I > _ Acupuncture gets OK from experts ■ A federal committee cites “clear evidence” that the 2,000-year-old Chinese needle therapy works. WASHINGTON (AP) — Long a stepchild in American medicine, the ancient Chinese needle therapy acupuncture got a limited endorse ment Wednesday from federal experts for treatment of some types and nausea. .n. committee of medical experts selected by the National Institutes of Health cited “clear evidence” that acupuncture effectively treats pain after surgery or dental procedures and controls nausea and vomiting caused by cancer chemotherapy or pregnancy. “We came to the clear-cut deci sion that the treatment... really did work” for those limited uses, said David Ramsay, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and chairman of the NIH panel. “I view this as a beginning to a better integration of acupuncture into traditional Western medicine and to start to take it seriously,” Ramsay said in a news conference. The committee report said evi dence has been found that acupunc ture also is effective in some patients for tennis elbow, muscle pain and menstrual cramps, but the studies lack convincing proof. The report recommended more research. Organizations representing some 4,000 doctors licensed to practice acupuncture viewed the report as a clear indication their ancient art is now becoming part of mainstream American medicine. “For the first time there is a pub lic statement from the Health and Human Services that acupuncture might have a role in treating certain health problems,” said Helga Well Apelt, a medical doctor who uses Chinese medicine in her Sarasota, Fla., practice. “The medical commu nity always before has ignored acupuncture.” “It can now be called real medi cine,” said Bradley Williams, presi dent of the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture, an organiza tion of about 3,000 doctors certified to perform acupuncture. Williams said he hopes the action will encourage more insurance com panies to include acupuncture in ( health policies. Only about 10 per- u cent of health plans offer acupunc- ' ture benefits, he said. Medicare doesn’t cover the therapy. Treatments generally cost from $95 to $125. Many medical Xv , acupuncture practitioners -r-v lack medical degrees and' often advertise in telephone £ books with claims of solutions for a long list of illnesses and dis- v Jp orders. gm Acupuncture, practiced in BP; China for more than 2,000 years, is a major part of an Asian tradi- V? tion of medicine that is completely \ different from the European-devel oped system. The Chinese theory includes the concept that patterns of energy, called “qi,” flow through the body and that disease occurs when the flow is interrupted. Needle acupuncture involves sticking thin, sharpened rods into specific nerve junction points on the body. The needles often are rotated or electrically stimulated. House approves IRS-altering bill > _ j Many u say measure overdue WASHINGTON