Sample records for acupuncture fear scale

  1. Scale-specific effects: A report on multiscale analysis of acupunctured EEG in entropy and power

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Song, Zhenxi; Deng, Bin; Wei, Xile; Cai, Lihui; Yu, Haitao; Wang, Jiang; Wang, Ruofan; Chen, Yingyuan

    2018-02-01

    Investigating acupuncture effects contributes to improving clinical application and understanding neuronal dynamics under external stimulation. In this report, we recorded electroencephalography (EEG) signals evoked by acupuncture at ST36 acupoint with three stimulus frequencies of 50, 100 and 200 times per minutes, and selected non-acupuncture EEGs as the control group. Multiscale analyses were introduced to investigate the possible acupuncture effects on complexity and power in multiscale level. Using multiscale weighted-permutation entropy, we found the significant effects on increased complexity degree in EEG signals induced by acupuncture. The comparison of three stimulation manipulations showed that 100 times/min generated most obvious effects, and affected most cortical regions. By estimating average power spectral density, we found decreased power induced by acupuncture. The joint distribution of entropy and power indicated an inverse correlation, and this relationship was weakened by acupuncture effects, especially under the manipulation of 100 times/min frequency. Above findings are more evident and stable in large scales than small scales, which suggests that multiscale analysis allows evaluating significant effects in specific scale and enables to probe the inherent characteristics underlying physiological signals.

  2. The development of fears of compassion scale Japanese version.

    PubMed

    Asano, Kenichi; Tsuchiya, Masao; Ishimura, Ikuo; Lin, Shuzhen; Matsumoto, Yuki; Miyata, Haruko; Kotera, Yasuhiro; Shimizu, Eiji; Gilbert, Paul

    2017-01-01

    Cultivation of compassion is a useful way to treat mental problems, but some individuals show resistance. Fears of compassion can be an obstacle for clinicians when providing psychotherapy, and for clients when engaging in interpersonal relationships. Despite its importance, a Japanese version of fears of compassion scales (for others, from others, and for self) has not yet been developed. This study developed a Japanese version of the Fears of Compassion Scales and tested its reliability and validity. This study used a cross-sectional design, and a self-report procedure for collecting data. A total of 485 students (121 males and 364 females) answered self-report questionnaires, including the draft Fears of Compassion Scales-Japanese version. There were distinctive factor structures for fear of compassion from others, and for self. The fear of compassion from others scale consisted of concern about compassion from others and avoidance of compassion from others. All scales had good internal consistency, test-retest reliability, face validity, and construct validity. Discrimination and difficulty were also calculated. These results indicate that the Fears of Compassion Scales-Japanese version is a well-constructed and useful measure to assess fears of compassion and the existence of cultural differences in fears of compassion.

  3. Evaluation of treatment related fear using a newly developed fear scale for children: "Fear assessment picture scale" and its association with physiological response.

    PubMed

    Tiwari, Nishidha; Tiwari, Shilpi; Thakur, Ruchi; Agrawal, Nikita; Shashikiran, N D; Singla, Shilpy

    2015-01-01

    Dental treatment is usually a poignant phenomenon for children. Projective scales are preferred over psychometric scales to recognize it, and to obtain the self-report from children. The aims were to evaluate treatment related fear using a newly developed fear scale for children, fear assessment picture scale (FAPS), and anxiety with colored version of modified facial affective scale (MFAS) - three faces along with physiologic responses (pulse rate and oxygen saturation) obtained by pulse oximeter before and during pulpectomy procedure. Total, 60 children of age 6-8 years who were visiting the dental hospital for the first time and needed pulpectomy treatment were selected. Children selected were of sound physical, physiological, and mental condition. Two projective scales were used; one to assess fear - FAPS and to assess anxiety - colored version of MFAS - three faces. These were co-related with the physiological responses (oxygen saturation and pulse rate) of children obtained by pulse oximeter before and during the pulpectomy procedure. Shapiro-Wilk test, McNemar's test, Wilcoxon signed ranks test, Kruskal-Wallis test, Mann-Whitney test were applied in the study. The physiological responses showed association with FAPS and MFAS though not significant. However, oxygen saturation with MFAS showed a significant change between "no anxiety" and "some anxiety" as quantified by Kruskal-Wallis test value 6.287, P = 0.043 (<0.05) before pulpectomy procedure. The FAPS can prove to be a pragmatic tool in spotting the fear among young children. This test is easy and fast to apply on children and reduces the chair-side time.

  4. Acupuncture for depression.

    PubMed

    Smith, Caroline A; Armour, Mike; Lee, Myeong Soo; Wang, Li-Qiong; Hay, Phillipa J

    2018-03-04

    . Review criteria called for inclusion of all published and unpublished randomised controlled trials comparing acupuncture versus control acupuncture, no treatment, medication, other structured psychotherapies (cognitive-behavioural therapy, psychotherapy, or counselling), or standard care. Modes of treatment included acupuncture, electro-acupuncture, and laser acupuncture. Participants included adult men and women with depression diagnosed by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fourth Edition (DSM-IV), Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC), International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD), or Chinese Classification of Mental Disorders Third Edition Revised (CCMD-3-R). If necessary, we used trial authors' definitions of depressive disorder. We performed meta-analyses using risk ratios (RRs) for dichotomous outcomes and standardised mean differences (SMDs) for continuous outcomes, with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Primary outcomes were reduction in the severity of depression, measured by self-rating scales or by clinician-rated scales, and improvement in depression, defined as remission versus no remission. We assessed evidence quality using the GRADE method. This review is an update of previous versions and includes 64 studies (7104 participants). Most studies were at high risk of performance bias, at high or unclear risk of detection bias, and at low or unclear risk of selection bias, attrition bias, reporting bias, and other bias.Acupuncture versus no treatment/wait list/treatment as usualWe found low-quality evidence suggesting that acupuncture (manual and electro-) may moderately reduce the severity of depression by end of treatment (SMD -0.66, 95% CI -1.06 to -0.25, five trials, 488 participants). It is unclear whether data show differences between groups in the risk of adverse events (RR 0.89, 95% CI 0.35 to 2.24, one trial, 302 participants; low-quality evidence).Acupuncture versus control acupuncture (invasive

  5. The development of fears of compassion scale Japanese version

    PubMed Central

    Asano, Kenichi; Tsuchiya, Masao; Ishimura, Ikuo; Lin, Shuzhen; Matsumoto, Yuki; Miyata, Haruko; Kotera, Yasuhiro; Shimizu, Eiji; Gilbert, Paul

    2017-01-01

    Objectives Cultivation of compassion is a useful way to treat mental problems, but some individuals show resistance. Fears of compassion can be an obstacle for clinicians when providing psychotherapy, and for clients when engaging in interpersonal relationships. Despite its importance, a Japanese version of fears of compassion scales (for others, from others, and for self) has not yet been developed. This study developed a Japanese version of the Fears of Compassion Scales and tested its reliability and validity. Design This study used a cross-sectional design, and a self-report procedure for collecting data. Methods A total of 485 students (121 males and 364 females) answered self-report questionnaires, including the draft Fears of Compassion Scales—Japanese version. Results There were distinctive factor structures for fear of compassion from others, and for self. The fear of compassion from others scale consisted of concern about compassion from others and avoidance of compassion from others. All scales had good internal consistency, test-retest reliability, face validity, and construct validity. Discrimination and difficulty were also calculated. Conclusions These results indicate that the Fears of Compassion Scales—Japanese version is a well-constructed and useful measure to assess fears of compassion and the existence of cultural differences in fears of compassion. PMID:29023461

  6. Structural Validity of the Fear of Success Scale

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Metzler, Jonathan N.; Conroy, David E.

    2004-01-01

    Fear of success is a dispositional form of anxiety that can have harmful effects on athletes' motivation and performance; however, empirical research on fear of success in sport has been limited. Zuckerman and Allison's (1976) Fear of Success Scale (FOSS) has been the most popular fear of success measure used in sport, yet it is laden with…

  7. Acupuncture for dysmenorrhoea.

    PubMed

    Smith, Caroline A; Armour, Mike; Zhu, Xiaoshu; Li, Xun; Lu, Zhi Yong; Song, Jing

    2016-04-18

    effects. We included 42 RCTs (4640 women). Acupuncture or acupressure was compared with a sham/placebo group, medication, no treatment or other treatment. Many of the continuous data were not suitable for calculation of means, mainly due to evidence of skew.1. Acupuncture studies Acupuncture versus sham or placebo control (6 RCTs)Findings were inconsistent and inconclusive. However, the only study in the review that was at low risk of bias in all domains found no evidence of a difference between the groups at three, six or 12 months. The overall quality of the evidence was low. No studies reported adverse events. Acupuncture versus NSAIDs Seven studies reported visual analogue scale (VAS) pain scores, but were unsuitable for pooling due to extreme heterogeneity (I² = 94%). In all studies the scores were lower in the acupuncture group, with the mean difference varying across studies from 0.64 to 4 points on a VAS 0 - 10 scale (low-quality evidence). Four RCTs reported rates of pain relief, and found a benefit for the acupuncture group (OR 4.99, 95% CI 2.82 to 8.82, 352 women, I² = 0%, low-quality evidence). Adverse events were less common in the acupuncture group (OR 0.10, 95% CI 0.02 to 0.44, 4 RCTs, 239 women, 4 trials, I² = 15%, low-quality evidence). Acupuncture versus no treatment Data were unsuitable for analysis, but pain scores were lower in the acupuncture group in all six studies reporting this outcome. The quality of the evidence was low. No studies reported adverse events.2. Acupressure studiesNo studies of acupressure reported adverse events. Acupressure versus sham or placebo controlData were unsuitable for pooling, but two studies reported a mean benefit of one to three points on a 0 - 10 VAS pain scale. Another four studies reported data unsuitable for analysis: all found that pain scores were lower in the acupuncture group. No studies reported adverse events. The quality of the evidence was low. Acupressure versus NSAIDsOne study reported this outcome

  8. [Quantitative research on operation behavior of acupuncture manipulation].

    PubMed

    Li, Jing; Grierson, Lawrence; Wu, Mary X; Breuer, Ronny; Carnahan, Heather

    2014-03-01

    To explore a method of quantitative evaluation on operation behavior of acupuncture manipulation and further analyze behavior features of professional acupuncture manipulation. According to acupuncture basic manipulations, Scales for Operation Behavior of Acupuncture Basic Manipulation was made and Delphi method was adopted to test its validity. Two independent estimators utilized this scale to assess operation behavior of acupuncture manipulate among 12 acupuncturists and 12 acupuncture-novices and calculate interrater reliability, also the differences of total score of operation behavior in the two groups as well as single-step score, including sterilization, needle insertion, needle manipulation and needle withdrawal, were compared. The validity of this scale was satisfied. The inter-rater reliability was 0. 768. The total score of operation behavior in acupuncturist group was significantly higher than that in the acupuncture-novice group (13.80 +/- 1.05 vs 11.03 +/- 2.14, P < 0.01). The scores of needle insertion and needle manipulation in the acupuncturist group were significantly higher than those in the acupuncture-novice group (4.28 +/- 0.91 vs 2.54 +/- 1.51, P < 0.01; 2.56 +/- 0.65 vs 1.88 +/- 0.88, P < 0.05); however, the scores of sterilization and needle withdrawal in the acupuncturist group were not different from those in the acupuncture-novice group. This scale is suitable for quantitative evaluation on operation behavior of acupuncture manipulation. The behavior features of professional acupuncture manipulation are mainly presented with needle insertion and needle manipulation which has superior difficulty, high coordination and accuracy.

  9. Acupuncture for treating fibromyalgia

    PubMed Central

    Deare, John C; Zheng, Zhen; Xue, Charlie CL; Liu, Jian Ping; Shang, Jingsheng; Scott, Sean W; Littlejohn, Geoff

    2014-01-01

    Background One in five fibromyalgia sufferers use acupuncture treatment within two years of diagnosis. Objectives To examine the benefits and safety of acupuncture treatment for fibromyalgia. Search methods We searched CENTRAL, PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, National Research Register, HSR Project and Current Contents, as well as the Chinese databases VIP and Wangfang to January 2012 with no language restrictions. Selection criteria Randomised and quasi-randomised studies evaluating any type of invasive acupuncture for fibromyalgia diagnosed according to the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria, and reporting any main outcome: pain, physical function, fatigue, sleep, total well-being, stiffness and adverse events. Data collection and analysis Two author pairs selected trials, extracted data and assessed risk of bias. Treatment effects were reported as standardised mean differences (SMD) and 95%confidence intervals (CI) for continuous outcomes using different measurement tools (pain, physical function, fatigue, sleep, total well-being and stiffness) and risk ratio (RR) and 95% CI for dichotomous outcomes (adverse events).We pooled data using the random-effects model. Main results Nine trials (395 participants) were included. All studies except one were at low risk of selection bias; five were at risk of selective reporting bias (favouring either treatment group); two were subject to attrition bias (favouring acupuncture); three were subject to performance bias (favouring acupuncture) and one to detection bias (favouring acupuncture). Three studies utilised electro-acupuncture (EA) with the remainder using manual acupuncture (MA) without electrical stimulation. All studies used ’formula acupuncture’ except for one, which used trigger points. Low quality evidence from one study (13 participants) showed EA improved symptoms with no adverse events at one month following treatment. Mean pain in the non-treatment control group was 70 points on a 100 point scale

  10. Acupuncture for functional dyspepsia.

    PubMed

    Lan, Lei; Zeng, Fang; Liu, Guan J; Ying, Li; Wu, Xi; Liu, Mailan; Liang, Fan-Rong

    2014-10-13

    participants with FD (212 males and 330 females). These studies generally had an unclear risk of bias based on inadequate descriptions of allocation concealment and a high risk of bias based on lack of blinding. None of the studies reported on outcomes of the Functional Digestive Disorder Quality of Life questionnaire (FDDQL), the Satisfaction With Dyspepsia Related Health scale (SODA), the Digestive Health Status Instrument (DHSI), or effective/inefficient rate and symptom recurrence six months from completion of acupuncture treatment.Four RCTs of acupuncture versus medications (cisapride, domperidone, and itopride) were included in the review. No statistically significant difference was noted in the reduction in FD symptom scores and the frequency of FD attack by manual acupuncture, manual-electroacupuncture, or electroacupuncture compared with medications. In three trials of acupuncture versus sham acupuncture, all descriptive or quantitative analysis results implied that acupuncture could improve FD symptom scores and scores on the Neck Disability Index (NDI), the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), and the Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) more or as significantly as sham acupuncture. With regard to adverse effects, acupuncture was superior to cisapride treatment (one study; all minor events), but no statistically significant difference was reported between acupuncture and sham acupuncture. No adverse effects data were reported in studies examining manual acupuncture versus domperidone, manual-electroacupuncture versus domperidone, or electroacupuncture versus itopride.Nevertheless, all evidence was of low or very low quality. The body of evidence identified cannot yet permit a robust conclusion regarding the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for FD. It remains unknown whether manual acupuncture or electroacupuncture is more effective or safer than other treatments for patients with FD.

  11. Acupuncture for treatment of hospital-induced constipation in children: a retrospective case series study.

    PubMed

    Anders, Eric Falk; Findeisen, Annette; Nowak, Andreas; Rüdiger, Mario; Usichenko, Taras Ivanovich

    2012-12-01

    Acupuncture is a promising option in the treatment of functional bowel disorders. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and acceptance of acupuncture for the treatment of hospital-induced constipation (HIC) in children. Bilateral stimulation of acupuncture point LI11 was applied in 10 children with HIC using fixed indwelling acupuncture needles (0.9 mm long) before considering starting conventional local constipation therapy with laxative suppositories. The clinical records were studied retrospectively for feasibility, acceptance and effectiveness of acupuncture. Acupuncture was feasible in all children and application of the indwelling needles was tolerated without fear. Side effects were not observed. After a median of 3 days of HIC, all children defaecated within 2 h after LI11 stimulation. No patient required conventional local constipation therapy. Acupuncture for the treatment of HIC is feasible and acceptable. Its effect should be verified in a randomised controlled trial.

  12. A Randomized Trial Comparing Acupuncture, Simulated Acupuncture, and Usual Care for Chronic Low Back Pain

    PubMed Central

    Cherkin, Daniel C.; Sherman, Karen J.; Avins, Andrew L.; Erro, Janet H.; Ichikawa, Laura; Barlow, William E.; Delaney, Kristin; Hawkes, Rene; Hamilton, Luisa; Pressman, Alice; Khalsa, Partap S.; Deyo, Richard A.

    2009-01-01

    Background Acupuncture is a popular complementary and alternative treatment for chronic back pain. Recent European trials suggest similar short-term benefits from real and sham acupuncture needling. This trial addresses the importance of needle placement and skin penetration in eliciting acupuncture effects for patients with chronic low back pain. Methods 638 adults with chronic mechanical low back pain were randomized to: individualized acupuncture, standardized acupuncture, simulated acupuncture, or usual care. Ten treatments were provided over 7 weeks by experienced acupuncturists. The primary outcomes were back-related dysfunction (Roland Disability score, range: 0 to 23) and symptom bothersomeness (0 to 10 scale). Outcomes were assessed at baseline and after 8, 26 and 52 weeks. Results At 8 weeks, mean dysfunction scores for the individualized, standardized, and simulated acupuncture groups improved by 4.4, 4.5, and 4.4 points, respectively, compared with 2.1 points for those receiving usual care (P<0.001). Participants receiving real or simulated acupuncture were more likely than those receiving usual care to experience clinically meaningful improvements on the dysfunction scale (60% vs. 39%, P<0.0001). Symptoms improved by 1.6 to 1.9 points in the treatment groups compared with 0.7 points in the usual care group (P<0.0001). After one year, participants in the treatment groups were more likely than those receiving usual care group to experience clinically meaningful improvements in dysfunction (59% to 65% versus 50%, respectively, P=0.02) but not in symptoms (P>0.05). Conclusions Although acupuncture was found effective for chronic low back pain, tailoring needling sites to each patient and penetration of the skin appear to be unimportant in eliciting therapeutic benefits. These findings raise questions about acupuncture’s purported mechanisms of action. It remains unclear whether acupuncture, or our simulated method of acupuncture, provide physiologically

  13. Point specificity in acupuncture

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    The existence of point specificity in acupuncture is controversial, because many acupuncture studies using this principle to select control points have found that sham acupoints have similar effects to those of verum acupoints. Furthermore, the results of pain-related studies based on visual analogue scales have not supported the concept of point specificity. In contrast, hemodynamic, functional magnetic resonance imaging and neurophysiological studies evaluating the responses to stimulation of multiple points on the body surface have shown that point-specific actions are present. This review article focuses on clinical and laboratory studies supporting the existence of point specificity in acupuncture and also addresses studies that do not support this concept. Further research is needed to elucidate the point-specific actions of acupuncture. PMID:22373514

  14. Component analysis and initial validity of the exercise fear avoidance scale.

    PubMed

    Wingo, Brooks C; Baskin, Monica; Ard, Jamy D; Evans, Retta; Roy, Jane; Vogtle, Laura; Grimley, Diane; Snyder, Scott

    2013-01-01

    To develop the Exercise Fear Avoidance Scale (EFAS) to measure fear of exercise-induced discomfort. We conducted principal component analysis to determine component structure and Cronbach's alpha to assess internal consistency of the EFAS. Relationships between EFAS scores, BMI, physical activity, and pain were analyzed using multivariate regression. The best fit was a 3-component structure: weight-specific fears, cardiorespiratory fears, and musculoskeletal fears. Cronbach's alpha for the EFAS was α=.86. EFAS scores significantly predicted BMI, physical activity, and PDI scores. Psychometric properties of this scale suggest it may be useful for tailoring exercise prescriptions to address fear of exercise-related discomfort.

  15. Acupuncture for peripheral joint osteoarthritis

    PubMed Central

    Manheimer, Eric; Cheng, Ke; Linde, Klaus; Lao, Lixing; Yoo, Junghee; Wieland, Susan; van der Windt, Daniëlle AWM; Berman, Brian M; Bouter, Lex M

    2011-01-01

    Background Peripheral joint osteoarthritis is a major cause of pain and functional limitation. Few treatments are safe and effective. Objectives To assess the effects of acupuncture for treating peripheral joint osteoarthritis. Search strategy We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (The Cochrane Library 2008, Issue 1), MEDLINE, and EMBASE (both through December 2007), and scanned reference lists of articles. Selection criteria Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing needle acupuncture with a sham, another active treatment, or a waiting list control group in people with osteoarthritis of the knee, hip, or hand. Data collection and analysis Two authors independently assessed trial quality and extracted data. We contacted study authors for additional information. We calculated standardized mean differences using the differences in improvements between groups. Main results Sixteen trials involving 3498 people were included. Twelve of the RCTs included only people with OA of the knee, 3 only OA of the hip, and 1 a mix of people with OA of the hip and/or knee. In comparison with a sham control, acupuncture showed statistically significant, short-term improvements in osteoarthritis pain (standardized mean difference -0.28, 95% confidence interval -0.45 to -0.11; 0.9 point greater improvement than sham on 20 point scale; absolute percent change 4.59%; relative percent change 10.32%; 9 trials; 1835 participants) and function (-0.28, -0.46 to -0.09; 2.7 point greater improvement on 68 point scale; absolute percent change 3.97%; relative percent change 8.63%); however, these pooled short-term benefits did not meet our predefined thresholds for clinical relevance (i.e. 1.3 points for pain; 3.57 points for function) and there was substantial statistical heterogeneity. Additionally, restriction to sham-controlled trials using shams judged most likely to adequately blind participants to treatment assignment (which were also the same shams judged most

  16. Acupuncture for stroke rehabilitation.

    PubMed

    Yang, Ai; Wu, Hong Mei; Tang, Jin-Ling; Xu, Li; Yang, Ming; Liu, Guan J

    2016-08-26

    was not high. The quality of evidence for the main outcomes was low or very low based on the assessment by the system of Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE).Two trials compared real acupuncture plus baseline treatment with sham acupuncture plus baseline treatment. There was no evidence of differences in the changes of motor function and quality of life between real acupuncture and sham acupuncture for people with stroke in the convalescent stage.Twenty-nine trials compared acupuncture plus baseline treatment versus baseline treatment alone. Compared with no acupuncture, for people with stroke in the convalescent phase, acupuncture had beneficial effects on the improvement of dependency (activity of daily living) measured by Barthel Index (nine trials, 616 participants; mean difference (MD) 9.19, 95% confidence interval (CI) 4.34 to 14.05; GRADE very low), global neurological deficiency (seven trials, 543 participants; odds ratio (OR) 3.89, 95% CI 1.78 to 8.49; GRADE low), and specific neurological impairments including motor function measured by Fugl-Meyer Assessment (four trials, 245 participants; MD 6.16, 95% CI 4.20 to 8.11; GRADE low), cognitive function measured by the Mini-Mental State Examination (five trials, 278 participants; MD 2.54, 95% CI 0.03 to 5.05; GRADE very low), depression measured by the Hamilton Depression Scale (six trials, 552 participants; MD -2.58, 95% CI -3.28 to -1.87; GRADE very low), swallowing function measured by drinking test (two trials, 200 participants; MD -1.11, 95% CI -2.08 to -0.14; GRADE very low), and pain measured by the Visual Analogue Scale (two trials, 118 participants; MD -2.88, 95% CI -3.68 to -2.09; GRADE low). Sickness caused by acupuncture and intolerance of pain at acupoints were reported in a few participants with stroke in the acupuncture groups. No data on death, the proportion of people requiring institutional care or requiring extensive family support, and all-cause mortality

  17. Can a science-based definition of acupuncture improve clinical outcomes?

    PubMed

    Priebe, Ted; Stumpf, Steven H; Zalunardo, Rod

    2017-05-01

    Research on acupuncture has been muddled by attempts to bridge the ancient with the modern. Barriers to effectiveness research are reflected in recurring conflicts that include disagreement on use of the most basic terms, lack of standard intervention controls, and the absence of functional measures for assessing treatment effect. Acupuncture research has stalled at the "placebo barrier" wherein acupuncture is "no better than placebo." The most widely recognized comparative effectiveness research in acupuncture does not compare acupuncture treatment protocols within groups, thereby, mutating large scale effectiveness studies into large scale efficacy trials. Too often research in acupuncture attempts to tie outcomes to traditional belief systems thereby limiting usefulness of the research. The acupuncture research paradigm needs to focus more closely on a scientific definition of treatments and outcomes that compare protocols in terms of prevalent clinical issues such as relative effectiveness for treating pain.

  18. Acupuncture for polycystic ovarian syndrome

    PubMed Central

    Jo, Junyoung; Lee, Yoon Jae; Lee, Hyangsook

    2017-01-01

    Abstract Background: This systematic review aimed at summarizing and evaluating the evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) using acupuncture to treat polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), specifically focusing on ovulation rate, menstrual rate, and related hormones. Methods: Fifteen databases were searched electronically through February 2016. Our review included RCTs of women with PCOS; these RCTs compared acupuncture with sham acupuncture, medication, or no treatment. Two reviewers independently extracted data. Data were pooled and expressed as mean differences (MDs) for continuous outcomes and risk ratios for dichotomous outcomes, with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using a random-effects model. Results: We found a low level of evidence that acupuncture is more likely to improve ovulation rate (MD 0.35, 95% CI: 0.14–0.56) and menstruation rate (MD 0.50, 95% CI: 0.32–0.68) compared with no acupuncture. We found statistically significant pooled benefits of acupuncture treatment as an adjunct to medication in luteinizing hormone (LH), LH/follicular stimulating hormone (FSH) ratio, testosterone, fasting insulin, and pregnancy rates, but the level of evidence was low/very low. Conclusion: There is limited evidence to judge the efficacy and safety of acupuncture on key reproductive outcomes in women with PCOS. Large-scale, long-term RCTs with rigorous methodological input are needed. PMID:28591042

  19. Acupuncture for neck disorders.

    PubMed

    Trinh, K V; Graham, N; Gross, A R; Goldsmith, C H; Wang, E; Cameron, I D; Kay, T

    2006-07-19

    Neck pain is one of the three most frequently reported complaints of the musculoskeletal system. Treatments for neck pain are varied, as are the perceptions of benefits. Acupuncture has been used as an alternative to more traditional treatments for musculoskeletal pain. This review summarizes the most current scientific evidence on the effectiveness of acupuncture for acute, subacute and chronic neck pain. To determine the effects of acupuncture for individuals with neck pain. We searched CENTRAL (2006, issue 1) and MEDLINE, EMBASE, MANTIS, CINAHL from their beginning to February 2006. We searched reference lists and the acupuncture database TCMLARS in China. Any published trial using randomized (RCT) or quasi-randomized (quasi-RCT) assignment to the intervention groups, either in full text or abstract form, were included. Two reviewers made independent decisions for each step of the review: article inclusion, data abstraction and assessment of trial methodological quality. Study quality was assessed using the Jadad criteria. Consensus was used to resolve disagreements. When clinical heterogeneity was absent, we combined studies using random-effects meta-analysis models. We did not find any trials that examined the effects of acupuncture for acute or subacute pain, but we found 10 trials that examined acupuncture treatments for chronic neck pain. Overall, methodological quality had a mean of 2.3/5 on the Jadad Scale. For chronic mechanical neck disorders, there was moderate evidence that acupuncture was more effective for pain relief than some types of sham controls, measured immediately post-treatment. There was moderate evidence that acupuncture was more effective than inactive, sham treatments measured immediately post-treatment and at short-term follow-up (pooled standardized mean difference (SMD) -0.37, 95% confidence interval (CI) -0.61 to -0.12). There was limited evidence that acupuncture was more effective than massage at short-term follow-up. For chronic

  20. Introducing vibro-acupuncture: a psychophysical study.

    PubMed

    Wang, Kelun; Larsen, Dennis Boye; Jensen, Tanja Kim; Liu, Tiejun; Liu, Zhuxuan; Arendt-Nielsen, Lars

    2016-10-01

    To potentially enhance the effects of conventional acupuncture, a novel acu-vibrator (prototype) has been developed to perform vibro-acupuncture (VA). The aim of this psychophysical study was to investigate the subjective sensations of VA compared with conventional manual acupuncture (MA) and non-penetrating sham acupuncture (SA). 30 young healthy volunteers (21 men and 9 women) received VA, MA, and SA at LI4 and LI10 in a randomised, single-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over manner. After 25 min of treatment, the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) acupuncture sensation scale (MASS), McGill pain questionnaire (MPQ), and numerical rating scale (NRS; 0-10) were employed followed by the acupuncture credibility and indication scale. Adverse events were investigated after treatment. Data were analysed using Friedman's test for repeated measures on ranks and post hoc Wilcoxon signed-rank tests with Bonferroni correction. The MASS scores were significantly higher during MA and VA compared with SA at both LI4 and LI10 (p<0.017). Treatment with VA evoked significantly higher vibration sensations compared with MA and SA (p<0.005). Treatment with SA yielded significantly lower NRS and MPQ scores compared with MA and VA (p<0.001) with no difference between MA and VA (p>0.05). Blinding of participants was achieved for SA and MA; however, VA was correctly identified in 29 of 30 subjects due to the characteristic vibrational stimulation. No serious adverse events were recorded for any of the treatments. Subjective sensations were influenced by treatment mode, with MA and VA yielding higher stimulation responses compared with SA. VA evoked specific vibrational sensations beyond MA, which might have specific effects in various disorders. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

  1. Acupuncture

    MedlinePlus

    Acupuncture has been practiced in China and other Asian countries for thousands of years. Acupuncture involves stimulating specific points on the body. This ... functions of the body. Research has shown that acupuncture reduces nausea and vomiting after surgery and chemotherapy. ...

  2. A Double-Blind Study on Acupuncture Sensations with Japanese Style of Acupuncture: Comparison between Penetrating and Placebo Needles.

    PubMed

    Nishiwaki, Masako; Takayama, Miho; Yajima, Hiroyoshi; Nasu, Morihiro; Park, Joel; Kong, Jian; Takakura, Nobuari

    2018-01-01

    To investigate the acupuncture sensations elicited by the Japanese style of acupuncture, penetrating acupuncture and skin-touch placebo needles were randomly administered at various insertion depths (5 and 10 mm for the penetrating needles and 1 and 2 mm for the placebo needles) at LI4 to 50 healthy subjects. Among the 12 acupuncture sensations in the Massachusetts General Hospital Acupuncture Sensation Scale (MASS), "heaviness" was the strongest and most frequently reported sensation with the 10 mm needles, but not with the 5 mm needles. There were no significant differences in number of sensations elicited, MASS index, range of spreading, and intensity of needle pain for 5 mm penetration versus 1 mm skin press and 10 mm penetration versus 2 mm skin press. The MASS index with 2 mm skin-touch needles was significantly larger than that with 1 mm skin-touch and 5 mm penetrating needles. The factor structures in the 12 acupuncture sensations between penetrating and skin-touch needles were different. The acupuncture sensations obtained in this study under satisfactorily performed double-blind (practitioner-patient) conditions suggest that a slight difference in insertion depth and skin press causes significant differences in quantity and quality of acupuncture sensations.

  3. Specifying the non-specific components of acupuncture analgesia

    PubMed Central

    Vase, Lene; Baram, Sara; Takakura, Nobuari; Yajima, Hiroyoshi; Takayama, Miho; Kaptchuk, Ted J.; Schou, Søren; Jensen, Troels Staehelin; Zachariae, Robert; Svensson, Peter

    2014-01-01

    It is well known that acupuncture has pain-relieving effects, but the contribution of specific and especially non-specific factors to acupuncture analgesia is less clear. One hundred and one patients who developed pain ≥ 3 on a visual analog scale (VAS, 0-10) following third molar surgery were randomized to receive active acupuncture, placebo acupuncture, or no treatment for 30 min with acupuncture needles with potential for double-blinding. Patients’ perception of the treatment (active or placebo), and expected pain levels (VAS) were assessed prior to and halfway through the treatment. Looking at actual treatment allocation, there was no specific effect of active acupuncture (P = 0.240), but a large and significant non-specific effect of placebo acupuncture (P < 0.001), which increased over time. Interestingly, however, looking at perceived treatment allocation, there was a significant effect of acupuncture (P < 0.001) indicating that patients who believed they received active acupuncture had significantly lower pain levels than those who believed they received placebo acupuncture. Expected pain levels accounted for significant and progressively larger amounts of the variance in pain ratings following both active and placebo acupuncture (up to 69.8%), This is the first study to show that under optimized blinding conditions non-specific factors such as patients’ perception of and expectations toward treatment are central to the efficacy of acupuncture analgesia and that these factors may contribute to self-reinforcing effects in acupuncture treatment To obtain an effect of acupuncture in clinical practice it may, therefore, be important to incorporate and optimize these factors. PMID:23707680

  4. Ever-present threats from information technology: the Cyber-Paranoia and Fear Scale

    PubMed Central

    Mason, Oliver J.; Stevenson, Caroline; Freedman, Fleur

    2014-01-01

    Delusions involving technology, and specifically the internet, are increasingly common, and fear-reality statistics suggest computer-related fears are very widespread. These fears form a continuum from the widely understandable and realistic to the unrealistic, and frankly paranoid. The present study investigated the validity of this construct in a non-clinical population by constructing a novel self-report measure. The new Cyber-Paranoia and Fear Scale aims to measure the perception of information technology-related threats originating from or enabled by computers, smartphones, social networks, and digital surveillance. Psychometric properties of the new Cyber-Paranoia and Fear Scale are reported alongside an established measure of suspiciousness and paranoia in 181 participants including a sub-group of fifty information technology professionals. Exploratory factor analysis suggested the presence of two, related, dimensions that we term cyber-paranoia and cyber-fear. Both sub-scales were internally consistent and produced a normal distribution of scores. The relationships of the sub-scales with age, gender, trait paranoia, digital literacy, and digital inclusion are supportive of construct validity. The distinctiveness of ‘cyber-paranoia’ from general trait paranoia appears to mirror the clinical distinctiveness of ‘internet’ and other technology-fuelled delusions. Knowledge provision to increase technological proficiency and awareness may bring about a reduction in cyber-paranoia. PMID:25505431

  5. Ever-present threats from information technology: the Cyber-Paranoia and Fear Scale.

    PubMed

    Mason, Oliver J; Stevenson, Caroline; Freedman, Fleur

    2014-01-01

    Delusions involving technology, and specifically the internet, are increasingly common, and fear-reality statistics suggest computer-related fears are very widespread. These fears form a continuum from the widely understandable and realistic to the unrealistic, and frankly paranoid. The present study investigated the validity of this construct in a non-clinical population by constructing a novel self-report measure. The new Cyber-Paranoia and Fear Scale aims to measure the perception of information technology-related threats originating from or enabled by computers, smartphones, social networks, and digital surveillance. Psychometric properties of the new Cyber-Paranoia and Fear Scale are reported alongside an established measure of suspiciousness and paranoia in 181 participants including a sub-group of fifty information technology professionals. Exploratory factor analysis suggested the presence of two, related, dimensions that we term cyber-paranoia and cyber-fear. Both sub-scales were internally consistent and produced a normal distribution of scores. The relationships of the sub-scales with age, gender, trait paranoia, digital literacy, and digital inclusion are supportive of construct validity. The distinctiveness of 'cyber-paranoia' from general trait paranoia appears to mirror the clinical distinctiveness of 'internet' and other technology-fuelled delusions. Knowledge provision to increase technological proficiency and awareness may bring about a reduction in cyber-paranoia.

  6. How effective is acupuncture for reducing pain due to plantar fasciitis?

    PubMed Central

    Thiagarajah, Anandan Gerard

    2017-01-01

    INTRODUCTION Plantar fasciitis is a commonly seen outpatient condition that has numerous treatment modalities of varying degrees of efficacy. This systematic review aimed to determine the effectiveness of acupuncture in reducing pain caused by plantar fasciitis. METHODS Online literature searches were performed on the PubMed and Cochrane Library databases for studies on the use of acupuncture for pain caused by plantar fasciitis. Studies designed as randomised controlled trials and that compared acupuncture with standard treatments or had real versus sham acupuncture arms were selected. The Delphi list was used to assess the methodological quality of the studies retrieved. RESULTS Three studies that compared acupuncture with standard treatment and one study on real versus sham acupuncture were found. These showed that acupuncture significantly reduced pain levels in patients with plantar fasciitis, as measured on the visual analogue scale and the Plantar Fasciitis Pain/Disability Scale. These benefits were noted between four and eight weeks of treatment, with no further significant reduction in pain beyond this duration. Side effects were found to be minimal. CONCLUSION Although acupuncture may reduce plantar fasciitis pain in the short term, there is insufficient evidence for a definitive conclusion regarding its effectiveness in the longer term. Further research is required to strengthen the acceptance of acupuncture among healthcare providers. PMID:27526703

  7. How effective is acupuncture for reducing pain due to plantar fasciitis?

    PubMed

    Thiagarajah, Anandan Gerard

    2017-02-01

    Plantar fasciitis is a commonly seen outpatient condition that has numerous treatment modalities of varying degrees of efficacy. This systematic review aimed to determine the effectiveness of acupuncture in reducing pain caused by plantar fasciitis. Online literature searches were performed on the PubMed and Cochrane Library databases for studies on the use of acupuncture for pain caused by plantar fasciitis. Studies designed as randomised controlled trials and that compared acupuncture with standard treatments or had real versus sham acupuncture arms were selected. The Delphi list was used to assess the methodological quality of the studies retrieved. Three studies that compared acupuncture with standard treatment and one study on real versus sham acupuncture were found. These showed that acupuncture significantly reduced pain levels in patients with plantar fasciitis, as measured on the visual analogue scale and the Plantar Fasciitis Pain/Disability Scale. These benefits were noted between four and eight weeks of treatment, with no further significant reduction in pain beyond this duration. Side effects were found to be minimal. Although acupuncture may reduce plantar fasciitis pain in the short term, there is insufficient evidence for a definitive conclusion regarding its effectiveness in the longer term. Further research is required to strengthen the acceptance of acupuncture among healthcare providers. Copyright: © Singapore Medical Association

  8. [ZHU Lian's New Acupuncture Academic System and acupuncture science initialization].

