MATTERS OF NOTE

Acupuncture in the Emergency Room

Abbot Northwestern Hospital in Minne- Healing. And when these patients start Does the Emergency Department func-
apolis, Minnesota, is conducting a pilot to get medicalized, that stress and anxi- tion better when some patients receive
study in their Emergency Department to ety can increase even more. acupuncture?
determine if acupuncture can help reduce One of Dr. Baechler's patients, whom
pain, anxiety, and nausea in emergency she was seeing at the Penny George
room patients. It is already proving so Institute for Health and Healing, was
successful that Allina is planning on experiencing paroxysmal atrial brilla-
deploying acupuncture in the emergency tion, or short episodes of increased heart
room at its new WestHealth clinic site. rate. Even though the patient was not
The program began when Research comfortable in conventional medicine
Director Jeff Dusek, PhD, received a settings and preferred a more natural
philanthropic donation to look at the approach, Dr. Baechler sent her to a
provision of acupuncture in the emer- conventional cardiologist for an electro-
gency room. Dusek worked with acu- cardiogram. I really felt that we should
puncturist Adam Reinstein, LAc, and look at the test data and she agreed,
Chris Kapsner, MD, the medical direc- explained Dr. Baechler.
tor of the Abbott Northwestern Emer- But while getting the cardiology tests,
gency Department, to design the study. the patient started to become increas-
The emergency room physicians had ingly anxious and went into atrial bril-
told us that they wanted options other lation. The cardiologist immediately
than medications to help control pain, sent her to the Abbott Emergency
anxiety, and nausea, Dusek explained. Room. Even though it was a week when
the Reinstein was not providing services
Courtney Baechler, MD in the emergency room, the culture had
changed so much that the attending
Before starting the pilot study, Rein- physician called Reinstein to see if he
stein shadowed in the department for would be able to treat this patient.
several months, educating both the clin- The emergency room physician put
ical and administrative staff on what the patient in a room and turned on
acupuncture was and the conditions for some relaxing music for her. Then
which it could be used. That helped Reinstein came to the emergency
develop cultural awareness that Adam room and gave her a 20-minute acu-
was going to be part of the Emergency puncture session. At the end of the
Department team and what kind of treatment, the patient's heart rate had
patients would be appropriate for an normalized.
acupuncture intervention, explained This was a person who traditionally
Dr. Kapsner. Many of the staff even would be admitted into the hospital and
received treatments themselves during given medications to slow their heart
this training period. rate, explained Dr. Baechler. But after
The pilot study was designed so that 20 minutes of treatment she was released
Reinstein works in the emergency room and she walked home.
for a variable period of time (e.g., one or Dr. Baechler added that, My patient
Jeffrey Dusek, PhD was so thankful to have that experience
two weeks) and is then off for variable
There was also a real recognition that period of time (e.g., one or two weeks). to heal the way she wanted to heal, but
many people who go to the emergency This schedule enables the researchers to she was also thankful to be in a setting
room have conditions with a stress and collect comparison data and to begin to where if things got worse and she needed
anxiety component, explained Court- answer questions such as, Can pain be conventional treatment, it would be
ney Baechler, MD, Vice President of the managed with non-pharmacologic treat- available. I think this is really the type
Penny George Institute for Health and ments? Are less pain medications used? of care we should be offering everyone.

