Host Walter James Miller interviews Dr. Gerald Greenberger and John McGee, magazine writer, on Doctor Greenberger's book Everything You Should Know About Acupuncture.

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Host Walter James Miller interviews Dr. Gerald Greenberger and John McGee, magazine writer, on Doctor Greenberger's book Everything You Should Know About Acupuncture.

Dr. Greenberger explains that the effects of acupuncture can be proved with laboratory tests. Host Walter James Miller notes that unlike other books on the subject, this book does not devote many pages to explaining the ancient Chinese theories behind the practice. McGee describes his own success as a patient of an acupuncture researcher at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in Manhattan. McGee says he witnessed several success stories among patients there, and also experienced a temporary reduction of his hypertension following an experimental treatment. He says he adopted a different alternative practice, shiatsu or finger pressure, to successfully treat his severe asthma.

Dr. Greenberger cautions against the exaggerated claims of many unlicensed acupuncturists and says patients should seek a medical doctor for a proper diagnosis before beginning acupuncture treatment. He adds that traditional acupuncturists may not understand the dangers of mixing acupuncture with other medical care. For example, he says patients taking a blood thinner such as coumadin to treat a heart attack or stroke should not be treated with acupuncture due to the risk of excessive bleeding. Dr. Greenberger says that a patient generally can decide within four visits whether acupuncture will be a successful treatment for them. Miller notes that the book is organized in an easy to follow question-and-answer format. Dr. Greenberger describes the broad range of ailments that can be treated through acupuncture, including mental illness, skin diseases, arthritis, back pain, headaches and many other nervous system problems. He says it can be used for some heart problems as well as respiratory diseases. He mentions it is being used for treatment of drug addicts in withdrawal.

WNYC archives id: 72816