Retired 1st Sgt. Thomas Washington receives battlefield acupuncture treatment July 1 at Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital. Washington, who has suffered from chronic back pain, said he experienced immediate relief after his first session and now receives the treatment every 14 days.

Willie Shelton, physician assistant at Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital administers battlefield acupuncture to retired 1st Sgt. Thomas Washington, July 1, at the Joint Readiness Training Center and Fort Polk, Louisiana. Washington has been receiving the treatment for chronic back pain for the past two years.

FORT POLK, La. —Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital is spotlighting battlefield acupuncture, a fast-acting, medication-free ear acupuncture protocol used to treat chronic pain, migraines, anxiety and stress.

Developed in 2001 by U.S. Air Force Col. Richard Niemtzow as a rapid-relief option in deployed settings, battlefield acupuncture, or BFA, uses up to five tiny needles placed in the outer ear to help patients manage pain without sedatives or opioids.

BFA targets five specific auricular points to disrupt pain signals and stimulate the body’s natural healing response according to “Pinpoint precision: How Battlefield Acupuncture is reducing pain and boosting readiness,” a recent article posted to the Defense Health Agency website. The technique encourages the release of serotonin, dopamine, melatonin, and endorphins. The procedure is low risk, portable, and well suited for use in clinical and field settings.

At BJACH, BFA is administered by four trained primary care providers: Capt. Charles Rosado, physician; Danielle Craft, nurse practitioner; and certified physician assistants Henry Johnson and Willie Shelton.

“I consider use of battlefield acupuncture in both acute and chronic pain presentations,” Shelton said, noting its effectiveness in treating fibromyalgia, chronic migraines, anxiety and musculoskeletal pain when standard therapies have failed.

“The pain they’ve carried for years is suddenly gone — and they’re in tears from the relief,” he said.

Retired 1st Sgt. Thomas Washington began receiving BFA at BJACH two years ago after suffering from chronic back pain.

“Immediately — within the first five, ten minutes — I noticed relief,” Washington said. He now receives treatment every 14 days and encourages other patients to explore it as an option.

TRICARE Prime beneficiary Kathy Adams reported significant improvement in vocal strain, stress and shoulder pain after beginning BFA treatment, following nearly a year of speech therapy.

“It’s helped not just my voice, but also my stress and shoulder pain,” Adams said.

Studies from the Department of Veterans Affairs indicate that more than 75 percent of BFA recipients report immediate, short-term relief. The procedure does not impair cognitive function, does not involve medication, and can be administered quickly in a clinical setting.

BJACH providers may offer BFA as a standalone therapy or in combination with other treatments such as physical therapy, behavioral health services or medication management.

To schedule a consult, patients may call 726-780-2175 or send a secure message through the MHS GENESIS Patient Portal.