    PubMed

    Zhang, Shujian; Zhang, Lijian

    2015-11-01

    Acupuncture scientization was a consensus of most of acupuncture scholars who had long-term perspectives in the 20th century, among them Ms. ZHULian was the important one. Ms. ZHU Lian built a systemic new acupuncture" academic structure in practice and theory aspects. At the same time, as the main architect of Institute of Acupuncture-moxibustion of China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ms. ZHU Lian was the first one who began to carry out the acupuncture clinical trail and laboratory experiment in modern way, which meant "acupuncture therapy" was transformed into "acupuncture science" by Ms. ZHULian's endeavor.

  9. Prevalence of dental fear and its causes using three measurement scales among children in New Delhi.

    PubMed

    Rajwar, Anju Singh; Goswami, Mridula

    2017-01-01

    There is a great need for identifying fearful children, who often present problems in patient management, thus affecting the quality of dental care rendered to them. This study is unique in the way that dental fear was assessed through three fear scales as research has suggested the use of more than one scale because each scale has its own restrictions and is open to criticism. The aim of this study was to evaluate dental fear and anxiety (DFA) among children aged 3-14 years using three fear measurement scales. The study was conducted on children (3-14 years) who visited the Department of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry at Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences, New Delhi. The DFA levels were measured using three fear measurement scales, i.e., facial image scale (FIS), dental fear scale (DFS), and children's fear survey schedule-dental subscale (CFSS-DS). The dental behavior was estimated using the Frankl's behavior rating scale (FBRS). The prevalence of dental fear according to FIS was 14.3%, according to DFS was 22.6%, and according to CFSS-DS was 7.4%. In assessment of the behavior of children in the clinics through FBRS, it was observed that he maximum number of respondents (69.8%) showed Frankl's Rating 3 i.e. positive. In the DFS and CFSS-DS, the factor which caused most fear was "feeling the needle injected" and "injections," respectively. Assessment of dental fear is an extremely useful tool for the dental practitioner, who can use it to customize the behavioral treatment and management for child patients.

  10. Long-term effect of acupuncture for treatment of tinnitus: a randomized, patient- and assessor-blind, sham-acupuncture-controlled, pilot trial.

    PubMed

    Jeon, Sun Woo; Kim, Kyu Seok; Nam, Hae Jeong

    2012-07-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate the long-term effect of acupuncture for treatment of tinnitus. This study is a randomized, patient- and assessor-blind, sham-acupuncture-controlled, pilot trial. Participants were adults (18-60 years old) with chronic (≥6 months), unilateral tinnitus, and without moderate or severe hearing loss. Thirty-three (33) participants were randomized to one of two treatment groups: real acupuncture and sham-acupuncture (nonmeridian; no specific response, de qi). Participants received 10 sessions of acupuncture treatment (twice a week for 5 weeks), and usual patient care education. The subjective outcome was the score of Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) from baseline to 3 months after. Pure Tone Average (PTA) and Speech Discrimination (SD) from baseline to 3 months after were assessed as objective outcomes. A significant interaction between time and group in VAS (p=0.017) was evident, but not in THI, PTA, and SD scores. THI showed significant improvement at the end of treatment and 3 months after, compared to baseline, in real acupuncture (p=0.004). In SD, a significant long-term effect of real acupuncture was observed until 3 months after (p=0.011). However, the effect of real acupuncture in PTA was not maintained until 3 months after the end of treatment. No significant difference in the sham-acupuncture treatment group was evident. No statistical difference in any outcome was observed between real and sham acupuncture. Only in the mean percent change of VAS, real acupuncture showed statistical significance, compared with sham-acupuncture from baseline to 3 months after (p=0.019). Through evaluation of subjective (THI and VAS) and objective outcomes (PTA and SD), this study demonstrates the long-term effect of real acupuncture.

  11. Acupuncture for restless legs syndrome.

    PubMed

    Cui, Ye; Wang, Yin; Liu, Zhishun

    2008-10-08

    in remission of overall symptoms between acupuncture and medications in one trial (RR 0.97, 95% CI 0.76 to 1.24). Another trial found that dermal needle therapy used in combination with medications and massage was more effective than medications and massage alone, in terms of remission of unpleasant sensations in the legs (RR 1.36, 95% CI 1.06 to 1.75; WMD -0.61, 95% CI -0.96 to -0.26) and reduction of RLS frequency (WMD -3.44, 95% CI -5.15 to -1.73). However, there was no significant difference for the reduction in either the longest or the shortest duration of RLS (WMD -2.58, 95% CI -5.92 to 0.76; WMD -0.38, 95% CI -1.08 to 0.32). There is insufficient evidence to determine whether acupuncture is an efficacious and safe treatment for RLS. Further well-designed, large-scale clinical trials are needed.

  12. Effectiveness of Traditional Chinese Acupuncture versus Sham Acupuncture: a Systematic Review

    PubMed Central

    Carlos, Luís; da Cruz, Lóris Aparecida Prado; Leopoldo, Vanessa Cristina; de Campos, Fabrício Ribeiro; de Almeida, Ana Maria; Silveira, Renata Cristina de Campos Pereira

    2016-01-01

    ABSTRACT Objective: to identify and synthesize the evidence from randomized clinical trials that tested the effectiveness of traditional Chinese acupuncture in relation to sham acupuncture for the treatment of hot flashes in menopausal women with breast cancer. Method: systematic review guided by the recommendations of the Cochrane Collaboration. Citations were searched in the following databases: MEDLINE via PubMed, Web of Science, CENTRAL, CINAHL, and LILACS. A combination of the following keywords was used: breast neoplasm, acupuncture, acupuncture therapy, acupuncture points, placebos, sham treatment, hot flashes, hot flushes, menopause, climacteric, and vasomotor symptoms. Results: a total of 272 studies were identified, five of which were selected and analyzed. Slight superiority of traditional acupuncture compared with sham acupuncture was observed; however, there were no strong statistical associations. Conclusions: the evidence gathered was not sufficient to affirm the effectiveness of traditional acupuncture compared with sham acupuncture. PMID:27533271

  13. Psychological Distress, Physical Symptoms, and the Role of Attachment Style in Acupuncture.

    PubMed

    Sochos, Antigonos; Bennett, Ashley

    2016-03-01

    Context • Attachment research has contributed significantly to the understanding of the origins as well as the treatment of psychological and somatic distress; however, no study so far has explored the role of attachment in acupuncture. The effects on endogenous opioids of both acupuncture and intimate interpersonal bonding as well as clients' reliance on a practitioner's care may suggest that individual differences in attachment style could be linked to individual differences in responses to acupuncture. Objective • The study intended to investigate the role of attachment style in determining outcomes in acupuncture. Design • A pre- and postintervention, single group, quasiexperimental design was used. Setting • Treatment and data collection took place in an acupuncture clinic in London, England, United Kingdom. Eighty-two acupuncture clients with a mean age of 46 ± 14.53 took part in the study. Participants suffered from a variety of somatic and psychological complaints. Intervention • Traditional Chinese acupuncture was administered to all participants in weekly sessions, with the mean number of sessions that participants received being 5 ± 3.5. Outcome Measures • Psychological distress and somatic symptoms were measured using the General Heath Questionnaire (GHQ-12) and the Bradford Somatic Inventory (BSI), respectively. The Relationship Questionnaire (RQ) was used to assess attachment style, with the 4 styles being secure, dismissing, preoccupied, and fearful. Results • After treatment, both somatic and nonsomatic distress were reduced (P < .001), whereas pretreatment associations between attachment insecurity and symptom severity ceased to exist. The strength rather than the quality of the attachment style moderated the reduction in somatic distress, whereas the preoccupied style of attachment moderated the effects of medically unexplained symptoms on distress. Conclusions • Attachment style may have an impact on acupuncture outcomes by

  14. Hierarchical Micro/Nano-Porous Acupuncture Needles Offering Enhanced Therapeutic Properties

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    in, Su-Ll; Gwak, Young S.; Kim, Hye Rim; Razzaq, Abdul; Lee, Kyeong-Seok; Kim, Hee Young; Chang, Suchan; Lee, Bong Hyo; Grimes, Craig A.; Yang, Chae Ha

    2016-10-01

    Acupuncture as a therapeutic intervention has been widely used for treatment of many pathophysiological disorders. For achieving improved therapeutic effects, relatively thick acupuncture needles have been frequently used in clinical practice with, in turn, enhanced stimulation intensity. However due to the discomforting nature of the larger-diameter acupuncture needles there is considerable interest in developing advanced acupuncture therapeutical techniques that provide more comfort with improved efficacy. So motivated, we have developed a new class of acupuncture needles, porous acupuncture needles (PANs) with hierarchical micro/nano-scale conical pores upon the surface, fabricated via a simple and well known electrochemical process, with surface area approximately 20 times greater than conventional acupuncture needles. The performance of these high-surface-area PANs is evaluated by monitoring the electrophysiological and behavioral responses from the in vivo stimulation of Shenmen (HT7) points in Wistar rats, showing PANs to be more effective in controlling electrophysiological and behavioral responses than conventional acupuncture needles. Comparative analysis of cocaine induced locomotor activity using PANs and thick acupuncture needles shows enhanced performance of PANs with significantly less pain sensation. Our work offers a unique pathway for achieving a comfortable and improved acupuncture therapeutic effect.

  15. Hierarchical Micro/Nano-Porous Acupuncture Needles Offering Enhanced Therapeutic Properties

    PubMed Central

    In, Su-ll; Gwak, Young S.; Kim, Hye Rim; Razzaq, Abdul; Lee, Kyeong-Seok; Kim, Hee Young; Chang, SuChan; Lee, Bong Hyo; Grimes, Craig A.; Yang, Chae Ha

    2016-01-01

    Acupuncture as a therapeutic intervention has been widely used for treatment of many pathophysiological disorders. For achieving improved therapeutic effects, relatively thick acupuncture needles have been frequently used in clinical practice with, in turn, enhanced stimulation intensity. However due to the discomforting nature of the larger-diameter acupuncture needles there is considerable interest in developing advanced acupuncture therapeutical techniques that provide more comfort with improved efficacy. So motivated, we have developed a new class of acupuncture needles, porous acupuncture needles (PANs) with hierarchical micro/nano-scale conical pores upon the surface, fabricated via a simple and well known electrochemical process, with surface area approximately 20 times greater than conventional acupuncture needles. The performance of these high-surface-area PANs is evaluated by monitoring the electrophysiological and behavioral responses from the in vivo stimulation of Shenmen (HT7) points in Wistar rats, showing PANs to be more effective in controlling electrophysiological and behavioral responses than conventional acupuncture needles. Comparative analysis of cocaine induced locomotor activity using PANs and thick acupuncture needles shows enhanced performance of PANs with significantly less pain sensation. Our work offers a unique pathway for achieving a comfortable and improved acupuncture therapeutic effect. PMID:27713547

  16. Acupuncture in urological practice--a survey of urologists in England.

    PubMed

    Tempest, Heidi; Reynard, John; Bryant, Richard J; Hamdy, Freddie C; Larré, Stéphane

    2011-02-01

    To determine the feasibility of obtaining cooperation from urologists in carrying out large-scale studies on the efficacy of acupuncture for the treatment of urological conditions, based on urologists' general views and knowledge of acupuncture. A questionnaire was distributed to 145 urologists within three training deaneries within England. A response rate of 70% (n=102) was achieved. The majority of urologists rated their knowledge of acupuncture as low (46%, n=46) and their general attitude towards acupuncture was neutral (54%, n=55). The majority of responding urologists (95%) thought that acupuncture may be of value in urological conditions, and acupuncture was suggested to patients by 30 urologists (29%). The urologists most likely to suggest acupuncture to their patients were typically over 40 years of age, more experienced, not in a training post, and since starting their urological career had changed their attitude towards acupuncture. In a multivariate analysis, a change of view regarding the efficacy of acupuncture was found to be the only variable significantly associated with a recommendation of acupuncture to patients. Although overall knowledge about acupuncture was poor, most responding urologists thought acupuncture may be useful for urological conditions. Those who had changed their views were most likely to suggest acupuncture to their patients. Acupuncture for urological conditions warrants further investigation and, as this study has shown high interest within the urological community large clinical trials involving multicentres may be feasible. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Physical Therapists' Views and Experiences of Pregnancy-Related Low Back Pain and the Role of Acupuncture: Qualitative Exploration

    PubMed Central

    Bartlam, Bernadette; Bishop, Annette; Holden, Melanie A.; Barlas, Panos; Foster, Nadine E.

    2015-01-01

    Background Low back pain is often accepted as a “normal” part of pregnancy. Despite research suggesting that quality of life for women who are pregnant is adversely affected, most are advised to self-manage. Although the use of acupuncture for the management of persistent nonspecific low back pain has been recommended in recent UK national guidelines, its use in the management of pregnancy-related low back pain remains limited. Objectives This study aimed to explore the perceptions and experiences of physical therapists involved in treating women who are pregnant and have low back pain with the objective of informing the pretrial training program for a pilot randomized trial (Evaluating Acupuncture and Standard care for pregnant womEn with Back pain [EASE Back]). Design A qualitative phenomenological method with purposive sampling was used in the study. Methods Three focus groups and 3 individual semistructured interviews were undertaken, and an iterative exploratory thematic analysis was performed. To ensure transparency of the research process and the decisions made, an audit trail was created. Results Twenty-one physical therapists participated, and emergent issues included: a lack of experience in treating pregnancy-related complaints, mixed messages from previous acupuncture education, a mistrust of the current evidence for acupuncture safety and effectiveness, and personal and professional fear of causing harm. Conclusions The findings suggest that UK physical therapists are reluctant to use acupuncture in the management of pregnancy-related low back pain. The explanations for these findings include perceived lack of knowledge and confidence, as well as a pervasive professional culture of caution, particularly fears of inducing early labor and of litigation. These findings have been key to informing the content of the training program for physical therapists delivering acupuncture within the pilot EASE Back trial. PMID:25929530

  18. Psychometric properties of the School Fears Survey Scale for preadolescents (SFSS-II).

    PubMed

    García-Fernández, José Manuel; Espada Sánchez, José Pedro; Orgilés Amorós, Mireia; Méndez Carrillo, Xavier

    2010-08-01

    This paper describes the psychometric properties of a new children's self-report measure. The School Fears Survey Scale, Form II (SFSS-II) assesses school fears in children from ages 8 to 11. The factor solution with a Spanish sample of 3,665 children isolated four factors: Fear of academic failure and punishment, fear of physical discomfort, fear of social and school assessment and anticipatory and separation anxiety. The questionnaire was tested by confirmatory factor analysis, which accounted for 55.80% of the total variance. Results indicated that the SFSS-II has a high internal consistency (alpha= .89). The results revealed high test-retest reliability and appropriate relationship with other scales. The age by gender interaction was significant. Two-way analysis of variance found that older children and girls had higher anxiety. The instrument shows adequate psychometric guarantees and can be used for the multidimensional assessment of anxiety in clinical and educational settings.

  19. Tongue acupuncture in treatment of post-stroke dysphagia

    PubMed Central

    Cai, Haiyan; Ma, Benxu; Gao, Xia; Gao, Huanmin

    2015-01-01

    Tongue acupuncture is a technique that treats illness through acupuncture applied to the tongue. This study was designed to assess its therapeutic effects in the treatment of post-stroke dysphagia. A clinical control study was conducted with randomly selected 180 patients with post-stroke dysphagia. The patients were assigned into 2 groups: 90 in the Tongue acupuncture group received tongue acupuncture on the basis of conventional medication, 90 in the conventional acupuncture group received acupuncture on the neck and wrist. Acupoints in the tongue are Juanquan (EX-HN10) (at the midpoint of dorsal raphe of the tongue) and Haiquan (EX-HN11) (Sublingual frenulum midpoint). Acupoits on the body are Fengchi (GB20) and Neiguan (PC6). The effective rate, the national institutes of health stroke scale (NIHSS), TV X-ray fluoroscopy swallowing function (VFSS), the incidence rate of pneumonia were used to evaluate the efficacy after 4 weeks treatment. The NIHSS and VFSS of tongue acupuncture group were improved significantly than that of the conventional group (P < 0.01, respectively). The incidence rate of pneumonia decreased (P < 0. 01). The effective rate of the tongue acupuncture group was higher than that of conventional group (96.67% vs. 66.67%, P < 0. 01). On the basis of the conventional medication, tongue acupuncture would effectively improve the swallow functions, decrease the neurological deficit and reduce the incidence of pneumonia in patients with post-stroke dysphagia. PMID:26550374

  20. Reliability and validity of the Fear of Intimacy Scale in China.

    PubMed

    Ingersoll, Travis S; Norvilitis, Jill M; Zhang, Jie; Jia, Shuhua; Tetewsky, Sheldon

    2008-05-01

    Participants in China (n = 343) and the United States (n = 283) completed measures to assess the reliability and validity of the Fear of Intimacy Scale (Descutner & Thelen, 1991) with a Chinese population. Internal consistency was strong in both cultures, and the factor structure was also similar between cultures, with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) identifying three-factor models in both samples. As evidence of convergent validity, the scale was positively correlated with depression and negatively correlated with social support and self-esteem. There were gender differences between cultures, but low levels of femininity were predictive of fear of intimacy in both cultures. The influence of individualism and collectivism varied, with high levels of individualism more predictive of a fear of intimacy in China than in the United States.

  1. Acupuncture versus Sham Acupuncture for Chronic Prostatitis/Chronic Pelvic Pain

    PubMed Central

    Lee, Shaun Wen Huey; Liong, Men Long; Yuen, Kah Hay; Leong, Wing Seng; Chee, Christopher; Cheah, Phaik Yeong; Choong, Weng Pho; Wu, Yue; Khan, Nurzalina; Choong, Wooi Long; Yap, Hin Wai; Krieger, John N.

    2015-01-01

    Background Chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) afflicts 2–10% of adult men. Available therapies offer little or no proven benefit. Because acupuncture represents an attractive “natural” therapy, we compared the efficacy of acupuncture to sham acupuncture for CP/CPPS Methods Participants met US National Institutes of Health (NIH) consensus criteria for CP/CPPS, aged ≥ 20 years old, with total score ≥ 15 on the NIH-Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index (NIH-CPSI) and symptoms for at least 3 of the preceding 6 months were randomized 1:1 to acupuncture or sham acupuncture. Treatment consisted of twice weekly 30-minute sessions for 10 weeks (20 sessions total), without needle stimulation, herbs or adjuvants. The primary response criterion was a six-point decrease from baseline to week 10 in NIH-CPSI total score (range 0–43). Results Thirty-two (73%) of 44 participants responded in the acupuncture group compared to 21 (47%) of 45 sham group participants (relative risk [RR] 1.81, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.3–3.1, p=0.02,). Long-term responses 24 weeks after completing therapy without additional treatment occurred in 14 (32%) of 44 acupuncture group participants and in 6 (13%) of 45 sham group participants (RR 2.39, 95% CI, 1.0–5.6, p=0.04). Conclusion After 10 weeks of treatment, acupuncture proved almost twice as likely as sham to improve CP/CPPS symptoms. Participants receiving acupuncture were 2.4 fold more likely to experience long-term benefit than participants receiving sham acupuncture. PMID:18187077

  2. Acupuncture and moxibustion for stress-related disorders

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    Acupuncture and moxibustion, which medical doctors are licensed by the government of Japan to perform, can improve the psychological relationship between doctors and patients, especially when it is disturbed by a “game”, a dysfunctional interpersonal interaction that is repeated unintentionally. This advantage is due to the essential properties of acupuncture and moxibustion. Acupuncture and moxibustion are helpful in treating somatoform disorders, especially musculoskeletal symptoms. In Japan, a holistic acupuncture and moxibustion therapy called Sawada-style has been developed. This is based on fundamental meridian points that are considered to have effects on central, autonomic nervous, immune, metabolic, and endocrine systems to regulate the whole body balance. In addition, some of the fundamental points have effects on Qi, blood, and water patterns associated with major depression, generalized anxiety disorder, eating disorders, and somatoform disorders. The fixed protocol of Sawada-style would be suitable for large-scale, randomized, controlled studies in the future. Recent systematic reviews indicate that electroacupuncture would be a useful addition to antidepressant therapy for some symptoms accompanying fibromyalgia. Acupuncture and moxibustion are also recommended for irritable bowel syndrome, instead of Western drug therapy. Surprisingly, the dorsal prefrontal cerebral cortex, which is associated with a method of scalp acupuncture applied for gastrointestinal disorders, has been found to be activated in patients with irritable bowel syndrome. It is quite possible that regulation of this cortical area is related to the effect of scalp acupuncture. This acupuncture method can be effective not only for irritable bowel syndrome but also for other stress-related gastrointestinal disorders. PMID:24456818

  3. Acupuncture for alcohol withdrawal: a randomized controlled trial.

    PubMed

    Trümpler, François; Oez, Suzan; Stähli, Peter; Brenner, Hans Dieter; Jüni, Peter

    2003-01-01

    Previous trials on acupuncture in alcohol addiction were in outpatients and focused on relapse prevention. Rates of dropout were high and interpretation of results difficult. We compared auricular laser and needle acupuncture with sham laser stimulation in reducing the duration of alcohol withdrawal. Inpatients undergoing alcohol withdrawal were randomly allocated to laser acupuncture (n = 17), needle acupuncture (n = 15) or sham laser stimulation (n = 16). Attempts were made to blind patients, therapists and outcome assessors, but this was not feasible for needle acupuncture. The duration of withdrawal symptoms (as assessed using a nurse-rated scale) was the primary outcome; the duration of sedative prescription was the secondary outcome. Patients randomized to laser and sham laser had identical withdrawal symptom durations (median 4 days). Patients randomized to needle stimulation had a shorter duration of withdrawal symptoms (median 3 days; P = 0.019 versus sham intervention), and tended to have a shorter duration of sedative use, but these differences diminished after adjustment for baseline differences. The data from this pilot trial do not suggest a relevant benefit of auricular laser acupuncture for alcohol withdrawal. A larger trial including adequate sham interventions is needed, however, to reliably determine the effectiveness of any type of auricular acupuncture in this condition.

  4. A randomized controlled trial of acupuncture and moxibustion to treat Bell's palsy according to different stages: design and protocol.

    PubMed

    Chen, Xiaoqin; Li, Ying; Zheng, Hui; Hu, Kaming; Zhang, Hongxing; Zhao, Ling; Li, Yan; Liu, Lian; Mang, Lingling; Yu, Shuyuan

    2009-07-01

    Acupuncture to treat Bell's palsy is one of the most commonly used methods in China. There are a variety of acupuncture treatment options to treat Bell's palsy in clinical practice. Since Bell's palsy has three different path-stages (acute stage, resting stage and restoration stage), so whether acupuncture is effective in the different path-stages and which acupuncture treatment is the best method are major issues in acupuncture clinical trials about Bell's palsy. In this article, we report the design and protocol of a large sample multi-center randomized controlled trial to treat Bell's palsy with acupuncture. There are five acupuncture groups, with four according to different path-stages and one not. In total, 900 patients with Bell's palsy are enrolled in this study. These patients are randomly assigned to receive one of the following four treatment groups according to different path-stages, i.e. 1) staging acupuncture group, 2) staging acupuncture and moxibustion group, 3) staging electro-acupuncture group, 4) staging acupuncture along yangming musculature group or non-staging acupuncture control group. The outcome measurements in this trial are the effect comparison achieved among these five groups in terms of House-Brackmann scale (Global Score and Regional Score), Facial Disability Index scale, Classification scale of Facial Paralysis, and WHOQOL-BREF scale before randomization (baseline phase) and after randomization. The result of this trial will certify the efficacy of using staging acupuncture and moxibustion to treat Bell's palsy, and to approach a best acupuncture treatment among these five different methods for treating Bell's palsy.

  5. Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Acupuncture Therapy by Verbal Pain Scale in Patients with Abdominal Pain of Familial Mediterranean Fever.

    PubMed

    Becel, Sinan; Sezgin, Yılmaz; Akçay, Fatih

    2016-10-01

    In this study, we evaluated the effectiveness of acupuncture therapy based on Verbal Pain Scale (VPS) scores in familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) patients admitted to the emergency department with attacks of abdominal pain. This observational study was conducted in Erzurum Regional Training and Research Hospital between August 2014 and December 2014. Twenty patients admitted to the emergency department with FMF attacks were included in the study. Acupuncture therapy was applied to three points including LI4 (Hegu), ST25 (Tianshu), and Ren12 (Zhongwan). The VPS test was applied to the patients before and after the treatment. Average VPS scores were found to be 8.45±0.75 before the treatment and 2.10±0.85 after the treatment. The difference of the VPS scores before and after treatment was statistically significant (p=0.001). To our knowledge, this is the first study evaluating the effectiveness of acupuncture therapy in the treatment of FMF attacks. Our results suggest that acupuncture therapy can be used as an effective treatment method in patients with FMF attacks. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  6. Acupuncture for acute stroke: study protocol for a multicenter, randomized, controlled trial.

    PubMed

    Chen, Lifang; Fang, Jianqiao; Ma, Ruijie; Froym, Ronen; Gu, Xudong; Li, Jianhua; Chen, Lina; Xu, Shouyu; Ji, Conghua

    2014-06-08

    Acupuncture has been widely used as a treatment for stroke in China for more than 3,000 years. However, previous research has not yet shown that acupuncture is effective as a stroke treatment. We report a protocol for a multicenter, randomized, controlled, and outcome assessor-blind trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture on acute ischemic stroke. In a prospective trial involving three hospitals in the Zhejiang Province (China) 250 patients with a recent (less than 1 week previous) episode of ischemic stroke will be included. Patients will be randomized into two groups: an acupuncture group given scalp acupuncture and electroacupuncture, and a control group given no acupuncture. Eighteen treatment sessions will be performed over a three-week period. The primary outcome will be measured by changes in the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score at the one, three, and four-week follow-up. Secondary outcome measures will be: 1) the Fugl-Meyer assessment scale for motor function; 2) the mini-mental state examination and Montreal cognitive assessment for cognitive function; 3) the video-fluoroscopic swallowing study for swallowing ability; and 4) the incidence of adverse events. This trial is expected to clarify whether or not acupuncture is effective for acute stroke. It will also show if acupuncture can improve motor, cognitive, or swallowing function. Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR-TRC-12001971.

  7. Acupuncture

    MedlinePlus

    ... sometimes difficult to measure, but many people find it helpful as a means to control a variety of painful conditions. Several studies, however, indicate that some types of simulated acupuncture appear to work just as well as real acupuncture. There's also ...

  8. Efficacy of Acupuncture in Reducing Preoperative Anxiety: A Meta-Analysis

    PubMed Central

    Bae, Hyojeong; Bae, Hyunsu; Min, Byung-Il; Cho, Seunghun

    2014-01-01

    Background. Acupuncture has been shown to reduce preoperative anxiety in several previous randomized controlled trials (RCTs). In order to assess the preoperative anxiolytic efficacy of acupuncture therapy, this study conducted a meta-analysis of an array of appropriate studies. Methods. Four electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, and CINAHL) were searched up to February 2014. In the meta-analysis data were included from RCT studies in which groups receiving preoperative acupuncture treatment were compared with control groups receiving a placebo for anxiety. Results. Fourteen publications (N = 1,034) were included. Six publications, using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-State (STAI-S), reported that acupuncture interventions led to greater reductions in preoperative anxiety relative to sham acupuncture (mean difference = 5.63, P < .00001, 95% CI [4.14, 7.11]). Further eight publications, employing visual analogue scales (VAS), also indicated significant differences in preoperative anxiety amelioration between acupuncture and sham acupuncture (mean difference = 19.23, P < .00001, 95% CI [16.34, 22.12]). Conclusions. Acupuncture therapy aiming at reducing preoperative anxiety has a statistically significant effect relative to placebo or nontreatment conditions. Well-designed and rigorous studies that employ large sample sizes are necessary to corroborate this finding. PMID:25254059

  9. Acupuncture-induced haemothorax: a rare iatrogenic complication of acupuncture

    PubMed Central

    Karavis, Miltiades Y; Argyra, Erifili; Segredos, Venieris; Yiallouroy, Aneza; Giokas, Georgios; Theodosopoulos, Thedosios

    2015-01-01

    This paper reports a rare iatrogenic complication of acupuncture-induced haemothorax and comments on the importance and need for special education of physicians and physiotherapists in order to apply safe and effective acupuncture treatment. A 37-year-old healthy woman had a session of acupuncture treatments for neck and right upper thoracic non-specific musculoskeletal pain, after which she gradually developed dyspnoea and chest discomfort. After some delay while trying other treatment, she was eventually transferred to the emergency department where a chest X-ray revealed a right pneumothorax and fluid collection. She was admitted to hospital and a chest tube inserted into the right hemithorax (under ultrasound guidance) drained 800 mL of bloody fluid (haematocrit (Hct) 17.8%) in 24 h and 1200 mL over the following 3 days. Her blood Hct fell from 39.0% to 30.8% and haemoglobin from 12.7 to 10.3 g/dL. The patient recovered completely and was discharged after 9 days of hospitalisation. When dyspnoea, chest pain and discomfort occur during or after an acupuncture treatment, the possibility of secondary (traumatic) pneumo- or haemopneumothorax should be considered and the patient should remain under careful observation (watchful waiting) for at least 48 h. To maximise the safety of acupuncture, specific training should be given for the safe use of acupuncture points of the anterior and posterior thoracic wall using dry needling, trigger point acupuncture or other advanced acupuncture techniques. PMID:25791844

  10. Positive Effect of Acupuncture and Cupping in Infertility Treatment.

    PubMed

    Wang, Jun-Xiang; Yang, Yang; Song, Yue; Ma, Liang-Xiao

    2018-04-01

    Background: Infertility is clinically defined as the failure to conceive after 12 months of unprotected sexual intercourse. Organic disorders and lifestyle factors are highly associated with infertility. Generally, acupuncture and its related methods can be applied for treating infertility, according to the theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Successful cases of acupuncture-treated infertility without concomitant use of any medication are rare. This article presents a case of an infertile woman having a favorable response to acupuncture treatment. Case: A 39-year-old Mexican woman presented with infertility following right-side fallopian-tube obstruction. She had no significant physical feelings of discomfort apart from work-related stress. Her syndrome was first diagnosed as Deficiency of Spleen and Kidney Qi, accompanied by obstruction of channels due to accumulation of Dampness. Acupuncture, accompanied by cupping therapy, was primarily practiced for this patient. Results: After 28 treatment sessions, she was finally able to conceive. Conclusions: Acupuncture could help treat infertility. Further large-scale, randomized clinical trials are needed to verify the efficacy of acupuncture for treating female infertility.

  11. [Cervical tinnitus treated by acupuncture based on "jin" theory: a clinical observation].

    PubMed

    Dong, Youkang; Wang, Yi

    2016-04-01

    To compare the efficacy among acupuncture based on "jin" theory, regular acupuncture and western medication. A total of 95 cases, by using incomplete randomization method, were divided into a "jin" theory acupuncture group (32 cases), a regular acupuncture group (31 cases) and a medication group (32 cases). Patients in the "jin" theory acupuncture group were treated with acupuncture based on "jin" theory which included the "gather" and "knot" points on the affected side: positive reacted points, Fengchi (GB 20), Tianrong (SI 17), Tianyou (TE16) and Yiming (EX-HN14) as the main acupoints, while the Ermen (TE 21), Tinggong (SI 19) and Tinghui (GB 2) and zhigou (TE 6) as the auxiliary acpoints; the treatment was given once a day. Patients in the regular acupuncture group were treated with regular acupuncture at Tinggong (SI 19), Tin- ghui (GB 2) and Ermen (TE 21) and other matched acupoints based on syndrome differentiation, once a day. Pa- tients in the medication group were treated with oral administration of betahistine mesylate, three times a day. Ten days of treatment were taken as one session in three groups, and totally 2 sessions were given. Visual analogue scale (VAS), tinnitus handicap inventory (THD), and tinnitus severity assessment scale (TSIS) were evaluated before and after treatment; also the clinical efficacy was compared among three groups. There are 5 drop-out cases du- ring the study. After the treatment, the VAS, THI and TSIS were improved in three groups (all P < 0.05); the VAS, THI and TSIS in the "jin" theory acupuncture group were lower than those in the regular acupuncture group and medication group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). The total effective rate was 90.0% (27/30), 80.0% (24/30) and 63.3% (19/30), which was higher in the "jin" theory acupuncture group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). The acupuncture based on "jin" theory is superior to regular acupuncture and western medication for cervical tinnitus.

  12. [Impacts of numerology on acupuncture].

    PubMed

    Chen, Min; Wu, Changqiu; Wu, Xueyi

    2016-04-01

    Numerology has a long history in China and has the profound impacts on every academic field in TCM, with acupuncture involved. In this paper, the impacts on acupuncture were discussed in different aspects such as the numbers of meridians, the length of meridian, the time taboo of acupuncture, acupuncture manipulation and time acupuncture. It was found that numerology had laid the critical impact on acupuncture and had the profound imprint nowadays. It is of great significance to study the numerology theory in its impacts on acupuncture, in the exploration on the theories behind acupuncture as well as the comprehensive understanding of acupuncture.

  13. Randomized Clinical Trials of Constitutional Acupuncture: A Systematic Review

    PubMed Central

    Lee, Myeong Soo; Shin, Byung-Cheul; Choi, Sun-Mi; Kim, Jong Yeol

    2009-01-01

    The aim of this systematic review is to compile and critically evaluate the evidence from randomized clinical trials (RCTs) for the effectiveness of acupuncture using constitutional medicine compared to standard acupuncture. Ten databases were searched through to December 2008 without language restrictions. We also hand-searched nine Korean journals of oriental medicine. We included prospective RCTs of any form of acupuncture with or without electrical stimulation. The included trials had to investigate constitutional medicine. There were no restrictions on population characteristics. Forty-one relevant studies were identified, and three RCTs were included. The methodological quality of the trials was variable. One RCT found Sasang constitutional acupuncture to be superior to standard acupuncture in terms of the Unified PD Rating Scale and freezing gate in Parkinson's disease (PD). Another two RCTs reported favorable effects of eight constitutional acupuncture on pain reduction in patients with herniated nucleus pulposi and knee osteoarthritis. Meta-analysis demonstrated positive results for eight constitutional acupuncture compared to standard acupuncture on pain reduction (weighted mean difference: 10 cm VAS, 1.69, 95% CI 0.85–2.54, P < 0.0001; heterogeneity: τ2 = 0.00, χ2 = 0.00, P = 0.96, I2 = 0%). Our results provide suggestive evidence for the effectiveness of constitutional acupuncture in treating pain conditions compared to standard acupuncture. However, the total number of RCTs and the total sample size included in our analysis were too small to draw definite conclusions. Future RCTs should assess larger patient samples with longer treatment periods and appropriate controls. PMID:19745012

  14. ACUDIN - ACUpuncture and laser acupuncture for treatment of DIabetic peripheral Neuropathy: a randomized, placebo-controlled, partially double-blinded trial.

    PubMed

    Meyer-Hamme, Gesa; Friedemann, Thomas; Greten, Henry Johannes; Plaetke, Rosemarie; Gerloff, Christian; Schroeder, Sven

    2018-04-13

    Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is the most common complication of diabetes mellitus with significant clinical sequelae that can affect a patient's quality of life. Metabolic and microvascular factors are responsible for nerve damage, causing loss of nerve function, numbness, painful sensory symptoms, and muscle weakness. Therapy is limited to anti-convulsant or anti-depressant drugs for neuropathic pain and paresthesia. However, reduced sensation, balance and gait problems are insufficiently covered by this treatment. Previous data suggests that acupuncture, which has been in use in Traditional Chinese Medicine for many years, may potentially complement the treatment options for peripheral neuropathy. Nevertheless, more objective data on clinical outcome is necessary to generally recommend acupuncture to the public. We developed a study design for a prospective, randomized (RCT), placebo-controlled, partially double-blinded trial for investigating the effect of acupuncture on DPN as determined by nerve conduction studies (NCS) with the sural sensory nerve action potential amplitude as the primary outcome. The sural sensory nerve conduction velocity, tibial motor nerve action potential amplitude, tibial motor nerve conduction velocity, the neuropathy deficit score, neuropathy symptom score, and numeric rating scale questionnaires are defined as secondary outcomes. One hundred and eighty patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus will be randomized into three groups (needle acupuncture, verum laser acupuncture, and placebo laser acupuncture). We hypothesize that needle and laser acupuncture have beneficial effects on electrophysiological parameters and clinical and subjective symptoms in relation to DPN in comparison with placebo. The ACUDIN trial aims at investigating whether classical needle acupuncture and/or laser acupuncture are efficacious in the treatment of DPN. For the purpose of an objective parameter, NCS were chosen as outcome measures. Acupuncture

  15. Preliminary Clinical Evaluation of Acupuncture Therapy in Patients With Postpartum Sciatica.

    PubMed

    He, Bing-Shu; Li, Yang; Gui, Tong

    2018-03-01

    This study evaluated clinical outcomes following acupuncture treatment of postpartum sciatica. One hundred eleven women with postpartum sciatica were enrolled in an acupuncture group (n = 86) or a control group (n = 25), according to their preference. Participants in the acupuncture group attended acupuncture therapy sessions 3 times a week for 4 weeks, while participants in the control group were assigned to bed rest. Outcome measures included the Roland Disability Questionnaire for sciatica, a visual analog scale for leg pain, and patient-reported perceived recovery. In addition, participants were surveyed after treatment to assess the acceptability of acupuncture therapy. The outcome scores for disability and leg pain were significantly lower in the acupuncture group compared with the control group (P < .05). All 86 women in the treatment group stated that acupuncture improved their well-being after treatment. At one month after treatment, 98% of participants in the treatment group reported recovery compared with 24% of the control group participants (P < .001). After treatment, 95% of lactating women in the acupuncture group believed that acupuncture had no significant interference with breast milk production. No adverse effects of acupuncture were reported. All participants in the acupuncture group stated they would choose acupuncture in case of relapse. However, the recurrence rate of sciatica in the acupuncture group (32%) was comparable to that of the control group (35%) at the one-year follow-up interview. Compared with bed rest, acupuncture might be an effective and acceptable strategy to relieve symptoms of postpartum sciatica. © 2018 by the American College of Nurse-Midwives.

