Acupuncture in US Army

Acupuncture Helping Reduce Use of Pain Killers in Army

Acupuncture and other forms of alternative and complementary medicine are helping reduce the use of opioids to block pain in Army patients, the service’s assistant surgeon general said.

Brigadier Gen. Norvell V. Coots, deputy commanding general of the U.S. Army Medical Command and assistant surgeon general for force projection, testified Apr. 30, at a hearing of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee about overmedication concerns.

In 2011, 26 percent of all service members were prescribed at least one type of opioid medication, Coots said. That number was brought down to 24 percent last year, Coots continued, partly due to the use of acupuncture, yoga and other alternatives to medication.

“It is a small difference, but I think it still represents a big cultural change and a move ahead,” Coots told the committee.

Army Medicine has been working to change its culture since 2010, when the Pain Management Task Force issued recommendations, Coots said. The Army-led task force, which included members of other services and the Veterans Health Administration, examined best practices for pain management at 28 medical centers. One of the task force recommendations was to explore alternative treatments such as acupuncture, meditation and biofeedback.

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