BALTIMORE (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Asthma is considered one of the most serious chronic illnesses in children, affecting nearly 5 million children and contributing to school absences, doctor visits and trips to the emergency room. Most children rely on constant medication to keep them breathing, but one doctor helps his patients with a kinder, gentler approach.

When Margie Beltram gets together with her cousins, fun is the only objective. Until recently, asthma would dampen her day.

Margie's mother, Vicki, says, "She would go and go and cough and cough and cough, and all the kids would be like playing and she'd be sitting on the sidewalk watching."

Medications like steroids and broncho-dilators helped but they must be used daily, have long-term side effects and limitations.

Vicki says, "Once she started running around she would start coughing."

Now those experiences are a distant memory. "We were treating her before she would go play or go do whatever, and we started realizing we didn't have to do that," she says.

These wires and the energy they emit make the difference for Margie and other patients of medical acupuncturist Roberto Jodorkovsky, M.D. The idea, like with needle acupuncture, is to keep energy moving through the body.

Dr. Jodorkovsky says, "We are re-invigorating that flow of energy, restoring it, or healing it."

In addition to cutting back the need for medication, patients have been able to reduce their visits to the emergency room and improve their stamina. There's another benefit, too.

"Unlike many of the medications we prescribe, I've never seen any side effects from it," says Dr. Jodorkovsky.

At 9 years old, there's only one benefit that really matters to Margie. She says, "I can run around actually now. I couldn't do that."

That's enough to make Margie and her parents happy.

Dr. Jodorkovsky stresses that this is not a cure but should be used in addition to medications. He recommends you find a medical acupuncturist with training and experience in treating asthma.

If you would like more information, please contact:

American Academy of Medical Acupuncture 4929 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 428 Los Angeles, CA 90010 (323) 937-5514

Acupuncture for Asthma -- Research Summary Television News Service/Medical Breakthroughs ㊣vanhoe Broadcast News, Inc. September 2001

BACKGROUND: While an estimated 17 million Americans have asthma, about 5 million of them are children, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. Asthma is a lung disease in which airflow may be blocked by muscle squeezing, swelling and excess mucus. According to the Childhood Asthma Foundation, the disease is the number one cause of emergency room visits and the leading cause of missed school days, totaling 10 million absences annually. Childhood asthma is often misdiagnosed because symptoms such as wheezing, shortness of breath and coughing can be confused with those of respiratory infections. After a diagnosis, medications such as inhalers or pills may be prescribed. Inhalers, such as bronchodilators, work by opening airways, while some pills block the action of asthma-causing chemicals. Along with having to take medications daily, asthmatics often face adverse, long-term side effects, which include drowsiness, dehydration, irritability and nervousness. Because some medications contain steroids, some studies report stunted growth among children as a side effect.

ENERGY FLOW HELPS BREATHING: A new application of acupuncture techniques has proven to help asthmatic children combat their breathing problems. Acupuncture, an ancient Eastern medical remedy, typically uses needles to access pressure points where energy flows. Doctors reach these points and re-invigorate, restore or heal the flow of energy. A pediatric nephrologist and medical acupuncturist, Roberto Jodorkovsky, M.D., conducted a study that applies this ancient procedure to pediatric asthmatics. Dr. Jodorkovsky treated six children ages 2 to 8 with low frequency, electrical magnetic energy on their hands. Performed three to four times per week, the therapy activates pressure points on various parts of the hand. During four months of treatment, patients made no trips to the emergency room, showed improved physical endurance, and significantly decreased their use of other medications. The use of steroids decreased from 15 courses before therapy to 1 during hand therapy. The average use of inhaled medication declined from 5 to 7 days a week to 1 day per week.

In addition, no adverse side effects were reported. Dr. Jodorkovsky continues to use energy treatment with pediatric asthmatics, as well as traditional needle acupuncture.

HELP NEAR YOU: Dr. Jodorkovsky recommends you find a licensed acupuncturist with experience treating children and asthma. The traditional method, using needles, can also be used to treat asthma. To find an acupuncturist near you, contact the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture.

　　From Healthy.net