  16. Acupuncture-induced haemothorax: a rare iatrogenic complication of acupuncture.

    PubMed

    Karavis, Miltiades Y; Argyra, Erifili; Segredos, Venieris; Yiallouroy, Aneza; Giokas, Georgios; Theodosopoulos, Thedosios

    2015-06-01

    This paper reports a rare iatrogenic complication of acupuncture-induced haemothorax and comments on the importance and need for special education of physicians and physiotherapists in order to apply safe and effective acupuncture treatment. A 37-year-old healthy woman had a session of acupuncture treatments for neck and right upper thoracic non-specific musculoskeletal pain, after which she gradually developed dyspnoea and chest discomfort. After some delay while trying other treatment, she was eventually transferred to the emergency department where a chest X-ray revealed a right pneumothorax and fluid collection. She was admitted to hospital and a chest tube inserted into the right hemithorax (under ultrasound guidance) drained 800 mL of bloody fluid (haematocrit (Hct) 17.8%) in 24 h and 1200 mL over the following 3 days. Her blood Hct fell from 39.0% to 30.8% and haemoglobin from 12.7 to 10.3 g/dL. The patient recovered completely and was discharged after 9 days of hospitalisation. When dyspnoea, chest pain and discomfort occur during or after an acupuncture treatment, the possibility of secondary (traumatic) pneumo- or haemopneumothorax should be considered and the patient should remain under careful observation (watchful waiting) for at least 48 h. To maximise the safety of acupuncture, specific training should be given for the safe use of acupuncture points of the anterior and posterior thoracic wall using dry needling, trigger point acupuncture or other advanced acupuncture techniques. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

  17. Monitoring changes of optical attenuation coefficients of acupuncture points during laser acupuncture by optical coherence tomography

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Huang, Yimei; Yang, Hongqin; Wang, Yuhua; Zheng, Liqin; Xie, Shusen

    2010-11-01

    The physical properties of acupuncture point were important to discover the mechanism of acupuncture meridian. In this paper, we used an optical coherence tomography to monitor in vivo the changes of optical attenuation coefficients of Hegu acupuncture point and non-acupuncture point during laser irradiation on Yangxi acupuncture point. The optical attenuation coefficients of Hegu acupuncture point and non-acupuncture point were obtained by fitting the raw data according to the Beer-Lambert's law. The experimental results showed that the optical attenuation coefficient of Hegu acupuncture point decreased during the laser acupuncture, in contrast to a barely changed result in that of non-acupuncture point. The significant change of optical attenuation coefficient of Hegu acupuncture point indicated that there was a correlation between Hegu and Yangxi acupuncture points to some extent.

  18. A randomized controlled trial of single point acupuncture in primary dysmenorrhea.

    PubMed

    Liu, Cun-Zhi; Xie, Jie-Ping; Wang, Lin-Peng; Liu, Yu-Qi; Song, Jia-Shan; Chen, Yin-Ying; Shi, Guang-Xia; Zhou, Wei; Gao, Shu-Zhong; Li, Shi-Liang; Xing, Jian-Min; Ma, Liang-Xiao; Wang, Yan-Xia; Zhu, Jiang; Liu, Jian-Ping

    2014-06-01

    Acupuncture is often used for primary dysmenorrhea. But there is no convincing evidence due to low methodological quality. We aim to assess immediate effect of acupuncture at specific acupoint compared with unrelated acupoint and nonacupoint on primary dysmenorrhea. The Acupuncture Analgesia Effect in Primary Dysmenorrhoea-II is a multicenter controlled trial conducted in six large hospitals of China. Patients who met inclusion criteria were randomly assigned to classic acupoint (N = 167), unrelated acupoint (N = 167), or non-acupoint (N = 167) group on a 1:1:1 basis. They received three sessions with electro-acupuncture at a classic acupoint (Sanyinjiao, SP6), or an unrelated acupoint (Xuanzhong, GB39), or nonacupoint location, respectively. The primary outcome was subjective pain as measured by a 100-mm visual analog scale (VAS). Measurements were obtained at 0, 5, 10, 30, and 60 minutes following the first intervention. In addition, patients scored changes of general complaints using Cox retrospective symptom scales (RSS-Cox) and 7-point verbal rating scale (VRS) during three menstrual cycles. Secondary outcomes included VAS score for average pain, pain total time, additional in-bed time, and proportion of participants using analgesics during three menstrual cycles. Five hundred and one people underwent random assignment. The primary comparison of VAS scores following the first intervention demonstrated that classic acupoint group was more effective both than unrelated acupoint (-4.0 mm, 95% CI -7.1 to -0.9, P = 0.010) and nonacupoint (-4.0 mm, 95% CI -7.0 to -0.9, P = 0.012) groups. However, no significant differences were detected among the three acupuncture groups for RSS-Cox or VRS outcomes. The per-protocol analysis showed similar pattern. No serious adverse events were noted. Specific acupoint acupuncture produced a statistically, but not clinically, significant effect compared with unrelated acupoint and nonacupoint acupuncture in

  19. Acupuncture for smoking cessation.

    PubMed

    White, A R; Rampes, H; Ernst, E

    2000-01-01

    Acupuncture is promoted as a treatment for smoking cessation, and is believed to reduce withdrawal symptoms. The objective of this review is to determine the effectiveness of acupuncture in smoking cessation in comparison with: a) sham acupuncture b) other interventions c) no intervention. We searched the Cochrane Tobacco Addiction Group trials register, Medline, PsycLit, Dissertation Abstracts, Health Planning and Administration, Social SciSearch, Smoking & Health, Embase, Biological Abstracts and DRUG. Randomised trials comparing a form of acupuncture with either sham acupuncture, another intervention or no intervention for smoking cessation. We extracted data in duplicate on the type of subjects, the nature of the acupuncture and control procedures, the outcome measures, method of randomisation, and completeness of follow-up. We assessed abstinence from smoking at the earliest time-point (before 6 weeks), at six months and at one year follow-up in patients smoking at baseline. We used the most rigorous definition of abstinence for each trial, and biochemically validated rates if available. Those lost to follow-up were counted as continuing to smoke. Where appropriate, we performed meta-analysis using a fixed effects model. We identified 18 publications involving 20 comparisons. Acupuncture was not superior to sham acupuncture in smoking cessation at any time point. The odds ratio (OR) for early outcomes was 1.22 (95% confidence interval 0.99 to 1.49); the OR after 6 months was 1.38 (95% confidence interval 0.90 to 2.11) and after 12 months 1.02 (95% confidence interval 0.72 to 1.43). Similarly, when acupuncture was compared with other anti-smoking interventions, there were no differences in outcome at any time point. Acupuncture appeared to be superior to no intervention in the early results, but this difference was not sustained. The results with different acupuncture techniques do not show any one particular method (i.e. auricular acupuncture or non

  20. Effects of acupuncture to treat fibromyalgia: A preliminary randomised controlled trial

    PubMed Central

    2010-01-01

    Background Acupuncture is often used to treat fibromyalgia (FM), but it remains unclear whether acupuncture is effective. This study aims to evaluate the effects of acupuncture on pain and quality of life (QoL) in FM patients. Methods Sixteen patients (13 women and 3 men aged 25-63 years) suffering from FM were randomised into two groups: group A (n = 8) received five acupuncture treatments after the fifth week and group B received ten acupuncture treatments. Outcome measures used in this study were pain intensity (visual analogue scale, VAS) and the fibromyalgia impact questionnaire (FIQ). Results After the fifth week, pain intensity (U = 25.0; P = 0.022) in group B decreased and QoL (U = 24.5; P = 0.026) improved compared to group A. Conclusion The present study suggests that acupuncture treatment is effective to relieve pain for FM patients in terms of QoL and FIQ. PMID:20331844

  1. Practice guidelines for acupuncturists using acupuncture as an adjunctive treatment for anorexia nervosa.

    PubMed

    Fogarty, Sarah; Ramjan, Lucie Michelle

    2015-02-01

    Anorexia nervosa is a potentially life-threatening eating disorder where people intentionally refuse to eat sufficient amounts to maintain a healthy body-weight for fear of becoming fat. The intense preoccupation with restriction of food and control of body weight makes this one of the most complex and confusing conditions for practitioners to treat. While no single treatment has been found to be superior to another in the treatment of anorexia nervosa, general practice guidelines are available to guide mainstream treatment, however there are no guidelines for practitioners of complementary therapies. Complementary therapies such as acupuncture show promise as an adjunctive therapy in improving co-morbidities such as depression and anxiety levels among people with anorexia nervosa, by strengthening mind, body and overall well-being. The aim of this guideline is to assist and support acupuncture practitioners to deliver effective and safe adjunctive acupuncture treatments to people with anorexia nervosa, by providing a practice guideline that is underpinned by an ethical and evidence-based framework. The use of complementary therapies and specifically acupuncture in the treatment of anorexia nervosa may provide important adjunctive care to allow a comprehensive treatment approach that potentially improves quality of life, reduces anxiety and instils hope for recovery. It is hoped that acupuncture practitioners treating patients with anorexia nervosa will refer to these guidelines and apply the guidance (as deemed appropriate). Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. [Interactive dynamic scalp acupuncture combined with occupational therapy for upper limb motor impairment in stroke: a randomized controlled trial].

    PubMed

    Wang, Jun; Pei, Jian; Cui, Xiao; Sun, Kexing; Ni, Huanhuan; Zhou, Cuixia; Wu, Ji; Huang, Mei; Ji, Li

    2015-10-01

    To compare the clinical efficacy on upper limb motor impairment in stroke between the interactive dynamic scalp acupuncture therapy and the traditional scalp acupuncture therapy. The randomized controlled trial and MINIMIZE layering randomization software were adopted. Seventy patients of upper limb with III to V grade in Brunnstrom scale after stroke were randomized into an interactive dynamic scalp acupuncture group and a traditional scalp acupuncture group, 35 cases in each one. In the interactive dynamic scalp acupuncture group, the middle 2/5 of Dingnieqianxiexian (anterior oblique line of vertex-temporal), the middle 2/5 of Dingniehouxiexian (posterior oblique line of vertex-temporal) and Dingpangerxian (lateral line 2 of vertex) on the affected side were selected as the stimulation areas. Additionally, the rehabilitation training was applied during scalp acupuncture treatment. In the traditional scalp acupuncture group, the scalp stimulation areas were same as the interactive dynamic scalp acupuncture group. But the rehabilitation training was applied separately. The rehabilitation training was applied in the morning and the scalp acupuncture was done in the afternoon. The results in Fugl-Meyer for the upper limb motor function (U-FMA), the Wolf motor function measure scale (WM- FT) and the modified Barthel index in the two groups were compared between the two groups before treatment and in 1 and 2 months of treatment, respectively. After treatment, the U-FMA score, WMFT score and the score of the modified Barthel index were all apparently improved as compared with those before treatment (all P < 0.01). The improvement in the U-FMA score after treatment in the interactive dynamic scalp acupuncture group was better than that in the traditional scalp acupuncture group (P < 0.05). For the patients of IV to V grade in Brunnstrom scale, WMFT score in 2 months of treatment and the score of Barthel index after treatment in the interactive dynamic scalp acupuncture

  3. Acupuncture in Australian general practice: trends in reimbursed acupuncture services from 1995 to 2011.

    PubMed

    Wardle, Jonathan Lee; Adams, Jon; Sibbritt, David William

    2013-03-01

    To ascertain the extent of and trends in the use of acupuncture in Australian general practice and the characteristics of patients receiving publicly subsidised acupuncture services from general practitioners (GPs). Secondary analysis of national patient Medicare data for claims by all non-specialist medical practitioners for Medicare Benefits Schedule items for an attendance where acupuncture was performed by a medical practitioner from 1995 to 2011. Use of acupuncture by GPs, patients' sex and age and the socioeconomic disadvantage index of GP's practice. There has been a 47.7% decline in the number of acupuncture claims by GPs per 100 000 population in the period from 1995 to 2011. Acupuncture claims were made by 3.4% of GPs in 2011. Women were almost twice as likely to receive acupuncture from a GP as men, and patients in urban areas were more than twice as likely to receive acupuncture from a GP as patients in rural areas. Acupuncture claims were highest in areas that were socioeconomically advantaged. Claims for reimbursement for acupuncture by GPs have declined significantly in Australian general practice even though the use of acupuncture by the Australian public has increased. This may be due to increased use of referrals or use of non-medical practitioners, barriers to acupuncture practice in general practice or non-specific factors affecting reimbursement for non-vocationally registered GPs.

  4. Acupuncture sensation during ultrasound guided acupuncture needling

    PubMed Central

    Park, Jongbae J.; Akazawa, Margeaux; Ahn, Jaeki; Beckman-Harned, Selena; Lin, Feng-Chang; Lee, Kwangjae; Fine, Jason; Davis, Robert T; Langevin, Helene

    2014-01-01

    Background Although acupuncture sensation (also known as de qi) is a cornerstone of traditional acupuncture therapy, most research has accepted the traditional method of defining acupuncture sensation only through subjective patient reports rather than on any quantifiable physiological basis. Purpose To preliminarily investigate the frequency of key sensations experienced while needling to specific, quantifiable tissue levels (TLs) guided by ultrasound (US) imaging. Methods Five participants received needling at two acupuncture points and two control points at four TLs. US scans were used to determine when each TL was reached. Each volunteer completed 32 sets of modified Southampton Needle Sensation Questionnaires. Part one of the study tested sensations experienced at each TL and part two compared the effect of oscillation alone versus oscillation + rotation. Results In all volunteers, the frequency of pricking, sharp sensations was significantly greater in shallower TLs than deeper (p=0.007); the frequency of sensations described as deep, dull and heavy, as spreading, and as electric shocks was significantly greater in deeper TLs than shallower (p=0.002). Sensations experienced did not significantly differ between real and control points within each of three TLs (p>0.05) except TL 4 (p=0.006). The introduction of needle rotation significantly increased deep, dull, heavy sensations, but not pricking and sharp sensations; within each level, the spectrum of sensation experienced during both oscillation + rotation and oscillation alone did not significantly differ between acupuncture and control points. Conclusion The preliminary study indicates a strong connection between acupuncture sensation and both tissue depth and needle rotation. Furthermore, the new methodology has been proven feasible. A further study with an objective measurement is warranted. PMID:21642648

  5. [Warm acupuncture for chronic atrophic gastritis with spleen-stomach deficiency cold].

    PubMed

    Wang, Lijun; Li, Guangqi

    2017-02-12

    To observe the clinical effect of warm acupuncture at Zhongwan(CV 12) for chronic atrophic gastritis(CAG) with spleen-stomach deficiency cold by the comparison with conventional acupuncture. Sixty-two patients were randomly assigned into a warm acupuncture group and a conventional acupuncture group,31 cases in each one. The acupoints in the two groups were Zhongwan(CV 12),Zusanli(ST 36),Neiguan(PC 6),Gongsun(SP 4),Qihai(CV 6),Pishu(BL 20) and Weishu(BL 21). Warm acupuncture was intervened at Zhongwan(CV 12) in the warm acupuncture group. Twirling reinforcing was applied at Zhongwan(CV 12) in the conventional acupuncture group. All the treatment was given for 3 courses continuously,5 days as one course,once a day. TCM syndrome score and symptom rating scale were observed before and after treatment in the two groups,and the effects were compared. The total effective rate was 93.5%(29/31) in the warm acupuncture group,which was better than 87.0%(27/31) in the conventional acupuncture group( P <0.05). The TCM syndrome score and symptom rating score were improved in the two groups after treatment( P <0.01, P <0.05),with more apparent improvement in the warm acupuncture group( P <0.01, P <0.05). Warm acupuncture at Zhongwan(CV 12) can improve gastrointestinal discomfort,which is better than twirling reinforcing at Zhongwan(CV 12) for CAG with spleen-stomach deficiency cold.

  6. [Inheritance and evolution of acupuncture manipulation techniques of Zhejiang acupuncture masters in modern times].

    PubMed

    Yu, Daxiong; Ma, Ruijie; Fang, Jianqiao

    2015-05-01

    There are many eminent acupuncture masters in modern times in the regions of Zhejiang province, which has developed the acupuncture schools of numerous characteristics and induces the important impacts at home and abroad. Through the literature collection on the acupuncture schools in Zhejiang and the interviews to the parties involved, it has been discovered that the acupuncture manipulation techniques of acupuncture masters in modern times are specifically featured. Those techniques are developed on the basis of Neijing (Internal Classic), Jinzhenfu (Ode to Gold Needle) and Zhenjiu Dacheng (Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion). No matter to obey the old maxim or study by himself, every master lays the emphasis on the research and interpretation of classical theories and integrates the traditional with the modern. In the paper, the acupuncture manipulation techniques of Zhejiang acupuncture masters in modern times are stated from four aspects, named needling techniques in Internal Classic, feijingzouqi needling technique, penetrating needling technique and innovation of acupuncture manipulation.

  7. Development and preliminary testing of a scale to assess pain-related fear in children and adolescents.

    PubMed

    Huguet, Anna; McGrath, Patrick J; Pardos, Judit

    2011-08-01

    It is assumed that pain-related fear, a present response to an immediate danger or threat such as pain, plays a significant role in the experience of pediatric pain. However, there are no measures to adequately measure this construct in children and adolescents. The purpose of this study was to develop and test the psychometric properties of a scale to assess pain-related fear to be used with Catalan-speaking children and adolescents between 7- and 16-years-old. We initially developed a list of items that reflected the physiological, cognitive, and behavioral components of pain-related fear components. We also queried an international group of experts, and interviewed children and adolescents. After pilot testing the initial version with a sample of 10 children, we administered the questionnaire to a sample of schoolchildren (n = 273) and children from medical clinics (n = 164) through individual interviews. Additional information was also collected during the interview to study the psychometric properties of the scale. Ten days after the initial interview, participating schoolchildren were requested to answer the questionnaire again. Item analysis and exploratory factor analysis with data from the school sample produced 2 meaningful factors (namely, Fearful thoughts and Fearful physical feelings and behaviors). Findings also showed that the Pediatric Pain Fear Scale (total scale and the 2 subscales) was both reliable and valid. This scale could help researchers to gain a better understanding about the role of pain-related fear in children and adolescents and support clinical decision-making. This article presents a new measure of fear associated with pain in children and adolescents. This measure could potentially help researchers to gain a better understanding about the role of pain-related fear in children and adolescents and support clinical decision-making. Copyright © 2011 American Pain Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Effectiveness of Traditional Chinese Acupuncture versus Sham Acupuncture: a Systematic Review.

    PubMed

    Carlos, Luís; Cruz, Lóris Aparecida Prado da; Leopoldo, Vanessa Cristina; Campos, Fabrício Ribeiro de; Almeida, Ana Maria de; Silveira, Renata Cristina de Campos Pereira

    2016-08-15

    to identify and synthesize the evidence from randomized clinical trials that tested the effectiveness of traditional Chinese acupuncture in relation to sham acupuncture for the treatment of hot flashes in menopausal women with breast cancer. systematic review guided by the recommendations of the Cochrane Collaboration. Citations were searched in the following databases: MEDLINE via PubMed, Web of Science, CENTRAL, CINAHL, and LILACS. A combination of the following keywords was used: breast neoplasm, acupuncture, acupuncture therapy, acupuncture points, placebos, sham treatment, hot flashes, hot flushes, menopause, climacteric, and vasomotor symptoms. a total of 272 studies were identified, five of which were selected and analyzed. Slight superiority of traditional acupuncture compared with sham acupuncture was observed; however, there were no strong statistical associations. the evidence gathered was not sufficient to affirm the effectiveness of traditional acupuncture compared with sham acupuncture. identificar e sintetizar as evidências oriundas de ensaios clínicos randomizados que testaram a efetividade da acupuntura tradicional chinesa em relação à sham acupuntura para o tratamento dos fogachos em mulheres com câncer de mama no climatério. revisão sistemática guiada pelas recomendações da Colaboração Cochrane. A busca foi realizada nas bases de dados: MEDLINE via PubMed, Web of Science, CENTRAL Cochrane, CINAHL e LILACS. Adotou-se a combinação dos descritores: breast neoplasm, acupuncture, acupuncture therapy, acupuncture points, placebos, sham treatment, hot flashes, hot flushes, menopause, climacteric, vasomotor symptoms. foram identificados 272 estudos, sendo 5 selecionados e analisados. Foi observada discreta superioridade da acupuntura tradicional em relação à sham, entretanto, sem fortes associações estatísticas. as evidências obtidas não foram suficientes para afirmar quanto à efetividade da acupuntura tradicional em relação

  9. Comparison of the Effects of Manual Acupuncture, Laser Acupuncture, and Electromagnetic Field Stimulation at Acupuncture Point BL15 on Heart Rate Variability.

    PubMed

    Lee, Na Ra; Kim, Soo Byeong; Heo, Hyun; Lee, Yong Heum

    2016-10-01

    The aim of this study was to compare the influences of manual acupuncture, laser acupuncture, and electromagnetic field stimulation on the autonomic nervous system. We monitored the heart rate variability before and after stimulation to check the influence on the autonomic nervous system. The heart rate variabilities at low frequency (LF; 0.04-0.15 Hz) and high frequency (HF; 0.15-0.4 Hz) were analyzed to acquire LF/HF ratio. Xinshu (BL15) was selected as the stimulation point. Methods included manual acupuncture with a 1-cm depth and laser acupuncture at a wavelength of 660 nm and output power of 50 mW. An electromagnetic field of 2 Hz and 460 gauss (46 mT) was chosen. The LF and the LF/HF ratio were found to be lower in the manual acupuncture and the electromagnetic field groups, but to be higher in the laser acupuncture group. The HF was found to be lower in the laser acupuncture group, but higher in the manual acupuncture and the electromagnetic field groups. In conclusion, we found that manual acupuncture and electromagnetic field stimulation at BL15 activated the parasympathetic nervous system, whereas laser acupuncture at BL15 activated the sympathetic nervous system. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  10. Perioperative Acupuncture and Related Techniques

    PubMed Central

    Chernyak, Grigory V.; Sessler, Daniel I.

    2005-01-01

    Acupuncture and related techniques are increasingly practiced in conventional medical settings, and the number of patients willing to use these techniques is increasing. Despite more than 30 years of research, the exact mechanism of action and efficacy of acupuncture have not been established. Furthermore, most aspects of acupuncture have yet to be adequately tested. There thus remains considerable controversy about the role of acupuncture in clinical medicine. Acupuncture apparently does not reduce volatile anesthetic requirement by a clinically important amount. However, preoperative sedation seems to be a promising application of acupuncture in perioperative settings. Acupuncture may be effective for postoperative pain relief but requires a high level of expertise by the acupuncture practitioner. Acupuncture and related techniques can be used for treatment and prophylaxis of postoperative nausea and vomiting in routine clinical practice in combination with, or as an alternative to, conventional antiemetics when administered before induction of general anesthesia. Summary Statement: The use of acupuncture for perioperative analgesia, nausea and vomiting, sedation, anesthesia, and complications is reviewed. PMID:15851892

  11. Changes in women's fear of success and fear of appearing incompetent in business.

    PubMed

    Tomkiewicz, J; Bass, K

    1999-12-01

    The primary purpose of this research was to examine whether fear of success and of appearing incompetent among women have changed recently. Another purpose was to examine whether such fears differed among women who hold Traditional views and those who hold Progressive views about the roles of women in the workplace. The Fear of Success Scale, the Fear of Appearing Incompetent Scale, and the Attitude Toward Women Scale were completed by 61 male and 52 female graduating seniors. Significant differences were found between the groups for scores on the Attitude Toward Women Scale, but none between the sexes for scores on the Fear of Success Scale or the Fear of Appearing Incompetent Scale. Significant differences were found, however, on the latter two scales when women were separated into Traditional and Progressive groups.

  12. [Effects of Acupuncture Intervention Combined with Rehabilitation on Standing-balance-walking Ability in Stroke Patients].

    PubMed

    Chu, Jia-mei; Bao, Ye-hua; Zhu, Min

    2015-12-01

    To observe the influence of acupuncture stimulation of lateral side of Tianzhu (para-BL 10), electroacupuncture (EA) stimulation of scalp-point Balance Area (MS 14), Motor Area (MS 6) and body acupoints combined with rehabilitation training on standing-balance and walking ability in stroke patients. A total of 145 stroke inpatients were randomly assigned to rehabilitation group (n=48), routine acupuncture group (n=49) and para-BL10 group (n = 48). Patients of the rehabilitation group received balance training and routine rehabilitation training treatment, those of the routine acupuncture group received acupuncture stimulation of scalp-points (MS 14, MS 6), body acupoints, balance training and routine rehabilitation training,and those of the para-BL10 group received acupuncture stimulation of lateral side of BL 10 combined with scalp-points of MS 14 and MS 6 and body acupoints, and balance training and routine rehabilitation training. The treatment was conducted once daily, 5 times per week, 8 weeks altogether. The patients' balancing function, lower-limb motor function and walking ability were assessed using Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Sheikh Trunk Control Ability Scale(STCAS), Fugl-Meyer Assessment Scale (FMAS), and Holden Functional Ambulation Classification (FAC), respectively. After 4 and 8 weeks' treatment, the scores of BBS, STCAS, FMAS and FAC in patients of the rehabilitation, routine acupuncture and para-BL10 groups were significantly increased and 10 meters-walking time obviously reduced in comparison with pre-treatment in the same one group (P<0.01). The effects of acupuncture stimulation of para-BL 10 were considerably better than both rehabilitation and routine acupuncture groups in raising BBS, STCAS, FMAS and FAC scores and in reducing 10 m-walking time (P<0.05). Acupuncture stimulation of lateral side of BL 10 combined with scalp-points has a significant benefit for stroke patients in standing-balance ability and walking ability.

  13. Randomized clinical trial of facial acupuncture with or without body acupuncture for treatment of melasma.

    PubMed

    Rerksuppaphol, Lakkana; Charoenpong, Theekapun; Rerksuppaphol, Sanguansak

    2016-02-01

    To evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture treatments in treating facial melasma, contrasting treatments involving facial acupuncture with facial/body acupuncture. Women suffering with melasma were randomly assigned into: 1) facial acupuncture (n = 20); or 2) facial/body acupuncture (n = 21). Each group was given 2 sessions per week for 8 weeks. Melasma area and darkness of its pigmentation were assessed using digital images. 95.2% and 90% of participants in facial/body and facial acupuncture, respectively, had decreased melasma areas, with a mean reduction area being 2.6 cm(2) (95%CI 1.6-3.6 cm(2)) and 2.4 cm(2) (95%CI 1.6-3.3 cm(2)), respectively. 66.7% (facial/body acupuncture) and 80.0% (facial acupuncture) of participants had lighter melasma pigmentation compared to their baselines (p-value = 0.482). Facial acupuncture, with or without body acupuncture, was shown to be effective in decreasing the size of melasma areas. This study is registered with the Thai Clinical Trial Registry (TCTR20140903004). Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. [Supplementing the international acupuncture and moxibustion in bilingual teaching of Acupuncture and Moxibustion Science].

    PubMed

    Tian, Kaiyu; Ma, Qiaolin; Ren, Shan; Liu, Fang

    2016-04-01

    Bilingual teaching is a innovative method of higher education of China to gear the need of the world. Acupuncture and Moxibustion, a higher international TCM course, has been the model of bilingual teaching in many colleges and universities of TCM successively. To meet the aim and original intention of bilingual education in China, we have supplemented international acupuncture and moxibustion in teaching program for many years. The related contents about acupuncture and moxibustion of World Health Organization (WHO) and International Standardization Organization(ISO) have been added into the chapters of introduction, meridians and acupoints, the technology of acupuncture and moxibustion, the therapy of acupuncture and moxibustion. Teaching international acupuncture and moxibustion not only enlarges the international perspective of students, but also makes them more interested in learning Acupuncture and Moxibustion with a bigger sense of mission.

  15. [Development of acupuncture in Israel].

    PubMed

    Luo, Lu; Maayan, Pinhasy; Yang, Yuyang

    2016-08-12

    By collecting and analyzing information regarding the history development, current situation, legislation, health insurance, education and academic organizations of acupuncture in Israel, the development characteristics of acupuncture in Israel were summarized. The overall traditional medicine developed well in Israel, yet acupuncture have only appeared in Israel for 18 years. The proposal of Israeli Acupuncture Legislation Act improved the development of health insurance, education and public awareness of acupuncture in Israel. However, improvement in areas of education, legislation and health insurance are still in need. Suggestions are proposed to improve the education quality, acupuncture legislation, international cooperation, volunteer activities and cultural exchanges. In addition, the legislative process of acupuncture in the countries of "the Belt and Road", especially the Middle East countries, are promoted.

  16. Acupuncture.

    PubMed

    The objective of this NIH Consensus Statement is to inform the biomedical research and clinical practice communities of the results of the NIH Consensus Development Conference on Acupuncture. The statement provides state-of-the-art information regarding the appropriate use of acupuncture, and presents the conclusions and recommendations of the consensus panel regarding these issues. In addition, the statement identifies those areas of study that deserve further investigation. Upon completion, the reader should possess a clear working clinical knowledge of the state-of-the-art regarding this topic. The target audience of physicians for this statement includes, but is not limited to, family practitioners, medical acupuncturists, psychiatrists, and specialists in pain medicine. A non-Federal, nonadvocate, 12-member panel representing the fields of acupuncture, pain, psychology, psychiatry, physical medicine and rehabilitation, drug abuse, family practice, internal medicine, health policy, epidemiology, statistics, physiology, biophysics, and the public. In addition, 25 experts from these same fields presented data to the panel and a conference audience of 1,200. The literature was searched through Medline, and an extensive bibliography of references was provided to the panel and the conference audience. Experts prepared abstracts with relevant citations from the literature. Scientific evidence was given precedence over clinical anecdotal experience. The panel, answering predefined questions, developed their conclusions based on the scientific evidence presented in open forum and the scientific literature. The panel composed a draft statement, which was read in its entirety and circulated to the experts and the audience for comment. Thereafter, the panel resolved conflicting recommendations and released a revised statement at the end of the conference. The panel finalized the revisions within a few weeks after the conference. The draft statement was made available on

  17. Puncturing the myths of acupuncture.

    PubMed

    Mallory, Molly J; Do, Alexander; Bublitz, Sara E; Veleber, Susan J; Bauer, Brent A; Bhagra, Anjali

    2016-09-01

    Acupuncture is a widely practiced system of medicine that has been in place for thousands of years. Consumer interest and use of acupuncture are becoming increasingly popular in the United States, as it is used to treat a multitude of symptoms and disease processes as well as to maintain health and prevent illness. A growing body of evidence increasingly validates the practice of acupuncture. Further developing scientific data will play an important role in the future of acupuncture and other complementary and alternative medicines in public health. Acupuncture is commonly used concurrently with conventional medicine. Although acupuncture is embraced by consumers and medical professionals, misconceptions abound. We have explored and dispelled ten misconceptions common to the practice of acupuncture, utilizing an evidence-based approach. As the trend of merging conventional medical care with acupuncture treatment grows, it is important to develop a conceptual model of integrative medicine. Using a scientific evidence approach will create a structure from which to begin and grow confidence among conventional medical providers. Acupuncture is a safe and effective modality when performed properly by trained professionals. Educating both the consumer and medical community is important to enable appropriate and evidence-based applications of acupuncture and integration with conventional medicine for high-quality patient care.

  18. Clinical Evaluation of Acupuncture as Treatment for Complications of Cerebrovascular Accidents: A Randomized, Sham-Controlled, Subject- and Assessor-Blind Trial.

    PubMed

    Liao, Hsien-Yin; Ho, Wen-Chao; Chen, Chun-Chung; Lin, Jaung-Geng; Chang, Chia-Chi; Chen, Liang-Yu; Lee, De-Chih; Lee, Yu-Chen

    2017-01-01

    Background and Purpose . The effect of acupuncture as treatment for poststroke complications is questionable. We performed a randomized, sham-controlled double-blind study to investigate it. Methods . Patients with first-time acute stroke were randomized to receive 24 sessions of either real or sham acupuncture during an eight-week period. The primary outcome measure was change in National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score. Secondary outcome measures included changes in Barthel Index (BI), Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D), and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for pain scores. Results . Of the 52 patients who were randomized to receive acupuncture ( n = 28) or placebo ( n = 24), 10 patients in the acupuncture group and 9 patients in the placebo group failed to complete the treatment. In total, 18 patients in the acupuncture group and 15 patients in the control group completed the treatment course. Reduction in pain was significantly greater in the acupuncture group than in the control group ( p value = 0.04). There were no significant differences in the other measures between the two groups. Conclusions . Acupuncture provided more effective poststroke pain relief than sham acupuncture treatment. However, acupuncture had no better effect on neurological, functional, and psychological improvement.

  19. Hemopericardium Following Acupuncture

    PubMed Central

    Kim, Jung Heon; Lee, Yong Jik; Hong, Jung Seok; Ahn, Ryeok; Hong, Eun Seog

    2011-01-01

    Acupuncture-related hemopericardium is a rare but potentially fatal complication. We describe a hemopericardium that occurred shortly after acupuncture in a 55-year-old woman. A chest CT scan and echocardiography revealed a hemopericardium, and pericardiocentesis was then immediately and successfully performed. Subsequently, her clinical course improved. This case increases the attention of emergency physicians for acupuncture-related complications, especially hemopericardium, and the necessity of rapid diagnosis and management. PMID:21155058

  20. [Globalization of acupuncture technology innovation: a quantitative analysis based on acupuncture patents in the U.S.A].

    PubMed

    Pan, Wei; Hu, Yuan-Jia; Wang, Yi-Tao

    2011-08-01

    The structure of international flow of acupuncture knowledge was explored in this article so as to promote the globalization of acupuncture technology innovation. Statistical methods were adopted to reveal geographical distribution of acupuncture patents in the U.S.A. and the influencing factors of cumulative advantage of acupuncture techniques as well as innovation value of application of acupuncture patents. Social network analysis was also utilized to establish a global innovation network of acupuncture technology. The result shows that the cumulative strength on acupuncture technology correlates with the patent retention period. The innovative value of acupuncture invention correlates with the frequency of patent citation. And the U. S. A. and Canada seize central positions in the global acupuncture information and technology delivery system.

  1. Imaging study on acupuncture points

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yan, X. H.; Zhang, X. Y.; Liu, C. L.; Dang, R. S.; Ando, M.; Sugiyama, H.; Chen, H. S.; Ding, G. H.

    2009-09-01

    The topographic structures of acupuncture points were investigated by using the synchrotron radiation based Dark Field Image (DFI) method. Four following acupuncture points were studied: Sanyinjiao, Neiguan, Zusanli and Tianshu. We have found that at acupuncture point regions there exists the accumulation of micro-vessels. The images taken in the surrounding tissue out of the acupuncture points do not show such kind of structure. It is the first time to reveal directly the specific structure of acupuncture points by X-ray imaging.

  2. Auricular Acupuncture with Laser

    PubMed Central

    Bahr, Frank

    2013-01-01

    Auricular acupuncture is a method which has been successfully used in various fields of medicine especially in the treatment of pain relief. The introduction of lasers especially low-level lasers into medicine brought besides the already existing stimulation with needles and electricity an additional technique to auricular acupuncture. This literature research looks at the historical background, the development and the anatomical and neurological aspects of auricular acupuncture in general and auricular laser acupuncture in detail. Preliminary scientific findings on auricular acupuncture with laser have been described in detail and discussed critically in this review article. The results of the studies have shown evidence of the effect of auricular laser acupuncture. However, a comparison of these studies was impossible due to their different study designs. The most important technical as well as study parameters were described in detail in order to give more sufficient evidence and to improve the quality of future studies. PMID:23935695

  3. Somato stimulation and acupuncture therapy.

    PubMed

    Zhao, Jing-Jun; Rong, Pei-Jing; Shi, Li; Ben, Hui; Zhu, Bing

    2016-05-01

    Acupuncture is an oldest somato stimulus medical technique. As the most representative peripheral nerve stimulation therapy, it has a complete system of theory and application and is applicable to a large population. This paper expounds the bionic origins of acupuncture and analyzes the physiological mechanism by which acupuncture works. For living creatures, functionally sound viscera and effective endurance of pain are essential for survival. This paper discusses the way in which acupuncture increases the pain threshold of living creatures and the underlying mechanism from the perspective of bionics. Acupuncture can also help to adjust visceral functions and works most effectively in facilitating the process of digestion and restraining visceral pain. This paper makes an in-depth overview of peripheral nerve stimulation therapy represented by acupuncture. We look forward to the revival of acupuncture, a long-standing somato stimulus medicine, in the modern medical systems.

