"The Laughing Club of India"

At times, on this blog, Dr.s Duckworth and Hackler have discussed the importance of laughing, as a sort of daily, self-medicating ritual. For those who subscribe to the Netflix DVD service, a short film on the "Full Frame Documentary Shorts, Vol. 1" disc might be of interest.

On it, a half-hour short called "The Laughing Club of India" gives a sense of efforts to turn laughter into not only a personal affair, but as a communal affirmation of life, with dozens of groups springing up around India. Though a few e years old and somewhat-roughly-shot, the film, directed by Mira Nair ("Monsoon Wedding," "Mississippi Masala") is an enjoyable treat, and, probably the highlight of the disc.

If it's possible to watch a film on laughing and not laugh while viewing it... well, give it a shot. You probably won't be successful and that won't be a bad thing. Ha-ha-ha.

An Innerhealth List: Acupuncture and Scientific Research, pt. 2

Acupuncture and Arthritis
http://nccam.nih.gov/news/2004/acu-osteo/pressrelease.htm

Acupuncture and Neck Pain
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16781068?ordinalpos=&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.SmartSearch&log$=citationsensor

Acupucnture for Migraines
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17115982

Acupuncture for Chronic Low Back Pain
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17237661

Acupuncture and Depression
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/119129837/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0

Acupuncture for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&Cmd=ShowDetailView&TermToSearch=17568299

Acupuncture for Fibromyalgia
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18758677?ordinalpos=3&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

Dr. Duckworth says...: Sign a Petition for Health Care Reform

Hi,

On Wednesday, President Obama reaffirmed his support for a public health insurance option--the key piece of health care reform that will provide coverage for all Americans and help bring costs down.

But as the health care fight heats up, right-wing lobbyists and conservatives in Congress are working hard to kill the public health insurance option.

I signed a petition today telling Congress I stand with Obama on health care reform. Can you join me at the link below?

http://pol.moveon.org/popetition/

Thanks!

An Innerhealth List: Acupuncture and Scientific Research, pt. 1

Compliments, again, to the Innerhealth blog of Salem, OR. Here's the first of a two-part installment of links to scientific research tied to acupuncture, with info on a variety of topics:

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Acupucnture and Weightloss
http://www.medicalacupuncture.org/aama_marf/journal/vol14_2/article6.html

Acupuncture and Stroke
http://www.medicalacupuncture.org/acu_info/articles/stroketreatment.html

Acupuncture and Prostatitis
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18998473?ordinalpos=2&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

Acupuncture for Cancer Patients
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17237661

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18054724

Acupuncture and Bedwetting in Children
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16817271?ordinalpos=7&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

How Acupuncture Works
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17718643?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DiscoveryPanel.Pubmed_Discovery_RA&linkpos=5&log$=relatedreviews&logdbfrom=pubmed

http://ecam.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/nem122v1

Acupuncture and Digestive Problems
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=PubMed&Cmd=ShowDetailView&TermToSearch=17659687&ordinalpos=26&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

Innerhealth blog: Acupuncture and migraines

Reprinted from the blog Innerhealth (details and links at end of piece):

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Tuesday, December 02, 2008

Acupuncture works better than drugs like aspirin to reduce the severity and frequency of chronic headaches, U.S. researchers reported on Monday.

A review of studies involving nearly 4,000 patients with migraine, tension headache and other forms of chronic headache showed that that 62 percent of the acupuncture patients reported headache relief compared to 45 percent of people taking medications, the team at Duke University found.

"Acupuncture is becoming a favourable option for a variety of purposes, ranging from enhancing fertility to decreasing post-operative pain, because people experience significantly fewer side effects and it can be less expensive than other options," Dr. Tong Joo Gan, who led the study, said in a statement.

"This analysis reinforces that acupuncture also is a successful source of relief from chronic headaches."

Writing in Anesthesia and Analgesia, they said 53 percent of patients given true acupuncture were helped, compared to 45 percent receiving sham therapy involving needles inserted in non-medical positions.

"One of the barriers to treatment with acupuncture is getting people to understand that while needles are used, it is not a painful experience," Gan said. "It is a method for releasing your body's own natural painkillers."

They found it took on average five to six visits for patients to report headache relief.
Other studies have shown that acupuncture helped alleviate pain in patients who had surgery for head and neck cancer, can relieve hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms and can reduce chemotherapy-induced nausea.

(The above text was first published in ChineseMedicineTimes, Attilio D'Alberto)

Source:INNERHEALTH
Angela Pfaffenberger, Ph.D., Lic.Ac.
375 Leffelle Street SE Salem , OR 97302 phone: (503) 364-3022
http://www.altmd.com/Specialists/INNERHEALTH/Blog