Let's admit it: the big thing holding back acupuncture from really catching on is that it's not portable enough. Who hasn't had a craving for some skin-penetrating Chinese medicine while trapped at a red light on the way to work? The next time you feel some achiness while on the go, turn to your portable healer, the Acu-Point Pen. It doesn't sound at all fishy: first, the Pen will diagnose what's ailing you simply by reading your palm. Once you've identified your problem areas, just pass the pen over them to send a stimulus signal to the nerves and muscles as well as "promoting" better blood circulation.

I like the nice sass-mouth in this article, but seriously, acupuncture pen? I thought acupuncture had to be done by professionals. Personally I think I'd just take an online course or two and then jam some knitting needles into my leg.

The study lends some credit to patients' belief that nontraditional methods may make them healthier and more comfortable. In the Mayo trial, patients receiving acupuncture to counter their fibromyalgia symptoms reported improvement in fatigue and anxiety, among others. Acupuncture was well tolerated, with few side effects.

Natural health treatments -- also known as holistic or alternative medicine -- are said to help with everything from PMS to cancer.

They've also helped fuel the growth of herbs and supplements into a multibillion-dollar annual industry.

Texas-based nutrition and natural health doctor Lindsey Duncan -- whose clients have included Demi Moore, Mel Gibson and Rene Russo as well as radiation victims of the Chernobyl disaster, whom he helped to deal with migraine headaches, open wounds, thyroid disorders and depression -- is coming to metro Detroit Saturday to talk about alternative medicine.

Recognizing CAM's possible potential to prevent disease and promote wellness, some health care providers practice what is known as "integrative medicine," which combines conventional treatment with CAM therapies for which there is some evidence of safety and effectiveness.

But if, like many Americans, you see a conventional physician and use complementary or alternative medicine on the side, play it safe and tell your doctor what you are doing.

After seeing orthopedic doctors, rheumatologists and neurologists, Burbank sought out acupuncture. She has been getting treatments at St. Elizabeth Holistic Health Center once a week since last July.

"I'm thrilled," she said. "I'm feeling back to my normal, happy self." Burbank said the treatments also helped clear her sinuses, and she doesn't have a need for decongestants.

A nice article which gives credit where credit is due. We don't always have to hear cautionary tales and flagrant warnings over seeking out alternative therapies.

Interesting tips here for seeking out alternative therapies. Most importantly, I think is the link here which provides all the properly accredited specialists in your area.

Pharmaca opened its doors in 2000, as part of a growing trend mixing traditional western medicine with alternative therapies.

It's good to see a place like this get some coverage, but this write-up sounds a little like a bad commercial. More important than the actual fact that this pharmacy is providing homeopathic alternatives is the fact that they're trying to create a balanced and intimate health care system, even if it is on a small scale.

Acupuncture continues to gain a foothold:

An untreated back injury at age 7, when she broke her spine in gymnastics, had left her with three fused vertebrae. She had tolerated the discomfort as a child and young adult, but age gave way to unbearable pain. The prospect of surgery offered no guarantees -- she could be left in a wheelchair. And she was sick of pain medication.

She made an appointment and the drive. The results were immediate.

As I say time and time again, it shouldn't really be about alternative vs. Western/traditional/whatever, it should be about providing the best possible healthcare. Hell, if it fixes the problem, you can throw voodoo grease on my body and worship all the goat gods you feel like.

Dr Ron Behrens who runs a travel clinic at the London Hospital for Tropical Diseases has seen several patients who thought they were safe because they were taking homeopathic remedies for protection, offering Britons travelling to the malaria belt 'an easy option and false hope'.

Well, can't win 'em all, I guess.

Need to get knocked-up? Look no further than alternative medicines!

After three years of trying to conceive and three failed attempts at in vitro fertilization, Tracey Carroll, 33, desperately turned to the East for help. She sought the needles and herbs of an acupuncturist.

Six months later, the woman is now expecting twins, due in December - and believes acupuncture played a large role.

I'm happy for this lady and all, but I can't help but wonder what the other side of the coin would be - like alternative contraception. How exactly would herbs and acupuncture act to prevent conception? Oh god. Oh god no...

As I sigh for the billionth time, someone asks "Can't we all just get along?" On the other hand, this article is incredibly thorough and open-minded, and I hold it above most other news blurbs.

Perhaps the key to a harmonious coexistence of conventional and alternative medicines is a kind of divorce. Scientists, who are more qualified than any New Age practitioners or lay person to determine the value of unproven treatments, need to conduct research that will once and for all divorce the sensational claims of these treatments from any actual therapeutic qualities they might have. Then they have to be taken, one by one, into the laboratory. One thing is certain, however-alternative medicines can no longer be ignored.

Evidence suggests acupuncture reduces the symptoms of fibromyalgia, according to a Mayo Clinic study.

Fibromyalgia is a disorder considered disabling by many, and is characterized by chronic, widespread musculoskeletal pain and symptoms such as fatigue, joint stiffness and sleep disturbance. No cure is known, and available treatments are only partially effective.

I like to call Fibromyalgia the "whiner's disease" for obvious reasons. Just kidding. I'm not quite that mean. But now I can recommend acupuncture to my friends and family who suffer from this whiny...I mean, crippling disease.

This animal acupuncture thing is really taking off. Who woulda thunkit?

Interest in acupuncture- the stimulation of specific points on the body by inserting and manipulating needles -- has been growing in the United States since President Nixon's groundbreaking trip to China in the 1970s.

Pet owners who've struggled to get their dog or cat in a carrier for a trip to the vet, or even to take a pill, might not think their friends would sit still while someone sticks needles in their flesh.

It still cracks me up to imagine a cat or dog tolerating acupuncture - I just can't see it.

More important news on acupuncture's efficacy in reducing chemo side-effects.

Each year, millions of patients undergo chemotherapy as part of treatment for cancer. Chemotherapy is an important and effective treatment for cancer, using very strong drugs that target cancer cells to eradicate them. Although beneficial in controlling some cancers and increasing survival of patients, chemotherapy can have many negative side effects including nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite, fatigue, anemia, body ache, headache, night sweats, stomach cramps and diarrhea.

Acupuncture has shown promising results in controlling common side effects of chemotherapy. Using thin, sterile acupuncture needles in specific points on the body, acupuncture is used to redirect energy through acupuncture channels (or meridians). It has been shown that patients who use acupuncture in conjunction with a chemotherapy regimen can better tolerate treatment and experience fewer side effects.

Hospitals and cancer wings have got to start thinking seriously about adding this to their programs.

Implantation means embryos from in vitro fertilization, or IVF, are transferred into the womb where they attach to the uterine wall. Dr. Scott says acupuncture can aid the process.

Acupuncture fertility is growing in the news.