  4. [Considerations about Acupuncture Treatment during Menstruation].

    PubMed

    Lin, Ying; Zhang, Hong

    2016-04-01

    A dispute about whether women are suitable to receive acupuncture treatment in the period of menstruation has existed for many years. There are some reports about acupuncture treatment induced abnormal menstruation in women experiencing menstruation. However, according to long-term clinical practice and current development of acupuncture therapy, the authors of the present paper hold that there are no absolute contradictions for acupuncture treatment of women during menstruation. Additionally, acupuncture induced menstrual disorder has no enough data support of large size example clinical trials. The key points of acupuncture administration for women during menstruation are: (1) reasonable selection of acupoints prescriptions, and (2) appropriate acupuncture needle manipulations, particularly avoiding strong stimulation.

  5. Acupuncture for premenstrual dysphoric disorder.

    PubMed

    Taguchi, Reina; Matsubara, Shigeki; Yoshimoto, Sazu; Imai, Kenji; Ohkuchi, Akihide; Kitakoji, Hiroshi

    2009-12-01

    Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), a severe type of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), is characterized mainly by psychological symptoms confined to the premenstrual period, which reduce not only patients' quality of life, but also their working activities. Although various therapies have been employed for PMDD, some patients do not respond to them. We recently employed acupuncture treatment for a patient in PMDD. Symptoms ameliorated during the acupuncture (+) period, but deteriorated during the acupuncture (-) period. This review describes the clinical course of this case. The diagnosis and treatment of PMDD are briefly summarized and previous acupuncture treatment for PMS are reviewed. The difficulties in evaluating the effectiveness of acupuncture for PMS/PMDD are addressed. It is suggested that acupuncture may be a treatment option for PMDD.

  6. [Acupuncture with Point Location-a mandatory examination for American NCCAOM certification of acupuncture and oriental medicine].

    PubMed

    Tian, Kaiyu; Rao, Hong; Lin, Yongqing; He, Yang; Zhao, Junqing; Chen, Qiang

    2017-03-12

    Acupuncture with Point Location is one of the mandatory examinations for the Diplomate of Oriental Medicine (Dipl.OM.) or Acupuncture (Dipl. Ac.) by American National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM). In reference to NCCAOM Certification Handbook, Acupuncture with Point Location Expanded Content Outline , and Study Guide for Diplomates in Acupuncture Certification , the authors introduced the examination pattern and examination-related contents including such aspects as safety and professional responsibilities, treatment plan, and point location and discussed additionally the enlightening effects on acupuncture practice and examination in universities and international associations of Chinese medicine in our country.

  7. The balance effect of acupuncture therapy among stroke patients.

    PubMed

    Huang, Shih-Wei; Wang, Wei-Te; Yang, Tsung-Hsien; Liou, Tsan-Hon; Chen, Guan-Yu; Lin, Li-Fong

    2014-08-01

    To analyze how acupuncture therapy affects balance in patients experiencing their first stroke and to identify the stroke group with greatest improvement in balance after acupuncture intervention. Retrospective case-control study. Ward of a medical university hospital. A total of 629 stroke patients were enrolled initially; 345 patients met the study criteria and 132 were analyzed (66 each in the study and control groups). The study group received physiotherapy combined with acupuncture and the control group received only physiotherapy. The Postural Assessment Scale for Stroke patients (PASS) was used to evaluate balance. This balance scale system can be subdivided into static balance (PASS-MP, maintain posture) and dynamic balance (PASS-CP, change posture). This study revealed no statistically significant improvement of balance in the study group (t test). When patients with high Brunnstrom stage (Br stage) and low Br stage were analyzed separately, once again no statistical difference was detected between the study and control groups of those with high Br stage. However, among low-Br stage patients, the study group showed significant improvement in static balance (mean PASS-MP score±standard deviation: 4.7±3.7) compared with the control group (PASS-MP score: 2.8±2.7) (p<0.05). In first-ever stroke patients with a low Br stage, acupuncture therapy can improve static balance during rehabilitation. However, the effect on balance was limited among high-Br stage patients. This study provides information valuable to patients with hemiplegic stroke because it suggests that acupuncture can be used to improve balance. A prospective double-blind, randomized, controlled study design is recommended for future studies in patients with hemiplegic stroke.

  8. The puzzle of acupuncture.

    PubMed

    Wolfson, Vladimir

    2003-01-01

    Acupuncture is based on the theory of channels, which serve as pathways for energy (Qi). On the course of the channels, acupuncture points are described, and by stimulation of these points, therapeutic effects may be achieved. This system is very complex and both channels and acupuncture points are anatomically invisible. Unlike in Western medicine, scientists fail to trace both the origin and the progress of acupuncture theory. Having developed in its full form not later than the 2nd century BC, it never underwent fundamental change. On the other hand, it has become a part of modern Western medicine as an effective therapy and the existence of acupuncture points, specified thousands of years ago, has been demonstrated by modern science. It is hardly probable that acupuncture theory, although dating back to ancient times, could have originated in primitive civilization. The origin of the energy channel theory does not fit into the traditional developmental scheme. The existence of the theory cannot be explained other than by its being a product of a highly developed civilization.

  9. [A survey on knowledge of acupuncture disease spectrum and expectation of acupuncture treatment in Chengdu residents].

    PubMed

    Xu, Tao; Ye, Shaoqing; Shi, Yu; Xu, Tongtong; Wang, Qi; Li, Si; Zhang, Youruo; Lan, Yi; Zhao, Ling

    2017-08-12

    To understand the knowledge of acupuncture disease spectrum, expectation of acupuncture treatment in Chengdu residents. A questionnaire regarding the knowledge of acupuncture disease spectrum and expectation of acupuncture treatment in Chengdu residents was established. By field sampling and internet survey, related data were collected and analyzed. Totally 1 548 valid questionnaires were collected, including 1 041 from field survey and 507 from internet survey. The results indicated the knowledge of acupuncture and its disease spectrum were moderate in Chengdu residents; among the disease spectrum of acupuncture, the disease with the highest cognition was insomnia, accounting for 45.0% in field survey and 75.4% in internet survey; while the disease with the lowest cognition was infertility, accounting for 8.3% in field survey and 34.3% in internet survey. The knowledge of acupuncture in Chengdu residents could be further improved, and the promotion of popular science of acupuncture should be strengthened in future.

  10. Effectiveness of Acupuncture Therapy on Stress in a Large Urban College Population.

    PubMed

    Schroeder, Stefanie; Burnis, James; Denton, Antony; Krasnow, Aaron; Raghu, T S; Mathis, Kimberly

    2017-06-01

    This study is a randomized controlled clinical trial to study the effectiveness of acupuncture on the perception of stress in patients who study or work on a large, urban college campus. The hypothesis was that verum acupuncture would demonstrate a significant positive impact on perceived stress as compared to sham acupuncture. This study included 111 participants with high self-reported stress levels who either studied or worked at a large, urban public university in the southwestern United States. However, only 62 participants completed the study. The participants were randomized into a verum acupuncture or sham acupuncture group. Both the groups received treatment once a week for 12 weeks. The Cohen's global measure of perceived stress scale (PSS-14) was completed by each participant prior to treatment, at 6 weeks, at 12 weeks, and 6 weeks and 12 weeks post-treatment completion. While participants of both the groups showed a substantial initial decrease in perceived stress scores, at 12 weeks post treatment, the verum acupuncture group showed a significantly greater treatment effect than the sham acupuncture group. This study indicates that acupuncture may be successful in decreasing the perception of stress in students and staff at a large urban university, and this effect persists for at least 3 months after the completion of treatment. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  11. Acupuncture, psyche and the placebo response.

    PubMed

    Enck, Paul; Klosterhalfen, Sibylle; Zipfel, Stephan

    2010-10-28

    With growing use of acupuncture treatment in various clinical conditions, the question has been posed whether the reported effects reflect specific mechanisms of acupuncture or whether they represent placebo responses, as they often are similar in effect size and resemble similarities to placebo analgesia and its mechanisms. We reviewed the available literature for different placebos (sham procedures) used to control the acupuncture effects, for moderators and potential biases in respective clinical trials, and for central and peripheral mechanisms involved that would allow differentiation of placebo effects from acupuncture and sham acupuncture effects. While the evidence is still limited, it seems that biological differences exist between a placebo response, e.g. in placebo analgesia, and analgesic response during acupunture that does not occur with sham acupuncture. It seems advisable that clinical trials should include potential biomarkers of acupuncture, e.g. measures of the autonomic nervous system function to verify that acupuncture and sham acupuncture are different despite similar clinical effects. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Immediate relief of herniated lumbar disc-related sciatica by ankle acupuncture

    PubMed Central

    Xiang, Anfeng; Xu, Mingshu; Liang, Yan; Wei, Jinzi; Liu, Sheng

    2017-01-01

    Abstract Background: Around 90% of sciatica cases are due to a herniated intervertebral disc in the lumbar region. Ankle acupuncture (AA) has been reported to be effective in the treatment of acute nonspecific low back pain. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of a single session of ankle acupuncture for disc-related sciatica. Method: This will be a double-blinded, randomized controlled clinical trial. Patients diagnosed with disc-related sciatica will be randomly divided into 3 parallel groups. The treatment group (n = 30) will receive ankle acupuncture. The 2 control groups will either undergo traditional needle manipulation (n = 30) or sham acupuncture (n = 30) at the same point as the treatment group. The primary outcome will be pain intensity on a visual analog scale (VAS). The secondary outcomes will be paresthesia intensity on a VAS and the Abbreviated Acceptability Rating Profile (AAPR). The success of blinding will be evaluated, and the needle-induced sensation and adverse events will be recorded. All outcomes will be evaluated before, during, and after the treatment. Discussion: This study will determine the immediate effect and specificity of ankle acupuncture for the treatment of disc-related sciatica. We anticipate that ankle acupuncture might be more effective than traditional needle manipulation or sham acupuncture. Trial registration ChiCTR-IPR-15007127 (http://www.chictr.org.cn/showprojen.aspx?proj=11989) PMID:29390461

  13. Acupuncture for sequelae of Bell's palsy: a randomized controlled trial protocol.

    PubMed

    Kwon, Hyo-Jung; Kim, Jong-In; Lee, Myeong Soo; Choi, Jun-Yong; Kang, Sungkeel; Chung, Jie-Yoon; Kim, Young-Jin; Lee, Seung-Hoon; Lee, Sanghoon; Nam, Dongwoo; Kim, Yong-Suk; Lee, Jae-Dong; Choi, Do-Young

    2011-03-09

    Incomplete recovery from facial palsy has a long-term impact on the quality of life, and medical options for the sequelae of Bell's palsy are limited. Invasive treatments and physiotherapy have been employed to relieve symptoms, but there is limited clinical evidence for their effectiveness. Acupuncture is widely used on Bell's palsy patients in East Asia, but there is insufficient evidence for its effectiveness on Bell's palsy sequelae. The objective is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture in patients with sequelae of Bell's palsy. This study consists of a randomized controlled trial with two parallel arms: an acupuncture group and a waitlist group. The acupuncture group will receive acupuncture treatment three times per week for a total of 24 sessions over 8 weeks. Participants in the waitlist group will not receive any acupuncture treatments during this 8 week period, but they will participate in the evaluations of symptoms at the start of the study, at 5 weeks and at 8 weeks after randomization, at which point the same treatment as the acupuncture group will be provided. The primary outcome will be analyzed by the change in the Facial Disability Index (FDI) from baseline to week eight. The secondary outcome measures will include FDI from baseline to week five, House-Brackmann Grade, lip mobility, and stiffness scales.

  14. [History of acupuncture in Iran].

    PubMed

    Bai, Xinghua

    2015-10-01

    Iran is the neighbor of western China, and is a key transport junction on ancient Silk Road. The medical communication between China and Iran dates back to the 10th century, however, according to current evidences, it is indicated that acupuncture has not been introduced to Iran until the early 1970s. Unfortunately over the last 40 years, the acupuncture in Iran has not presented great development. The history of acupuncture development in Iran implies that geographical advantage and personnel exchanges are not essential to the international exchange of acupuncture, while language and cultural background may hinder the spread of acupuncture in foreign countries.

  15. One Medicine, One Acupuncture

    PubMed Central

    Robinson, Narda G.

    2012-01-01

    Simple Summary “One Acupuncture”, modeled after “One Medicine”, embodies a system of translational acupuncture built upon science and hypothesis-driven research. Forging a synthesis between human and veterinary acupuncture requires consistency in point location across species so that meaningful comparisons can be made. The human acupuncture network provides a template of well-studied neurovascular sites that have changed little over the years, in comparison to their veterinary counterparts. This paper identifies disparities that remain. Reconciling inconsistencies will bolster the ability for researchers and clinicians to better understand and interpret findings from acupuncture studies on various species so that more can benefit from these insights. Abstract “One Acupuncture”, like “One Medicine”, has the potential to improve research quality and clinical outcomes. However, while human acupuncture point locations have remained largely consistent over time, the veterinary versions remain imprecise and variable. Establishing anatomical criteria for veterinary acupuncture atlases in keeping with the human template will create congruence across species, benefiting both research and practice. Anatomic criteria for points based on objectively verifiable structures will facilitate translational research. Functionally comparative innervation, in particular, should be similar between species, as the nerves initiate and mediate physiologic changes that result from point stimulation. If researchers choose points that activate different nerves in one species than in another, unpredictable outcomes may occur. Variability in point placement will impede progress and hamper the ability of researchers and clinicians to make meaningful comparisons across species. This paper reveals incongruities that remain between human and veterinary acupuncture points, illustrating the need to analyze anatomical characteristics of each point to assure accuracy in selecting

  16. Acupuncture for central pain affecting the ribcage following traumatic brain injury and rib fractures--a case report.

    PubMed

    Donnellan, Clare P

    2006-09-01

    This case report describes the use of acupuncture in the management of chronic central pain in a 51 year old man following severe traumatic brain injury and multiple injuries including rib fractures. The patient reported rapid and significant improvements in pain and mood during a course of acupuncture treatment. Chronic pain following traumatic brain injury is a significant problem. Chronic pain after rib fractures is also commonly reported. Acupuncture is widely used in the management of pain but its use has been reported rarely in the traumatic brain injury literature. This case report suggests that acupuncture may be a useful option to consider in these patients. Outcome was assessed formally using a 0-10 verbal numerical rating scale for pain, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) for psychological status before and after the course of treatment. These scales are widely used in clinical practice as well as in research involving patients with traumatic brain injury, although they have not been validated in this population. The changes in this patient's outcome scores were not consistent with the benefits he reported. Treatment of this patient highlighted the difficulties of using standardised self rating scales for patients with cognitive impairment. The report also discusses the effects of acupuncture on this patient's mood.

  17. Adapting Champion's Breast Cancer Fear Scale to colorectal cancer: psychometric testing in a sample of older Chinese adults.

    PubMed

    Leung, Doris Y P; Wong, Eliza M L; Chan, Carmen W H

    2014-06-01

    Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the most common type of cancer in both men and women, and older adults are more susceptible to this disease. Previous studies suggest that cancer fear may be a key predictor of participation in cancer screening. Yet there is a lack of validated measuring tools of fear relating to CRC for the Chinese older adult population. This study aims to test the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Colorectal Cancer Fear Scale (CRCFS), adapting from the Champion's Breast Cancer Fear Scale. The CRCFS was developed by altering the wording 'breast cancer' to 'colorectal cancer'. Interviewer-administered surveys were carried out with a convenience sample of 250 community-dwelling adults aged at least 60 years old without a history of cancer. A subsample of 40 participants completed the scale again at one-month. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the one-factor model provided excellent fits to the overall data, and two randomly split samples. Cronbach's alpha of the scale was 0.95 and test-retest reliability was 0.52. Positive and significant correlations of CRC Cancer Fear with CRC-related susceptibility, severity and barriers were observed. A non-linear relationship with benefits was found. The findings provide support for the psychometric properties of a Chinese version of the Champion Cancer Fear with an adaption to CRC in a sample of community dwelling older Chinese adults. The scale provides a useful tool to assess CRC-related fear, which interventions should address in order to improve screening rates among older Chinese adults. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Acupuncture as Adjuvant Therapy for Sleep Disorders in Parkinson's Disease.

    PubMed

    Aroxa, Fábio Henrique de Amorim; Gondim, Ihana Thaís Guerra de Oliveira; Santos, Elba Lúcia Wanderley; Coriolano, Maria das Graças Wanderley de Sales; Asano, Amdore Guescel C; Asano, Nadja Maria Jorge

    2017-01-01

    There are few studies which attest the efficacy of acupuncture on treatment of sleep disturbs in Parkinson disease. The aimed of this randomized clinical trial was to evaluate the effects of acupuncture on sleep disturbs of 22 patients with diagnosis of idiopathic Parkinson disease (Hoehn-Yahr 1 to 3) who have assistance on the Pro-Parkinson Program of Clinical Hospital at Federal University of Pernambuco in Brazil. All participants were evaluated by Parkinson Disease Sleep Scale (PDSS) before and after 8 weeks. The experimental group was submitted to 8 sections (once a week) which had duration of 30 minutes. The control group had no intervention. The intervention was executed using the acupuncture points LR3 (Taichong), SP6 (Sanyinjiao), LI4 (Hegu), TE5 (Wai-Guan), HT7 (Shenmen), PC6 (Neiguan), LI11 (Quchi), GB20 (Fengchi). Paired analyses were obtained by Wilcoxon test and independent analyses were made according to Mann-Whitney test. This study presented a potential therapeutic benefit of acupuncture on sleep disturbs of Parkinson's disease patients. This study showed a possible therapeutic benefit through acupuncture in sleep disorders in patients with PD. However, we propose new studies related to the effects of acupuncture on the clinical symptoms and evolution of the disease. Copyright © 2017 Medical Association of Pharmacopuncture Institute. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. A Prospective Open-Label Study of Combined Treatment for Idiopathic Parkinson's Disease Using Acupuncture and Bee Venom Acupuncture as an Adjunctive Treatment.

    PubMed

    Doo, Kyeong-Hee; Lee, Ji-Hyun; Cho, Seung-Yeon; Jung, Woo-Sang; Moon, Sang-Kwan; Park, Jung-Mi; Ko, Chang-Nam; Kim, Ho; Park, Hi-Joon; Park, Seong-Uk

    2015-10-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness and safety of combined treatment using acupuncture and bee venom acupuncture (BVA) as an adjunctive treatment for idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD). Eleven patients (7 men and 4 women) with idiopathic PD who had been receiving a stable dose of anti-parkinsonian medication for at least 4 weeks. Participants received conventional treatment for 12 weeks. Subsequently, they received additional treatment with acupuncture and BVA twice weekly for 12 weeks while still maintaining conventional treatment. All participants were assessed at baseline, 12 weeks, and 24 weeks by using the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), the Parkinson's Disease Quality of Life Questionnaire (PDQL), the speed and number of steps required to walk 20 m, and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Maximum excursion and directional control, measured by computerized dynamic posturography (Balance Master(®) System, NeuroCom, San Carlos, CA), were used to assess postural stability. Patients who underwent 12 weeks of twice-weekly combined treatment with acupuncture and BVA showed significant improvements in gait speed, PDQL score, activities of daily living (UPDRS part II), motor symptoms (UPDRS part III), and combined UPDRS part II+III scores compared with assessments after conventional treatment. Combined treatment with acupuncture and BVA showed promising results as a safe adjunctive therapy for PD.

  20. Non-penetrating sham needle, is it an adequate sham control in acupuncture research?

    PubMed

    Lee, Hyangsook; Bang, Heejung; Kim, Youngjin; Park, Jongbae; Lee, Sangjae; Lee, Hyejung; Park, Hi-Joon

    2011-01-01

    This study aimed to determine whether a non-penetrating sham needle can serve as an adequate sham control. We conducted a randomised, subject-blind, sham-controlled trial in both acupuncture-naïve and experienced healthy volunteers. Participants were randomly allocated to receive either real acupuncture (n=39) or non-penetrating sham acupuncture (n=40) on the hand (LI4), abdomen (CV12) and leg (ST36). The procedures were standardised and identical for both groups. Participants rated acupuncture sensations on a 10-point scale. A blinding index was calculated based on the participants' guesses on the type of acupuncture they had received (real, sham or do not know) for each acupuncture point. The association of knowledge about and experience in acupuncture with correct guessing was also examined. The subjects in both groups were similar with respect to age, gender, experience or knowledge about acupuncture. The sham needle tended to produce less penetration, pain and soreness only at LI4. Blinding appeared to be successfully achieved for ST36. Although 41% of participants in the real acupuncture group made correct guesses for LI4, 31% guessed incorrectly for CV12, beyond chance level. People with more experience and knowledge about acupuncture were more likely to correctly guess the type of needle they received at ST36 only, compared to that at the other points. A non-penetrating sham needle may successfully blind participants and thus, may be a credible sham control. However, the small sample size, the different needle sensations, and the degree and direction of unblinding across acupuncture points warrant further studies in Korea as well as other countries to confirm our finding. Our results also justify the incorporation of formal testing of the use of sham controls in clinical trials of acupuncture. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. 21 CFR 880.5580 - Acupuncture needle.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Acupuncture needle. 880.5580 Section 880.5580 Food... § 880.5580 Acupuncture needle. (a) Identification. An acupuncture needle is a device intended to pierce the skin in the practice of acupuncture. The device consists of a solid, stainless steel needle. The...

  2. The Fear of Positive Evaluation Scale: assessing a proposed cognitive component of social anxiety.

    PubMed

    Weeks, Justin W; Heimberg, Richard G; Rodebaugh, Thomas L

    2008-01-01

    Cognitive-behavioral models propose that fear of negative evaluation is the core feature of social anxiety disorder. However, it may be that fear of evaluation in general is important in social anxiety, including fears of positive as well as negative evaluation. To test this hypothesis, we developed the Fear of Positive Evaluation Scale (FPES) and conducted analyses to examine the psychometric properties of the FPES, as well as test hypotheses regarding the construct of fear of positive evaluation (FPE). Responses from a large (n = 1711) undergraduate sample were utilized. The reliability, construct validity, and factorial validity of the FPES were examined; the distinction of FPE from fear of negative evaluation was evaluated utilizing confirmatory factor analysis; and the ability of FPE to predict social interaction anxiety above and beyond fear of negative evaluation was assessed. Results provide preliminary support for the psychometric properties of the FPES and the validity of the construct of FPE. The implications of FPE with respect to the study and treatment of social anxiety disorder are discussed.

  3. Standardized versus Individualized Acupuncture for Chronic Low Back Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial

    PubMed Central

    Pach, Daniel; Yang-Strobel, Xiaoli; Lüdtke, Rainer; Icke, Katja; Brinkhaus, Benno; Witt, Claudia M.

    2013-01-01

    We aimed to compare the effectiveness of standardized and individualized acupuncture treatment in patients with chronic low back pain. A single-center randomized controlled single-blind trial was performed in a general medical practice in Germany run by a Chinese-born medical doctor trained in western and Chinese medicine. One hundred and fifty outpatients with chronic low back pain were randomly allocated to two groups (78 standardized and 72 individualized acupuncture). Patients received either standardized acupuncture or individualized acupuncture. Treatment encompassed between 10 and 15 treatments based on individual symptoms with two treatments per week. The main outcome measure was the area under the curve (AUC) summarizing eight weeks of daily rated pain severity measured with a visual analogue scale (0 mm = no pain, 100 mm = worst imaginable pain). No significant differences between groups were observed for the AUC (individualized acupuncture mean: 1768.7 (95% CI, 1460.4; 2077.1); standardized acupuncture 1482.9 (1177.2; 1788.7); group difference, 285.8 (−33.9; 605.5) P = 0.080). In this single-center trial, individualized acupuncture was not superior to standardized acupuncture for patients suffering from chronic pain. As a next step, a multicenter noninferiority study should be performed to investigate whether standardised acupuncture treatment for chronic low back pain might be applicable in a broader usual care setting. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00758017. PMID:24288556

  4. Acupuncture for sequelae of Bell's palsy: a randomized controlled trial protocol

    PubMed Central

    2011-01-01

    Objective Incomplete recovery from facial palsy has a long-term impact on the quality of life, and medical options for the sequelae of Bell's palsy are limited. Invasive treatments and physiotherapy have been employed to relieve symptoms, but there is limited clinical evidence for their effectiveness. Acupuncture is widely used on Bell's palsy patients in East Asia, but there is insufficient evidence for its effectiveness on Bell's palsy sequelae. The objective is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture in patients with sequelae of Bell's palsy. Method/Design This study consists of a randomized controlled trial with two parallel arms: an acupuncture group and a waitlist group. The acupuncture group will receive acupuncture treatment three times per week for a total of 24 sessions over 8 weeks. Participants in the waitlist group will not receive any acupuncture treatments during this 8 week period, but they will participate in the evaluations of symptoms at the start of the study, at 5 weeks and at 8 weeks after randomization, at which point the same treatment as the acupuncture group will be provided. The primary outcome will be analyzed by the change in the Facial Disability Index (FDI) from baseline to week eight. The secondary outcome measures will include FDI from baseline to week five, House-Brackmann Grade, lip mobility, and stiffness scales. Trial registration Current Controlled-Trials ISRCTN43104115; registration date: 06 July 2010; the date of the first patient's randomization: 04 August 2010 PMID:21388554

  5. [Comments on the definition of "acupuncture science"].

    PubMed

    Wang, Fan

    2017-12-12

    The experts in China believe that the substance of "dry needling" is in the category of acupuncture therapy for the treatment by needle inserting the human body. But, its recognition has not been implied from the definition of "acupuncture science". Since 1970 s, the different definitions of it are closely related to TCM theories, due to which, it has been limited. This flaw restricts the development of acupuncture theory, narrows the connotation of acupuncture science and goes against the communication of traditional Chinese acupuncture theory. No matter regarding the theory or technique, the acupuncture therapy nowadays changes greatly in its connotation. Rather than guided by TCM theories, acupuncture therapy mainly includes the nerve trunk stimulation theory, the cerebral function orientation therapy, biological holographic therapy, fascia stimulation therapy and trigger therapy, etc. Expect that the medical devices used in these therapies are same as the traditional acupuncture, these methods cannot be regarded in the category of acupuncture science when the current definition of it is considered. Hence, the writer is trying to define "acupuncture science" as: acupuncture science refers to the science for the methodology and mechanism of therapeutic devices, e.g. acupuncture therapy and moxibustion therapy, for the prevention and treatment of disease by stimulating the body, and its theory includes but not limits in traditional Chinese medical theory.

  6. The short form of the fear survey schedule for children-revised (FSSC-R-SF): an efficient, reliable, and valid scale for measuring fear in children and adolescents.

    PubMed

    Muris, Peter; Ollendick, Thomas H; Roelofs, Jeffrey; Austin, Kristin

    2014-12-01

    The present study examined the psychometric properties of the Short Form of the Fear Survey Schedule for Children-Revised (FSSC-R-SF) in non-clinical and clinically referred children and adolescents from the Netherlands and the United States. Exploratory as well as confirmatory factor analyses of the FSSC-R-SF yielded support for the hypothesized five-factor structure representing fears in the domains of (1) failure and criticism, (2) the unknown, (3) animals, (4) danger and death, and (5) medical affairs. The FSSC-R-SF showed satisfactory reliability and was capable of assessing gender and age differences in youths' fears and fearfulness that have been documented in previous research. Further, the convergent validity of the scale was good as shown by substantial and meaningful correlations with the full-length FSSC-R and alternative childhood anxiety measures. Finally, support was found for the discriminant validity of the scale. That is, clinically referred children and adolescents exhibited higher scores on the FSSC-R-SF total scale and most subscales as compared to their non-clinical counterparts. Moreover, within the clinical sample, children and adolescents with a major anxiety disorder generally displayed higher FSSC-R-SF scores than youths without such a diagnosis. Altogether, these findings indicate that the FSSC-R-SF is a brief, reliable, and valid scale for assessing fear sensitivities in children and adolescents. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Acupuncture in Military Medicine

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2013-01-01

    Chapter 16 Acupuncture in Military Medicine Alexandra M. York, Kevin G. Berry, Rick C. Welton, Joan A. G. Walter, Richard C. Niemtzow and Wayne B...DATES COVERED 00-00-2013 to 00-00-2013 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Acupuncture in Military Medicine 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM...States Air Force Acupuncture Center,Joint Base Andrews, , , 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT NUMBER 9. SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND

  8. Acupuncture in Military Medicine

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2013-01-01

    Chapter 16 Acupuncture in Military Medicine Alexandra M. York, Kevin G. Berry, Rick C. Welton, Joan A. G. Walter, Richard C. Niemtzow and Wayne B...DATES COVERED 00-00-2013 to 00-00-2013 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Acupuncture in Military Medicine 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM...States Air Force Acupuncture Center,Joint Base Andrews,MD,20762 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT NUMBER 9. SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND

  9. [Impacts on neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio in patients of chronic stable angina pectoris treated with acupuncture at Neiguan (PC 6)].

    PubMed

    Wang, Momg; Chen, Hui; Lu, Shengfeng; Wang, Jianfei; Zhang, Wei; Zhu, Bingmei

    2015-05-01

    To observe the clinical efficacy on chronic stable angina pectoris treated with acupuncture at Neiguan (PC 6) and explore the impacts of acupuncture on peripheral blood neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in the patients of stable angina pectoris. Thirty patients of chronic stable angina pectoris met the inclusive criteria were randomized into an acupuncture group (15 cases) and a medication group (15 cases), and a healthy control group (15 cases of the same ages) was set up separately. In the acupuncture group, at the same time of the basic medication, acupuncture was applied to bilateral Neiguan (PC 6), once every two days, 3 days a week, totally for 4 weeks. In the medication group, the basic medication was applied, without acupuncture intervention. In the healthy control group, no any intervention was applied. The attack frequency of angina pectoris, dose of nitrogly-cerin, the evaluation of visual analogue scale (VAS), Seattle angina questionnaire (SAQ), the six-minute walking test (6MWT), the self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) and the self-rating depression scale (SDS) were observed before and after treatment in the subjects. Additionally, the peripheral blood cells were detected to analyze specifically the changes in NLR before and after treatment and observe the relationship between NLR and clinical efficacy. Compared with the medication group, the attack frequency of angina pectoris was reduced within 30 days (P<0.01); the dose of nitroglycerin was reduced (P<0.01); VAS was reduced (P<0.01) and SAQ was increased (P<0.05) in the acupuncture group. The differences in 6 MWT, SAS and SDS were not significant between the two groups after treatment (all P>0.05). Additionally, compared with the medication group, in 30 days of acupuncture, NLR was reduced apparently in the acupuncture group (P<0.05). Acupuncture relieves the clinical symptoms of chronic stable angina pectoris, but has not apparent effects on motor ability and psychological health. Corresponding to

  10. Acupuncture for the Treatment of Peripheral Neuropathy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

    PubMed

    Dimitrova, Alexandra; Murchison, Charles; Oken, Barry

    2017-03-01

    Neuropathy and its associated pain pose great therapeutic challenges. While there has been a recent surge in acupuncture use and research, little remains known about its effects on nerve function. This review aims to assess the efficacy of acupuncture in the treatment of neuropathy of various etiologies. The Medline, AMED, Cochrane, Scopus, CINAHL, and clintrials.gov databases were systematically searched from inception to July 2015. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing acupuncture's efficacy for poly- and mononeuropathy were reviewed. Parallel and crossover RCTs focused on acupuncture's efficacy were reviewed and screened for eligibility. The Scale for Assessing Scientific Quality of Investigations in Complementary and Alternative Medicine was used to assess RCT quality. RCTs with score of >9 and active control treatments such as sham acupuncture or medical therapy were included. Fifteen studies were included: 13 original RCTs, a long-term follow-up, and a re-analysis of a prior RCT. The selected RCTs studied acupuncture for neuropathy caused by diabetes, Bell's palsy, carpal tunnel syndrome, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and idiopathic conditions. Acupuncture regimens, control conditions, and outcome measures differed among studies, and various methodological issues were identified. Still, the majority of RCTs showed benefit for acupuncture over control in the treatment of diabetic neuropathy, Bell's palsy, and carpal tunnel syndrome. Acupuncture is probably effective in the treatment of HIV-related neuropathy, and there is insufficient evidence for its benefits in idiopathic neuropathy. Acupuncture appears to improve nerve conduction study parameters in both sensory and motor nerves. Meta-analyses were conducted on all diabetic neuropathy and Bell's palsy individual subject data (six RCTs; a total of 680 subjects) using a summary estimate random effects model, which showed combined odds ratio of 4.23 (95% confidence interval 2.3-7.8; p < 0

  11. Acupuncture for the Treatment of Peripheral Neuropathy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

    PubMed Central

    Murchison, Charles; Oken, Barry

    2017-01-01

    Abstract Objectives: Neuropathy and its associated pain pose great therapeutic challenges. While there has been a recent surge in acupuncture use and research, little remains known about its effects on nerve function. This review aims to assess the efficacy of acupuncture in the treatment of neuropathy of various etiologies. Methods: The Medline, AMED, Cochrane, Scopus, CINAHL, and clintrials.gov databases were systematically searched from inception to July 2015. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing acupuncture's efficacy for poly- and mononeuropathy were reviewed. Parallel and crossover RCTs focused on acupuncture's efficacy were reviewed and screened for eligibility. The Scale for Assessing Scientific Quality of Investigations in Complementary and Alternative Medicine was used to assess RCT quality. RCTs with score of >9 and active control treatments such as sham acupuncture or medical therapy were included. Results: Fifteen studies were included: 13 original RCTs, a long-term follow-up, and a re-analysis of a prior RCT. The selected RCTs studied acupuncture for neuropathy caused by diabetes, Bell's palsy, carpal tunnel syndrome, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and idiopathic conditions. Acupuncture regimens, control conditions, and outcome measures differed among studies, and various methodological issues were identified. Still, the majority of RCTs showed benefit for acupuncture over control in the treatment of diabetic neuropathy, Bell's palsy, and carpal tunnel syndrome. Acupuncture is probably effective in the treatment of HIV-related neuropathy, and there is insufficient evidence for its benefits in idiopathic neuropathy. Acupuncture appears to improve nerve conduction study parameters in both sensory and motor nerves. Meta-analyses were conducted on all diabetic neuropathy and Bell's palsy individual subject data (six RCTs; a total of 680 subjects) using a summary estimate random effects model, which showed combined odds ratio of 4.23 (95

  12. Acupuncture for migraine prophylaxis: a randomized controlled trial

    PubMed Central

    Li, Ying; Zheng, Hui; Witt, Claudia M.; Roll, Stephanie; Yu, Shu-guang; Yan, Jie; Sun, Guo-jie; Zhao, Ling; Huang, Wen-jing; Chang, Xiao-rong; Zhang, Hong-xing; Wang, De-jun; Lan, Lei; Zou, Ran; Liang, Fan-rong

    2012-01-01

    Background: Acupuncture is commonly used to treat migraine. We assessed the efficacy of acupuncture at migraine-specific acupuncture points compared with other acupuncture points and sham acupuncture. Methods: We performed a multicentre, single-blind randomized controlled trial. In total, 480 patients with migraine were randomly assigned to one of four groups (Shaoyang-specific acupuncture, Shaoyang-nonspecific acupuncture, Yangming-specific acupuncture or sham acupuncture [control]). All groups received 20 treatments, which included electrical stimulation, over a period of four weeks. The primary outcome was the number of days with a migraine experienced during weeks 5–8 after randomization. Our secondary outcomes included the frequency of migraine attack, migraine intensity and migraine-specific quality of life. Results: Compared with patients in the control group, patients in the acupuncture groups reported fewer days with a migraine during weeks 5–8, however the differences between treatments were not significant (p > 0.05). There was a significant reduction in the number of days with a migraine during weeks 13–16 in all acupuncture groups compared with control (Shaoyang-specific acupuncture v. control: difference –1.06 [95% confidence interval (CI) –1.77 to –0.5], p = 0.003; Shaoyang-nonspecific acupuncture v. control: difference –1.22 [95% CI –1.92 to –0.52], p < 0.001; Yangming-specific acupuncture v. control: difference –0.91 [95% CI –1.61 to –0.21], p = 0.011). We found that there was a significant, but not clinically relevant, benefit for almost all secondary outcomes in the three acupuncture groups compared with the control group. We found no relevant differences between the three acupuncture groups. Interpretation: Acupuncture tested appeared to have a clinically minor effect on migraine prophylaxis compared with sham acupuncture. Trial Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT00599586 PMID:22231691

  13. [Establishing the acupuncture-moxibustion clinical trial registry and improving the transparence of clinical trials of acupuncture and moxibustion].

