Mayo Clinic Offers Dietary Supplements, Stress Management, Massage and Acupuncture in the Mall of America

Cleveland Clinic has a Wellness Institute. In another push to the realm of wellness, Mayo Clinic now offers one-on-one consults with Complementary and Integrative Medicine physicians on campus and where the customers are - right in the Mall of the America. See this 3-part video series below:



Brent A. Bauer, M.D. Dr. Bauer is a physician in the Department of General Internal Medicine and supervisor of the Complementary and Integrative Medicine Research program at Mayo Clinic.



Nancy Drackley, a physical therapist, massage therapist, and supervisor of massage therapy at Mayo Clinic.



Tony Chon, M.D, a physician in the Department of General Internal Medicine and a member of the Complementary and Integrative Medicine team at Mayo Clinic, discusses acupuncture.

Acupuncture can spread serious diseases: bacterial infections, hepatitis B and C, even HIV

To prevent infections transmitted by acupuncture, infection control measures should be implemented, such as use of disposable needles, skin disinfection procedures and aseptic techniques.

Acupuncture may be risky as needles are inserted up to several centimeters beneath the skin. In the 1970s and 1980s most infections associated with acupuncture were sporadic cases involving pyogenic bacteria.

There is a new syndrome - acupuncture mycobacteriosis - infection caused by mycobacteria that rapidly grow around the acupuncture insertion point as a result of contaminated cotton wool swabs, towels and hot-pack covers. There is a long incubation period and the infection usually leads to large abscesses and ulcers.

References:

Acupuncture transmitted infections. BMJ 2010;340:c1268.

Acupuncture can spread serious diseases: experts. Reuters.
Does traditional Chinese medicine have a place in the health system? http://goo.gl/RH04o

Image source: Needles being inserted into a patient's skin, Wikipedia, public domain.

Acupuncture Is Popular with Patients but Insurance Does Not Cover It

From the NYTimes:

Because her insurer did not cover acupuncture, Ms. Kumar had to pay for the $70 weekly treatments she hoped would put her cycle on a more normal schedule.

Acupuncture remains a largely out-of-pocket form of health care. Sessions with an acupuncturist run about $65 to $120, depending on where you live (and some leading acupuncturists charge as much as $300). Most ailments require at least three treatments, while some chronic issues like arthritis might require biweekly or monthly sessions, depending on the situation.

In a 2007 survey, 3.1 million adults reported using acupuncture in the previous 12 months, up from 2.1 million in a 2002 survey.

References:

Patient Money - Acupuncture May Help, but You’ll Need to Pay - NYTimes.com.

Acupuncture can spread serious diseases: bacterial infections, hepatitis B and C, even HIV
Does traditional Chinese medicine have a place in the health system? http://goo.gl/RH04o

Image source: Needles being inserted into a patient's skin, Wikipedia, public domain.