Clinical Review

Providing an Alternative Treatment Modality for Veterans: Establishing and Evaluating an Acupuncture Clinic in a VA Medical Center

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"I have had pain (nearly) all my life—for 42 years, and nothing has helped! I doubt acupuncture will help me."

This 66-year-old veteran presented to the acupuncture clinic in January 2009. He had sustained back and right knee injuries while in Vietnam and had been hospitalized for a month before being discharged. Two years after leaving the service, the pain worsened, affecting his entire right side, including neck, shoulder, back, and knee. The veteran had posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with frequent flashbacks, nightmares, and hypervigilance, as well as severe depression. Imaging studies 20 years before had shown multiple levels of degenerative joint disease and spine spondylosis.


 

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