Acupuncture - New Online Continuing Education Course

Oct. 4, 2011 - PRLog -- The Chinese developed a method of medical treatment using needles to balance streams of energy in the body thousands of years ago. This form of alternative medicine, called acupuncture, is based on a system of energy meridians (lines) that connect vital organs. According to traditional Chinese medicine, points along these energy pathways can be manipulated to correct imbalance, which is the cause of many symptoms of illness.

As acupuncture is increasingly accepted as an alternative medical treatment, more people seek to articulate how the procedure reduces pain, which it has been documented to do over and over again. Dr. Josephine Briggs, director of the National Institute of Health's alternative medicine department says the Western medical lexicon may simply be ill-suited to explain how the procedure works. That many positive effects of acupuncture are felt in sham treatment, when toothpicks are used in place of needles, suggests the ritual of the treatment is as important as the treatment itself.

Learn the pros and cons in this new introductory online course.

Acupuncture – An Introduction is divided into two parts. Part I - “Introduction to Acupuncture” – provides an overview of acupuncture as presented by a fact sheet from NCCAM and includes a number of video clips illustrating its use. Acupuncture is among the oldest healing practices in the world. As part of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), acupuncture aims to restore and maintain health through the stimulation of specific points on the body. In the United States, where practitioners incorporate healing traditions from China, Japan, Korea, and other countries, acupuncture is considered part of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).

Part II – “Acupuncture for Pain” – is also a fact sheet from NCCAM. Physical pain is a common occurrence for many Americans; in fact, a national survey found that more than one-quarter of U.S. adults had recently experienced some sort of pain lasting more than a day. In addition to conventional treatments, such as over-the-counter and prescription medications, people may try acupuncture in an effort to relieve pain. This fact sheet provides basic information about pain and acupuncture, summarizes scientific research on acupuncture for specific kinds of pain, and suggests sources for additional information. It also includes a video clip.

The course materials were developed by The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), the Federal Government's lead agency for scientific research on the diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not generally considered part of conventional medicine.

Learn more at http://www.pdresources.org/CourseDetail.aspx?Category=All...

Target Audience:

Psychologists - Professional Development Resources is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Professional Development Resources maintains responsibility for all programs and content. Professional Development Resources is also approved by the Florida Board of Psychology and Office of School Psychology (CE Broker Provider #50-1635).

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Social Workers - Professional Development Resources is approved as a provider of continuing education for social workers by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB Provider #1046, ACE Program). Professional Development Resources is also approved by the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage & Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling (Provider #BAP346); by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (Approval #PCE1625); by the Illinois DPR as a Registered Social Work CE sponsor (Provider #159-000531); by the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage & Family Therapist Board (Provider #RCST100501); and by the Texas State Board of Social Worker Examiners (#5678).

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Occupational Therapists (OTs) - Professional Development Resources is an AOTA approved provider of continuing education (#3159). The assignment of AOTA CEUs does not imply endorsement of specific course content, products, or clinical procedures by AOTA. Professional Development Resources is also approved by the Florida Board of OT Practice (#34) and is CE Broker compliant.

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Professional Development Resources, Inc. is a nonprofit educational corporation organized in 1992. Our mission is to provide healthcare professionals with accredited continuing education courses on topics that are vital to contemporary clinical practice.