WASHINGTON (AP) — Medicare says it's moving toward potentially covering acupuncture for chronic low back pain as an alternative to opioid painkillers that can become addictive.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri will cover more non-opioid treatment options for Medicaid recipients who suffer from chronic pain as part of an effort to prevent substance abuse.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Of the 7.6 billion people alive in the world, four have walked on the moon. About the same number practice acupuncture on penguins.

One of them is in New Orleans.

Metairie-based veterinarian Cyndi Benbow is the intrepid needle handler, and one 36-year-old African penguin at the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas is lucky to have her services on call.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Of the 7.6 billion people alive in the world, four have walked on the moon. About the same number practice acupuncture on penguins.

One of them is in New Orleans.

Metairie-based veterinarian Cyndi Benbow is the intrepid needle handler, and one 36-year-old African penguin at the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas is lucky to have her services on call.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — At the institute tucked down a private road off of Forest Drive, Annapolis' top athletes and Olympians get daily massages, acupuncture, specialized diets, medications and supplements, and gear that costs thousands of dollars a piece.

No, these aren't Navy football stars or Olympic sailors — they're horses.

TOMAH, Wis. (AP) — A Veterans Affairs hospital in Wisconsin is using nontraditional therapies for pain and mental health as officials seek to address problems with over-prescribing medication at the facility.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — An Indiana nonprofit is creating an app to teach doctors how to help curb the state's opioid epidemic.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Marine veteran Jeff Harris was among the first to sign up when the Providence VA hospital started offering acupuncture for chronic pain.

"I don't like taking pain medication. I don't like the way it makes me feel," he said.

Harris also didn't want to risk getting addicted to heavy-duty prescription painkillers.

PUEBLO, Colo. (AP) — A second needle exchange has opened in Pueblo that will provide people with more than just clean syringes.

The Pueblo Chieftain reports the Southern Colorado Harm Reduction Association has been open since May.

ROCHESTER, Minn. (AP) — Some Rochester residents are being treated with acupuncture to help heal from grief.

Mayo Clinic acupuncturist Sara Bublitz told KTTC-TV (http://bit.ly/2lVsWJO ) that most patients come in for some kind of pain management, and several find the ancient Chinese medical practice to be an emotional release.

"It's like a weight has lifted off your shoulders and that sadness can be released," Bublitz said. "It's really powerful."

CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — Acupuncturists who lose licenses in other states can find an unregulated industry in Wyoming, and some industry professionals want that to change.

The Wyoming Acupuncture Society will urge state officials to set up a board that can establish minimum requirements for acupuncturists, reported the Casper Star-Tribune (http://bit.ly/2hU8Sb0).

Group members want the board to be able to sanction practitioners.