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Six months ago, my seventy-eight[br]year old grandmother was quickly losing

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her independence.

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Severe arthritis in both knees [br]hampered her ability to take care of

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herself.

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Shopping, getting around the [br]neighborhood, even walking down her

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front steps was becoming almost [br]impossible.

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Pain medications helped [br]somewhat, but the side-effects created

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their own problems.

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Then her doctor suggested acupuncture.

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My grandmother was skeptical at [br]first but she was willing to try just

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about anything.

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She did and the results were miraculous.

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After six weeks, her pain and[br]stiffness were significantly reduced.

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She was able to take care of her[br]apartment again.

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She could get on her own to go [br]shopping, to visit friends and family,

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and to do the other things that her[br]arthritis had prevented in the past.

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Acupuncture restored her quality of [br]life and her independence.

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My grandmother's story is not unique.

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Performed for well over two [br]thousand years in China and other

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parts of Asia, acupuncture is [br]becoming more and more popular in

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the U.S. and other western [br]countries for one simple reason: it works.

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Impressed by my grandmother's [br]experience, I began acupuncture

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treatments for my migraine [br]headaches and now my headaches

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are completely gone.

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Not surprisingly, I wanted to learn [br]more about this treatment that

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produced such miraculous results[br]for both my grandmother and myself.

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Today I will share part of what I [br]have learned by explaining what

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happens when you receive an [br]acupuncture treatment, how

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acupuncture works, the kinds of [br]medical conditions that can be

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treated by acupuncture, and the [br]growing use of acupuncture in

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combination with western medical [br]techniques.

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Let's start by looking at a typical[br]acupuncture treatment.

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Acupuncture is the insertion of [br]needles into the skin to achieve a

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balanced flow of energy which in[br]turn restores and preserves health.

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To prevent a chance of [br]contamination from one person to

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another, acupuncturists in the U.S. [br]use sterilized needles that are

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individually packaged and are [br]disposed of after a single use.

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I realize that the notion of having [br]needles stuck into you may seem

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frightening, but the needles are so [br]thin that the process is painless.

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Acupuncture needles are much [br]smaller than the needles used for

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drawing blood or getting shots.

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Here are some needles that I received [br]from my acupuncturist.

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After my speech I'll pass them [br]around so that you can see how

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incredibly light and small they are.

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They're so thin, about the thickness [br]of a human hair, that you can hardly

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tell when they're inserted and [br]there's usually no sensation other

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than pain relief once they have [br]been inserted.

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After being left in for twenty or thirty [br]minutes while you lie in a darkened

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room, the needles are removed [br]and the treatment is over.

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Now that you know what happens [br]when you're treated by an

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acupuncturist, you're probably [br]wondering how acupuncture works.

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The process is explained by Dr. [br]Felix Mann, president of the Medical

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Acupuncturist Society in his book [br]Acupuncture: The Ancient Chinese Art

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of Healing and How it Works [br]Scientifically, "According to traditional

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Chinese medicine, every life [br]process is based on the flow of vital

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energy through the body.

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This energy is known in Chinese as[br]xi and flows along channels or

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pathways called meridians."

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These meridians are shown in this [br]visual aid.

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As you can see, they cover the [br]entire body, running from the top of

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the head to the bottom of the feet [br]and down both arms.

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When the freeflow of energy [br]through these meridians is blocked,

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the result is pain, illness, disease or[br]other physical problems.

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The aim of acupuncture is to[br]restore the open flow of energy

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through these meridians.

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This is done by placing needles at [br]specific points on the meridians.

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Altogether, there are more than one [br]thousand acupuncture points on the

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meridians.

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These points have been mapped [br]out over the centuries with scientific

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precision.

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In China, there is a saying, "There [br]is no pain if there is freeflow. If

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there is pain, there is no freeflow."

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Although acupuncture is based on [br]different view of the body from that

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held by western doctors, the [br]evidence is clear that it works in

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treating a wide range of medical [br]conditions.

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The World Health Organization lists [br]more than forty conditions that can

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be effectively treated with [br]acupuncture, including ear, nose and

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throat ailments, asthma and other [br]respiratory problems and nervous

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system and muscular disorders.

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A study in the Annals of Internal [br]Medicine confirms that acupuncture

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can relieve low back pain while the [br]American Cancer Society reports that

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acupuncture may even help smokers [br]kick the habit.

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People also use acupuncture to [br]build immune system, to control

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allergies and to combat depression[br]and anxiety.

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Of course you can't use [br]acupuncture to heal a broken arm,

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but people in Asia often use [br]acupuncture during surgery instead

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of western anesthesia and it can [br]speed recovery time after surgery.

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In light of all of this, it is not [br]surprising that a number of clinics

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and hospitals are combining [br]acupuncture with western medicine

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in an effort to provide the patients [br]the benefits of both.

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For example, Massachusetts [br]General Hospital in Boston, the third

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oldest hospital in the U.S., has [br]added acupuncture to its wellness center.

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Positive results have also been [br]seen at the Mattel Children's Hospital

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at UCLA.

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Dr. Lani Zeltzer, director of the [br]hospital's pediatric pain program

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confirms that acupuncture really [br]does help.

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Most children accept acupuncture [br]and in fact really feel good about it.

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Another example of the integration [br]of acupuncture with western

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medicine is at the Wasser Pain [br]Management Center at Mt. Sinai

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Hospital in Toronto, Canada.

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Neurologist Alan Gordon, director [br]of the center, says that "introducing

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acupuncture into the hospital [br]expands the treatment available to

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chronic pain sufferers and provides [br]multiple options of care to our patients."

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The National Institutes for Health [br]report that more than eight million

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Americans have tried acupuncture [br]and its use throughout the rest of the

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western world is growing fast.

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Today we have learned what [br]happens during an acupuncture

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treatment, how acupuncture works, [br]some of the illnesses that can be

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treated with acupuncture, and the [br]growing integration of acupuncture

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with western approaches to medicine.

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I hope that you now know more [br]about this ancient medical practice

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and the benefits that it can provide.

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After years of skepticism about [br]acupuncture, the west is finally

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beginning to recognize that [br]acupuncture is a highly effective way

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to improve health and reduce pain [br]and suffering.

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Just ask my grandmother.

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[Applause]