Hospital uses accupuncture to treat patients with chronic pain

THE Lae International Hospital is using acupuncture to treat patients who suffer from chronic pain and aches.
Chief medical officer Dr Balachandra Keni told The National on Friday that the method was used as an alternative treatment which was safe and could be used for at least 30 illnesses.
“There are a lot of chronic conditions such as migraine headaches, joint pain, gout and back aches,” he said.
“With acupuncture treatment, it is a holistic approach; we are treating the person, and not just a part of the body.
“It is a slow and long process where patients will have to undergo about 30 sessions, each 30 minutes a day. Depending on the condition of the patient, about 30 to 40 fine acupuncture needles are inserted in various pressure points in the body,” he said.
Keni, originally from India, obtained his Certification of Acupuncture Therapy from the All Indian Medical Acupuncture Association in Bombay in 1984 and began his practice of the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in 1986.