Endocarditis After Acupuncture and Injection—Treatment by a Natural Healer

To the Editor. —Patients with prosthetic heart valves may be unaware of the risk they undergo from minor operations, such as dental procedures. Another risk is from acupuncture.1-3This treatment, often performed by natural healers, has become increasingly popular in Norway over the past two decades. I have recently seen a patient with a prosthetic heart valve who developed endocarditis.4 Report of a Case. —A 59-year-old woman had prosthetic heart valves installed because of rheumatic valve disease. Two weeks before hospital admission, she had been given a 2-day treatment by a natural healer because of pains following a minor blow to her head. The treatment consisted of a series of "vi