Ohio's Medicaid program recently expanded its coverage after an opioid task force urged state officials to explore alternative pain therapies. Federal research evaluators say there's some good evidence acupuncture can help some patients manage some forms of pain. Acupuncturists and their proponents are "exploiting the opioid crisis to try to promote acupuncture as an alternative treatment," he said. About a decade ago, the military and Veteran Affairs began promoting a range of alternative approaches to pain treatment, including acupuncture, yoga, and chiropractic care. Schoomaker said he was inspired to seriously consider alternative approaches by his wife, a yoga instructor.

Source: ABC News February 20, 2018 06:00 UTC