Tender

OrthOpedics & pain

ACUPUNCtUrE from page 15

tingling sensation, numbness, mild pressure, or warmth.

How many treatments you’ll need will depend on the severity of your condition — 12 treatments done weekly or biweekly is very common.

It’s also important to know that acupuncture can be used in conjunction with other conventional medical treatments or by itself.

Cost and Coverage

The cost per treatment typically runs anywhere from $40 to $150, depending on where you are in the country and what style of treatment you are receiving.

Today, an increasing number of private insurance plans, including some Medicare Advantage plans and policies provided by employers, offer some type of acupuncture coverage.

You’ll also be happy to know that last January (2020), the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced that original Medicare will now cover up to 12 acupuncture sessions in 90 days for patients with chronic lower back pain. Eight additional sessions can be added if patients show improvement.

But in order to receive Medicare coverage, you must use a licensed acupuncturist who is supervised by a medical doctor, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner trained in acupuncture, who will need to process the acupuncture claim. Currently, licensed acupuncturists can’t directly bill Medicare.

To find an acupuncturist in your area, ask your doctor for a referral, or you can do a search online.

Two good resources are the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (nccaom.org) and the American Academy of Medical Acupuncturists (medicalacupuncture.org), which offers a directory of MDs and DOs who are certified to practice acupuncture.

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit savvysenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of The Savvy Senior book.

President Kennedy, Chronic Pain, and Me

By James E. Patterson

In the 1990s, I had a serious spinal injury while serving in the U.S. Foreign Service. While recovering from neurosurgery for my injuries, a colleague suggested I read how President John F. Kennedy managed his chronic back pain.

According to the back-pain website SpineUniverse, Kennedy “underwent multiple spine surgeries, relied on daily use of a back brace (and sometimes crutches), and tried various alternative treatments.”

Coincidentally, Kennedy and I had similar spinal injuries. In 1995, I had discectomy at L5-S1. Prior to surgery, I had intractable back and leg pain. The same was true for Kennedy, who underwent an L4L5 laminotomy and L5-S1 discectomy in 1944.

Historians tell us that Kennedy found little relief from his surgery. I had relief for a period of years and continued to work.

In 2006, I was working in San Francisco when my spine demons returned. I was prescribed opioids. The physician wrongly said opioids were “non-addictive” and prescribed me tall bottles of 90 opioid tablets! Today, it is unlawful in some states to prescribe that amount.

Opioids caused more health problems for me. They aggravated my preexisting ophthalmological and neurological conditions. My vision was seriously impaired for months. Fortunately, in 2015 I found the right medical professionals to diagnosis the problem and end the opioid “therapy.”

My difficult struggle through highly addictive opioid “therapy” frightens me still. There is life after opioids!

For anyone challenged by chronic pain, please be aware that physicians are prone to write prescriptions for pharmaceuticals. Drug manufacturers send salespeople to physicians’ offices. Ergo, physicians prescribe drugs to their patients.

Patients must ask for pain-management alternatives to drugs. Alternatives include chiropractic therapy, physical therapy, aquatic therapy, acupuncture, neuromuscular therapy, home exercise, yoga, tai chi, appropriate medical supplies and equipment, and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with a psychologist trained in chronic pain management. Psychologists are great resources as they are not M.D.s.; they cannot prescribe drugs for chronic pain. Most psychologists prefer physical medicine rather than traditional drug “therapy.” Not everyone goes to a psychologist for depression. Based on my experience as a working professional managing chronic pain, each day involves physical medicine, including exercise. My pain-management regime includes acupuncture and neuromuscular, aquatic, physical, and massage therapies. Maintaining control over chronic pain requires discipline, resourcefulness, and persistence, among other personal traits. Chronic-pain psychologists can help develop these traits. Psychologists can also help manage problems associated with chronic pain, including anxiety and depression, and can help with recovery from opioid addiction.

While in the U.S. Senate, Kennedy began using a therapeutic rocking chair, which he found relieved tension in his lower back as it kept his muscles contracting and relaxing. Kennedy became a believer in the Kennedy Rocker, and in 1960, he took his rocker to the White House.

While at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. in Washington, D.C., President Kennedy treated his chronic pain with a regime of physical medicine, including swimming, weightlifting, and massage therapy, among others.

If you or a loved one is managing chronic pain, consider how President John F. Kennedy managed his pain. It can be done successfully and effectively with physical medicine.