278 Matters of Note EXPLORE September/October 2014, Vol. 10, No. 5

 for the State of Washington (19971999);
Integrative Healthcare three Integrative Medicine Industry Lead-
Reducing Opioid Use at VA ership Summits which involved leaders of
There is some good news coming out of all healthcare stakeholders (20002002);
the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) the National Policy Dialogue to Advance
these days. Launched in October 2013 Integrated Care: Creating Common Ground
in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the Opioid (2001); the Integrated Healthcare Policy
Safety Initiative (OSI) is a multi-faceted Consortium, for which he served on the
approach to reduce the use of opioids steering committee (20022008); Collab-
among Americas Veterans using VA oration for Healthcare Renewal Founda-
healthcare. tion (20012004); and organizing and
OSI incorporates the team approach directing the National Education Dia-
with the goal of reducing opioid use by logue (NED) to Advance Integrated
alleviating a Veterans pain using non- Healthcare: Creating Common Ground
prescription methods, with an emphasis (20042006).
on patient education, close patient mon-
itoring and integrative practices like
acupuncture and behavior therapy.
OSI is already demonstrating success
Adam Reinstein, LAc in lowering dependency on opioids. At
eight sites of care in Minnesota, OSI pra-
Reinstein has treated more than 200 ctices have decreased high-dose opioid
patients since the pilot study began in use by more than 50%.
November 2013. It is exciting to have
this opportunity to integrate acupuncture The Opioid Safety Initiative is an
into the Emergency Department. I am example of VHAs personalized, pro-
active and patient-centered approach
encouraged by the overwhelmingly pos-
to healthcare, said Dr. Robert Petzel,
itive acceptance of acupuncture by both VAs Under Secretary for Health.
the patients and staff, says Reinstein. We are delivering healthcare with
While the original philanthropic fund- the patients long-term personal
ing for the pilot study will eventually run health goals at the forefront.
out, Dusek has just been awarded an
administrative supplement to his For further information, Veterans
NCCAM grant. It's a CAM practitioner should contact their primary care health
award for individuals who are trained in team. To learn more about VA health
different CAM modalities to have an care, visit www.va.gov. John Weeks
opportunity to learn about research,
Dusek explained. This award will allow Perhaps best known for his work as
Adam to discern whether he wants to publisher and editor of The Integrator Blog
continue his research education and also Weeks Receives Lifetime News & Reports, he also regularly writes
allow him to move from a pilot study into Achievement Award for IntegrativePractitioner.com, The Pain
a formal research study over the next year. John Weeks was recently honored for his Practitioner, Integrative Medicine: A Clini-
The challenge, according to Dusek, three decades of work in advancing cians Journal and the Hufngton Post.
will be sustainability after the research integrative healthcare at the 2014 Inter- Weeks has consulted and presented
support ends. His plan is to gather national Research Congress of Integra- widely on integration strategies for numer-
enough data to show that acupuncture tive Medicine and Health with a ous hospitals, complementary healthcare
is clinically relevant and cost-effective Lifetime Achievement Living Tribute. educational institutions and professional
through the reduced use of pain medi- Weeks co-founded the Academic associations, managed care rms and con-
cations, improved patient satisfaction, Consortium for Complementary and ventional academic health centers. He
and perhaps averting some hospital Alternative Health Care (www.accahc. served as a consultant to the World
admissions, which could then incent org) and currently serves as its executive Health Organization's 20142023 Tradi-
administrations to pay for the position. director. tional Medicine/CAM strategic plan.
We are very encouraged at this Over the last three decades, he helped Spearheaded by FON Therapeutics,
point, said Dusek. The project has organize many multidisciplinary collabo- tribute sponsors included the Consor-
been extremely well received by the rative forums among disciplines and stake- tium of Academic Health Centers for
emergency physicians because it gives holders, including the Clinician Work Integrative Medicine, the Integrative
them another tool by which to treat Group on the Integration of CAM for Healthcare Policy Consortium, the Aca-
pain and anxiety. the Ofce of the Insurance Commissioner demic Consortium for Complementary

Matters of Note EXPLORE September/October 2014, Vol. 10, No. 5 279

and Alternative Health Care, the Foun- To become licensed in Maryland, a and meditation. He is the author of
dations of Naturopathic Medicine Proj- naturopathic doctor must attend a four- several books and numerous papers, tech-
ect, Integrative Health and Wellness year naturopathic medical school that is nical reports, and general audience articles
Strategies and others. accredited through the U.S. Department on these topics.
The e-book is available for free down- of Education. For more information:
load at: http://fontherapeutics.com/resour www.naturopathic.org.
ces/fon-presents-a-living-tribute-to-integrati Naturopathic Archives Release
ve-medicine-pioneer-john-weeks/
Online Library
Schwartz Recieves Faculty Naturopathic Doctor News and Review
Appointment (NDNR) recently announced the release
EXPLORE columnist Stephan Schwartz of its Library, a free online directory of
More States Granting nine years of published issues in an e-
(The SchwartzReport) has recently been
Licensure for Naturopathic appointed as a Distinguished Consult- version format.
Doctors ing Faculty at Saybrook University. The NDNR covers the practice of natur-
Maryland recently became the newest appointment is in the Consciousness, opathic medicine. Every issue covers
state to grant licensure to naturopathic Spirituality, and Integrative Healthcare varying clinical themes with pertinent
doctors, bringing the total to 18 states. department of their school of Psychol- case studies, clinical research, and dis-
Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley ogy and Interdisciplinary Inquiry. cussions on the usage of nutraceuticals,
signed the bill that enables naturopathic Located in San Francisco, Saybrook botanicals, IVs, injection therapies,
doctors in Maryland to become licensed University is a leading educational insti- homeopathy, and countless other natur-
to practice naturopathic medicine after tution for humanistic studies. opathic modalities.
it received strong bipartisan support. Stephan A. Schwartz is the editor of the All content is free in an effort to
According to Dr. Emily Telfair, pres- daily web publication The SchwartzRe- provide education to all those interested
ident of the Maryland Association of port (http://www.schwartzreport.net), in naturopathic medicine. To access the
Naturopathic Physicians, The law will which concentrates on trends that will Library, visit www.ndnr.com/library.
lead to greater access to doctors who shape the future, an area of research he
emphasize disease prevention, healthy has been working in since the mid-1960s.
lifestyles, and natural therapies. It will Previously, he was the Senior Samueli
also enable consumers to distinguish Fellow in Brain, Mind and Healing at Matters of Note is compiled and written
between licensed doctors who meet the Samueli Institute. For over 35 years, by Bonnie J. Horrigan, editorial director
extensive education and training require- Schwartz has also been an active exper- for EXPLORE: The Journal of Science
ments and others who call themselves imentalist, doing research on the nature of and Healing and author of Voices of
naturopaths but do not meet the state's consciousness, particularly Remote View- Integrative Medicine: Conversations
rigorous licensing standards. ing, healing, creativity, religious ecstasy, and Encounters.

280 Matters of Note EXPLORE September/October 2014, Vol. 10, No. 5