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DC Area Integrative Medicine Doctor to Join Medical Relief Mission in Haiti with Acupuncturists Without Borders

Dr. David P. Sniezek, Director of the Advanced Integrative Rehabilitation and Pain Center, located at Foggy Bottom and McLean, Virginia, is a pioneer in Integrative Rehabilitation Medicine in the Washington, DC area. He uses Integrative Medicine methods, such as medical acupuncture, to prevent, reduce and soothe symptoms of patients with cancer.

My goal is to promote more widespread adoption of safe and effective integrative interventions, such as medical acupuncture, into the management of cancer.

Dr. David P. Sniezek, Director of the Advanced Integrative Rehabilitation and Pain Center in the Washington, DC area, will be joining a medical relief mission headed to Haiti at the end of this month as part of Acupuncturists Without Borders. Dr. Sniezek will be a member of a small team of professionals providing relief from pain and post traumatic stress suffered as a result of the catastrophic earthquake that virtually leveled the capital city of Port-au-Prince last January.

A three-decade practitioner of integrative medicine, Dr. Sniezek is transforming the way doctors and hospitals approach rehabilitation medicine, including patients with cancer. Integrative medicine combines the best medical practices in both conventional and complementary medicine. Dr. Sniezek developed a start-up entity in Washington, DC called Syntegrative Solutions, LLC, which provides data and tools, research and identification of best medical practices, and peer insight to leaders in healthcare enterprises that aspire to incorporate integrative medicine into their communities. His company's scope of experience spans business, education, and government.

One of Dr. Sniezek's most recent local projects has been providing medical acupuncture at the Children's National Medical Center in Washington, DC. Recent quality randomized control trials published in scientific journals has shown the benefits of medical acupuncture in many unexpected areas such as pain, nausea and vomiting, anxiety, xerostomia, and even hot flashes. The evidence is so convincing, that integrative medicine is increasingly offered by major cancer centers nationwide, including Dana- Farber, Mayo Clinic, M.D. Anderson: Place of Wellness, and Sloan-Kettering. All of these programs use medical acupuncture routinely. Dr. Weidong Lu, an acupuncturist at Harvard's Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, recommends that medical acupuncture be used during all stages of cancer.

"Acupuncture has been shown to be safe in both healthy and unhealthy adults and children; however, special care must be taken when applying acupuncture to oncology patients in the hospital," says Dr. Sniezek. “It’s important that acupuncturists treating patients with cancer have advanced training in oncology. We need to continually assess advanced imaging studies, blood testing, and work closely with the entire oncology team to make certain acupuncture is safe and to optimize success.”

"My goal is to promote more widespread adoption of safe and effective integrative interventions, such as medical acupuncture, into the management of cancer," says Dr. Sniezek. “I hope to improve the overall cancer experience by reducing pain and suffering and maybe, in time, even affect outcomes.”

Dr. Sniezek will be in Haiti for the Acupuncturists Without Borders (AWB) relief mission from May 20-29. AWB was formed in September, 2005 in the immediate aftermath of Hurricanes Rita and Katrina. AWB provided free community acupuncture treatments to survivors of the hurricanes in Louisiana, including evacuees, residents, first responders, emergency personnel, volunteers and other care providers. AWB treated close to 8,000 individuals in New Orleans and the surrounding areas with a tremendously positive response and high demand to expand its services.

About Dr. Sniezek
David P. Sniezek, DC, MD, FAAMA is a 1989 graduate of the Rehabilitation Medicine program at the George Washington University Medical Center, the Harvard Medical School Structural Acupuncture for Physicians program, and the UCLA School of Medicine Medical Acupuncture for Physicians program. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture, a Fellow of the American Academy of Geriatric Medicine, and American Association of Integrative Medicine. In addition, he is a Diplomate of the American Academy of Pain Management. Dr. Sniezek is on the attending and consulting staff at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, DC where he provides medical services for pain and symptom management. He works with the Pediatric Advanced Needs Assessment and Care Team (PANDA) and the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders. Dr. Sniezek has special interest in Rehabilitation Medicine, Pain Management, and Integrative Medicine. He has authored numerous medical articles and is on the Editorial Board of Medical Acupuncture. Dr. Sniezek has been recognized by the Washingtonian Magazine as a “Top Doctor” in the field of Rehabilitation Medicine during the past 15 years. Dr. Sniezek has offices in McLean, Virginia as well as Washington, DC. He is also on the medical staff at GW Hospital, Washington Hospital Center and Sibley Memorial Hospital where he practices Rehabilitation Medicine and Pain Management.

For more information about medical acupuncture in oncology and other areas of practice, contact Dr. Sniezek's office at 908 New Hampshire Ave., NW #500, WDC 20037, by calling 202-296-3555 or visit www.AdvancedIntegrativeRehabilitation.com.

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