Media Advisory

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Distinguished Radiologist to Speak about Neurobiological Correlates of Acupuncture at NCCAM's Distinguished Lecture Series

What

 On April 26, 2006 the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), will host its Distinguished Lectures in the Science of Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Bruce R. Rosen, M.D., Ph.D., of Harvard Medical School and Director of the Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging at Massachusetts General Hospital, will present “Neurobiological Correlates of Acupuncture: Modern Science Explores Ancient Practice."

When

Wednesday, April 26, 2006, from 11 a.m. to noon
Masur Auditorium, NIH Clinical Center (Building 10)
10 Center Drive, Bethesda, Maryland

The event is free and open to the public and will be videocast live at videocast.nih.gov.

Why

Dr. Rosen’s research focuses on the development and utilization of physiological and functional nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques and the application of this technology to solve specific biological and clinical problems. The techniques that he and his colleagues have developed in functional imaging are used by hospitals throughout the world to evaluate patients with stroke, brain tumors, dementia, and mental illnesses. In this lecture, Dr. Rosen will discuss what NMR techniques reveal about the effects of acupuncture on the mind and body, as well as the insights that these diagnostic techniques have provided regarding how acupuncture affects localized neural activity, neurochemistry, and analgesia. Such studies hold the promise of increasing our understanding of the neurobiology of acupuncture and our ability to integrate this ancient healing technique with evidence-based medicine.

For more information or reasonable accommodations, call 301-594-5595, or the Federal Relay at 1-800-877-8339.

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine’s mission is to explore complementary and alternative medical practices in the context of rigorous science, train CAM researchers, and disseminate authoritative information to the public and professionals. For additional information, call NCCAM’s Clearinghouse toll free at 1-888-644-6226, or visit the NCCAM Web site at nccam.nih.gov.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.

NIH…Turning Discovery Into Health®

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