    PubMed

    Liu, Yali; He, Liyun; Liu, Jia; Yang, Xingyue; Yan, Dongning; Wang, Xin; Luo, Lin; Li, Hongjiao; Yan, Shiyan; Wen, Tiancai; Bai, Wenjing; Wu, Taixiang; Liu, Baoyan

    2017-07-12

    As a kind of intervention measures of traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture-moxibustion is highly adopted on global clinical practice. Even though the global clinical trial registration system was established more than 10 years ago, the proportion of acupuncture-moxibustion clinical trial registration is still very low; and it is very problematic on the methodological quality and report quality in the published acupuncture-moxibustion clinical trials. In order to manage particularly the acupuncture-moxibustion clinical trials, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, collaborated with China Association of Acupuncture and Moxibustion and World Federation of Acupuncture Societies, established the Acupuncture-Moxibustion Clinical Trail Registry (AMCTR). AMCTR is a secondary registry platform affiliated to the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR) and WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP), specifically for the acceptance and management of clinical trials in the field of acupuncture and moxibustion. It is a nonprofit academic organization, located in China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences.

  14. [From manual workshop to international standard maker: exploration on production standard of acupuncture needle by Chengjiang acupuncture school].

    PubMed

    Cheng, Jie; Cao, Yang; Xia, Youbing

    2015-02-01

    ABSTRACT The exploration course on production standard of acupuncture needle by Chengjiang acupuncture school is reviewed in this paper. After new China was established, acupuncture needle standard was unified by Mr. CHENG Dan-an, which guided Suzhou Hua Erfang (predecessor of Suzhou Medical Supplies Factory) to make the quality standards and testing methods of acupuncture needle and improved the production process to make the modern acupuncture needle. Based on this, Suzhou Medical Supplies Factory followed the time development pace, ac tively introduced new technology, carried out technological innovation, and constantly improved the level of production technology, as a result, it gradually developed into one of the world's largest acupuncture needle production suppliers. Meanwhile, after establishing China's first national standard on acupuncture needle (GB 2024-1980), the Suzhou Medical Supplies Factory took the lead to draft "ISO) 17218:2014 the disposable use asepsis acupuncture needle", which was officially published as an international standard. The Suzhou Medical Supplies Factory developed from a manual workshop to an international standard maker.

  15. Characterization of the "deqi" response in acupuncture.

    PubMed

    Hui, Kathleen K S; Nixon, Erika E; Vangel, Mark G; Liu, Jing; Marina, Ovidiu; Napadow, Vitaly; Hodge, Steven M; Rosen, Bruce R; Makris, Nikos; Kennedy, David N

    2007-10-31

    Acupuncture stimulation elicits deqi, a composite of unique sensations that is essential for clinical efficacy according to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). There is lack of adequate experimental data to indicate what sensations comprise deqi, their prevalence and intensity, their relationship to acupoints, how they compare with conventional somatosensory or noxious response. The objective of this study is to provide scientific evidence on these issues and to characterize the nature of the deqi phenomenon in terms of the prevalence of sensations as well as the uniqueness of the sensations underlying the deqi experience. Manual acupuncture was performed at LI4, ST36 and LV3 on the extremities in randomized order during fMRI in 42 acupuncture naïve healthy adult volunteers. Non-invasive tactile stimulation was delivered to the acupoints by gentle tapping with a von Frey monofilament prior to acupuncture to serve as a sensory control. At the end of each procedure, the subject was asked if each of the sensations listed in a questionnaire or any other sensations occurred during stimulation, and if present to rate its intensity on a numerical scale of 1-10. Statistical analysis including paired t-test, analysis of variance, Spearman's correlation and Fisher's exact test were performed to compare responses between acupuncture and sensory stimulation. The deqi response was elicited in 71% of the acupuncture procedures compared with 24% for tactile stimulation when thresholded at a minimum total score of 3 for all the sensations. The frequency and intensity of individual sensations were significantly higher in acupuncture. Among the sensations typically associated with deqi, aching, soreness and pressure were most common, followed by tingling, numbness, dull pain, heaviness, warmth, fullness and coolness. Sharp pain of brief duration that occurred in occasional subjects was regarded as inadvertent noxious stimulation. The most significant differences in the deqi

  16. Training Psychiatry Addiction Fellows in Acupuncture.

    PubMed

    Serafini, Kelly; Bryant, Katurah; Ikomi, Jolomi; LaPaglia, Donna

    2016-06-01

    Acupuncture has been studied as an adjunct for addiction treatments. Because many hospitals, outpatient clinics, and facilities are integrating acupuncture treatment, it is important that psychiatrists remain informed about this treatment. This manuscript describes the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association (NADA) protocol and its inclusion as part of the curriculum for psychiatry addictions fellows. Psychiatry and psychology fellows completed the NADA training (n = 20) and reported on their satisfaction with the training. Overall, participants stated that they found the training beneficial and many were integrating acupuncture within their current practice. Results support the acceptability of acupuncture training among psychiatry fellows in this program.

  17. Visualizing Motion Patterns in Acupuncture Manipulation.

    PubMed

    Lee, Ye-Seul; Jung, Won-Mo; Lee, In-Seon; Lee, Hyangsook; Park, Hi-Joon; Chae, Younbyoung

    2016-07-16

    Acupuncture manipulation varies widely among practitioners in clinical settings, and it is difficult to teach novice students how to perform acupuncture manipulation techniques skillfully. The Acupuncture Manipulation Education System (AMES) is an open source software system designed to enhance acupuncture manipulation skills using visual feedback. Using a phantom acupoint and motion sensor, our method for acupuncture manipulation training provides visual feedback regarding the actual movement of the student's acupuncture manipulation in addition to the optimal or intended movement, regardless of whether the manipulation skill is lifting, thrusting, or rotating. Our results show that students could enhance their manipulation skills by training using this method. This video shows the process of manufacturing phantom acupoints and discusses several issues that may require the attention of individuals interested in creating phantom acupoints or operating this system.

  18. Psychometric Evaluation of the Fear of Positive Evaluation Scale in Patients with Social Anxiety Disorder

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Weeks, Justin W.; Heimberg, Richard G.; Rodebaugh, Thomas L.; Goldin, Philippe R.; Gross, James J.

    2012-01-01

    The Fear of Positive Evaluation Scale (FPES; J. W. Weeks, R. G. Heimberg, & T. L. Rodebaugh, 2008) was designed to assess fear of positive evaluation, a proposed cognitive component of social anxiety. Although previous findings on the psychometric properties of the FPES have been highly encouraging, only 1 previous study has examined the…

  19. [Current situation of acupuncture in New Zealand].

    PubMed

    Li, Xiaoji; Hu, Youping

    2017-04-12

    The beginning of TCM acupuncture in New Zealand dates back to the middle of 19th century. After self-improvement for more than 100 years, TCM acupuncture has gained a considerable development. From the perspective of history and current situation, the development of acupuncture in New Zealand was elaborated in this article; in addition, the sustainable development of acupuncture was discussed from the perspective of education and training. In New Zealand, the TCM acupuncture and dry needling have played a dominant role in acupuncture treatments, which are practiced by TCM practitioners and physical therapists. The TCM acupuncture is widely applied in department of internal medicine, surgery, gynecology, and pediatrics, etc., while the dry needling is li-mited for traumatology and pain disorder. Therefore, including TCM acupuncture into the public medical and educational system in New Zealand should be an essential policy of Ministry of Health to provide welfare for the people.

  20. [Bibliometrics study on indications of acupuncture therapy based on foreign acupuncture clinical trials].

    PubMed

    He, Wei; Tong, Yuan-Yuan; Zhao, Ying-Kai; Rong, Pei-Jing; Wang, Hong-Cai

    2012-10-01

    In the present paper, the authors make a bibliometrics study on clinical indications of acupuncture therapy based on the published foreign articles about acupuncture clinical trials collected from PubMed database and Excerpta Medica database (EMbase). In 1996, 64 acupuncture indications were declared by WHO in Milan conference. But in recent 15 years, clinical trials have been conducted extensively in the foreign countries. Till now, 77 new indications for acupuncture therapy have been found in the foreign journals. The authors recommended that 29 indications (knee osteoarthritis, critique age problems, muscular fasciae ache, anxiety, etc.) should be added to the first class, 4 indications (irritable bowel syndrome, malposition, backache, simple obesity) should be upgraded from the second class to the first class, and the other 3 indications (childbirth pain, male and female barren) should be upgraded from the third class to the first class due to their application frequency in clinical trials. Increase of clinical indications reflects extensive application of acupuncture therapy and may help providing a better service for people's health.

  1. [Teaching design of mastering scalp acupuncture fast].

    PubMed

    Li, Jie; Niu, Wenmin

    2016-05-01

    Scalp acupuncture is a method of treating whole-body diseases. The author takes the easy positioning of scalp acupuncture as starting point, covers the positioning of scalp acupuncture and needle insertion points, acupuncture manipulation and the selection of acupoints, so as to introduce the design of teaching the international standardized scalp acupuncture with texts and illustrations. The positions of scalp acupuncture are 4 lines in frontal area, 5 lines in parietal area, 2 lines in temporal area and 3 lines in occipital area. The needle insertion angle is 30° to the skin. Acupoints can be selected crossly and correspondingly in clinic.

  2. [Rehabilitation evaluation on post-stroke abnormal movement pattern prevented and treated with acupuncture and rehabilitation].

    PubMed

    Zhang, Hui-min; Tang, Qiang

    2011-06-01

    To explore the impacts of acupuncture and rehabilitation on post-stroke abnormal patterns of limb movement and evaluate them via rehabilitation method. Ninety cases of post-stroke movement disorder were randomly divided into an acupuncture-rehabilitation group, a body acupuncture group and a medication group, 30 cases in each group. In medication group, the conventional medication in neurological department was administered. In acupuncture-rehabilitation group and body acupuncture group, on the basis of the therapy as medication group, scalp acupuncture (such as parietal area and anterior parietal area, etc.), rehabilitation training and traditional body acupuncture [such as Jianyu (LI 15) and Fengshi (GB 31),etc.] were supplemented. The continuous electric stimulation was applied in body acupuncture group. The treatment lasted for 8 weeks. The assessment of clinical efficacy, Fugl-Meyer score, Modified Ashworth scale (MAS), range of motion (ROM) and shoulder pain score were taken as observation indices for rehabilitation evaluation before and after treatment in each group. The effective rate was 93.1% (27/29) in acupuncture-rehabilitation group, which was superior to 66.7% (20/30) in body acupuncture group and 57.1% (16/28) in control group (both P<0.01) separately. After treatment, Fugl-Meyer score, MAS, ROM of the lower limbs and shoulder joint and shoulder pain score (except medication group) were all remarkably improved as compared with those before treatment in each group (all P<0.01). The improvements in Fugl-Meyer score, MAS, ROM of the upper limbs and shoulder pain score in acupuncture-rehabilitation group were significantly superior to those in body acupuncture group and medication group (P<0.05, P<0.01). Acupuncture and rehabilitation therapy and traditional body acupuncture remarkably improve in post-stroke movement disorder. But acupuncture and rehabilitation therapy is apparently superior to traditional body acupuncture. This therapy can effectively

  3. Acupuncture for neck disorders.

    PubMed

    Trinh, Kien; Graham, Nadine; Irnich, Dominik; Cameron, Ian D; Forget, Mario

    2016-05-04

    Neck pain is one of the three most frequently reported complaints of the musculoskeletal system. Treatments for neck pain are varied, as are perceptions of benefit. Acupuncture has been used as an alternative to more conventional treatment for musculoskeletal pain. This review summarises the most current scientific evidence on the effectiveness of acupuncture for acute, subacute and chronic neck pain. This update replaces our 2006 Cochrane review update on this topic. To determine the effects of acupuncture for adults with neck pain, with focus on pain relief, disability or functional measures, patient satisfaction and global perceived effect. We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Manual, Alternative and Natural Therapy Index System (MANTIS), the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) and the Index to Chiropractic Literature (ICL) from their beginning to August 2015. We searched reference lists, two trial registers and the acupuncture database Traditional Chinese Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System (TCMLARS) in China to 2005. We included published trials that used random assignment to intervention groups, in full text or abstract form. We excluded quasi-randomised controlled trials (RCTs). Two review authors made independent decisions for each step of the review: article inclusion, data abstraction and assessment of quality of trial methods. We assessed study quality by using the Cochrane Back Review Group 'Risk of bias' tool. We used consensus to resolve disagreements, and when clinical heterogeneity was absent, we combined studies by using random-effects meta-analysis models. Of the 27 included studies, three represented individuals with whiplash-associated disorders (WADs) ranging from acute to chronic (205 participants), five explored chronic myofascial neck pain (186 participants), five chronic pain due to arthritic changes (542 participants), six chronic non

  4. [ZHENG's gold hook fishing acupuncture for lumbar disc herniation: a clinical observation].

    PubMed

    Zhu, Bowen; Zhang, Xinghua; Sun, Runjie; Qin, Xiaoguang

    2016-04-01

    To compare the clinical efficacy differences between Zheng's gold hook, fishing acupuncture and electroacupuncture (EA) for lumbar disc herniation (LDH). Sixty patients of LDH were randomly allocated to a gold hook fishing acupuncture group and an EA group, 30 cases in each one. Lumbar Jiaji (EX-1 B 2), Yaoyangguan (GV 3), Shenshu (BL 23), Dachangshu (BL 25), Guanyuanshu (BL 26) and ashi points were selected in the gold hook fishing acupuncture group; after the needles were inserted, the manipulation of gold hook fishing acupuncture was applied at tendon junction points and ashi points. The identical acupoints were selected in the EA group and patients were treated with EA. The treatment was both given once a day; ten days of treatment were taken as one session, and totally 3 sessions were given. The clinical effective rate, visual analogue scale (VAS), low back pain score and Oswestry disability index (ODI) were used for efficacy evaluation. The effective rate was 93.3% (28/30) in the gold hook fishing acupuncture group, which was superior to 86.7% (26/30) in the EA group (P < 0.05). The VAS, low back pain score and ODI were both significantly improved after treatment (all P < 0.05), which were more significant in the gold hook fishing acupuncture group (all P < 0.05). ZHENG's gold hook fishing acupuncture could effectively improve the symptoms and sings of LDH, reduce the disability index and improve the quality of life, which is superior to EA.

  5. The status and future of acupuncture mechanism research.

    PubMed

    Napadow, Vitaly; Ahn, Andrew; Longhurst, John; Lao, Lixing; Stener-Victorin, Elisabet; Harris, Richard; Langevin, Helene M

    2008-09-01

    On November 8-9, 2007, the Society for Acupuncture Research (SAR) hosted an international conference to mark the tenth anniversary of the landmark NIH [National Institutes of Health] Consensus Development Conference on Acupuncture. More than 300 acupuncture researchers, practitioners, students, funding agency personnel, and health policy analysts from 20 countries attended the SAR meeting held at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD. This paper summarizes important invited lectures in the area of basic and translational acupuncture research. Specific areas include the scientific assessment of acupuncture points and meridians, the neural mechanisms of cardiovascular regulation by acupuncture, mechanisms for electroacupuncture applied to persistent inflammation and pain, basic and translational research on acupuncture in gynecologic applications, the application of functional neuroimaging to acupuncture research with specific application to carpal-tunnel syndrome and fibromyalgia, and the association of the connective tissue system to acupuncture research. In summary, mechanistic models for acupuncture effects that have been investigated experimentally have focused on the effects of acupuncture needle stimulation on the nervous system, muscles, and connective tissue. These mechanistic models are not mutually exclusive. Iterative testing, expanding, and perhaps merging of such models will potentially lead to an incremental understanding of the effects of manual and electrical stimulation of acupuncture needles that is solidly rooted in physiology.

  6. Efficacy and safety of acupuncture for chronic dizziness: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background Dizziness is one of the most challenging symptoms in medicine. No medication for dizziness in current use has well-established curative or prophylactic value or is suitable for long-term palliative use. Unconventional remedies, such as acupuncture, should be considered and scientifically evaluated. However, there has been relatively little evidence in randomized controlled clinical trials on acupuncture to treat chronic dizziness. The aim of our study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture in patients with dizziness. Methods/Design This trial is a randomized, single-blind, controlled study. A total of 80 participants will be randomly assigned to two treatment groups receiving acupuncture and sham acupuncture treatment, respectively, for 4 weeks. The primary outcome measures are the Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) and the Vertigo Symptom Scale (VSS). Treatment will be conducted over a period of 4 weeks, at a frequency of two sessions per week. The assessment is at baseline (before treatment initiation), 4 weeks after the first acupuncture session, and 8 weeks after the first acupuncture session. Discussion The results from this study will provide clinical evidence on the efficacy and safety of acupuncture in patients with chronic dizziness. Trial registration International Standard Randomized Controlled Trial Number Register: ISRCTN52695239 PMID:24330810

  7. A Comparison of the Characteristics of Acupuncture- and Non-Acupuncture-Preferred Consumers: A Secondary Analysis of NHIS 2012 Data.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Yan; Leach, Matthew J; Bishop, Felicity L; Leung, Brenda

    2016-04-01

    To determine whether acupuncture use, sociodemographic characteristics, and existing health conditions differ between acupuncture-preferred consumers (i.e., those who deem acupuncture to be one of the three most important complementary and alternative medicine [CAM] modalities used) and non-acupuncture-preferred consumers who used acupuncture in the past 12 months This is a secondary analysis of the National Health Interview Survey Sample Adult File and Adult Alternative Medicine datasets collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention during 2012. The sample was drawn from the noninstitutionalized civilian population of the United States. The datasets yielded 34,525 respondents aged 18 years and older. Measures included in the analysis were acupuncture use in the past 12 months, sociodemographic characteristics, and existing health conditions. Analyses were performed by using Stata software, version 9.0 (Stata Corp., College Station, TX). Of the 10,158 adults who responded to the question regarding the "three most important" CAM modalities used, 572 (5.6%) had used acupuncture in the past 12 months. Of these, 456 (79.7%) chose acupuncture as one of the top three CAM modalities most important to their health. Acupuncture-preferred consumers reported significantly more visits to acupuncturists (7.46 versus 3.99 visits; p < 0.001), as well as higher out-of-pocket costs ($342.8 versus $246.4; p < 0.001), compared with non-acupuncture-preferred consumers. The logistic regression model revealed that with every additional CAM modality used, the likelihood of deeming acupuncture as one of the three CAM modalities most important to one's health decreased by 39% (odds ratio, 0.61; 95% confidence interval, 0.52-0.71; p < 0.001). Health conditions were not statistically significant predictors. A consumer's preference for acupuncture appeared not to be driven by health conditions but rather was related to sociodemographic factors. This suggests that

  8. The Status and Future of Acupuncture Clinical Research

    PubMed Central

    Linde, Klaus; Manheimer, Eric; Molsberger, Albrecht; Sherman, Karen; Smith, Caroline; Sung, Joseph; Vickers, Andrew; Schnyer, Rosa

    2008-01-01

    Abstract On November 8–9, 2007, the Society for Acupuncture Research (SAR) hosted an international conference to mark the tenth anniversary of the landmark National Institutes of Health Consensus Development Conference on Acupuncture. More than 300 acupuncture researchers, practitioners, students, funding agency personnel, and health policy analysts from 20 countries attended the SAR meeting held at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD. This paper summarizes important invited lectures in the area of clinical research. Specifically, included are: a review of the recently conducted German trials and observational studies on low-back pain (LBP), gonarthrosis, migraine, and tension-type headache (the Acupuncture Research Trials and the German Acupuncture Trials, plus observational studies); a systematic review of acupuncture treatment for knee osteoarthritis (OA); and an overview of acupuncture trials in neurologic conditions, LBP, women's health, psychiatric disorders, and functional bowel disorders. A summary of the use of acupuncture in cancer care is also provided. Researchers involved in the German trials concluded that acupuncture is effective for treating chronic pain, but the correct selection of acupuncture points seems to play a limited role; no conclusions could be drawn about the placebo aspect of acupuncture, due to the design of the studies. Overall, when compared to sham, acupuncture did not show a benefit in treating knee OA or LBP, but acupuncture was better than a wait-list control and standard of care, respectively. In women's health, acupuncture has been found to be beneficial for patients with premenstrual syndrome, dysmenorrhea, several pregnancy-related conditions, and nausea in females who have cancers. Evidence on moxibustion for breech presentation, induction of labor, and reduction of menopausal symptoms is still inconclusive. In mental health, evidence for acupuncture's efficacy in treating neurologic and functional

  9. Why acupuncture in pain treatment?

    PubMed

    Ondrejkovicova, Alena; Petrovics, Gabriel; Svitkova, Katarína; Bajtekova, Bibiana; Bangha, Ondrej

    2016-07-01

    Acupuncture is one of the branches of Chinese Traditional Medicine dating back almost 5 000 years. The expansion of China's trade and business relations with other Asian countries brought about the spreading of acupuncture in 7th Century. Nowadays, acupuncture is an interdisciplinary clinical field of Medicine dealing with treatment, diagnostics and prevention of mainly functional disorders, algic, allergic and addictive conditions of various etiology, localization and intensity. It draws from the millennia of experience of Oriental Medicine as well as contemporary knowledge of morphology, physiology and neurophysiology. The acupuncture method is based on influencing the body functions in a precise way by controlled irritation of particular active meridian points using special needles, heat (moxibustion), pressure (acupressure), underpressure (cupping), electricity (electroacupuncture), light (laser therapy), ultrasound (sonopuncture), static or pulsating electromagnetic field (magnetic therapy) and solutions (pharmacopuncture).The use of acupuncture as a method of pain relief in Modern Western Medicine is based on a wide range of clinical trials, and there is no doubt that it has significant effect in the treatment of acute and chronic pain classification. The introduction of gate-control theory and endogenous opioids facilitated the recognition of acupuncture in pain treatment.

  10. Standardized set-point acupuncture for migraines.

    PubMed

    Plank, Sharon; Goodard, Janet Lee; Pasierb, Lisa; Simunich, Thomas Jason; Croner, Jeanette Renee

    2013-01-01

    Migraine headaches are common, debilitating, underdiagnosed, and undertreated, and medications are not always effective. Research has shown that acupuncture may be an effective and safe adjuvant or alternative migraine treatment. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate whether a standardized set of acupuncture points, when used to deliver treatment over a predefined period of time, could reduce the frequency and intensity of migraines. This is a prospective interventional study using set point acupuncture for migraines. The study took place at Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center in Johnstown, PA, USA. Participants were 59 individuals with a diagnosis of migraine. Acupuncture was administered 2 ×/wk for 4 wks, followed by 1 ×/wk for 4 more wks, using one set of acupoints. Participants collected daily headache diaries and migraine quality-of-life measurements on a personal digital assistant for 12 wks before starting the acupuncture intervention. Participants continued to record the frequency and intensity of their migraines during the intervention and for an additional 12 wks beyond the intervention. The Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS), Headache Impact Test (HIT-6), and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) were completed 4 × during the study: 12 wks prior to the start of the intervention, immediately prior to the first acupuncture treatment, at the end of treatment, and 12 wks after the end of treatment. When preintervention measurements were compared to postintervention measurements, migraine frequency and pain intensity showed a significant decrease (α = 0.05) after acupuncture intervention. Results had not returned to the preintervention baseline even 12 wks after the last acupuncture session. Acupuncture significantly influenced migraine frequency and intensity in the study's participants when preintervention measurements were compared to postintervention measurements. These results indicate that not only did acupuncture decrease both the

  11. Acupuncture for acute hordeolum

    PubMed Central

    Cheng, Ke; Law, Andrew; Guo, Menghu; Wieland, L. Susan; Shen, Xueyong; Lao, Lixing

    2017-01-01

    Background Hordeolum is an acute, purulent inflammation of the eyelid margin usually caused by obstructed orifices of the sebaceous glands of the eyelid. The condition, which affects sebaceous glands internally or externally, is common. When the meibomian gland in the tarsal plate is affected, internal hordeolum occurs, while when the glands of Zeis or Moll associated with eyelash follicles are affected, external hordeolum, or stye occurs. The onset of hordeolum is usually self limited, and may resolve in about a week with spontaneous drainage of the abscess. When the condition is severe, it can spread to adjacent glands and tissues. Recurrences are very common. As long as an internal hordeolum remains unresolved, it can develop into a chalazion or generalized eyelid cellulitis. Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medical therapy aimed to treat disease by using fine needles to stimulate specific points on the body. However, it is unclear if acupuncture is an effective and safe treatment for acute hordeolum. Objectives The objective of this review was to investigate the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture to treat acute hordeolum compared with no treatment, sham acupuncture, or other active treatment. We also compared the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture plus another treatment with that treatment alone. Search methods We searched CENTRAL, Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid MEDLINE In-Process and Other Non-Indexed Citations, Ovid MEDLINE Daily, Ovid OLDMEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature Database (LILACS), three major Chinese databases, as well as clinical trial registers all through 7 June 2016. We reviewed the reference lists from potentially eligible studies to identify additional randomised clinical trials (RCTs). Selection criteria We included RCTs of people diagnosed with acute internal or external hordeola. We included RCTs comparing acupuncture with sham acupuncture or no treatment, other active treatments, or

  12. [Effects of acupuncture at left and right Hegu (LI 4) for cerebral function laterality].

    PubMed

    Wang, Linying; Xu, Chunsheng; Zhu, Yifang; Li, Chuanfu; Yang, Jun

    2015-08-01

    To explore the cerebral function laterality of acupuncture at left and right Hegu (LI 4) by using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and provide objective evidences for side selection of Hegu (LI 4) in the clinical application. Eighty healthy volunteers were randomly divided into a left-acupoint group and a right-acupoint group, and they were treated with acupuncture at left Hegu (LI 4) and right Hegu (LI 4) respectively. After the arrival of qi, the task-state fMRI data in both groups was collected, and analysis of functional neuroimages (AFNI) software was used to perform intra-group and between-group comparisons. After acupuncture, acupuncture feelings were recorded and MGH acupuncture sensation scale (MASS) was recorded. The difference of MASS between the two groups was not significant (P>0. 05). The result of left-acupoint group showed an increased signal on right cerebral hemisphere, while the right-acupoint group showed extensive signal changes in both cerebral hemispheres. The analysis between left-acupoint group and retroflex right-acupoint group showed differences in brain areas. The central effect of acupuncture at left and right Hegu (LI 4) is dissymmetry, indicating right hemisphere laterality. The right lobus insularis and cingulate gyrus may be the key regions in the acupuncture at Hegu (LI 4).

  13. Design of the laser acupuncture therapeutic instrument.

    PubMed

    Li, Chengwei; Zhen, Huang

    2006-01-01

    Laser acupuncture is defined as the stimulation of traditional acupuncture points with low-intensity, non-thermal laser irradiation. It has been well applied in clinic since the 1970s; however, some traditional acupuncture manipulating methods still cannot be implemented in the design of this kind of instruments, such as lifting and thrusting manipulating method, and twisting and twirling manipulating method, which are the essential acupuncture method in traditional acupuncture. The objective of this work was to design and build a low cost portable laser acupuncture therapeutic instrument, which can implement the two essential acupuncture manipulating methods. Digital PID control theory is used to control the power of laser diode (LD), and to implement the lifting and thrusting manipulating method. Special optical system is designed to implement twisting and twirling manipulating method. M5P430 microcontroller system is used as the control centre of the instrument. The realization of lifting and thrusting manipulating method and twisting and twirling manipulating method are technological innovations in traditional acupuncture coming true in engineering.

  14. [Acupuncture schools in the Republic of China].

    PubMed

    Zhao, Jing; Zhang, Shujian

    2017-04-12

    The materials of 48 acupuncture schools in the Republic of China were collected. Their features were analyzed in terms of school running, students enrolling, curriculum setting and course contents, etc. The acupuncture schools at that time were established by private organizations, and opened up correspondence education. These schools mainly relied on advertisements to enroll students, and partially got government supports. The students were on different levels. They emphasized systematic acupuncture curriculum and clinical practice. Most schools absorbed western contents into courses, while few schools taught traditional acupuncture theories. The education model of acupuncture school during the Republic of China was continued after the foundation of the nation, especially laying the foundation for the establishment of department of acupuncture.

  15. The psychometric properties of the Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale.

    PubMed

    Duke, Danny; Krishnan, Mohan; Faith, Melissa; Storch, Eric A

    2006-01-01

    This study examined the psychometric properties of the Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation (BFNE) Scale in a nonclinical, nonstudent sample. Participants were administered the BFNE Scale, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and the UCLA Loneliness Scale. No differences were found across age, but women scored significantly higher on the BFNE Scale than men. Confirmatory factor analysis supported a two-factor solution corresponding to positive and reverse scored items. Internal consistency was excellent for the positive scored factor (alpha=.94), acceptable for the reverse scored factor (alpha=.73), and good for the full BFNE Scale (alpha=.80). BFNE scores were significantly correlated in the expected directions with the BDI and the UCLA Loneliness Scale. Implications of these findings for clinical practice and future research are discussed.

  16. Acupuncture for the sequelae of Bell's palsy: a randomized controlled trial.

    PubMed

    Kwon, Hyo-Jung; Choi, Jun-Yong; Lee, Myeong Soo; Kim, Yong-Suk; Shin, Byung-Cheul; Kim, Jong-In

    2015-06-03

    Incomplete recovery from facial palsy results in social and physical disabilities, and the medical options for the sequelae of Bell's palsy are limited. Acupuncture is widely used for Bell's palsy patients in East Asia, but its efficacy is unclear. We performed a randomized controlled trial including participants with the sequelae of Bell's palsy with the following two parallel arms: an acupuncture group (n = 26) and a waiting list group (n = 13). The acupuncture group received acupuncture treatments for 8 weeks, whereas the waiting list group did not receive acupuncture treatments during the 8-week period after randomization. The primary outcome measure was change in the Facial Disability Index (FDI) social and well-being subscale at week 8. We also analyzed changes in the FDI physical function subscale, the House-Brackmann score, the Sunnybrook Facial Nerve Grading system, lip mobility and stiffness at 5 and 8 weeks after randomization. An intention-to-treat analysis was applied. The acupuncture group exhibited greater improvements in the FDI social score (mean difference, 23.54; 95% confidence interval, 12.99 to 34.08) and better results on the FDI physical function subscale (mean difference, 21.54; 95% confidence interval, 7.62 to 35.46), Sunnybrook Facial Nerve Grading score (mean difference, 14.77; 95% confidence interval, 5.05 to 24.49), and stiffness scale (mean difference, -1.58; 95% confidence interval,-2.26 to -0.89) compared with the waiting list group after 8 weeks. No severe adverse event occurred in either group. Compared with the waiting list group, acupuncture had better therapeutic effects on the social and physical aspects of sequelae of Bell's palsy. Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN43104115.

  17. Acupuncture plus Herbal Medicine for Alzheimer's Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

    PubMed

    Zhou, Simin; Dong, Lanlan; He, Yuan; Xiao, Hong

    2017-01-01

    Alzheimer's disease (AD) is associated with the unprecedented aging tendency in our world population and has become a significant health issue. The use of Traditional Chinese Medicine to treat AD has been increasing in recent years. The objective of this meta-analysis is to evaluate the effectiveness of combining acupuncture with herbal medicine to treat AD. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of acupuncture plus herbals versus treatment with western drugs for AD were retrieved from 11 databases. The data were extracted by two authors; dichotomous data were expressed as odds ratio (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), while continuous data were calculated by mean differences (MDs) with 95% CIs. Although the combined analysis of the score of Activity of Daily Life (ADL) scale MD was [Formula: see text]3.59 (95% CI [Formula: see text]7.18-0.01, [Formula: see text]), which indicates there was no statistically significant difference between the two treatments at reducing the ADL scale score, the pooled results of 12 trials indicated that acupuncture plus Chinese herbal medicine was better than western drugs at improving the effectiveness rate (OR 2.24, 95% CI 1.40-3.56), the combined evidence of 11 articles showed that acupuncture plus Chinese herbal medicine was more effective than western drugs at improving the scores for the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) scale (2.10, 95% CI 0.69-3.51, [Formula: see text]) and the traditional Chinese medicine symptom (MD 5.07, 95% CI 3.90-6.25, [Formula: see text]). From the current research results, acupuncture plus herbal medicine may have advantages over western drugs for treating AD. Nevertheless, well-designed RCTs with a larger sample size are required in the future.

  18. Sham acupuncture is as efficacious as true acupuncture for the treatment of IBS: A randomized placebo controlled trial.

    PubMed

    Lowe, C; Aiken, A; Day, A G; Depew, W; Vanner, S J

    2017-07-01

    Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients increasingly seek out acupuncture therapy to alleviate symptoms, but it is unclear whether the benefit is due to a treatment-specific effect or a placebo response. This study examined whether true acupuncture is superior to sham acupuncture in relieving IBS symptoms and whether benefits were linked to purported acupuncture mechanisms. A double blind sham controlled acupuncture study was conducted with Rome I IBS patients receiving twice weekly true acupuncture for 4 weeks (n=43) or sham acupuncture (n=36). Patients returned at 12 weeks for a follow-up review. The primary endpoint of success as determined by whether patients met or exceeded their established goal for percentage symptom improvement. Questionnaires were completed for symptom severity scores, SF-36 and IBS-36 QOL tools, McGill pain score, and Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index. A subset of patients underwent barostat measurements of rectal sensation at baseline and 4 weeks. A total of 53% in the true acupuncture group met their criteria for a successful treatment intervention, but this did not differ significantly from the sham group (42%). IBS symptom scores similarly improved in both groups. Scores also improved in the IBS-36, SF-36, and the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index, but did not differ between groups. Rectal sensory thresholds were increased in both groups following treatment and pain scores decreased; however, these changes were similar between groups. The lack of differences in symptom outcomes between sham and true treatment acupuncture suggests that acupuncture does not have a specific treatment effect in IBS. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  19. Simulated annealing model of acupuncture

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shang, Charles; Szu, Harold

    2015-05-01

    The growth control singularity model suggests that acupuncture points (acupoints) originate from organizers in embryogenesis. Organizers are singular points in growth control. Acupuncture can cause perturbation of a system with effects similar to simulated annealing. In clinical trial, the goal of a treatment is to relieve certain disorder which corresponds to reaching certain local optimum in simulated annealing. The self-organizing effect of the system is limited and related to the person's general health and age. Perturbation at acupoints can lead a stronger local excitation (analogous to higher annealing temperature) compared to perturbation at non-singular points (placebo control points). Such difference diminishes as the number of perturbed points increases due to the wider distribution of the limited self-organizing activity. This model explains the following facts from systematic reviews of acupuncture trials: 1. Properly chosen single acupoint treatment for certain disorder can lead to highly repeatable efficacy above placebo 2. When multiple acupoints are used, the result can be highly repeatable if the patients are relatively healthy and young but are usually mixed if the patients are old, frail and have multiple disorders at the same time as the number of local optima or comorbidities increases. 3. As number of acupoints used increases, the efficacy difference between sham and real acupuncture often diminishes. It predicted that the efficacy of acupuncture is negatively correlated to the disease chronicity, severity and patient's age. This is the first biological - physical model of acupuncture which can predict and guide clinical acupuncture research.

  20. Acupuncture to Reduce HIV-Associated Inflammation

    PubMed Central

    Swanson, Barbara; Keithley, Joyce K.; Johnson, Angela; Fogg, Louis; Adeyemi, Oluwatoyin; Sha, Beverly E.; Snell, Kimberly A.

    2015-01-01

    Background. HIV infection is associated with systemic inflammation that can increase risk for cardiovascular events. Acupuncture has been shown to have immunomodulatory effects and to improve symptoms in persons with inflammatory conditions. Objective. To test the anti-inflammatory effects of an acupuncture protocol that targets the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway (CAIP), a neural mechanism whose activation has been shown to reduce the release of proinflammatory cytokines, in persons with HIV-associated inflammation. Design, Setting, Participants, and Interventions. Double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial conducted in an outpatient clinic located in a medically underserved urban neighborhood. Twenty-five clinically-stable HIV-infected persons on antiretroviral therapy were randomized to receive once weekly CAIP-based acupuncture or sham acupuncture. Main Outcome Measures. Outcomes included plasma concentrations of high sensitivity C-reactive protein and D-dimer and fasting lipids. Results. Twenty-five participants completed the protocol (treatment group n = 12, control group n = 13). No adverse events related to the acupuncture protocol were observed. Compared to baseline values, the two groups did not significantly differ in any outcome measures at the end of the acupuncture protocol. Conclusions. CAIP-based acupuncture did not favorably modulate inflammatory or lipid parameters. Additional studies are warranted of CAIP-based protocols of different frequencies/durations. PMID:25922615

  1. Describing Acupuncture: A New Challenge for Technical Communicators.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Karanikas, Marianthe

    1997-01-01

    Considers acupuncture as an increasingly popular alternative medical therapy, but difficult to describe in technical communication. Notes that traditional Chinese medical explanations of acupuncture are unscientific, and that scientific explanations of acupuncture are inconclusive. Finds that technical communicators must translate acupuncture for…

  2. [Acupuncture in fibromyalgia: a randomized, controlled study addressing the immediate pain response].

