Lt. Gen. Eric Schoomaker, the Army's surgeon general, is a strong advocate of alternative therapies, especially acupuncture, rather than pain medications, according to a San Antonio Express report.
He told the paper he is interested in "a much wider range of modalities that can be applied to the management of both acute and chronic pain." He said acupuncture is now a common form of pain management in the Army and is even used in the battlefield and by special operations community "with much success."
Col. Kelvin Galloway, chief of staff for the Army's Pain Management Task Force, said acupuncture as a safe, proven therapy.
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