Acupuncture & Mainstream Medicine

With Beth Kohn, LAc

For thousands of years, the ancient practice of acupuncture has been a mainstay of traditional Chinese medicine. It is one of the oldest healing techniques in the world, and until recently has been niched for those practicing holistic medicine.

However, over the past several years, it has found its way into modern day medicine. Once taboo with many medical physicians, acupuncture is now being used as complementary treatment in areas such as cancer pain, infertility, dentistry and other areas.

The theory behind acupuncture is that the fields of energy within the body can be manipulated using solid, metallic needles, to stimulate healing within the body. This is based on the principle that the body has two opposing and inseparable forces, the yin and yang, that when appropriately balanced can lead to a healthy being. The needles used help connect the disrupted energies within the body and helps them reconnect along the meridians, which are lines between the points within the body.

Several large studies have been carried out over the past decade to understand the effects of acupuncture. The NIH (National Institute of Health) determined that many physicians were beginning to incorporate acupuncture as complementary treatment to certain conditions.

With the increased use of acupuncture, the FDA now regulates the production of acupuncture needles to certified, trained practitioners to ensure safety, sterility and quality of the needles.

“I find that most of my patients are looking for alternatives to pharmaceutical medicines,” says Beth Kohn, is a certified acupuncturist at the Henry Ford Center of Integrated Medicine, in Northville. “They want to find options with fewer side effects.”

The goal for both traditional western medicine and eastern medicine is the same; to help heal a patient’s ailment. Therefore, combining these two differing philosophies can see successful outcomes for many patients. By working in concert, the practitioners can provide quality outcomes for some of the most difficult of patient conditions.

“We try to figure out how we can use these therapies (acupuncture and herbal medicine) wen traditional western medicine and pharmaceuticals don’t work, or people can’t tolerate them,” says Kohn. “We have used traditional eastern medicine on people with neck pain, headaches, menopause and premenstrual syndromes. We work with the (physicians) to determine if it is okay to incorporate this into the patient’s treatment.”

Although there are still some skeptics to using acupuncture as complementary treatment, they are becoming fewer and fewer. In fact, many physicians are learning about these alternative therapies based on the demand from patients.

“Patients are more educated and do more research today. It used to be you would go to the doctor and ask what to do, and the doctor would take care of you. Today, people are doing research and coming to the doctor with alternatives and questions about herbs and other treatments,” says Kohn.

This patient-driven force is part of the reason that many hospitals within metro Detroit are now incorporating this integrative treatment plan in certain disease states.

One example of how the Center for Integrated Medicine worked with a physician involved a patient diagnosed with Hepatitis C, says Kohn. The patient had researched the disease and did not want to receive interferon treatment.

“I talked with the physician and found out where the patient was in the stage of his illness and discussed the patient’s desire to use alternative therapies. We made sure it wouldn’t be dangerous to the patient and the doctor said it was okay. Baseline blood work was done and we set up a three month treatment plan to see where the patient was after that time,” says Kohn. “We made it clear to the patient that if we didn’t see the results we wanted, then he was to move forward with the medical plan.”

Another large area of use of acupuncture and herbal medicine is in patients with cancer or those who have completed treatment, says Kohn. In particular, patients who survived breast cancer or ovarian cancer who can no longer receive estrogenic medications. “These patients want to try alternative therapies so we have the physicians review the herbs and move forward with the treatment,” says Kohn.

Although acupuncture is commonly thought to be used for those who are already sick, there are many people who receive treatments to stave off illness and keep healthy.

“Acupuncture is tapping into our natural ability to relax and heal,” says Kohn. “There is a natural release of endorphins and nerve stimulation. People who get acupuncture consistently report getting sick less and have immune systems that respond well to illness.”

Acupuncture is not covered by all insurances and it is important to consult with your insurance company to see what their policy is on treatment. You should also do your research to make sure that your therapist is certified by a nationally recognized organization before seeking treatment.

Although side effects are rare with acupuncture, there can still be serious consequences if you are not treated by someone who is well-trained.

Beth Kohn, Acupuncturist, L.Ac (CA), MTOM, Dipl. Ac., Dipl. CH is a Staff Acupuncturist at the Henry Ford Center for Integrative Medicine in Novi. She received her Masters Degree Oriental Medicine (MTOM)-Pacific College of Oriental Medicine, in San Diego, and her Bachelors of Science from the University of Maryland. She is California Board Certified in Licensed Acupuncturist & Chinese Herbalist and received her NCCAOM Certification in Acupuncture therapy (Dipl.Ac.), Certification in Chinese Herbal Medicine (Dipl.CH). She is a current member of the Michigan Association for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.