    PubMed

    Stival, Rebecca Saray Marchesini; Cavalheiro, Patrícia Rechetello; Stasiak, Camila Edith Stachera; Galdino, Dayana Talita; Hoekstra, Bianca Eliza; Schafranski, Marcelo Derbli

    2014-01-01

    To evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture in the treatment of fibromyalgia, considering the immediate response of the visual analogue pain scale (VAS) as its primary outcome. Randomized, controlled, double-blind study including 36 patients with fibromyalgia (ACR 1990) selected from the outpatient rheumatology clinic, Santa Casa de Misericórdia, Ponta Grossa, PR. Twenty-one patients underwent an acupuncture session, under the principles of the traditional Chinese medicine, and 15 patients underwent a placebo procedure (sham acupuncture). For pain assessment, the subjects completed a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) before and immediately after the proposed procedure. The mean change in VAS was compared among groups. The variation between the final and initial VAS values was -4.36±3.23 (P=0.0001) in the treatment group and -1.70±1.55 in the control group (P=0.06). The difference in terms of amplitude of variation of VAS (initial - final VAS) among groups favored the actual procedure (P=0.005). The effect size (ES) for the treatment group was d=1.7, which is considered a large effect. Although small, the statistical power of the sample for these results was very relevant (94.8%). Acupuncture has proven effective in the immediate pain reduction in patients with fibromyalgia, with a quite significant effect size. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

  3. [History of World Federation of Acupuncture-Moxibustion Societies].

    PubMed

    Wang, Hong-Cai; Deng, Liang-Yue; Liu, Bao-Yan

    2014-12-01

    The history of the World Federation of Acupuncture-Moxibustion Societies (WFAS) was reviewed through summarizing the background and process of the establishment of WFAS. The establishment background was explained in different aspects, named the recovery of acupuncture-Moxibustion in the world, the successive setup of world acupuncture-Moxibustion organizations, the divergences of International Association of Acupuncture-Moxibustion, striding forward of China reform and opening policy as well as the attention of the World Health Organization (WHO), etc. The establishment of WFAS was introduced on the proposal from eight countries, the important time of the development of acupuncture and moxibustion in China, 1984, divergences and consensus as well as the final phase. The official establishment of WFAS represents the global benefits of acupuncture-Moxibustion colleagues. It is the international organization of acupuncture and moxibustion, contributing to the promotion of acupuncture and moxibustion in the world.

  4. History and progress of Japanese acupuncture.

    PubMed

    Kobayashi, Akiko; Uefuji, Miwa; Yasumo, Washiro

    2010-09-01

    After Chiso brought acupuncture to Japan from Wu (China) in the sixth century, it has progressed in unique ways within the various historical milieus of the past 1500 years. Ishitsu-rei, the first medical law of Japan established in 701, explains the medical system of acupuncture in detail showing that acupuncture was being administered under the authorization of the national government. For the next 1200 years, acupuncture continued to be an important facet of public health in Japan. From the Azuchimomoyama through the Edo period, the knowledge exchange with China became active and people who studied in China developed new styles and techniques of acupuncture treatment and organized their own private schools or ryu-ha in Japan. In 1635, when the Edo government decided to close the country, Japan cut-off exchange with foreign countries for over 200 years. The national isolation caused some development that was unique to Japan. During that time, acupuncture filtered into people's everyday lives. Moxibustion, in particular, became popular as a treatment that ordinary people could practice by themselves. Also in this period of isolation, Western medicine was imported from Holland, the only country allowed to maintain trade with Japan. This novel modern medicine had a strong impact on Japanese medicine, which has its foundation of Chinese traditional medicine. At the same time, Japanese acupuncture was introduced into Europe via Holland. When Japan opened its borders in 1865 period, the new government was eager to accept Western culture to the extent of prohibiting the progress of Japanese acupuncture for a period of time. Even so, Japanese acupuncture has survived and flourished up to the present day due to the strong demand and the great efforts of the practitioners. Scientific studies are now in the process of establishing a firm evidence base for over a millennium of clinical use, respecting the classic ideas of the traditional treatment.

  5. Acupuncture for treatment of irritable bowel syndrome

    PubMed Central

    Manheimer, Eric; Cheng, Ke; Wieland, L. Susan; Min, Li Shih; Shen, Xueyong; Berman, Brian M; Lao, Lixing

    2013-01-01

    Background Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common, costly, and difficult to treat disorder that impairs health-related quality of life and work productivity. Evidence-based treatment guidelines have been unable to provide guidance on the effects of acupuncture for IBS because the only previous systematic review included only small, heterogeneous and methodologically unsound trials. Objectives The primary objectives were to assess the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for treating IBS. Search methods MEDLINE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, EMBASE, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health, and the Chinese databases Sino-Med, CNKI, and VIP were searched through November 2011. Selection criteria Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared acupuncture with sham acupuncture, other active treatments, or no (specific) treatment, and RCTs that evaluated acupuncture as an adjuvant to another treatment, in adults with IBS were included. Data collection and analysis Two authors independently assessed the risk of bias and extracted data. We extracted data for the outcomes overall IBS symptom severity and health-related quality of life. For dichotomous data (e.g. the IBS Adequate Relief Question), we calculated a pooled relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for substantial improvement in symptom severity after treatment. For continuous data (e.g. the IBS Severity Scoring System), we calculated the standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% CI in post-treatment scores between groups. Main results Seventeen RCTs (1806 participants) were included. Five RCTs compared acupuncture versus sham acupuncture. The risk of bias in these studies was low.We found no evidence of an improvement with acupuncture relative to sham (placebo) acupuncture for symptom severity (SMD-0.11, 95%CI −0.35 to 0.13; 4 RCTs; 281 patients) or quality of life (SMD = −0.03, 95%CI −0.27 to 0.22; 3 RCTs; 253 patients). Sensitivity analyses based on study

  6. Acupuncture for treatment of irritable bowel syndrome.

    PubMed

    Manheimer, Eric; Cheng, Ke; Wieland, L Susan; Min, Li Shih; Shen, Xueyong; Berman, Brian M; Lao, Lixing

    2012-05-16

    Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common, costly, and difficult to treat disorder that impairs health-related quality of life and work productivity. Evidence-based treatment guidelines have been unable to provide guidance on the effects of acupuncture for IBS because the only previous systematic review included only small, heterogeneous and methodologically unsound trials. The primary objectives were to assess the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for treating IBS. MEDLINE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, EMBASE, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health, and the Chinese databases Sino-Med, CNKI, and VIP were searched through November 2011. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared acupuncture with sham acupuncture, other active treatments, or no (specific) treatment, and RCTs that evaluated acupuncture as an adjuvant to another treatment, in adults with IBS were included. Two authors independently assessed the risk of bias and extracted data. We extracted data for the outcomes overall IBS symptom severity and health-related quality of life. For dichotomous data (e.g. the IBS Adequate Relief Question), we calculated a pooled relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for substantial improvement in symptom severity after treatment. For continuous data (e.g. the IBS Severity Scoring System), we calculated the standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% CI in post-treatment scores between groups. Seventeen RCTs (1806 participants) were included. Five RCTs compared acupuncture versus sham acupuncture. The risk of bias in these studies was low. We found no evidence of an improvement with acupuncture relative to sham (placebo) acupuncture for symptom severity (SMD -0.11, 95% CI -0.35 to 0.13; 4 RCTs; 281 patients) or quality of life (SMD = -0.03, 95% CI -0.27 to 0.22; 3 RCTs; 253 patients). Sensitivity analyses based on study quality did not change the results. A GRADE analysis indicated that the overall quality of the

  7. Effects of acupuncture on serum metabolic parameters in premenopausal obese women: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

    PubMed

    Kim, Koh-Woon; Yoo, Hye Hyun; Cho, Jae-Heung; Yang, Yo-Chan; Kim, Je-In; Kim, Song-Yi; Park, Ji-Yeun; Park, Hi-Joon; Song, Mi-Yeon

    2015-08-04

    Complex metabolic changes cause obesity, making weight loss difficult. For this reason, understanding metabolism is important, and considering the shortcomings of conventional treatment options for obesity, acupuncture is a possible option. However, evidence supporting its efficacy on metabolic parameters in obese patients is lacking. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of acupuncture on serum metabolic parameters in premenopausal obese women. This ongoing study is a randomized, patient-assessor blind, two-arm parallel non-penetrating sham-controlled clinical trial. Eligible participants, premenopausal adult women (19 years of age or older) with a clinical diagnosis of obesity (body mass index of 25 kg/m(2) or more) blinded to the treatment received, will be randomly allocated blindly into the real acupuncture treatment group (manual acupuncture plus electroacupuncture, n = 60) or the sham acupuncture control group (sham acupuncture plus placebo acupuncture without electrical stimulation, n = 60) and receive treatment two times a week for a total of 12 sessions over 6 weeks. The primary outcome measure is the serum cholesterol and triglyceride (TG) levels at baseline and endpoint. The secondary outcomes are body weight, body fat mass, muscle mass, waist and hip circumference, other serum metabolic profiles, International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS), Stress Response Inventory (SRI), Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), the Korean version of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and urine metabolites. Adverse events will be assessed at every visit. The results of this trial (which will be available in 2015) will provide important clinical evidence for the effect of acupuncture on serum metabolites and demonstrate how acupuncture can be helpful for the treatment of obesity. Trial registration registered via US National Institutes of Health Clinical Trials registry (ClinicalTrials.gov) on 11 November 2014

  8. Acupuncture (PDQ®)—Patient Version

    Cancer.gov

    Acupuncture is a complementary therapy used by cancer patients to manage cancer and treatment-related symptoms. Learn more about acupuncture and its use as a complementary therapy in this expert-reviewed summary.

  9. Acupuncture treatment of whiplash injury.

    PubMed

    Fattori, Bruno; Ursino, Francesco; Cingolani, Cristina; Bruschini, Luca; Dallan, Iacopo; Nacci, Andrea

    2004-01-01

    We evaluated by computerized static posturography the postural changes after acupuncture treatment in a group of 27 patients (12 men and 15 women; mean age, 35.7+/-6.8 SD) having balance disorders caused by cervical torsion due to whiplash injury. Acupuncture was performed by piercing deeply and bilaterally acupuncture points bladder 10 and gall bladder 20 with steel needles that were twirled manually for 20 seconds. All patients underwent posturographic evaluations before and just after each session of acupuncture. The posturography was performed with open eyes (OE), closed eyes (CE), and closed eyes with retroflexed head (CER). The control group consisted of 25 patients complaining of the same symptoms as those recorded by the study group due to whiplash injury but treated with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and myorelaxation or with physiotherapy only. The data presented in this study revealed a considerable difference between the two groups as regards the reduction of the CE and CER length of the statokinesigram just before each session of acupuncture; the frequency oscillation on the sagittal plane in CER was reduced in the study group, whereas we noticed a progressive increase of its values in the control group. The high percentage of positive results in whiplash injury patients leads us to advocate acupuncture for balance disorders due to cervical pathology.

  10. Acupuncture therapy for stroke patients.

    PubMed

    Li, Xin; Wang, Qiang

    2013-01-01

    Acupuncture is one of the most important parts of Traditional Chinese Medicine, has been used for more than 3000 years as prevention and treatment for various diseases in China as well as in adjacent regions, and is widely accepted in western countries in recent years. More and more clinical trials revealed that acupuncture shows positive effect in stroke, not only as a complementary and alternative medicine for poststroke rehabilitation but also as a preventive strategy which could induce cerebral ischemic tolerance, especially when combined with modern electrotherapy. Acupuncture has some unique characteristics, which include acupoint specificity and parameter-dependent effect. It also involves complicated mechanism to exert the beneficial effect on stroke. Series of clinical trials have shown that acupuncture primarily regulates the release of neurochemicals, hemorheology, cerebral microcirculation, metabolism, neuronal activity, and the function of specific brain region. Animal studies showed that the effects of acupuncture therapy on stroke were possibly via inhibition of postischemic inflammatory reaction, stimulation of neurogenesis and angiogenesis, and influence on neural plasticity. Mechanisms for its preconditioning effect include activity enhancement of antioxidant, regulation of the endocannabinoid system, and inhibition of apoptosis. Although being controversial, acupuncture is a promising preventive and treatment strategy for stroke, but further high-quality clinical trials would be needed to provide more confirmative evidence. © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Acupuncture for Bell's palsy.

    PubMed

    Chen, Ning; Zhou, Muke; He, Li; Zhou, Dong; Li, N

    2010-08-04

    Bell's palsy or idiopathic facial palsy is an acute facial paralysis due to inflammation of the facial nerve. A number of studies published in China have suggested acupuncture is beneficial for facial palsy. The objective of this review was to examine the efficacy of acupuncture in hastening recovery and reducing long-term morbidity from Bell's palsy. We updated the searches of the Cochrane Neuromuscular Disease Group Trials Specialized Register (24 May 2010), The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (Issue 2, 2010), MEDLINE (January 1966 to May 2010), EMBASE (January 1980 to May 2010), AMED (January 1985 to May 2010), LILACS (from January 1982 to May 2010) and the Chinese Biomedical Retrieval System (January 1978 to May 2010) for randomised controlled trials using 'Bell's palsy' and its synonyms, 'idiopathic facial paralysis' or 'facial palsy' as well as search terms including 'acupuncture'. Chinese journals in which we thought we might find randomised controlled trials relevant to our study were handsearched. We reviewed the bibliographies of the randomised trials and contacted the authors and known experts in the field to identify additional published or unpublished data. We included all randomised controlled trials involving acupuncture by needle insertion in the treatment of Bell's palsy irrespective of any language restrictions. Two review authors identified potential articles from the literature search, extracted data and assessed quality of each trial independently. All disagreements were resolved by discussion between the review authors. The literature search and handsearching identified 49 potentially relevant articles. Of these, six RCTs were included involving 537 participants with Bell's palsy. Two more possible trials were identified in the update than the previous version of this systematic review, but both were excluded because they were not real RCTs. Of the six included trials, five used acupuncture while the other one used

  12. Effect of acupuncture and its influence on visceral hypersensitivity in IBS-D patients: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

    PubMed

    Pei, Lixia; Chen, Hao; Guo, Jing; Chen, Lu; Wu, Xiaoliang; Xu, Wanli; Weng, Shengjie; Yang, EunMee; Hammer, Trine; Sun, Jianhua

    2018-05-01

    Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common functional gastrointestinal disorder associated with visceral hypersensitivity. Increased expression of colonic TRPV1 and decreased expression of microRNA-199 are implicated in the pathogenesis of visceral hypersensitivity in IBS-D patients. Acupuncture is one of the frequently used complementary and alternative therapies for the treatment of IBS. The existing clinical studies mostly use IBS-SSS or other subjective scales, so there is a lack of objective biochemical evidence regarding the effect of acupuncture on IBS. Therefore, we designed this study to investigate whether acupuncture alleviate visceral hypersensitivity by influencing the expression of TRPV1 and microRNA-199. This study is a randomized, sham-controlled trial involving 40 patients and 10 healthy volunteers. A total of 40 eligible patients with IBS-D will be randomly assigned to a traditional acupuncture group or sham acupuncture group in a 1:1 ratio. Patients will receive 3 acupuncture treatment sessions per week for 12 consecutive weeks, for a total of 36 sessions during the study. The primary outcome measure is the IBS-Symptom Severity Score (IBS-SSS). Secondary outcomes are Visceral Pain Scale and levels of TRPV1 and microRNA-199 in colonic tissues. Healthy volunteers will not receive any clinical intervention. The safety of interventions will be assessed at every visit. The purpose of this trial is to evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture for IBS-D through IBS-SSS and Visceral Pain Scale. Furthermore, we want to explore the intervention mechanism of acupuncture in improving visceral hypersensitivity by analyzing the colonic TRPV1 and microRNA-199. This trial is registered with Chinese Clinical Trials Register, ChiCTR-IOR- 17010860(http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=18445).

  13. Prednisolone and acupuncture in Bell's palsy: study protocol for a randomized, controlled trial.

    PubMed

    Xia, Feng; Han, Junliang; Liu, Xuedong; Wang, Jingcun; Jiang, Zhao; Wang, Kangjun; Wu, Songdi; Zhao, Gang

    2011-06-21

    There are a variety of treatment options for Bell's palsy. Evidence from randomized controlled trials indicates corticosteroids can be used as a proven therapy for Bell's palsy. Acupuncture is one of the most commonly used methods to treat Bell's palsy in China. Recent studies suggest that staging treatment is more suitable for Bell's palsy, according to different path-stages of this disease. The aim of this study is to compare the effects of prednisolone and staging acupuncture in the recovery of the affected facial nerve, and to verify whether prednisolone in combination with staging acupuncture is more effective than prednisolone alone for Bell's palsy in a large number of patients. In this article, we report the design and protocol of a large sample multi-center randomized controlled trial to treat Bell's palsy with prednisolone and/or acupuncture. In total, 1200 patients aged 18 to 75 years within 72 h of onset of acute, unilateral, peripheral facial palsy will be assessed. There are six treatment groups, with four treated according to different path-stages and two not. These patients are randomly assigned to be in one of the following six treatment groups, i.e. 1) placebo prednisolone group, 2) prednisolone group, 3) placebo prednisolone plus acute stage acupuncture group, 4) prednisolone plus acute stage acupuncture group, 5) placebo prednisolone plus resting stage acupuncture group, 6) prednisolone plus resting stage acupuncture group. The primary outcome is the time to complete recovery of facial function, assessed by Sunnybrook system and House-Brackmann scale. The secondary outcomes include the incidence of ipsilateral pain in the early stage of palsy (and the duration of this pain), the proportion of patients with severe pain, the occurrence of synkinesis, facial spasm or contracture, and the severity of residual facial symptoms during the study period. The result of this trial will assess the efficacy of using prednisolone and staging acupuncture to

  14. [Analysing the defect of control design of acupuncture: taking RCTs of treating simple obesity with acupuncture for example].

    PubMed

    Zeng, Yi; Qi, Shulan; Meng, Xing; Chen, Yinyin

    2018-03-12

    By analysing the defect of control design in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of simple obesity treated with acupuncture and using acupuncture as the contrast, presenting the essential factors which should be taken into account as designing the control of clinical trial to further improve the clinical research. Setting RCTs of acupuncture treating simple obesity as a example, we searched RCTs of acupuncture treating simple obesity with acupuncture control. According to the characteristics of acupuncture therapy, this research sorted and analysed the control approach of intervention from aspects of acupoint selection, the penetration of needle, the depth of insertion, etc, then calculated the amount of difference factor between the two groups and analyzed the rationality. In 15 RCTs meeting the inclusion criterias, 7 published in English, 8 in Chinese, the amount of difference factors between two groups greater than 1 was 6 (40%), 4 published in English abroad, 2 in Chinese, while only 1 was 9 (60%), 3 published in English, 6 in Chinese. Control design of acupuncture in some clinical RCTs is unreasonable for not considering the amount of difference factors between the two groups.

  15. The ACTIV study: acupuncture treatment in provoked vestibulodynia.

    PubMed

    Curran, Stephanie; Brotto, Lori A; Fisher, Harris; Knudson, Gail; Cohen, Trevor

    2010-02-01

    Provoked vestibulodynia (PVD) is a distressing genital pain condition affecting 12% of women. Treatment modalities vary and although vestibulectomy has the highest efficacy rates, it is usually not a first-line option. Acupuncture has a long history in the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) system and operates on the premise that pain results from the blockage or imbalance of important channels. The main principle of treatment is to move Qi and blood to cease genital pain. To explore effect sizes and feasibility in a pilot study of acupuncture for women with PVD. Eight women with PVD (mean age 30 years) underwent 10 1-hour acupuncture sessions. Specific placement of the needles depended on the woman's individual TCM diagnosis. TCM practitioners made qualitative notes on participants' feedback after each session. Main Outcome Measures. Self-reported pain (investigator-developed), pain-associated cognitions (Pain Catastrophizing Scale [PCS], Pain Vigilance and Awareness Questionnaire), and sexual response (Female Sexual Function Index) were measured before and after treatment sessions 5 and 10. Qualitative analyses of TCM practitioner notes were performed along with one in-depth case report on the experience of a participant. A repeated measures analysis of variance revealed significant decreases in pain with manual genital stimulation and helplessness on the PCS. An examination of effect sizes also revealed strong (though nonsignificant) effects for improved ability to have intercourse and sexual desire. Qualitative analyses were overall more positive and revealed an improvement in perceived sexual health, reduced pain, and improved mental well-being in the majority of participants. Effect sizes and qualitative analyses of practitioner-initiated interviews showed overall positive effects of acupuncture, but there were statistically significant improvements only in pain with manual genital stimulation and helplessness. These findings require replication in a larger

  16. Fear of Death in a Sample of Physicians

    PubMed Central

    Wood, Keith; Robinson, Paul J.

    1984-01-01

    Recently, reliable and valid methods of assessing fear of death have been developed. In this study, three well established questionnaires (the Threat Index, the Death Anxiety Scale and the Collett-Lester Fear of Death Scale) were used to assess and compare fear of death in a group of physicians (n = 30) with a group of non-physicians (n = 30). T-tests and hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed no significant differences between physicians' and non-physicians' fear of death as measured by the Threat Index and Templer's Death Anxiety Scale. The Collett-Lester Fear of Death Scale revealed that physicians were less fearful of death. More specifically, physicians demonstrated less fear on the Collett-Lester subscales, `fear of dying of self' and `fear of dying of others', than did non-physicians. These findings and those of earlier, contradictory research, are discussed. PMID:21279021

  17. [Clinical research on warm acupuncture therapy for pain in postmenopausal osteoporosis].

    PubMed

    Cai, Guo-Wei; Li, Jing; Xu, Xiao-Juan; Xue, Yuan-Zhi; Li, Gang; Wu, Man; Li, Peng-Fei

    2014-01-01

    To observe the clinical efficacy on pain in postmenopausal osteoporosis treated with the warm acupuncture therapy and discuss its effect mechanism. Ninety cases of postmenopausal osteoporosis were randomized into a warm acupuncture group, an electroacupuncture group and a medication group, 30 cases in each group. In the warm acupuncture group and the electroacupuncture group, Dazhu (BL 11), Shenshu (BL 23) and Xuanzhong (GB 39) were selected bilaterally and stimulated with the warm acupuncture and electroacupuncture therapies respectively, once a day for 30 days totally. In the medication group, caltrate-D tablets were prescribed, 600 mg, once a day for 30 days totally. The changes in the bone density T value, visual analogue scale (VAS) score, serum insulin like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), interleukin 6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF-alpha) were observed before and after treatment in the three groups. (1) The bone density T value in the patients of postmenopausal osteoporosis did not change obviously after 30 days treatment with the three therapies; (2) VAS score was all reduced after treatment, in which, the result in the warm acupuncture group was the most obvious (6.73 +/- 0.24 before treatment vs 4.43 +/- 0.26 after treatment). The value after treatment in the warm acupuncture group was different significantly as compared with the electroacupuncture group (5.13 +/- 0.31) and the medication group (5.17 +/- 0.33, both P < 0.05). (3) The level of serum IGF-1 was improved after treatment in the warm acupuncture therapy [(119.5 +/- 20.1) ng/mL before treatment vs (156.5 +/- 23.9) ng/mL after treatment], which was more apparent as compared with the electroacupuncture group [(136.3 +/- 24.5) ng/mL] and the medication group [(127.7 +/- 22.1) ng/mL, all P < 0.05]. Concerning to reducing the levels of IL-6 and TNF-alpha in serum, the results in the warm acupuncture group were superior to the other two groups (all P < 0.05). The warm acupuncture therapy achieves the

  18. The effect of auricular acupuncture on pain during colonoscopy with midazolam and pethidine

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kusumastuti, R.; Srilestari, A.; Abdurrohim, K.; Abdullah, M.

    2017-08-01

    Colonoscopy is the standard procedure for colorectal cancer screening. One of its common complications is abdominal pain. Analgesia has not provided favorable outcomes so various complementary practices have been developed, including auricular acupuncture. In this study, a randomized controlled trial of 56 patients who underwent colonoscopy was conducted to determine the effect of acupuncture on the pain experienced during colonoscopy. Subjects were divided into two groups: The first received acupuncture combined with midazolam and pethidine, while the second were administered placebo puncture in addition to midazolam and pethidine. The median Critical Care Pain Observation Tool (CPOT) score was lower in the auricular acupuncture group than in the placebo puncture group(0.7 [0-4.83] vs. 1.9 [0-6.20] p = 0.010), while there were no significant differences to median Visual Analog Scale (VAS) scores (29 [0-100] vs. 44.5 [0-100] p = 0.147), heart rate changes (-2.58 [14.31] vs.-2.43 [12.28]; p = 0.970), or the mean time to the cecum (16 [8-51] vs. 22 [5-63] p = 0.206). Auricular acupuncture combined with midazolam and pethidine was found to be effective at reducing pain during colonoscopy.

  19. Unanticipated Insights into Biomedicine from the Study of Acupuncture.

    PubMed

    MacPherson, Hugh; Hammerschlag, Richard; Coeytaux, Remy R; Davis, Robert T; Harris, Richard E; Kong, Jiang-Ti; Langevin, Helene M; Lao, Lixing; Milley, Ryan J; Napadow, Vitaly; Schnyer, Rosa N; Stener-Victorin, Elisabet; Witt, Claudia M; Wayne, Peter M

    2016-02-01

    Research into acupuncture has had ripple effects beyond the field of acupuncture. This paper identifies five exemplars to illustrate that there is tangible evidence of the way insights gleaned from acupuncture research have informed biomedical research, practice, or policy. The first exemplar documents how early research into acupuncture analgesia has expanded into neuroimaging research, broadening physiologic understanding and treatment of chronic pain. The second describes how the acupuncture needle has become a tool to enhance biomedical knowledge of connective tissue. The third exemplar, which illustrates use of a modified acupuncture needle as a sham device, focuses on emergent understanding of placebo effects and, in turn, on insights into therapeutic encounters in treatments unrelated to acupuncture. The fourth exemplar documents that two medical devices now in widespread use were inspired by acupuncture: transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulators for pain control and antinausea wrist bands. The final exemplar describes how pragmatic clinical trial designs applied in acupuncture research have informed current general interest in comparative effectiveness research. In conclusion, these exemplars of unanticipated outcomes of acupuncture research comprise an additional rationale for continued support of basic and clinical research evaluating acupuncture and other under-researched therapies.

  20. [Analgesic effect of acupuncture at Neimadian(Extra) in postoperation of abdominal surgery].

    PubMed

    Ding, Liu-Xin; Xing, Qun-Zhi; Sun, Jun-Jun; Li, Yu

    2011-08-01

    To observe the analgesia effectiveness and safety of electroacupuncture at Neimadian(Extra) for postoperation of abdominal surgery. One hundred and twenty patients with routine abdominal surgery were randomly divided into an acupuncture group and a medication group, 60 cases in each group. The acupuncture group was treated with electroacupuncture at Neimadian(Extra), which was located on the inside of lower leg, 7 cun above the internal malleolus and 0.5 cun from post edge of tibial. The medication group was treated with patient-controlled intravenous analgesia (PCIA) with Sufentanil. After the treatment, the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), the security, the analgesic effect and beta-endorphin content were compared. The postoperative VAS score at 2, 4, 8, 16, 24 and 48 h in the acupuncture group was lower than those in the medication group (all P < 0.05). The analgesic effect at 2, 4, 16 and 24 h after surgery in the acupuncture group were superior to those in the medication group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). The beta-endorphin content at 0, 8, 16 and 48 h after surgery in both groups were increased, and the acupuncture group was superior to the medication group (all P < 0.05). The security class after surgery in the acupuncture group was higher than that in the medication group (P < 0.05). The analgesic effect and safety of electroacupuncture at Neimadian(Extra) in postoperation of abdominal surgery are superior to those of the PCIA with Sufentanil.

  1. [Clinical observation on therapeutic effect of cupping combined with acupuncture stimulation at trigger points for lumbar myofascial pain syndrome].

    PubMed

    Zhao, Hong

    2014-08-01

    To observe the clinical effect of cupping combined with acupuncture stimulation of trigger points on lumbar myofascial pain syndrome (MPS). Sixty MPS patients were randomly divided into acupuncture + TDP group (n = 30), and cupping + acupuncture group (n = 30). Patients in the acupuncture + TDP group were treated by acupuncture stimulation of trigger points and local TDP irradiation, and patients of the cupping + acupuncture group treated by intensive cupping applied to the myofascial band and acupuncture stimulation of the locus according to the position of muscular tension band. The therapeutic effects were assessed according to the score of the McGill pain questionnaire composing of pain rating index (PRI), visual analogue scale (VAS) and present pain intensity (PPI) before, immediately and 1 month after the treatment. After the treatment, the total effective rates of the acupuncture+ TDP and cupping + acupuncture groups were 83.3% (25/30) and 96.6% (29/30), respectively, without significant difference between the two groups (P > 0.05). One month's follow-up showed that the total effective rates of the acupuncture + TDP and cupping + acupuncture groups were 40.0% and 90.0% respectively, and the latter group was significantly better than the acupuncture + TDP group in the therapeutic effect (P < 0.05). The scores of PRI, VAS, PPI after the treatment were markedly decreased in both groups (P < 0.05). One month later, the scores of PRI, VAS and PPI in the cupping + acupuncture group were obviously lower than those of the acupuncture group (P < 0.05). Both acupuncture stimulation of trigger points plus TDP and cupping plus acupuncture can effectively relieve pain in MPS patients, while the therapeutic effect of cupping plus acupuncture treatment lasts longer analgesic effect.

  2. WITHDRAWN: Acupuncture for neck disorders.

    PubMed

    Trinh, Kien; Graham, Nadine; Irnich, Dominik; Cameron, Ian D; Forget, Mario

    2016-11-17

    Neck pain is one of the three most frequently reported complaints of the musculoskeletal system. Treatments for neck pain are varied, as are perceptions of benefit. Acupuncture has been used as an alternative to more conventional treatment for musculoskeletal pain. This review summarises the most current scientific evidence on the effectiveness of acupuncture for acute, subacute and chronic neck pain. This update replaces our 2006 Cochrane review update on this topic. To determine the effects of acupuncture for adults with neck pain, with focus on pain relief, disability or functional measures, patient satisfaction and global perceived effect. We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Manual, Alternative and Natural Therapy Index System (MANTIS), the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) and the Index to Chiropractic Literature (ICL) from their beginning to August 2015. We searched reference lists, two trial registers and the acupuncture database Traditional Chinese Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System (TCMLARS) in China to 2005. We included published trials that used random assignment to intervention groups, in full text or abstract form. We excluded quasi-randomised controlled trials (RCTs). Two review authors made independent decisions for each step of the review: article inclusion, data abstraction and assessment of quality of trial methods. We assessed study quality by using the Cochrane Back Review Group 'Risk of bias' tool. We used consensus to resolve disagreements, and when clinical heterogeneity was absent, we combined studies by using random-effects meta-analysis models. Of the 27 included studies, three represented individuals with whiplash-associated disorders (WADs) ranging from acute to chronic (205 participants), five explored chronic myofascial neck pain (186 participants), five chronic pain due to arthritic changes (542 participants), six chronic non

  3. Protocol: Testing the Relevance of Acupuncture Theory in the Treatment of Myofascial Pain in the Upper Trapezius Muscle.

    PubMed

    Elsdon, Dale S; Spanswick, Selina; Zaslawski, Chris; Meier, Peter C

    2017-01-01

    A protocol for a prospective single-blind parallel four-arm randomized placebo-controlled trial with repeated measures was designed to test the effects of various acupuncture methods compared with sham. Eighty self-selected participants with myofascial pain in the upper trapezius muscle were randomized into four groups. Group 1 received acupuncture to a myofascial trigger point (MTrP) in the upper trapezius. Group 2 received acupuncture to the MTrP in addition to relevant distal points. Group 3 received acupuncture to the relevant distal points only. Group 4 received a sham treatment to both the MTrP and distal points using a deactivated acupuncture laser device. Treatment was applied four times within 2 weeks with outcomes measured throughout the trial and at 2 weeks and 4 weeks posttreatment. Outcome measurements were a 100-mm visual analog pain scale, SF-36, pressure pain threshold, Neck Disability Index, the Upper Extremity Functional Index, lateral flexion in the neck, McGill Pain Questionnaire, Massachusetts General Hospital Acupuncture Sensation Scale, Working Alliance Inventory (short form), and the Credibility Expectance Questionnaire. Two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with repeated measures were used to assess the differences between groups. Copyright © 2017 Medical Association of Pharmacopuncture Institute. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Effectiveness of De Qi during acupuncture for the treatment of tinnitus: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

    PubMed

    Xie, Hui; Li, Xinrong; Lai, Jiaqin; Zhou, Yanan; Wang, Caiying; Liang, Jiao

    2014-10-15

    Acupuncture has been used in China to treat tinnitus for a long time. There is debate as to whether or not De Qi is a key factor in achieving the efficacy of acupuncture. However, there is no sufficient evidence obtained from randomized controlled trials to confirm the role of De Qi in the treatment of acupuncture for tinnitus. This study aims to identify the effect of De Qi for patients who receive acupuncture to alleviate tinnitus by a prospective, double-blind, randomized, sham-controlled trial. This study compares two acupuncture groups (with or without manipulation) in 292 patients with a history of subjective tinnitus. The trial will be conducted in the Teaching Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. In the study, the patients will be randomly assigned into two groups according to a computer-generated randomization list and assessed prior to treatment. Then, they will receive 5 daily sessions of 30 minutes each time for 4 consecutive weeks and undergo a 12-week follow-up phase. The administration of acupuncture follows the guidelines for clinical research on acupuncture (WHO Regional Publication, Western Pacific Series Number 15, 1995), and is performed double-blind by physicians well-trained in acupuncture. The measures of outcome include the subjective symptoms scores and quantitative sensations of De Qi evaluated by Visual Analog Scales (VAS) and the Chinese version of the 'modified' Massachusetts General Hospital Acupuncture Sensation Scale (C-MMASS). Furthermore, adverse events are recorded and analyzed. If any subjects are withdrawn from the trial, intention-to-treat analysis (ITT) and per-protocol (PP) analysis will be performed. The key features of this trial include the randomization procedures, large sample and the standardized protocol to evaluate De Qi qualitatively and quantitatively in the treatment of acupuncture for tinnitus. The trial will be the first study with a high evidence level in China to assess the efficacy

  5. [Survey of application of acupuncture and moxibustion in Seychelles].

    PubMed

    Gao, Han-yi; Wang, Yan

    2006-11-01

    Survey of application of acupuncture and moxibustion in Seychelles are introduced from acupuncture and moxibustion methods, accepting degree of patients and therapeutic effects, etc.. The authors hold that acupuncture and moxibustion have superiority in treatment of pain diseases, especially bony arthritis of loin and knee in Seychelles, and indicate that application of acupuncture and moxibustion are influenced by recognition for acupuncture and moxibustion, medical system, problem in acupuncture and moxibustion, quality of acupuncturist, and other factors.

  6. NOTE: Do acupuncture points exist?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yan, Xiaohui; Zhang, Xinyi; Liu, Chenglin; Dang, Ruishan; Huang, Yuying; He, Wei; Ding, Guanghong

    2009-05-01

    We used synchrotron x-ray fluorescence analysis to probe the distribution of four chemical elements in and around acupuncture points, two located in the forearm and two in the lower leg. Three of the four acupuncture points showed significantly elevated concentrations of elements Ca, Fe, Cu and Zn in relation to levels in the surrounding tissue, with similar elevation ratios for Cu and Fe. The mapped distribution of these elements implies that each acupuncture point seems to be elliptical with the long axis along the meridian.

  7. Acupuncture therapy related cardiac injury.

    PubMed

    Li, Xue-feng; Wang, Xian

    2013-12-01

    Cardiac injury is the most serious adverse event in acupuncture therapy. The causes include needling chest points near the heart, the cardiac enlargement and pericardial effusion that will enlarge the projected area on the body surface and make the proper depth of needling shorter, and the incorrect needling method of the points. Therefore, acupuncture practitioners must be familiar with the points of the heart projected area on the chest and the correct needling methods in order to reduce the risk of acupuncture therapy related cardiac injury.

  8. Measuring Evaluation Fears in Adolescence: Psychometric Validation of the Portuguese Versions of the Fear of Positive Evaluation Scale and the Specific Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vagos, Paula; Salvador, Maria do Céu; Rijo, Daniel; Santos, Isabel M.; Weeks, Justin W.; Heimberg, Richard G.

    2016-01-01

    Modified measures of Fear of Negative Evaluation and Fear of Positive Evaluation were examined among Portuguese adolescents. These measures demonstrated replicable factor structure, internal consistency, and positive relationships with social anxiety and avoidance. Gender differences were found. Implications for evaluation and intervention are…

  9. Effect of acupuncture on insomnia following stroke: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

    PubMed

    Cao, Yan; Yin, Xuan; Soto-Aguilar, Francisca; Liu, Yiping; Yin, Ping; Wu, Junyi; Zhu, Bochang; Li, Wentao; Lao, Lixing; Xu, Shifen

    2016-11-16

    The incidence, mortality, and prevalence of stroke are high in China. Stroke is commonly associated with insomnia; both insomnia and stroke have been effectively treated with acupuncture for a long time. The aim of this proposed trial is to assess the therapeutic effect of acupuncture on insomnia following stroke. This proposed study is a single-center, single-blinded (patient-assessor-blinded), parallel-group randomized controlled trial. We will randomly assign 60 participants with insomnia following stroke into two groups in a 1:1 ratio. The intervention group will undergo traditional acupuncture that achieves the De-qi sensation, and the control group will receive sham acupuncture without needle insertion. The same acupoints (DU20, DU24, EX-HN3, EX-HN22, HT7, and SP6) will be used in both groups. Treatments will be given to all participants three times a week for the subsequent 4 weeks. The primary outcome will be the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. The secondary outcomes will be: the Insomnia Severity Index; sleep efficacy, sleep awakenings, and total sleep time recorded via actigraphy; the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale; the Stroke-Specific Quality of Life score; the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. The use of estazolam will be permitted and regulated under certain conditions. Outcomes will be assessed at baseline, 2 weeks after treatment commencement, 4 weeks after treatment commencement, and at the 8-week follow-up. This proposed study will contribute to expanding knowledge about acupuncture treatment for insomnia following stroke. This will be a high-quality randomized controlled trial with strict methodology and few design deficits. It will investigate the effectiveness of acupuncture as an alternative treatment for insomnia following stroke. Chinese Clinical Trial Registry identifier: ChiCTR-IIC-16008382 . Registered on 28 April 2016.

