Photo By Cpl. Shandra Dyess | Acupuncture is an alternative to traditional Western medicine and the side effects...... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS AIR STATION NEW RIVER, N.C. - If pain or discomfort has ever persisted in your body and traditional medicine and treatment has not helped, or the side effects are worse than what is being treated, acupuncture may be an option for treatment.
Naval Hospital Camp Lejeune offers acupuncture to Marines, Sailors and dependents needing an alternative.
“The acupuncture that we offer is a culmination of both Eastern and Western medicine,” said Navy Lt. Cmdr. Jason S. Litchfield, acupuncture therapist. “We take the best of both practices and apply them to treat your ailment.”
Acupuncture involves the insertion of small needles in specific areas of the body, known in Eastern medicine as meridians. In Western terms, the needles are massaging the peripheral nervous system to help the body naturally reset itself, according to http://www.eastern-acupuncture.com.
“The body runs off of chemical messengers such as serotonin and norepinephrine,” said Litchfield. “What we do helps the body to better regulate them, which is what aids in pain relief.”
Acupuncture can be used to treat all different pain syndromes from neck, back and knee pain to some psychiatric conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder, combat fatigue and depression.
“One of the only negatives about acupuncture is that it does not last,” said Litchfield. “It usually starts out with weekly visits then maybe we can make it into bi-weekly visits and possibly even monthly.”
Most people who seek to receive acupuncture as a treatment do so because of the side-effects of the medication they are currently taking.
“Acupuncture can also be used to help people who are taking medications and want to stop taking them without going through the symptoms of withdrawal,” said Litchfield. “What we do helps their bodies to re-learn how to fight its own pain again without the medicine.”
In order to receive acupuncture, a referral from your primary care manager requesting acupuncture therapy needs to be submitted to the pain management section of the naval hospital.
| Date Taken: | 02.13.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 02.13.2013 16:11 |
| Story ID: | 101931 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS AIR STATION NEW RIVER, NC, US |
| Web Views: | 116 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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