Chronic pain affects at least 116 Million U.S. adults at an estimated cost of $650
billion annually in direct medical treatment and lost productivity. Approximately
25%-50% of community-dwelling older adults and 45%-80% of nursing home residents have
substantial pain. Pain management is commonly medication-based and opioids are still
widely used to treat pain. Although opioids may have some benefit for acute pain management,
habitual use of these drugs for chronic pain carries many risks. In 2010, a Joint
Task Force evaluated pain management in the military and veteran’s health care and
found that there is a paucity of non-medication treatments for pain. Acupuncture was
identified as a safe, effective and well-accepted modality for pain management. Unfortunately,
there are not enough licensed acupuncturist in the Department of Defense(DOD) and
the Veterans Administration(VA) to provide this service. Battlefield Acupuncture (BFA),
developed by Dr. Richard Niemtzow, is a highly effective, easily-learned pain management
technique. It uses just the ear and can be taught in 4 hours. Providers can credential
in the VA and integrate BFA into their practice to successfully manage pain and reduce
dependence on medications. Joint Incentive funding through the DOD and VA has allowed
us to teach providers BFA.
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© 2017 Published by Elsevier Inc.