  10. History and Progress of Japanese Acupuncture

    PubMed Central

    Uefuji, Miwa; Yasumo, Washiro

    2010-01-01

    After Chiso brought acupuncture to Japan from Wu (China) in the sixth century, it has progressed in unique ways within the various historical milieus of the past 1500 years. Ishitsu-rei, the first medical law of Japan established in 701, explains the medical system of acupuncture in detail showing that acupuncture was being administered under the authorization of the national government. For the next 1200 years, acupuncture continued to be an important facet of public health in Japan. From the Azuchimomoyama through the Edo period, the knowledge exchange with China became active and people who studied in China developed new styles and techniques of acupuncture treatment and organized their own private schools or ryu-ha in Japan. In 1635, when the Edo government decided to close the country, Japan cut-off exchange with foreign countries for over 200 years. The national isolation caused some development that was unique to Japan. During that time, acupuncture filtered into people's everyday lives. Moxibustion, in particular, became popular as a treatment that ordinary people could practice by themselves. Also in this period of isolation, Western medicine was imported from Holland, the only country allowed to maintain trade with Japan. This novel modern medicine had a strong impact on Japanese medicine, which has its foundation of Chinese traditional medicine. At the same time, Japanese acupuncture was introduced into Europe via Holland. When Japan opened its borders in 1865 period, the new government was eager to accept Western culture to the extent of prohibiting the progress of Japanese acupuncture for a period of time. Even so, Japanese acupuncture has survived and flourished up to the present day due to the strong demand and the great efforts of the practitioners. Scientific studies are now in the process of establishing a firm evidence base for over a millennium of clinical use, respecting the classic ideas of the traditional treatment. PMID:18955321

  11. [Comparative study on effects between electroacupuncture and auricular acupuncture for methamphetamine withdrawal syndrome].

    PubMed

    Liang, Yan; Xu, Bo; Zhang, Xue-Chun; Zong, Lei; Chen, Yue-Lai

    2014-03-01

    To observe the efficacy difference of electroacupuncture and auricular acupuncture in the treatment of methamphetamine withdrawal syndrome. Ninety male patients of methamphetamine addiction were randomized into an electroacupuncture group, an auricular acupuncture group and a control group, 30 cases in each one. In the electroacupuncture group, Neiguan (PC 6), Shenmen (HT 7), Zusanli (ST 36), Sanyinjiao (SP 6), Jiaji (EX-B 2) at T5 and L2 were selected bilaterally. In the auricular acupuncture group, jiaogan (AH(6a)), shenmen (TF4), fei (CO14) and gan (CO12) were selected unilaterally. The treatment was given 3 times a week, totally 12 treatments were required. In the control group, no any intervention was applied. Separately, before treatment and after 1, 2, 3 and 4 weeks treatment, the scores of methamphetamine withdrawal syndrome, Hamilton anxiety scale and Hamilton depression scale were observed in each group. The total score of methamphetamine withdrawal syndrome, anxiety score and depression score were obviously reduced in 2, 3 and 4 weeks of treatment as compared with those before treatment in the electroacupuncture group and the auricular acupuncture group (all P < 0.05), and showed a trend of gradual decline as the extension of treatment. In 1,2,3,4 weeks of treatment, the total score of withdrawal syndrome, anxiety score and depression score in the electroacupuncture group and auricular acupuncture group were lower significantly than those in the control group (all P < 0.05), in which, the total score of withdrawal syndrome in the electroacupuncture group was lower significantly than that in the auricular acupuncture group in the 4th week of treatment (3.69 +/- 2.446 vs 5.73 +/- 3.169, P < 0.05); the anxiety scores were lower significantly than those in the auricular acupuncture group in 3 and 4 weeks of treatment (8.19 +/- 4.57 vs 9.65 +/- 4.24, 5.27 +/- 2.89 vs 7.38 +/- 3.10, both P < 0.05); the depression scores were lower significantly than those in

  12. [Status quo and progress of Chinese acupuncture in Algeria].

    PubMed

    Huang, Yisheng

    2015-10-01

    The development of Chinese acupuncture in Algeria and realistic working status in recent years is in- troduced. From five aspects, including general condition of acupuncture in Algeria, clinical application and analysis, of acupuncture, promotion and publicity of acupuncture, existing problem and deficiency, and awards and honor, the status quo and progress of Chinese acupuncture in Algeria are discussed in detail.

  13. [Discussion on inheritance,innovation and belongingness of acupuncture-moxibustion research].

    PubMed

    Cai, Ronglin; Hu, Ling

    2016-08-12

    Three points on the inheritance,innovation and belongingness of acupuncture-moxibustion research are discussed in the paper,including the inheritance of acupuncture-moxibustion culture showing the soul of the development of acupuncture,the improvement of acupuncture-moxibustion presenting the close relationship with the innovation and its development belonging to the origin. It is considered that the inheritance of acupuncture-moxibustion culture takes the priority of its development. Innovation must be realized in order to exist better in the future medicine. The study of acupuncture-moxibustion can not be limited to the traditional acupuncture-moxibustion theory,but need to be in line with it. Explore actively the value of traditional acupuncture-moxibustion culture and its theory. The research and education of acupuncture-moxibustion must belong to TCM. With all the above condition,the innovation and development of acupuncture-moxibustion could be better achieved.

  14. [On the partition of acupuncture academic schools].

    PubMed

    Yang, Pengyan; Luo, Xi; Xia, Youbing

    2016-05-01

    Nowadays extensive attention has been paid on the research of acupuncture academic schools, however, a widely accepted method of partition of acupuncture academic schools is still in need. In this paper, the methods of partition of acupuncture academic schools in the history have been arranged, and three typical methods of"partition of five schools" "partition of eighteen schools" and "two-stage based partition" are summarized. After adeep analysis on the disadvantages and advantages of these three methods, a new method of partition of acupuncture academic schools that is called "three-stage based partition" is proposed. In this method, after the overall acupuncture academic schools are divided into an ancient stage, a modern stage and a contemporary stage, each schoolis divided into its sub-school category. It is believed that this method of partition can remedy the weaknesses ofcurrent methods, but also explore a new model of inheritance and development under a different aspect through thedifferentiation and interaction of acupuncture academic schools at three stages.

  15. Music acupuncture stimulation method.

    PubMed

    Brătilă, F; Moldovan, C

    2007-01-01

    Harmonic Medicine is the model using the theory that the body rhythms synchronize to an outer rhythm applied for therapeutic purpose, can restores the energy balance in acupuncture channels and organs and the condition of well-being. The purpose of this scientific work was to demonstrate the role played by harmonic sounds in the stimulation of the Lung (LU) Meridian (Shoutaiyin Feijing) and of the Kidney (KI) Meridian (Zushaoyin Shenjing). It was used an original method that included: measurement and electronic sound stimulation of the Meridian Entry Point, measurement of Meridian Exit Point, computer data processing, bio feed-back adjustment of the music stimulation parameters. After data processing, it was found that the sound stimulation of the Lung Meridian Frequency is optimal between 122 Hz and 128 Hz, with an average of 124 Hz (87% of the subjects) and for Kidney Meridian from 118 Hz to 121 Hz, with an average of 120 Hz (67% of the subjects). The acupuncture stimulation was more intense for female subjects (> 7%) than for the male ones. We preliminarily consider that an informational resonance phenomenon can be developed between the acupuncture music stimulation frequency and the cellular dipole frequency, being a really "resonant frequency signature" of an acupoint. The harmonic generation and the electronic excitation or low-excitation status of an acupuncture point may be considered as a resonance mechanism. By this kind of acupunctural stimulation, a symphony may act and play a healer role.

  16. [Medical indications for acupuncture: Systematic review].

    PubMed

    Muñoz-Ortego, Juan; Solans-Domènech, Maite; Carrion, Carme

    2016-09-16

    Acupuncture is a medical procedure with a very wide range of indications according to the WHO. However the indications require robust scientific evidence to support them. We have conducted a systematic review (2010-2015) in order to define in which pathologies acupuncture can be an effective strategy, STRICTA criteria that aim to set up acupuncture clinical trials standard criteria were defined in 2010. Only systematic reviews and meta-analyses of good or very good methodological quality according to SIGN criteria were selected. Its main objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture in the management of any disease. Most of the final 31 selected reviews focus on chronic pain-related diseases, mainly in the disciplines of Neurology, Orthopaedics and Rheumatology. Current evidence supports the use of acupuncture in the treatment of headaches, migraines, back pain, cervical pain and osteoarthritis. The remaining pathologies still require further good quality studies. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  17. Treating angina pectoris by acupuncture therapy.

    PubMed

    Xu, Lixian; Xu, Hao; Gao, Wei; Wang, Wei; Zhang, Hui; Lu, Dominic P

    2013-01-01

    Acupuncture therapy on PC 6 (Neiguan) has a therapeutic effect on cardiac and chest ailments including angina pectoris. Additional beneficial acupuncture points are PC 4 (Ximen), HT 7 (Shenmen point), PC 7 (Daling point), PC 5 (Jianshi point), PC 3 (Quze point), CV 17 (Danzhong point), CV 6 (Qihai point), BL 15 (Xinshu point), L 20 (Pishu point), BL 17 (Geshu point), BL23 (Shenshu point), BL18 (Ganshu point), HT 5 (Tongli point), and ST36 (Zusanli point). Acupuncture not only quickly relieve the symptoms of acute angina pectoris, but also improve nitroglycerine's therapeutic effects. Therefore, it is an efficient simple therapeutic method used for emergency and for regular angina treatment. Review of studies on acupuncture therapy has shown effectiveness were between 80% to 96.2% that are almost as effective as conventional drug regimen. When compared with conventional medical treatment, the acupuncture therapy shows the obvious advantage of lacking, adverse side effects commonly associated with the Western anti-anginal drugs such as 1) Nitroglycerine (headache--63% with nitroglycerine patch and 50% with spray; syncope--4%; and dizziness--8% with patch; hypotension--4% with patch; and increased angina 2% with patch). 2) Isosorbide mononitrate (dizziness--3 to 5%; nausea/vomiting--2 to 4% and other reactions including hypotension, and syncope even with small doses). 3) Propranolol (bradycardia, chest pain, hypotension, worsening of AV conduction disturbance, Raynaud's syndrome, mental depression, hyperglycemia, etc.). Many conventional anti-anginal medications cause inter-drug reactions with other medications the patients taking for other diseases. Whereas, acupuncture therapy does not pose such an interference with patient's medications. Nevertheless, surgery is still the treatment of choice when acupuncture or conventional drug therapy fails. Combination of conventional drug therapy and acupuncture would considerably decrease the frequency and the required dosage

  18. [Warming acupuncture combined with conventional acupuncture for diabetic peripheral neuropathy with syndrome of yang deficiency and cold coagulation, obstruction of collaterals and blood stasis].

    PubMed

    Ma, Guoqing; Ye, Ting; Sun, Zhongren

    2018-03-12

    To compare the clinical efficacy differences between warming acupuncture and conventional acupuncture for diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) with syndrome of yang deficiency and cold coagulation, obstruction of collaterals and blood stasis. A total of 64 patients were randomly divided into a warming acupuncture group and a conventional acupuncture group, 32 cases in each one. Based on basic treatment of blood glucose regulation, warming acupuncture was applied at Pishu (BL 20), Shenshu (BL 23), Guanyuanshu (BL 26), Zusanli (ST 36), Chongyang (ST 42), Quchi (LI 11) and Hegu (LI 4) in the warming acupuncture group, while acupuncture was applied at the identical acupoints in the conventional acupuncture group. Both the treatments were given once a day with an interval of one day every six days; totally the treatment was given for 4 weeks. The TCM symptom score, Toronto clinical scoring system (TCSS) and nerve conduction velocity (NCV) before and after treatment were compared in the two groups. After treatment, the TCM symptom scores in the two groups were significantly reduced (both P <0.01); the improvement of TCM symptom in the warming acupuncture group was superior to that in the conventional acupuncture group ( P <0.05). After treatment, the TCSS scores in the two groups were significantly reduced (both P <0.01); the TCSS score in the warming acupuncture group was significantly lower than that in the conventional acupuncture group ( P <0.05). After treatment, the NCV of motor nerve of tibial nerve and nervus peroneus communis, as well as sensory nerve of tibial nerve and sural nerve was improved in the warming acupuncture group (all P <0.05), while only the NCV of motor nerve and sensory nerve of tibial nerve was improved in the conventional acupuncture group (both P <0.05); there were no significant difference between the two groups (all P >0.05). Warming acupuncture and conventional acupuncture could both increase TCM symptom score, improve NCV in patients of

  19. Acupuncture at local and distal points for chronic shoulder pain: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

    PubMed

    Fu, Qing-Nan; Shi, Guang-Xia; Li, Qian-Qian; He, Tian; Liu, Bao-Zhen; Sun, San-Feng; Wang, Jun; Tan, Cheng; Yang, Bo-Feng; Liu, Cun-Zhi

    2014-04-17

    Chronic shoulder pain (CSP) is the third most common type of musculoskeletal pain. It has a major impact on health-related quality of life. In Chinese medicine, CSP is considered one of the conditions most amenable to treatment with acupuncture. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of local acupoints in combination with distal acupoints in pain relief and shoulder function improvement in CSP patients. This is a multicenter, single blind, factorial randomized controlled clinical trial. A total of 164 participants will be randomly allocated to four different groups: Group A will receive acupuncture at local acupoints in combination with distal acupoint. Group B will receive acupuncture at local acupoints in combination with distal non-acupoint. Group C will receive acupuncture at local non-acupoints in combination with distal acupoint. Group D will receive acupuncture at local non-acupoints in combination with distal non-acupoint. Each group will receive 12 treatments of acupuncture one to three times per week for six weeks in total. The primary outcome is shoulder pain intensity, which is graded using a 100 -mm Visual Analogue Scale. The assessment is at baseline (before treatment initiation), 6 weeks after the first acupuncture, 10 weeks after the first acupuncture and 18 weeks after the first acupuncture. This trial will be helpful in identifying whether acupuncture at local acupoints in combination with distal acupoints may be more effective than needling points separately. International Standard Randomized Controlled Trial Number Register: ISRCTN61861069 (http://www.controlled-trials.com).

  20. A survey of evidence users about the information need of acupuncture clinical evidence.

    PubMed

    Shi, Xiue; Wang, Xiaoqin; Liu, Yali; Li, Xiuxia; Wei, Dang; Zhao, Xu; Gu, Jing; Yang, Kehu

    2016-11-10

    The PRISMA statement was rarely used in the field of acupuncture, possibly because of knowledge gaps and the lack of items tailored for characteristics of acupuncture. And with an increasing number of systematic reviews in acupuncture, it is necessary to develop an extension of PRISMA for acupuncture. And this study was the first step of our project, of which the aim was to investigate the need for information of clinical evidence on acupuncture from the perspectives of evidence users. We designed a questionnaire based on a pilot survey and a literature review of acupuncture systematic review or meta-analysis(SR/MA). Participants from five cities (Lanzhou, Chengdu, Shanghai, Nanjing and Beijing) representing the different regions of China, including clinicians, researchers and postgraduates in their second year of Master studies or higher level, were surveyed. A total of 269 questionnaires were collected in 18 hospitals, medical universities and research agencies, and 251 (93 %) with complete data were used for analysis. The average age of respondents was 33 years (SD 8.959, range 25-58) with male 43 % and female 57 %. Most respondents had less than 5 years of working experience on acupuncture, and read only one to five articles per month. Electronic databases, search engines and academic conferences were the most common sources for obtaining information. Fifty-six percent of the respondents expressed low satisfaction of the completeness of information from the literature. The eight items proposed for acupuncture SR/MAs received all high scores, and five of the items scored higher than eight on a scale zero to ten. The differences for the scores of most items between postgraduates and non-postgraduates were not statistically significant. The majority of the respondents were not very satisfied with the information provided in acupuncture SRs. Most of the items proposed in this questionnaire received high scores, and opinions from postgraduates and non

  1. [Differences and international standardization between acupuncture as therapy and as specialty].

    PubMed

    Ng, Szetuen

    2017-01-12

    The purpose of this study is to explore the differences of definition and clinical roles as well as international standardization between acupuncture as therapy and as specialty, which can provide reference evidence for specialization and internationalization of acupuncture. Owing to the clinical efficacy and safety, the credibility and controversy both exist in acupuncture; moreover, there is a lack of fair definition and international precedent regarding acupuncture specialty. Therefore, it is particularly essential to objectively compare the differences of definitions and clinical roles as well as criteria of international standardization for acupuncture as therapy and as specialty. It is believed acupuncture standardization can draw lessons from the international medical standards, evidence-based medicine and acupuncture theory from the following three major projects:acupuncture safety and contraindications; acupuncture indications and treatment guidelines; acupuncture indication classified into 3 levels of evidence-based acupuncture disease spectrum, as objective evidence of indication of acupuncture specialty.

  2. Acupuncture injection for field amplified sample stacking and glass microchip-based capillary gel electrophoresis.

    PubMed

    Ha, Ji Won; Hahn, Jong Hoon

    2017-02-01

    Acupuncture sample injection is a simple method to deliver well-defined nanoliter-scale sample plugs in PDMS microfluidic channels. This acupuncture injection method in microchip CE has several advantages, including minimization of sample consumption, the capability of serial injections of different sample solutions into the same microchannel, and the capability of injecting sample plugs into any desired position of a microchannel. Herein, we demonstrate that the simple and cost-effective acupuncture sample injection method can be used for PDMS microchip-based field amplified sample stacking in the most simplified straight channel by applying a single potential. We achieved the increase in electropherogram signals for the case of sample stacking. Furthermore, we present that microchip CGE of ΦX174 DNA-HaeⅢ digest can be performed with the acupuncture injection method on a glass microchip while minimizing sample loss and voltage control hardware. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  3. [Qijie theory of LAI's Tongyuan acupuncture technique].

    PubMed

    Zhuang, Juanjuan; Wang, Jihong; Lai, Xinsheng

    2016-05-01

    Qijie theory is one of the important components of TCM meridian and collateral system. It is the shortcut for the communication from the exterior to the interior and for the transverse connection, strengthens the therapeutic effects of acupuncture and moxibustion on the disorders of internal organs and enlarges the indications of acupoints. Professor LAI Xinsheng originally creats Tongyuan acupuncture technique. It is a kind of acupuncture therapeutic methods, including promoting the circulation of the governor vessel, regulating the mind and conducting qi to the origin. In order to analyze the connection between Tongyuan acupuncture technique and traditional meridian and collateral theory, the connotations of Tongyuan acupuncture technique and qijie, as well as the in-terrelationship between them are taken as the basis in the paper. By tracing the literature records, the original concept of qijie is detected. Through proving clinically Tongyuan acupuncture technique, it is revealed that qijie is the arrowhead on the main road of meridian qi circulation and is the essential connotation of the direct path of the body surface connecting with the deep layers of the body as well as the zangfu organs and tissues. It is summarized that the traditional qijie theory provides the powerful theoretic evidence for the treatment with Tongyuan acupuncture technique.

  4. Lessons from an acupuncture teaching clinic: patient characteristics and pain management effectiveness.

    PubMed

    Hsu, Kai-Yin; Dunn, Julie E; Bradshaw, Ylisabyth S; Conboy, Lisa

    2014-01-01

    To understand the following about patients using an acupuncture teaching clinic: (1) sociodemographic characteristics and main complaints and (2) self-reported level of patient-centered outcomes regarding pain management. Retrospective chart review. A total of 458 new patients at NESA clinic during October 1, 2009 to July 31, 2010 were enrolled in the study. A variety of styles of Oriental medicine, primarily Chinese and Japanese style acupuncture and also heat treatments (MOXA or heat lamps) and Tui Na (Asia bodywork). Results from Objective 1 were descriptive (n = 421). Objective 2 focused on the 59 patients from the larger sample who completed both an initial and a follow-up Measure Your Medical Outcome Profile (MYMOP) form and who used acupuncture for pain management of (1) diseases of the musculoskeletal system and/or connective tissue or (2) migraine/headache. Both the symptom severity and activity of daily living/well-being scales of the MYMOP showed over 15.8% improvement from baseline to at least six weeks of treatment: 28.6% for Symptom 1, 19.4% for Symptom 2, 35.7% for activities of daily living, and 25.0% for well-being. The relative majority for each sociodemographic trait investigated were as follows: female, about 40 years old, white, not Hispanic or Latino, married, highly educated, and employed. Most patients were confident in acupuncture treatment. Out of the 421 acupuncture patients, 68.2% wanted acupuncture in order to manage pain. Overall, 20.6% of the patients (59, N = 287) who used acupuncture for pain management for diseases of the musculoskeletal system and/or connective tissue or migraine or headache completed the sixth-week follow-up MYMOP form. Of these patients, 57.6% (34, N = 59) returned during week 6 of the semester for acupuncture treatment and reported clinical improvement in at least one MYMOP severity score, and no score got worse. The information about sociodemographic characteristic and patient-centered outcomes of pain

  5. Prednisolone and acupuncture in Bell's palsy: study protocol for a randomized, controlled trial

    PubMed Central

    2011-01-01

    Background There are a variety of treatment options for Bell's palsy. Evidence from randomized controlled trials indicates corticosteroids can be used as a proven therapy for Bell's palsy. Acupuncture is one of the most commonly used methods to treat Bell's palsy in China. Recent studies suggest that staging treatment is more suitable for Bell's palsy, according to different path-stages of this disease. The aim of this study is to compare the effects of prednisolone and staging acupuncture in the recovery of the affected facial nerve, and to verify whether prednisolone in combination with staging acupuncture is more effective than prednisolone alone for Bell's palsy in a large number of patients. Methods/Design In this article, we report the design and protocol of a large sample multi-center randomized controlled trial to treat Bell's palsy with prednisolone and/or acupuncture. In total, 1200 patients aged 18 to 75 years within 72 h of onset of acute, unilateral, peripheral facial palsy will be assessed. There are six treatment groups, with four treated according to different path-stages and two not. These patients are randomly assigned to be in one of the following six treatment groups, i.e. 1) placebo prednisolone group, 2) prednisolone group, 3) placebo prednisolone plus acute stage acupuncture group, 4) prednisolone plus acute stage acupuncture group, 5) placebo prednisolone plus resting stage acupuncture group, 6) prednisolone plus resting stage acupuncture group. The primary outcome is the time to complete recovery of facial function, assessed by Sunnybrook system and House-Brackmann scale. The secondary outcomes include the incidence of ipsilateral pain in the early stage of palsy (and the duration of this pain), the proportion of patients with severe pain, the occurrence of synkinesis, facial spasm or contracture, and the severity of residual facial symptoms during the study period. Discussion The result of this trial will assess the efficacy of using

  6. BET 2: Acupuncture and fibromyalgia.

    PubMed

    Goldie, Laura; Hogg, Kerstin

    2016-10-01

    A shortcut review was carried out to see if acupuncture is an effective pain treatment in fibromyalgia. One Cochrane review and five subsequent papers and conference abstracts were identified. There are no large studies addressing this question and acupuncture has been compared with many different treatment modalities. Acupuncture may be a valid treatment for pain in fibromyalgia, but more research is required to validate this. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

  7. Effects of laser acupuncture on blood perfusion rate

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Xian-ju; Zeng, Chang-chun; Liu, Han-ping; Liu, Song-hao; Liu, Liang-gang

    2006-09-01

    Based on Pennes equation, the influences of the intensity and the impulse frequency of laser acupuncture on the point tissues' blood flow perfusion rate are discussed. We find that the blood perfusion rate of point tissue increases with the intensity of laser acupuncture increasing. After impulse laser acupuncture the point tissue blood perfusion rate increase little, but after continuum laser acupuncture the point tissues blood perfusion rate increase much.

  8. Effect of Acupuncture vs Sham Acupuncture on Live Births Among Women Undergoing In Vitro Fertilization: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

    PubMed

    Smith, Caroline A; de Lacey, Sheryl; Chapman, Michael; Ratcliffe, Julie; Norman, Robert J; Johnson, Neil P; Boothroyd, Clare; Fahey, Paul

    2018-05-15

    Acupuncture is widely used by women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF), although the evidence for efficacy is conflicting. To determine the efficacy of acupuncture compared with a sham acupuncture control performed during IVF on live births. A single-blind, parallel-group randomized clinical trial including 848 women undergoing a fresh IVF cycle was conducted at 16 IVF centers in Australia and New Zealand between June 29, 2011, and October 23, 2015, with 10 months of pregnancy follow-up until August 2016. Women received either acupuncture (n = 424) or a sham acupuncture control (n = 424). The first treatment was administered between days 6 to 8 of follicle stimulation, and 2 treatments were administered prior to and following embryo transfer. The sham control used a noninvasive needle placed away from the true acupuncture points. The primary outcome was live birth, defined as the delivery of 1 or more living infants at greater than 20 weeks' gestation or birth weight of at least 400 g. Among 848 randomized women, 24 withdrew consent, 824 were included in the study (mean [SD] age, 35.4 [4.3] years); 371 [45.0%] had undergone more than 2 previous IVF cycles), 607 proceeded to an embryo transfer, and 809 (98.2%) had data available on live birth outcomes. Live births occurred among 74 of 405 women (18.3%) receiving acupuncture compared with 72 of 404 women (17.8%) receiving sham control (risk difference, 0.5% [95% CI, -4.9% to 5.8%]; relative risk, 1.02 [95% CI, 0.76 to 1.38]). Among women undergoing IVF, administration of acupuncture vs sham acupuncture at the time of ovarian stimulation and embryo transfer resulted in no significant difference in live birth rates. These findings do not support the use of acupuncture to improve the rate of live births among women undergoing IVF. anzctr.org.au Identifier: ACTRN12611000226909.

  9. ["Bell-striking" Saying of Acupuncture Therapy].

    PubMed

    Zhao, Jing-Sheng

    2017-04-25

    As an analogy, a prototype of "bell-striking" is proposed in the present paper for exploring the basic properties, major elements, and potential mechanisms of acupuncture stimulation. On the strength of analysis on the physiological basis of acupuncture effect, several fundamental aspects of acupuncture are summarized as a) the body-surface stimulating characters, b) general and local effects, and c) triggering the auto-regulative function of the organism, which mimics the "bell-striking" response. Namely, when stroke, bell will chime, otherwise, chiming will not be heard. During analyzing special contents of acupuncture theory, its formative background should not be separated, and it is improper to take, modern medical theory of the human body as the guiding thinking way for researching the ancient Chinese medical literature.

  10. Acupuncture for treatment of insomnia in patients with traumatic brain injury: a pilot intervention study.

    PubMed

    Zollman, Felise S; Larson, Eric B; Wasek-Throm, Laura K; Cyborski, Cherina M; Bode, Rita K

    2012-01-01

    : To assess the efficacy of acupuncture in treating insomnia in traumatic brain injury (TBI) survivors as compared to medication, to determine whether acupuncture has fewer cognitive and affective adverse effects than does medication. : Twenty-four adult TBI survivors, randomized to acupuncture or control arms. : Outpatient rehabilitation clinic. : Insomnia Severity Index (degree of insomnia); actigraphy (sleep time); Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (depression); Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status and Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (cognitive function) administered at baseline and postintervention. : Sleep time did not differ between the treatment and control groups after intervention, whereas cognition improved in the former but not the latter. : Acupuncture has a beneficial effect on perception of sleep or sleep quality and on cognition in our small sample of patients with TBI. Further studies of this treatment modality are warranted to validate these findings and to explore factors that contribute to treatment efficacy.

  11. Ultrasonography in Acupuncture-Uses in Education and Research.

    PubMed

    Leow, Mabel Qi He; Cui, Shu Li; Mohamed Shah, Mohammad Taufik Bin; Cao, Taige; Tay, Shian Chao; Tay, Peter Kay Chai; Ooi, Chin Chin

    2017-06-01

    This study aims to explore the potential use of ultrasound in locating the second posterior sacral foramen acupuncture point, quantifying depth of insertion and describing surrounding anatomical structures. We performed acupuncture needle insertion on a study team member. There were four steps in our experiment. First, the acupuncturist located the acupuncture point by palpation. Second, we used an ultrasound machine to visualize the structures surrounding the location of the acupuncture point and measure the depth required for needle insertion. Third, the acupuncturist inserted the acupuncture needle into the acupuncture point at an angle of 30°. Fourth, we performed another ultrasound scan to ensure that the needle was in the desired location. Results suggested that ultrasound could be used to locate the acupuncture point and estimate the depth of needle insertion. The needle was inserted to a depth of 4.0 cm to reach the surface of the sacral foramen. Based on Pythagoras theorem, taking a needle insertion angle of 30° and a needle insertion depth of 4.0 cm, the estimated perpendicular depth is 1.8 cm. An ultrasound scan corroborated the depth of 1.85 cm. The use of an ultrasound-guided technique for needle insertion in acupuncture practice could help standardize the treatment. Clinicians and students would be able to visualize and measure the depth of the sacral foramen acupuncture point, to guide the depth of needle insertion. This methodological guide could also be used to create a standard treatment protocol for research. A similar mathematical guide could also be created for other acupuncture points in future. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  12. Acupuncture as a complementary therapy to the pharmacological treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee: randomised controlled trial

    PubMed Central

    Vas, Jorge; Méndez, Camila; Perea-Milla, Emilio; Vega, Evelia; Panadero, María Dolores; León, José María; Borge, Miguel Ángel; Gaspar, Olga; Sánchez-Rodríguez, Francisco; Aguilar, Inmaculada; Jurado, Rosario

    2004-01-01

    Objectives To analyse the efficacy of acupuncture as a complementary therapy to the pharmacological treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee, with respect to pain relief, reduction of stiffness, and increased physical function during treatment; modifications in the consumption of diclofenac during treatment; and changes in the patient's quality of life. Design Randomised, controlled, single blind trial, with blinded evaluation and statistical analysis of results. Setting Pain management unit in a public primary care centre in southern Spain, over a period of two years. Participants 97 outpatients presenting with osteoarthritis of the knee. Interventions Patients were randomly separated into two groups, one receiving acupuncture plus diclofenac (n = 48) and the other placebo acupuncture plus diclofenac (n = 49). Main outcome measures The clinical variables examined included intensity of pain as measured by a visual analogue scale; pain, stiffness, and physical function subscales of the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC) osteoarthritis index; dosage of diclofenac taken during treatment; and the profile of quality of life in the chronically ill (PQLC) instrument, evaluated before and after the treatment programme. Results 88 patients completed the trial. In the intention to treat analysis, the WOMAC index presented a greater reduction in the intervention group than in the control group (mean difference 23.9, 95% confidence interval 15.0 to 32.8) The reduction was greater in the subscale of functional activity. The same result was observed in the pain visual analogue scale, with a reduction of 26.6 (18.5 to 34.8). The PQLC results indicate that acupuncture treatment produces significant changes in physical capability (P = 0.021) and psychological functioning (P = 0.046). Three patients reported bruising after the acupuncture sessions. Conclusions Acupuncture plus diclofenac is more effective than placebo acupuncture plus diclofenac for the symptomatic

  13. Acupuncture as prophylaxis for menstrual-related migraine: study protocol for a multicenter randomized controlled trial

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background Menstrual-related migraine is a common form of migraine affecting >50% of female migraineurs. Acupuncture may be a choice for menstrual-related migraine, when pharmacological prophylaxis is not suitable. However, the efficacy of acupuncture has not been confirmed. We design and perform a randomized controlled clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture compared with naproxen in menstrual-related migraine patients. Methods/Design This is a multicenter, single blind, randomized controlled clinical trial. A total of 184 participants will be randomly assigned to two different groups. Participants will receive verum acupuncture and placebo medicine in the treatment group, while participants in the control group will be treated with sham acupuncture and medicine (Naproxen Sustained Release Tablets). All treatments will be given for 3 months (menstrual cycles). The primary outcome measures are the change of migraine days inside the menstrual cycle and the proportion of responders (defined as the proportion of patients with at least a 50% reduction in the number of menstrual migraine days). The secondary outcome measures are the change of migraine days outside the menstrual cycle, duration of migraine attack, the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), and intake of acute medication. The assessment will be made at baseline (before treatment), 3 months (menstrual cycles), and 4 months (menstrual cycles) after the first acupuncture session. Discussion The results of this trial will be helpful to supply the efficacy of acupuncture for menstrual-related migraine prophylaxis. Trial registration ISRCTN: ISRCTN57133712 PMID:24195839

  14. [Guiding-qi acupuncture for dry eye syndrome].

    PubMed

    Xie, Wenzhang; Zeng, Liang; Tao, Ying; Zhou, Yingfan; Zhao, Ran; Huang, Xinyun; Hou, Wenguang; Zhang, Ren; Zong, Lei

    2018-02-12

    To observe the clinical efficacy differences between different needling methods for dry eye syndrome. Sixty patients of dry eye syndrome were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group, 30 cases (60 eyes) in each group. Shangjingming (Extra), Xiajingming (Extra), Tongziliao (GB 1), Cuanzhu (BL 2), Fengchi (GB 20), Hegu (LI 4), Sanyinjiao (SP 6), Taixi (KI 3) and Taichong (LR 3) were selected in the two groups. The control group was treated with conventional acupuncture, while the observation group was treated with guiding- qi acupuncture. Electroacupuncture (EA) was used at bilateral Tongziliao (GB1) and Cuanzhu (BL 2), 30 min per treatment. The treatment was given three times per week. Totally 1-month treatment (12 treatments) was given. The eye symptom score, breakup time of tear film (BUT), Schirmer Ⅰ test (SⅠT) and visual analogue scale (VAS) score were compared before and after treatment in the two groups. The clinical efficacy was compared between the two groups. Compared before treatment, the eye symptom score, BUT, SⅠT and VAS score were improved after treatment in the two groups (all P <0.001); the improvements of eye symptom score and SⅠT in the observation group were superior to those in the control group (both P <0.05). The differences of BUT and VSA score between the two groups were not significant (both P >0.05). The total effective rate was 86.7% (52/60) in the observation group, which was superior to 73.3% (44/60) in the control group ( P <0.05). . The conventional EA and guiding- qi acupuncture combined with EA are both effective for dry eye syndrome, and the efficacy of guiding- qi acupuncture combined with EA is superior to that of conventional EA.

  15. Acupuncture in the treatment of renal colic.

    PubMed

    Lee, Y H; Lee, W C; Chen, M T; Huang, J K; Chung, C; Chang, L S

    1992-01-01

    A prospective randomized study was performed to compare the effect of acupuncture and intramuscular Avafortan injection in the treatment of renal colic. Our results showed that acupuncture is as effective in relieving renal colic as Avafortan but it had a more rapid analgesic onset (3.14 +/- 2.88 minutes versus 15.44 +/- 7.55 minutes, p less than 0.05). Of the patients in the Avafortan group 7 (43.8%) had side effects, including skin rash in 3, tachycardia in 2, drowsiness in 1 and facial flush in 1. No side effects were noted in the acupuncture group. During 2 hours of observation acupuncture and Avafortan seemed to be ineffective in promoting stone passage. However, patients receiving Avafortan treatment were more likely to have paralytic ileus. In summary, acupuncture can be a good alternative for the treatment of renal colic.

  16. Motion patterns in acupuncture needle manipulation.

    PubMed

    Seo, Yoonjeong; Lee, In-Seon; Jung, Won-Mo; Ryu, Ho-Sun; Lim, Jinwoong; Ryu, Yeon-Hee; Kang, Jung-Won; Chae, Younbyoung

    2014-10-01

    In clinical practice, acupuncture manipulation is highly individualised for each practitioner. Before we establish a standard for acupuncture manipulation, it is important to understand completely the manifestations of acupuncture manipulation in the actual clinic. To examine motion patterns during acupuncture manipulation, we generated a fitted model of practitioners' motion patterns and evaluated their consistencies in acupuncture manipulation. Using a motion sensor, we obtained real-time motion data from eight experienced practitioners while they conducted acupuncture manipulation using their own techniques. We calculated the average amplitude and duration of a sampled motion unit for each practitioner and, after normalisation, we generated a true regression curve of motion patterns for each practitioner using a generalised additive mixed modelling (GAMM). We observed significant differences in rotation amplitude and duration in motion samples among practitioners. GAMM showed marked variations in average regression curves of motion patterns among practitioners but there was strong consistency in motion parameters for individual practitioners. The fitted regression model showed that the true regression curve accounted for an average of 50.2% of variance in the motion pattern for each practitioner. Our findings suggest that there is great inter-individual variability between practitioners, but remarkable intra-individual consistency within each practitioner. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

  17. Evoked Pressure Pain Sensitivity Is Associated with Differential Analgesic Response to Verum and Sham Acupuncture in Fibromyalgia.

