Acupuncture transmitted infections, BMJ 2010;340:c1268

[Guest guest]

Hi Fiona,

 

I would appreciate it if you would publish the letter below in BMJ.

 

Yours sincerely,

MVB, MRCVS,

Veterinary Surgeon and Acupuncturist,

1 Esker Lawns,

Lucan,

Dublin,

Ireland

 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

 

Editor, that BMJ published such an unbalanced Editorial [Acupuncture transmitted

infections, BMJ 2010;340:c1268 -

http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/340/mar18_1/c1268 ]

is mind-boggling.

 

The vast majority of documented cases of bacterial or viral cross-infection in

people that had

received acupuncture were due to needle reuse by badly trained or unethical

acupuncturists.

 

Disposable (single-use) sterilised acupuncture needles cost only a few cents

each. First-year

acupuncture students know that needle re-use carries a risk of cross-infection.

 

The safety of a technique must be judged on its results in the hands of

competent

practitioners who use it properly. If this criterion is accepted, acupuncture is

an extremely

safe therapeutic system whose complications very rare and are easily avoided or

rectified.

See: http://med-vetacupuncture.org/english/articles/apabuse.html

 

In developed countries, it is considered professionally disgraceful behaviour to

reuse

acupuncture needles. Most national acupuncture societies instruct their members

to use

needles once only and to dispose of them appropriately immediately after use.

 

Insertion of single-use sterilised acupuncture needles by well-trained

acupuncturists carries

far less risk of infection than insertion of conventional hypodermic needles,

catheters,

arthroscopes, biopsy equipment or other invasive conventional medical or

surgical

procedures.

 

To redress its unwarranted attack on acupuncture, would BMJ consider the

following topic

as a future editorial?: The incidence of, and mortality from, iatrogenic and

hospital-acquired

infections.

 

A comparison of the risks and mortality from acupuncture versus iatrogenic and

hospital-

acquired infections would make very interesting reading indeed.

 

Yours sincerely,

MVB, MRCVS,

Veterinary Surgeon and Acupuncturist,

1 Esker Lawns,

Lucan,

Dublin,

Ireland

 

PS: Re Professor David Colquhoun's comment that: " A still better solution than

sterilised

needles would be to give up altogether this silly hocus pocus. Sticking needles

into people is

now known to be little or no more than a theatrical placebo. "

 

Is he aware that veterinary practitioners in most developed countries use

acupuncture

routinely to treat many different disorders in animals, especially in

musculoskeletal disorders

and sports injuries?

 

One can hardly use the placebo hypothesis to explain the effect of acupuncture

in

resuscitation of comatose turtles. As a refutation of Professor Colquhoun's

claim, see this

abstract, to be presented at the 30th Sea Turtle Symposium, Goa, India, April

27-29 2010:

 

RESULTS OF SEA TURTLE ACUPUNCTURE RESUSCITATION (STAR) PILOT TRIAL

AND THE TORTUGA REVIVAL DEVICE

 

Steve Canion D.C.,CAc, Biologist1 and MVB, MRCVS2

 

1 Energetic Health and Research Center,Port Aransas,Texas,USA

2 Principal Research Officer (retired), Teagasc [Food & Agriculture

Authority,Ireland]Grange

Research Center,Co Meath,Ireland uthority,Ireland]Grange Research Center,Co

Meath,Ireland

http://iconferences.seaturtle.org/preview.shtml

30th Sea Turtle Symposium, Goa, India, April 27-29 2010

Abstract ID: 3292 Type: Poster Health & Physiology Country: United

States

 

Is it possible to revive stranded dead-appearing sea turtles, turtles in coma

from head

injuries, or ones that have recently drowned? The answer is yes.

 

The question is when to attempt to revive them. If they are stranded, there is

probably some

underlying pathology that you should be prepared to treat after you revive them.

At

Australian Seabird Rescue, their results were 4 revived out of 13 attempts, and

1 survived

long term.However, these were turtles otherwise declared dead. At South Carolina

Aquarium, Acupuncture and epi. and doxapram were used to temporarily revive a

few

loggerheads that were declared dead .

 

At Xcaret, Mexico 2 loggerheads have been revived long term after being in coma

from head

injuries. The first, on i.v. over 3 months, not eating or diving - just

floating. She began

moving during the first treatment and within a week began eating; over a few

weeks diving

and acting like a normal turtle. The second loggerhead responded to acupuncture,

beginning with slow reactions and made good progress.

 

At LeReunion France, 2 loggerheads were resuscitated successfully and released

after

being submerged, caught by hook .

 

Pilot results thus far have had a 25% revival rate (short term) for beached

dead-appearing

turtles, a 100 % revival rate for coma from concussion, and a 100 % revival rate

after coma

from forced submergence.The positive results of the small trial (16 turtles)

suggests the

need for a larger full scale controlled trial.

 

Shrimp trawling is one of the greatest causes of sea turtle mortality throughout

the world.

The S.T.A.R.. protocol was originally designed by M.S.R.V.C. and

myself to

revive turtles in shock/coma for only a few hours due to being submerged by

trawler nets or

longline fishermen. Acupuncture at a 1-3 specific points has been used by

clinicians to

successfully revive comatose humans, horses, dogs, cats and other species. The

response

is usually within 1-10 minutes.

 

National Marine Fisheries Service compiled the results of 7 research projects

spanning 12

years during which 4,397 turtles were caught in trawler nets. For most tow

times, there were

more comatose than dead turtles. It is assumed that a sea turtle returned to the

sea in coma

will die.

 

Given the feedback regarding training laymen to use needles to resuscitate sea

turtles

aboard trawlers, a dime sized solar powered 10 hz microamp generator has been

developed

by myself (Steve Canion) and Joe Randolph of Randolph telecom. It is working in

human

trials and rapidly having the desired physiologic effect when used at

acupuncture points on

the ear.

 

This device would be placed just below the turtle's nostrils at the philtrium -

the main sea

turtle emergency point . As easy as putting on a bandaid. Human testing began in

early

October 2009 . We have had a 100% success rate and results that outperform our

clinical

microcurrent stimulators.

 

Thanks to for his help in developing the STAR protocol, Karen

Comstock and

Casatortuga for believing in the project and funding the early research and

development,

and to Dennis Caldwell for the artwork and graphic design.