Medical acupuncture enhances standard wilderness medical care: a case study from the Inca Trail, Machu Picchu, Peru,...

This case report shows the integration of medical acupuncture into the standard medical care of a wilderness emergency situation. Despite conventional medical attention, a trekker suffering from an extremely painful conjunctivitis continued to suffer severe eye pain. The addition of medical acupuncture to his care resolved his eye pain promptly, enabling him to continue his trekking activities without further distress. Acupuncture has many potential applications to enhance the effects of standard medical care in wilderness and third world travel settings.