL: Acupuncture alleviates pain, particularly in knees. Phytodolor, a herbal mixture, has been shown to be safe and effective in alleviating aches ... Cancer patients often use "complementary methods" Reuters - ... higher income, and educational achievement were all predictive of using CMs. However, African Americans had a greater tendency to use "mind-body methods ... Chronic pain takes toll on many The Coloradoan, CO - Aug 4, 2008 Our mind can either be our friend or our enemy. It can work with us or against us.? Kent Nixon of Old Town Acupuncture on Cherry Street said people with ... OurValley.org Alternative ways to lose weight OurValley.org, VA - Jul 31, 2008 Some of the less common ones include herbs and supplements, hypnotherapy, acupuncture, and bariatrics in addition to fitness and nutrition centers. ... Pak Watan COVER STORY: The Alternative Route Pak Watan, Pakistan - Jul 29, 2008 Whether it is through herbs, salts, yogic exercise, acupressure or acupuncture, restoring the harmony of mind and body and eradicating disease is the ... Scraping, poking in search of some relief Chicago Tribune, United States - Jul 20, 2008 "[Acupuncture] hasn't eliminated the migraines, but it has made them more manageable and less frequent," said Linebrink, who personally discovered the ... Linebrink held out for one more day Chicago White Sox all 5 news articles » Your health and fitness is an international debate now Newindpress, India - Jul 27, 2008 Whether it is keeping good health, preventing and containing disease or alleviating pain and misery of the body, breath and mind ? all roads lead to the ... Astrum's new spa aims to rejuvinate body and mind The Lakeside Leader, Canada - Jul 15, 2008 There is the acupuncture inspired thermal massage bed. More than just an automatic massage table, this one comes complete with jade rollers that emit ... Getting away from it all guardian.co.uk, UK - Jul 7, 2008 Here are 12 retreats and holidays that are sure to refresh you, mind, body and soul. This internationally acclaimed resort (meaning Haven for Life) is ... SouthCoast Recovery receives award and membership into CAADE's ... Free Press Release Center (press release), Canada - Jul 31, 2008 ... program while receiving clinical and medical care as well as Eastern holistic treatments such as acupuncture for overall mind, body and spirit renewal.

Is acupuncture all in the mind?

The power of acupuncture may be largely in the mind, scientists say.

People who believe it will work are five times more likely to report their condition has improved after treatment, experts have discovered.

Acupuncture, which originated in China more than 2,500 years ago, is the most popular of alternative therapies used by more than five million people each year in the UK. An estimated £450 million a year is spent by patients on private practitioners.

It is said to ease pain by using needles to relax the nervous system around central pain pathways and promote release of endorphins, the body's natural feel-good chemicals.

Needles are left in for about 15 minutes and an acupuncturist sometimes gently manoeuvres them to heighten the effect.

In the new study, 135 patients with lower back pain were prescribed either acupuncture or massage therapy.

Those who expected good results from either treatment were more likely to improve, said the research team, led by Dr Donna Kalauokalani of Washington University, St. Louis.

Eighty-six per cent of patients with high expectations had 'clinically significant' improvement, compared to 68 per cent of those with low expectations.

Dr Kalauokalani, whose findings are in the latest issue of the medical journal Spine, said that after adjustment for other factors, patients with high expectations were five times more likely to improve after massage therapy or acupuncture.

Low back pain, she added, is a problem in which psychological factors may affect response to treatment. It is also one of the leading reasons patients seek alternative therapies.

The results suggested other researchers investigating the efficacy of alternative therapies should take into account patients' expectations, she said.

And in treatment, doctors and practitioners should be aware that expectations could affect the choice of therapy for an individual patient.

'The current findings support shared decision-making by patients and providers as a basis for improving clinical outcomes, particularly when the safety and costs of each treatment are similar,' she added.

A recent report from the British Medical Association's board of science said there was good evidence from clinical trials that acupuncture relieves nausea --particularly after surgery - back pain, dental pain and migraine.

Its effect on neck pain, stroke recovery and joint problems is less clear and the report said it did not help patients trying to stop smoking or lose weight.