A news statement issued on September 27 states that for more than 75 years, the VA has been at the forefront of medical advancements, educating others how to use them to enhance the quality of treatment for Veterans. According to Denis McDonough, a VA pharmacy program manager replaced opiates with acupuncture as alternative therapy to provide pain management treatments to Veterans without drugs.
New therapies or technological advancements in healthcare are not always innovations. Instead, they might employ unforeseen professionals who use time-tested techniques to address the requirements of their patients. Although acupuncture has been used for hundreds of years, medics and corpsmen first used it to help injured service members manage pain during the Vietnam War. While working in a VA mental health clinic, Courtney Jason Givens, the clinical pharmacy program manager for mental health and pain at the North Texas VA in Dallas, became aware of the demand for non-pharmaceutical pain management choices. She then developed an interest in complementary treatments and the VA's whole-health strategy for treating chronic pain. She then obtained certification in combat acupuncture and currently collaborates regularly with the pain management team, offering both pharmaceutical and acupuncture management.
A non-invasive technique called battlefield acupuncture, commonly referred to as auricular acupuncture, employs tiny gold needles inserted strategically on five spots on each ear to treat pain throughout the body. Dr. Richard Niemtzow (retired USAF) made the initial discovery of this acupuncture use in 2001. He discovered that pain could be quickly alleviated for soldiers on the battlefield by using acupuncture techniques on particular places on the ear. As a highly efficient method of pain relief both on and off the battlefield, this therapeutic option was immediately adopted by the military and later by the VA. Battlefield acupuncture can be learned and licensed as a pain management alternative by pharmacy students and residents.
Givens has had great success incorporating battlefield acupuncture into the pain management programs of several of her patients. "When we were able to treat their agony using battlefield acupuncture, everything changed. I was glad to include this in my routine. Veterans and the country continue to get innovative care thanks to VA's tireless commitment in medical research and training. More than 1,400 educational institutions around the country, including 99% of the country's medical colleges, are affiliated with VA, which conducts its training programs for more than 113,000 health professions trainees annually. The VA Office of Academic ties (OAA) oversees several academic ties, some of which date back more than 75 years.
