ATHENS, Ohio -- Older adults are among the largest consumers of complementary and alternative forms of medicine, and now more than one million elderly people are turn to supplemental remedies to provide relief from musculoskeletal pain. Acupuncture can be an effective and safe form of pain treatment for older adults.
Edward Gotfried, D.O., associate professor of surgery and chairman of Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine's Department of Specialty Medicine, will present "Acupuncture for Pain Management in the Older Adult" on Monday, Oct. 15, from noon to 1 p.m. at O'Bleness Memorial Hospital, Room B-9.
Acupuncture, which has been used for pain relief for thousands of years in Oriental societies, works by activating the body's own pain relievers. Western medical research has proven that acupuncture therapy releases neurochemicals that block pain messages from going to the brain. "That's where I am," Gotfried said. "I am interested in evidence-based medicine -- that this, in fact, works."
In the seminar, Gotfried will discuss the origins of his interest in acupuncture and how he shifted his emphasis to acupuncture as a therapy complementary to Western medical treatment.
Gotfried is a 1963 graduate of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. After his residency at Tri-County Hospital in Springfield, Pa., Gotfried remained for nearly 30 years and served in various capacities, including as chief of staff. In 1997 Gotfried was trained at UCLA's Acupuncture Treatment Program, a 300-hour specialist program for physicians.
"When I got there, I was told that my rationale was all wrong," Gotfried said. "If you're looking to acupuncture for a miracle at the end of the struggle, they said, it is a mistake. It wouldn't have much effect. The time to use it is early, rather than later, for pain relief."
All health-care professionals are invited to attend the seminar. Brown (lunch) bags are welcome. For more information, call the Geriatric Education Center at (740) 593-2258.Each lecture in this series of geriatric medicine/gerontology seminars is held from noon to 1 p.m. on the first and
third Mondays of each month at O'Bleness, Room B-9.
This seminar is the third of the fall series. Christopher Simpson, D.O., presented "Health Policy as it Relates to the Older Adult," Sept. 17. Mark McGee, M.D., presented "Delirium in the Older Adult Oct. 1."
The topic of the Nov. 5 seminar will be announced at a later date. The final fall series seminar, "Early Memory Loss Research," will be presented by Lea Blackburn Nov. 19.
"The seminars are designed for an interdisciplinary audience," said Ellen Peterson, R.N., OU-COM geriatric education coordinator. "Health professionals from the community regularly attend, in addition to interns, residents and medical students. The diversity of disciplines represented by the participants makes for an interesting exchange of ideas."
The sponsors of the seminars include the Department of Geriatric Medicine/Gerontology, the Western Reserve Geriatric Education Center and the Area Health Education Center and OU-COM.
Peterson said the seminar series was started by a federal grant that established OU-COM as a contributing site to the Western Reserve Geriatric Education Center in September 1994 and has supported many continuing education programs. Provided by the Department of Health and Human Services, the grant supports educational programs in geriatrics and gerontology for physicians, nurses, social workers, counselors and health-care providers to 22 Southeastern Ohio counties.
