WASHINGTON — Chief Warrant Officer James Brad Smith broke five ribs, punctured a lung and shattered bones in his hand and thigh after falling more than 20 feet from a Black Hawk helicopter in Baghdad last month. While he was recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, his doctor suggested he add acupuncture to his treatment to help with the pain. On a recent morning, Col. Richard Niemtzow, an Air Force physician, carefully pushed a short needle into part of Smith’s outer ear. The soldier flinched, saying it felt like he ‘got clipped by something.’ By the time three more of the tiny, gold alloy needles were arranged around the ear, though, the pain from his injuries began to ease. ‘My ribs feel numb now and I feel it a little less in my hand,’ Smith said, raising his injured arm. ‘The pain isn’t as sharp. It’s maybe 50 percent better.’ Acupuncture involves placing very thin needles at specific points on the body to try to control pain and reduce stress. There are only theories about how, why and even whether it might work. Regardless, the ancient Chinese practice has been gradually catching […]