Acupuncture Performed in Group Setting Relieves HIV-Related Pain, According to The Journal of Alternative & Complementary Medicine.

LARCHMONT, N.Y. -- HIV-infected individuals who received five weeks of acupuncture treatment in a group setting reported decreased pain and reduced symptoms of peripheral neuropathy, according to a study published in the June 2004 issue (Volume 10, Number 3) of The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. (www.liebertpub.com). The Journal is on the Brandon-Hill list of recommended medical journals and is the official journal of the Society for Acupuncture Research. The paper may be viewed free online at www.liebertpub.com/acm.

Kenneth Phillips, Ph.D. and colleagues at the Mind-Body Research Group, University of South Carolina, and The Acupuncture Clinic in Columbia, SC, demonstrated a significant reduction in current pain, pain during the last 24 hours, and total pain among HIV-infected individuals who received acupuncture treatments two evenings per week at a gathering of their HIV support group. Patients receiving acupuncture also reported less pins and needles, numbness in the hands and feet, and other symptoms of peripheral neuropathy.

"This is important work and offers a real solution to a real problem that causes immense suffering. It is time to put these findings into practice and to use them to bring relief to many more patients worldwide," says Journal Editor-in-Chief Kim A. Jobst, M.A., D.M., Visiting Professor in Healthcare and Integrated Medicine, Oxford Brookes University.

With the advent of HAART, the life expectancy of individuals with HIV infection is increasing, as is the likelihood that they will experience HIV-associated pain, central nervous system infections, and neurologic disease.

The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine is a peer-reviewed journal published bimonthly in print and online that includes observational, clinical, and scientific reports and commentary, and features clinical case reports intended to help healthcare professionals and scientists evaluate and integrate therapies into patient care protocols and research strategies. A complete table of contents and free sample issue may be viewed online at www.liebertpub.com/acm.

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Alternative & Complementary Therapies, Natural Pharmacy, and Journal of Women's Health. Its biotechnology trade magazine, Genetic Engineering News (GEN), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's 60 journals, books, and news magazines is available at www.liebertpub.com.