MbShea@PWP@English@UMCP

ABSTRACT:
According to the American Chiropractic Association, 31 million Americans experience low-back pain at any given time and it has been shown to be the single leading cause of disability worldwide. Experts estimate that as much as 80% of the population will experience a back problem at some time in their lives. With such shocking statistics, it’s no wonder that more and more people are looking to alternative medical practices to help them deal with the pain and discomfort brought about by their chronic back pain. Acupuncture is one such method that has experienced increased popularity in Western medicine in the past decade. First documented in the Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine around 305-204 B.C., acupuncture is a medical practice that has withstood the test of time as it is still widely used across Asia even today. According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, the technique itself involves a practitioner carefully stimulating the specific points on the body generally through the insertion of thin needles through the skin. Though extensive studies have been conducted on the effectiveness of acupuncture in alleviating various bodily pains, researchers are only beginning to understand the deeper medical implications of acupuncture. As a physician and sufferer of chronic back pain, I have written this patient guide as way to provide accurate information on acupuncture in order to demystify this practice. This patient guide will touch on various topics related to acupuncture including its history, effectiveness, process, as well as future development.

READERS PROFILE:
I would expect the majority of the readers are those who are either afflicted with chronic pain themselves or know a loved one who is suffering from it. I could also see that there will be readers who are drawn by the unique technique and are interested in learning more about acupuncture.

READERS RESPONSE:
Chronic pain sufferer: How interesting that there is a method for managing my back pain without having to run to CVS for Advil every couple of weeks, I would like to see how relevant this technique is for my condition. But I don’t particularly like the idea of having needles stuck into me; will it hurt? It is sanitary? Are there any potential complications that could arise if the practitioner does something wrong? (All of these questions will subsequently be answered throughout my guide). Hmm not all of the research presented in the patient guide strongly suggests that acupuncture is effective so is it really worth it?
Curious reader: Wow I didn’t know that they had acupuncture that many years ago. I’m surprised that there are so many people in the US alone that suffer from back pain, now I would definitely like to know more about acupuncture in general just in case I have these issues in the future!

Notes from author: Because I will be writing a patient guide, it is likely that in some parts of the document I will use natural language citation but in other parts use formal citation (in the background and research results)

***WC for abstract: 249

B, I would look for another source on the back pain numbers. Chiropractic sources do not carry the same ethos as say CDC, NIH, or even the OSHA section of the Department of Labor. Good to start with a stat. Just boost the ethos with another source.

You can also suggest that back pain sufferers need a set of interventions, not just one to the exclusion of others. Let acupuncture be one of several approaches, including exercise, yoga, pain meds, rest, heat, massage....etc.