Women’s Health: April 2007

By Lynda Wolf, MD

In 1935 a team led by doctors Stein and Leventhal described a cluster of symptoms in young women. They observed that these women complained of weight gain, few or no menstrual periods, inability to get pregnant, acne and hair growing in places they did not want.

Stein and Leventhal believed the source of these symptoms to be the ovaries. They actually removed the ovaries from these women and found that – under the microscope – there were many very small cyst like areas, hence the name Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). In 2007, physicians now know that these small fluid filled areas are not cysts at all. These fluid filled areas in the ovaries are follicles.

Follicles are a place in the ovary where an egg has started to grow. The reason there are so many small follicles is that they are getting blocked during their process of growth. Therefore, there are many eggs that have been recruited to grow and release, but they find themselves in an environment where they get stuck at the beginning.

It wasn’t until the early 1990s that scientists began to understand the cause of the arrested follicular development and all the other symptoms that can be found in women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. It has been found that most women with this cluster of symptoms have insulin resistance.

Insulin is a hormone that regulates many functions in the body, most famously, sugar levels in the blood. If the body is unable to make insulin, Type I diabetes develops. Type I diabetes is also known as insulin requiring diabetes. People that have Type I diabetes will need to take replacement insulin for the rest of their lives. Without replacement insulin, blood sugar levels go very high.

Most people with diabetes are diagnosed with the Type II variety. This level of diabetes occurs in people with insulin resistance.

Insulin resistance is the impaired ability of insulin to do its work inside cells such as its function to lower blood sugar levels. In order to keep blood sugar levels normal, the body produces more than the usual amount of insulin, a condition called hyperinsulinemia.

Unfortunately, there is no easy way to test for insulin resistance. Most doctors use a fasting insulin level in the blood. That sounds easy enough. Just have nothing to eat or drink for 12 hours and get your blood drawn. The difficulty comes in interpreting the test results. People whose cells use insulin incorrectly will have almost undetectable insulin levels when they have fasted for 12 hours. Their insulin level will usually be five or less.

People with insulin resistance have higher levels of insulin in their blood after fasting. The problem lies in determining how much insulin is too much insulin. Even the experts can’t agree on what fasting insulin level in the blood is too high. However, most agree that in reproductive aged women the level should not be higher than 10-20. That’s a very broad range of what is interpreted as “normal.”

If women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome are able to lower their insulin levels, they lose weight. The converse is also true, if women with insulin resistance are able to lose weight, their insulin levels go down. Losing as little as 10% of their body weight or even 20 pounds, increases chances of pregnancy and reduces all the health risks associated with PCOS and insulin resistance.

Those health risks include developing Type II diabetes, high blood, heart disease, stroke, sleep problems, and cancers including cancer of the lining of the uterus. If women are able to lower their insulin levels, they may start regular menstrual periods. Their acne improves. New hairs stop forming where they don’t want it.

For women with polycystic ovarian syndrome who want to become pregnant, lowering insulin levels, allows them to get pregnant faster.

Strategies for lowering insulin levels include daily exercise, modifying food choices and taking insulin lowering medications.

Regular exercise is essential for weight loss. A minimum of 30 minutes of moderately intense exercise at least three days per week is recommended. However, some form of sustained physical activity for 30 minutes everyday is an even faster way to lower insulin levels.

Dietary interventions should focus on restricting calories and simple carbohydrates while increasing protein and fiber. The most studied insulin lowering medication used in women with PCOS and insulin resistance is Metformin.

Metformin may cause some effects on the bowels including diarrhea but is usually well tolerated. Most women on Metformin lose weight as their insulin levels go down.

The best way to lower insulin levels is to combine an insulin lowering agent with daily diet modifications and exercise. PCOS and insulin resistance required a daily commitment to healthy living to keep insulin levels low, but the increased energy and reductions in health risks are an important reward.

Dr. Lynda Wolf, a board certified reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at the Medical University of Ohio at Toledo. While under her direction, the Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) Program was the most successful program in the region. Dr. Wolf started the first Anonymous Donor Egg Recipiency program in Northwest Ohio. During medical school at the University of Minnesota, she was inducted into AOA, a national medical honor society. Dr. Wolf completed her residency in Obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Michigan. She completed her fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.