    PubMed

    Zucker, Noah A; Tsodikov, Alex; Mist, Scott D; Cina, Stephen; Napadow, Vitaly; Harris, Richard E

    2017-08-01

    Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain condition with few effective treatments. Many fibromyalgia patients seek acupuncture for analgesia; however, its efficacy is limited and not fully understood. This may be due to heterogeneous pathologies among participants in acupuncture clinical trials. We hypothesized that pressure pain tenderness would differentially classify treatment response to verum and sham acupuncture in fibromyalgia patients. Baseline pressure pain sensitivity at the thumbnail at baseline was used in linear mixed models as a modifier of differential treatment response to sham versus verum acupuncture. Similarly, needle-induced sensation was also analyzed to determine its differential effect of treatment on clinical pain. A cohort of 114 fibromyalgia patients received baseline pressure pain testing and were randomized to either verum (N = 59) or sham (N = 55) acupuncture. Participants received treatments from once a week to three times a week, increasing in three-week blocks for a total of 18 treatments. Clinical pain was measured on a 101-point visual analog scale, and needle sensation was measured by questionnaire throughout the trial. Participants who had higher pain pressure thresholds had greater reduction in clinical pain following verum acupuncture while participants who had lower pain pressure thresholds showed better analgesic response to sham acupuncture. Moreover, patients with lower pressure pain thresholds had exacerbated clinical pain following verum acupuncture. Similar relationships were observed for sensitivity to acupuncture needling. These findings suggest that acupuncture efficacy in fibromyalgia may be underestimated and a more personalized treatment for fibromyalgia may also be possible. © 2017 American Academy of Pain Medicine. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com

  18. Characteristics of acupuncture users among internal medicine patients in Germany.

    PubMed

    Cramer, Holger; Chung, Vincent C H; Lauche, Romy; Zhang, Yan; Zhang, Anthony; Langhorst, Jost; Dobos, Gustav

    2015-06-01

    To identify socio-demographic and health-related factors associated with (a) acupuncture use and (b) the rated helpfulness of acupuncture among internal medicine patients. Data from a larger cross-sectional trial were reanalyzed. Patients who had used acupuncture for managing their primary medical complaint were compared to patients who had not. Predictors for (a) acupuncture use and (b) rated helpfulness were determined using logistic regression analyses. Of 2486 included patients, 51.49% reported acupuncture use and 39.22% reported no prior use. The use of acupuncture was associated with higher age, i.e. those aged 50-64 were more likely to have used acupuncture, while those younger than 30 were less likely. Patients with spinal pain, fibromyalgia, or headache were more likely to be acupuncture users; while IBS patients were less likely. Patients with good to excellent health status, high external-social health locus of control and current smokers were less likely to have used acupuncture. Among those who had used acupuncture, 42.34% perceived the treatment as helpful, while 35.94% did not. Rated helpfulness was associated with female gender, full-time employment, high health satisfaction, and high internal health locus of control. Those with a diagnosis of osteoarthritis or inflammatory bowel disease were more likely to find acupuncture helpful; those with headache or other types of chronic pain were less likely to find acupuncture helpful. Acupuncture was used by more than half of internal medicine patients. Prevalence and rated helpfulness of acupuncture use was associated with the patients' medical condition, sociodemography, and health locus of control. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. [Internationalization and innovation of abdominal acupuncture].

    PubMed

    Wang, Yong-Zhou

    2013-09-01

    Characteristics of abdominal acupuncture are analyzed through three aspects of inheriting and innovation, collaborated research as well as international visual field. It is pointed that abdominal acupuncture is based on clinical practice, focuses on enhancing the therapeutic effect and expending the clinical application. It also promots the thinking on how to recall the tradition and how to inherit tradition availably. The modern medical problems should be studied and innovation resolutions should be searched, which can help the internationalization and modernization of abdominal acupuncture.

  20. Enhancing acupuncture by low dose naltrexone.

    PubMed

    Hesselink, Jan M Keppel; Kopsky, David J

    2011-06-01

    To find appropriate and effective treatment options for chronic pain syndromes is a challenging task. Multimodal treatment approach has been gaining acceptance for chronic pain. However, combining treatments, such as acupuncture, with rational pharmacology is still in its infancy. Acupuncture influences the opioid and cannabinoid system through releasing endogenous receptor ligands. Low dose naltrexone also acts on both these systems, and upregulates the opioid and cannabinoid receptors. The authors hypothesise that low dose naltrexone could enhance the pain-relieving effect of acupuncture.

  1. [Idea and practice of ZHU Lian concerning acupuncture education].

    PubMed

    Zhang, Li-Jian; Liu, Bing; Xu, Qing-Yan; Ran, Sheng-Qi

    2014-08-01

    ZHU Lian is a deceased famous acupuncture and Moxibustion specialist, the first director and the founder of institute of Acupuncture-Moxibustion of China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences. This article discusses the thought and idea of education and teaching of acupuncture-moxibustion from the following three aspects: diversified education and training mode, teaching idea of new acupuncture-moxibustion with a lot of characteristics, and the founding of professional acupuncture-moxibustion college. All above have both distinct characteristics of the times and positively enlightening significance of reality.

  2. Acupuncture for the prevention of episodic migraine.

    PubMed

    Linde, Klaus; Allais, Gianni; Brinkhaus, Benno; Fei, Yutong; Mehring, Michael; Vertosick, Emily A; Vickers, Andrew; White, Adrian R

    2016-06-28

    Acupuncture is often used for migraine prevention but its effectiveness is still controversial. We present an update of our Cochrane review from 2009. To investigate whether acupuncture is a) more effective than no prophylactic treatment/routine care only; b) more effective than sham (placebo) acupuncture; and c) as effective as prophylactic treatment with drugs in reducing headache frequency in adults with episodic migraine. We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL: 2016, issue 1); MEDLINE (via Ovid, 2008 to January 2016); Ovid EMBASE (2008 to January 2016); and Ovid AMED (1985 to January 2016). We checked PubMed for recent publications to April 2016. We searched the World Health Organization (WHO) Clinical Trials Registry Platform to February 2016 for ongoing and unpublished trials. We included randomized trials at least eight weeks in duration that compared an acupuncture intervention with a no-acupuncture control (no prophylactic treatment or routine care only), a sham-acupuncture intervention, or prophylactic drug in participants with episodic migraine. Two reviewers checked eligibility; extracted information on participants, interventions, methods and results, and assessed risk of bias and quality of the acupuncture intervention. The primary outcome was migraine frequency (preferably migraine days, attacks or headache days if migraine days not measured/reported) after treatment and at follow-up. The secondary outcome was response (at least 50% frequency reduction). Safety outcomes were number of participants dropping out due to adverse effects and number of participants reporting at least one adverse effect. We calculated pooled effect size estimates using a fixed-effect model. We assessed the evidence using GRADE and created 'Summary of findings' tables. Twenty-two trials including 4985 participants in total (median 71, range 30 to 1715) met our updated selection criteria. We excluded five previously included trials from this

  3. Acupuncture (PDQ®)—Health Professional Version

    Cancer.gov

    Acupuncture is a complementary therapy used by cancer patients to manage cancer and treatment-related symptoms. Get detailed information about acupuncture and its use as a complementary therapy in cancer in this summary for clinicians.

  4. [Theoretical origin and clinical application of wrist-ankle acupuncture therapy].

    PubMed

    Wang, Qiong; Zhou, Qinghui

    2017-05-12

    The theory of wrist-ankle acupuncture is consistent with traditional meridian-collateral theory. For example, the body divisions of wrist-ankle acupuncture are corresponding to the distribution of 12 cutaneous regions of meridians, the needling sites of it are to the running courses of 12 meridians; the indications of it are to those of 12 meridians. The needling sites of wrist-ankle acupuncture are relevant with some special acupoints of acupuncture theory. For example, the 12-needling sites of wrist-ankle acupuncture are located similar to those of 12 meridian points and have very similar indications. The needling sites of it are located in the wrist and ankle regions, in which the five- shu points are located nearby, for meridian disorders. Most luo -connecting points are located near to the needling sites of wrist-ankle acupuncture or the needle tip points to. Additionally, the needling method of wrist-ankle acupuncture is consistent with some of the subcutaneous needling methods in traditional acupuncture therapy. On the basis of the aspects mentioned above, it is explained that wrist-ankle acupuncture is the development of traditional acupuncture and cannot be independent from the traditional theories of acupuncture and meridians. It is necessary to seek for the evidence from the traditional theories of TCM. The traditional theories of TCM are summarized from clinical practice, which can be newly verified from the practice of wrist-ankle acupuncture.

  5. Anxiety as a factor influencing physiological effects of acupuncture.

    PubMed

    Vickland, Victor; Rogers, Carole; Craig, Ashley; Tran, Yvonne

    2009-08-01

    This study investigated the influence of manual acupuncture on heart rate variability and the role which anxiety can play in modifying physiological outcomes. Analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) was used as a sensitive and a reliable indicator of the balance between sympathetic and parasympathetic regulation of the heartbeat. Two groups of healthy female subjects were recruited into the study. The control group (n=30) attended one experimental session where no acupuncture treatment was used. The experimental group (n=30) attended three sessions in which unilateral manual stimulation of acupuncture points LU7 and KD6 was performed. The stimulation of the acupuncture points LU7 and KD6 was not associated with significant changes in HRV. Previous familiarity with acupuncture did not influence the outcomes but level of anxiety had a strong impact on physiological outcomes. Stimulation of LU7 acupuncture point counterbalanced naturally occurring sympathetic increase over time and had relaxing and harmonizing effect on the heart rhythm without influencing subjective perception of increased anxiety. Stimulation of KD6 acupuncture point had sympathetic influence on HRV in subjects with low "trait" anxiety and this influence was nullified by simultaneous stimulation of LU7 acupuncture point. It seems likely that the level of anxiety can modify HRV during acupuncture treatment and up to 40 min after the treatment. Psychological factors such as anxiety level should be considered as having important influence on physiological response to acupuncture.

  6. Effectiveness and safety of acupuncture in the treatment of Parkinson's disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

    PubMed

    Noh, Hyeonseok; Kwon, Seungwon; Cho, Seung-Yeon; Jung, Woo-Sang; Moon, Sang-Kwan; Park, Jung-Mi; Ko, Chang-Nam; Park, Seong-Uk

    2017-10-01

    This study aimed to examine the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture in the treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD). English, Chinese, and Korean electronic databases were searched up to June 2016. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were eligible. The methodological quality was assessed using Cochrane's risk of bias tool. Meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3. In total, 42 studies involving 2625 participants were systematically reviewed. Participants treated using combined acupuncture and conventional medication (CM) showed significant improvements in total Unified PD Rating Scale (UPDRS), UPDRS I, UPDRS II, UPDRS III, and the Webster scale compared to those treated using CM alone. The combination of electroacupuncture and CM was significantly superior to CM alone in total UPDRS, UPDRS I, UPDRS II, and UPDRS IV. Similarly, the combination of scalp electroacupuncture, acupuncture, and CM was significantly more effective than CM alone in total UPDRS. However, our meta-analysis showed that the combination of electroacupuncture and CM was not significantly more effective than CM alone in UPDRS III, the Webster, and the Tension Assessment Scale. The results also failed to show that acupuncture was significantly more effective than placebo acupuncture in total UPDRS. Overall, the methodological quality of the RCTs was low. No serious adverse events were reported. We found that acupuncture might be a safe and useful adjunctive treatment for patients with PD. However, because of methodological flaws in the included studies, conclusive evidence is still lacking. More rigorous and well-designed placebo-controlled trials should be conducted. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Immediate effects of microsystem acupuncture in patients with oromyofacial pain and craniomandibular disorders (CMD): a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

    PubMed

    Simma, I; Gleditsch, J M; Simma, L; Piehslinger, E

    2009-12-19

    Patients presenting with oromyofacial disorders and pain in the head and neck area are often resistant to conventional therapy. Acupuncture has been shown to be effective in pain reduction. Twenty-three patients with craniomandibular disorders, headache and, in particular, local pain in the orofacial, cervical and temporomandibular joint areas were randomised into acupuncture or placebo laser therapy groups. Pain was assessed by a visual analogue scale (VAS) and by palpation of 14 muscles and groups of muscles immediately before and after treatment, the assessor being blinded to the patients' allocation. Applicable acupuncture points were searched and pricked using the 'very-point' technique. Pain reduction measured by VAS was significantly more pronounced after acupuncture than after placebo treatment (p=0.031). Sum of pain scores across 14 muscles was considerably more reduced after acupuncture as compared to sham laser treatment. Acupuncture may bring about immediate pain relief in patients with oromyofacial disorders, increasing the chance to initiate other therapeutic measures.

  8. A pilot study on using acupuncture and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation to treat chronic non-specific low back pain.

    PubMed

    Itoh, Kazunori; Itoh, Satoko; Katsumi, Yasukazu; Kitakoji, Hiroshi

    2009-02-01

    The present study tests whether a combined treatment of acupuncture and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is more effective than acupuncture or TENS alone for treating chronic low back pain (LBP). Thirty-two patients with chronic LBP were randomly allocated to four groups. The acupuncture group (ACP) received only acupuncture treatment at selected acupoints for low back pain; the TENS group (TENS) received only TENS treatment at pain areas; the acupuncture and TENS group (A&T) received both acupuncture and TENS treatments; the control group (CT) received topical poultice (only when necessary). Each group received specific weekly treatment five times during the study. Outcome measures were pain intensity in terms of visual analogue scale (VAS) and QOL of low back in terms of Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire (RDQ). The ACP, TENS and A&T groups all reported lower VAS and RDQ scores. Significant reduction in pain intensity (P<0.008) and significant improvement in QOL (P<0.008) were shown in the A&T group. Combined acupuncture and TENS treatment is effective in pain relief and QOL of low back improvement for the sampled patients suffering from chronic LBP.

  9. Acupuncture for lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow): study protocol for a randomized, practitioner-assessor blinded, controlled pilot clinical trial.

    PubMed

    Shin, Kyung-Min; Kim, Joo-Hee; Lee, Seunghoon; Shin, Mi-Suk; Kim, Tae-Hun; Park, Hyo-Ju; Lee, Min-Hee; Hong, Kwon-Eui; Lee, Seungdeok; Choi, Sun-Mi

    2013-06-14

    Lateral epicondylitis is the most frequent cause of pain around the elbow joint. It causes pain in the region of the elbow joint and results in dysfunction of the elbow and deterioration of the quality of life. The purpose of this study is to compare the effects of ipsilateral acupuncture, contralateral acupuncture and sham acupuncture on lateral epicondylitis. Forty-five subjects with lateral epicondylitis will be randomized into three groups: the ipsilateral acupuncture group, contralateral acupuncture group and the sham acupuncture group. The inclusion criteria will be as follows: (1) age between 19 and 65 years with pain due to one-sided lateral epicondylitis that persisted for at least four weeks, (2) with tenderness on pressure limited to regions around the elbow joint, (3) complaining of pain during resistive extension of the middle finger or the wrist, (4) with average pain of NRS 4 or higher during the last one week at a screening visit and (5) voluntarily agree to this study and sign a written consent. Acupuncture treatment will be given 10 times in total for 4 weeks to all groups. Follow up observations will be conducted after the completion of the treatment, 8 weeks and 12 weeks after the random assignment. Ipsilateral acupuncture group and contralateral acupuncture group will receive acupuncture on LI4, TE5, LI10, LI11, LU5, LI12 and two Ashi points. The sham acupuncture group will receive treatment on acupuncture points not related to the lateral epicondylitis using a non-invasive method. The needles will be maintained for 20 minutes. The primary outcome will be differences in the visual analogue scale (VAS) for elbow pain between the groups. The secondary outcome will be differences in patient-rated tennis elbow evaluation (PRTEE), pain-free/maximum grip strength (Dynamometer), pressure pain threshold, clinically relevant improvement, patient global assessment, and the EQ-5D. The data will be analyzed with the paired t-test and ANCOVA (P <0.05). The

  10. Acupuncture for lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow): study protocol for a randomized, practitioner-assessor blinded, controlled pilot clinical trial

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background Lateral epicondylitis is the most frequent cause of pain around the elbow joint. It causes pain in the region of the elbow joint and results in dysfunction of the elbow and deterioration of the quality of life. The purpose of this study is to compare the effects of ipsilateral acupuncture, contralateral acupuncture and sham acupuncture on lateral epicondylitis. Methods/design Forty-five subjects with lateral epicondylitis will be randomized into three groups: the ipsilateral acupuncture group, contralateral acupuncture group and the sham acupuncture group. The inclusion criteria will be as follows: (1) age between 19 and 65 years with pain due to one-sided lateral epicondylitis that persisted for at least four weeks, (2) with tenderness on pressure limited to regions around the elbow joint, (3) complaining of pain during resistive extension of the middle finger or the wrist, (4) with average pain of NRS 4 or higher during the last one week at a screening visit and (5) voluntarily agree to this study and sign a written consent. Acupuncture treatment will be given 10 times in total for 4 weeks to all groups. Follow up observations will be conducted after the completion of the treatment, 8 weeks and 12 weeks after the random assignment. Ipsilateral acupuncture group and contralateral acupuncture group will receive acupuncture on LI4, TE5, LI10, LI11, LU5, LI12 and two Ashi points. The sham acupuncture group will receive treatment on acupuncture points not related to the lateral epicondylitis using a non-invasive method. The needles will be maintained for 20 minutes. The primary outcome will be differences in the visual analogue scale (VAS) for elbow pain between the groups. The secondary outcome will be differences in patient-rated tennis elbow evaluation (PRTEE), pain-free/maximum grip strength (Dynamometer), pressure pain threshold, clinically relevant improvement, patient global assessment, and the EQ-5D. The data will be analyzed with the paired t

  11. Acupuncture for adults with overactive bladder

    PubMed Central

    Zhao, Yuwei; Zhou, Jing; Mo, Qian; Wang, Yang; Yu, Jinna; Liu, Zhishun

    2018-01-01

    Abstract Background: Overactive bladder is stated as the occurrence of urinary urgency which will cause negative impacts and decrease patients’ health-related quality of life. The aim of this systematic review is to assess the efficiency and safety of acupuncture for adults with overactive bladder (OAB) comparing with sham-acupuncture, drugs, and acupuncture plus drugs. Methods: We independently searched 9 databases from beginning to August 15, 2017. Two writers extracted data at the same time independently. Study outcomes were calculated by standardized mean differences (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and mean difference (MD) with 95% CIs. Results: Ten randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with 794 patients were included in this systematic review. The combined results showed that electroacupuncture (EA) may be more effective than sham electroacupuncture (sham EA) in improving the 24-hour nocturia episodes and EA may enhance tolterodine for relieving voiding symptoms and enhancing patients’ quality of life. However, more trials with high quality and larger sample sizes will be needed in the future to provide sufficient evidence. Only 15 of 794 OAB patients from the included studies reported mild adverse reactions related to EA, therefore, acupuncture is safe for treating OAB. Conclusion: Acupuncture might have effect in decreasing the number of micturition episodes, incontinence episodes, and nocturia episodes. However, the evidence is insufficient to show the effect using acupuncture alone or the additional effect to drugs in treating OAB. PMID:29465566

  12. Effect of acupuncture and its influence on cerebral activity in perimenopausal insomniacs: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

    PubMed

    Wu, Xiao; Zhang, Wei; Qin, Yuanyuan; Liu, Xuguang; Wang, Zhengyan

    2017-08-14

    Perimenopausal insomnia is one of the core symptoms of the menopausal transition. Acupuncture is considered to exert a positive effect on restoring the normal sleep-wake cycle. However, there is little intuitive evidence besides evaluation using clinical effectiveness scales. We therefore designed this study, aiming to use more intuitive and reliable detection techniques such as functional magnetic resonance imaging before and after applying acupuncture to provide neuroimaging evidence, as well as to verify the effectiveness with other curative effect indicators. This study is a randomized, assessor-statistician-blinded, positive medicine controlled trial involving 40 participants. A total of 40 eligible patients with perimenopausal insomnia will be randomly assigned to two groups in a 1:1 ratio as an intervention group using acupuncture and a control group taking estazolam. Participants in the intervention group will receive six acupuncture treatment sessions per week for 4 consecutive weeks, for a total of 24 sessions during the study. Meanwhile, the medicine control group will be prescribed estazolam 1-2 mg/day to be taken 30 minutes before sleep for 4 weeks. The primary outcome is the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Secondary outcomes are the micro-movement sensitive mattress-type sleep monitoring system, the Hamilton Depression Scale, and the Hamilton Anxiety Scale. All outcomes will be evaluated before and after treatment. The safety of interventions will be assessed at every visit. The results of this trial, which will be available in 2018, will investigate the impact of acupuncture treating perimenopausal insomnia from assessment of the sleep architecture, hormone level, and emotional-circuit neurological function, and will uncover the effective mechanism of acupuncture regulating the emotional center integrated effect. Chinese Clinical Trials Register, ChCTR-IPC-16007832 . Registered on 26 January 2016.

  13. High volume acupuncture clinic (HVAC) for chronic knee pain--audit of a possible model for delivery of acupuncture in the National Health Service.

    PubMed

    Berkovitz, Saul; Cummings, Mike; Perrin, Chris; Ito, Rieko

    2008-03-01

    Recent research has established the efficacy, effectiveness and cost effectiveness of acupuncture for some forms of chronic musculoskeletal pain. However, there are practical problems with delivery which currently prevent its large scale implementation in the National Health Service. We have developed a delivery model at our hospital, a 'high volume' acupuncture clinic (HVAC) in which patients are treated in a group setting for single conditions using standardised or semi-standardised electroacupuncture protocols by practitioners with basic training. We discuss our experiences using this model for chronic knee pain and present an outcome audit for the first 77 patients, demonstrating satisfactory initial (eight week) clinical results. Longer term (one year) data are currently being collected and the model should next be tested in primary care to confirm its feasibility.

  14. Randomized Controlled Trial of a Special Acupuncture Technique for Pain after Thoracotomy

    PubMed Central

    Deng, Gary; Rusch, Valerie; Vickers, Andrew; Malhortra, Vivek; Ginex, Pamela; Downey, Robert; Bains, Manjit; Park, Bernard; Rizk, Nabil; Flores, Raja; Yeung, Simon; Cassileth, Barrie

    2009-01-01

    Objective To determine whether an acupuncture technique specially developed for a surgical oncology population (intervention) reduces pain or analgesic use after thoracotomy compared to a sham acupuncture technique (control). Methods One hundred and sixty two cancer patients undergoing thoracotomy were randomized to group A) preoperative implantation of small intradermal needles which were retained for 4 weeks or B) preoperative placement of sham needles at the same schedule. Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) of pain and total opioid use we evaluated during the in-patient stay; Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) and Medication Quantification Scale (MQS) were evaluated after discharge up to 3 months after the surgery. Results The principal analysis, a comparison of BPI pain intensity scores at the 30 day follow-up, showed no significant difference between the intervention and control group. Pain scores were marginally higher in the intervention group 0.05 (95% C.I.: 0.74, -0.64; p=0.9). There were also no statistically significant differences between groups for secondary endpoints, including chronic pain assessments at 60 and 90 days, in-patient pain, and medication use in hospital and after discharge. Conclusion A special acupuncture technique as provided in this study did not reduce pain or use of pain medication after thoracotomy more than a sham technique. PMID:19114190

  15. Acupuncture improves cognitive function: A systematic review☆

    PubMed Central

    Leung, Mason Chin Pang; Yip, Ka Keung; Lam, Chung Tsung; Lam, Ka Shun; Lau, Wai; Yu, Wing Lam; Leung, Amethyst King Man; So, Kwok-fai

    2013-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Acupuncture has been used as a treatment for cognitive impairment. OBJECTIVE: This review assesses clinical evidence for or against acupuncture as a treatment for cognitive impairment. This review also discusses the proposed mechanism(s) that could link acupuncture to improved cognitive function. METHODS: We searched the literature using PolyUone search from its inception to January 2013, with full text available and language limited to English. Levels of evidence were examined using Oxford Centre for Evidence-based Medicine–Levels of Evidence (March, 2009). RESULTS: Twelve studies met the inclusion criteria: 3 human studies and 9 animal studies. Levels of evidence ranged from level 1b to level 5. CONCLUSION: Most animal studies demonstrated a positive effect of acupuncture on cognitive impairment. However, the results of human studies were inconsistent. Further high-quality human studies with greater statistical power are needed to determine the effectiveness of acupuncture and an optimal protocol. PMID:25206464

  16. Randomised clinical trial: an assessment of acupuncture on specific meridian or specific acupoint vs. sham acupuncture for treating functional dyspepsia.

    PubMed

    Ma, T T; Yu, S Y; Li, Y; Liang, F R; Tian, X P; Zheng, H; Yan, J; Sun, G J; Chang, X R; Zhao, L; Wu, X; Zeng, F

    2012-03-01

    Functional dyspepsia (FD) is a common disease without an established optimal treatment. To determine (i) the effect of acupuncture in relieving FD symptoms and improving life quality; (ii) the effect difference between acupoint and non-acupoint; and (iii) the effect difference among different acupoints. A total of 712 eligible patients were included and randomly assigned to six groups (Group A: specific acupoints of the stomach meridian; Group B: non-specific acupoints of the stomach meridian; Group C: specific acupoints of alarm and transport points; Group D: specific acupoints of the gallbladder meridian; Group E: sham acupuncture of non-acupoints; and Group F: itopride). A treatment period of 4 weeks (continuous five sessions per week), and a follow-up period of 12 weeks were arranged. The outcomes were the (i) patients' response, (ii) symptoms improvement measured using the Symptom Index of Dyspepsia and (iii) quality-of-life improvement based on Nepean Dyspepsia Index. All groups had an improvement in dyspepsia symptoms and the QoL at the end of treatment, and the improvement was sustained for 4 weeks and 12 weeks. The overall response rate was significantly higher in acupuncture group A (70.69%), and lower in sham acupuncture group (34.75%), compared with itopride and other acupuncture groups. Similarly, the difference in symptoms and QoL improvement was significant between group A and the other acupuncture groups. Acupuncture is effective in the treatment of functional dyspepsia, and is superior to non-acupoint puncture. The benefit of acupuncture relies on acupoint specificity. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  17. Medical support with acupuncture and massage therapies for disaster victims.

    PubMed

    Miwa, Masataka; Takayama, Shin; Kaneko, Soichiro

    2018-01-01

    After the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Disaster (GEJED) and Joso City Flood (JCF), a number of people were relocated to evacuation centers. In situations following a large-scale disaster, acupuncture can be applied for various health problems in evacuation centers. In this study, we report the medical support operation for evacuees with acupuncture and massage therapy (AP/MT) and its effectiveness. In addition, we propose an experience-based guideline for AP/MT in such situations. We retrospectively investigated the treatment with AP/MT after GEJED and JCF based on the medical records that were coded. We performed AP/MT for evacuees or supporters in Iwanuma City, Shiogama City, and Natori City after the GEJED (total number of 1042), and in Joso City after the JCF (total number of 110). The most common complaints, shoulder, back, and knee pain, were reported in 67.6% of patients after the GEJED and 80.9% of patients after the JCF. Acupuncture and massage therapy (AP/MT) significantly decreased the median Face Scale score of subjective symptoms in evacuees (before, 3.0 vs after, 1.0, P  <   .001) and supporters (before, 3.0 vs after, 1.0, P  <   .001) in the JCF. Evacuees and supporters in affected areas could benefit from AP/MT for relief of subjective symptoms. For proper management and safety support, we proposed a guideline of AP/MT for postdisaster situations.

  18. Acupuncture as an Adjunct Therapy for Osteoarthritis in Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)

    PubMed Central

    Magden, Elizabeth R; Haller, Rachel L; Thiele, Erica J; Buchl, Stephanie J; Lambeth, Susan P; Schapiro, Steven J

    2013-01-01

    Acupuncture is an ancient practice that is currently used to treat disorders ranging from osteoarthritis to cardiomyopathy. Acupuncture involves the insertion of thin, sterile needles into defined acupuncture points that stimulate physiologic processes through neural signaling. Numerous scientific studies have proven the benefits of acupuncture, and given this scientific support, we hypothesized that acupuncture could benefit the nonhuman primates at our facility. As our chimpanzee colony ages, we are observing an increase in osteoarthritis and have focused our initial acupuncture treatments on this condition. We successfully trained 3 chimpanzees, by using positive-reinforcement training techniques, to voluntarily participate in acupuncture treatments for stifle osteoarthritis. We used 3 acupuncture points that correlate with alleviation of stifle pain and inflammation in humans. A mobility scoring system was used to assess improvements in mobility as a function of the acupuncture treatments. The 2 chimpanzees with the most severe osteoarthritis showed significant improvement in mobility after acupuncture treatments. Acupuncture therapy not only resulted in improved mobility, but the training sessions also served as enrichment for the animals, as demonstrated by their voluntary participation in the training and treatment sessions. Acupuncture is an innovative treatment technique that our data show to be safe, inexpensive, and, most importantly, effective for chimpanzees. PMID:23849446

  19. Acupuncture for the prevention of episodic migraine

    PubMed Central

    Linde, Klaus; Allais, Gianni; Brinkhaus, Benno; Fei, Yutong; Mehring, Michael; Vertosick, Emily A.; Vickers, Andrew; White, Adrian R

    2016-01-01

    Background Acupuncture is often used for migraine prevention but its effectiveness is still controversial. We present an update of our Cochrane review from 2009. Objectives To investigate whether acupuncture is a) more effective than no prophylactic treatment/routine care only; b) more effective than sham (placebo) acupuncture; and c) as effective as prophylactic treatment with drugs in reducing headache frequency in adults with episodic migraine. Search methods We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL: 2016, issue 1); MEDLINE (via Ovid, 2008 to January 2016); Ovid EMBASE (2008 to January 2016); and Ovid AMED (1985 to January 2016). We checked PubMed for recent publications to April 2016. We searched the World Health Organization (WHO) Clinical Trials Registry Platform to February 2016 for ongoing and unpublished trials. Selection criteria We included randomized trials at least eight weeks in duration that compared an acupuncture intervention with a no-acupuncture control (no prophylactic treatment or routine care only), a sham-acupuncture intervention, or prophylactic drug in participants with episodic migraine. Data collection and analysis Two reviewers checked eligibility; extracted information on participants, interventions, methods and results, and assessed risk of bias and quality of the acupuncture intervention. The primary outcome was migraine frequency (preferably migraine days, attacks or headache days if migraine days not measured/reported) after treatment and at follow-up. The secondary outcome was response (at least 50% frequency reduction). Safety outcomes were number of participants dropping out due to adverse effects and number of participants reporting at least one adverse effect. We calculated pooled effect size estimates using a fixed-effect model. We assessed the evidence using GRADE and created ’Summary of findings’ tables. Main results Twenty-two trials including 4985 participants in total (median 71, range

  20. Getting inside acupuncture trials - Exploring intervention theory and rationale

    PubMed Central

    2011-01-01

    Background Acupuncture can be described as a complex intervention. In reports of clinical trials the mechanism of acupuncture (that is, the process by which change is effected) is often left unstated or not known. This is problematic in assisting understanding of how acupuncture might work and in drawing together evidence on the potential benefits of acupuncture. Our aim was to aid the identification of the assumed mechanisms underlying the acupuncture interventions in clinical trials by developing an analytical framework to differentiate two contrasting approaches to acupuncture (traditional acupuncture and Western medical acupuncture). Methods Based on the principles of realist review, an analytical framework to differentiate these two contrasting approaches was developed. In order to see how useful the framework was in uncovering the theoretical rationale, it was applied to a set of trials of acupuncture for fatigue and vasomotor symptoms, identified from a wider literature review of acupuncture and early stage breast cancer. Results When examined for the degree to which a study demonstrated adherence to a theoretical model, two of the fourteen selected studies could be considered TA, five MA, with the remaining seven not fitting into any recognisable model. When examined by symptom, five of the nine vasomotor studies, all from one group of researchers, are arguably in the MA category, and two a TA model; in contrast, none of the five fatigue studies could be classed as either MA or TA and all studies had a weak rationale for the chosen treatment for fatigue. Conclusion Our application of the framework to the selected studies suggests that it is a useful tool to help uncover the therapeutic rationale of acupuncture interventions in clinical trials, for distinguishing between TA and MA approaches and for exploring issues of model validity. English language acupuncture trials frequently fail to report enough detail relating to the intervention. We advocate using

  1. Ear Acupuncture for Acute Sore Throat: A Randomized Controlled Trial

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-09-26

    SEP 2014 2. REPORT TYPE Final 3. DATES COVERED 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Ear acupuncture for acute sore throat. A randomized controlled trial...Auncular Acupuncture is a low risk option for acute pain control •Battlefield acupuncture (BFA) IS a specific auncular acupuncture technique •BFA IS...Strengths: Prospect1ve RCT •Weaknesses Small sample stze. no sham acupuncture performed, patients not blinded to treatment •Th1s study represents an

  2. Systematic Review of Acupuncture for Chronic Prostatitis/Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome

    PubMed Central

    Qin, Zongshi; Wu, Jiani; Zhou, Jing; Liu, Zhishun

    2016-01-01

    Abstract Acupuncture is a promising therapy for relieving symptoms in chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS), which affects >15% of adult men worldwide. The aim of the study was to assess the effects and safety of the use of acupuncture for CP/CPPS. MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, Web of Science, CBM, CNKI, Wang-Fang Database, JCRM, and CiNii were searched from their inception through 30 November 2015. Grey literature databases and websites were also searched. No language limits were applied. Only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with CP/CPPS treated by acupuncture were included. Two reviewers extracted data and assessed the risk of bias of RCTs using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tools, respectively. Seven trials were included, involving 471 participants. The result of meta-analysis indicated that compared with sham acupuncture (MD: −6.09 [95%CI: −8.12 to −5.68]) and medicine (Levofloxacinand, Ibuprofen, and Tamsulosin) (MD: −4.57 [95%CI: −7.58 to −1.56]), acupuncture was more effective at decreasing the total NIH-CPSI score. Real acupuncture was superior to sham acupuncture in improving symptoms (pain, voiding) and quality of life (Qof) domain subscores. Compared to sham acupuncture and medicine, acupuncture appears to be more effective at improving the global assessment. Two trials found that there is no significant difference between acupuncture and sham acupuncture in decreasing the IPSS score. Acupuncture failed to show more favorable effects in improving both symptoms and the Qof domain compared with medicine. Overall, current evidence supports acupuncture as an effective treatment for CP/CPPS-induced symptoms, particularly in relieving pain. Based on the meta-analysis, acupuncture is superior to sham acupuncture in improving symptoms and Qof. Acupuncture might be similar to medicine (Levofloxacinand, Ibuprofen, and Tamsulosin) in its long-term effects, but evidence was limited due to high ROB among included trials as well as

  3. [Present situation and development of acupuncture in the Netherlands].

    PubMed

    Zhu, Anning; Meng, Xianjun; Huang, Jun; Xu, Weiwei; Wang, Yu

    2016-10-12

    The development, present situation, educational institution and association, legislation and application of acupuncture therapy in the Netherlands are introduced. Acupuncture was introduced into the Netherlands about 400 years ago. At present, being one of the complementary and alternative medicine, acupuncture has not passed the national legislation yet. The nongovernmental source is given priority to the development of acupuncture and the educational institution is private. Even though acupuncture has not been listed in the basic medical insurance in the Netherlands, it becomes one of the additional items of the insurance company and its expenditure is reimbursed partially. The field of TCM in the Netherlands now is facing to the issues to be solved, including constructing the official medical institution, educating high-quality acupuncturists, promoting national legislation and adopting acupuncture into the basic medical insurance.

  4. Acupuncture treatment of facial palsy.

    PubMed

    Bokhari, Syed Zahid Hussain; Zahid, Syeda Samina

    2010-01-01

    Bell's palsy is an idiopathic, acute peripheral-nerve palsy involving the facial nerve which supplies all the muscles of facial expression. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of electro-A=acupuncture on patients with facial palsy. This study was conducted on patients with facial palsy at a private clinic at Peshawar during 1999-2009, and 49 cases were included in the study. All those cases that were within first two weeks of illness or who had related history of stroke or they had upper motor neuron lesion were not included in the study. Electroacupuncture was used as the main therapeutic technique to treat these cases. Patients were subjected to acupuncture treatment at four major points on the face for 20-25 minutes everyday for 10 days. Specific points were used for nasolabial fold and watering of the eye. After rest for a week patients were again evaluated and another course of treatment comprising of 5-10 days was sufficient in most cases. Frequency of electro-acupuncture is kept at 60-80 cycles per minute. Total number of patients studied was 49 with duration of illness as early as 3 weeks to a year and above. Cases with duration of illness from 3 weeks onward showed rapid recovery of palsy symptoms with electro-acupuncture. All cases showed recovery. Palsy of the angle of the mouth did not recover completely. Electro-acupuncture is effective in treating facial palsy cases.

  5. Does the addition of specific acupuncture to standard swallowing training improve outcomes in patients with dysphagia after stroke? a randomized controlled trial

    PubMed Central

    Xia, Wenguang; Zheng, Chanjuan; Zhu, Suiqiang; Tang, Zhouping

    2015-01-01

    Objective: To assess the effect of adding acupuncture to standard swallowing training for patients with dysphagia after stroke. Design: Single-blind randomized controlled trial. Setting: Inpatient and outpatient clinics. Subjects: A total of 124 patients with dysphagia after stroke were randomly divided into two groups: acupuncture and control. Interventions: The acupuncture group received standard swallowing training and acupuncture treatment. In comparison, the control group only received standard swallowing training. Participants in both groups received six days of therapy per week for a four-week period. Main measures: The primary outcome measures included the Standardized Swallowing Assessment and the Dysphagia Outcome Severity Scale. The secondary outcome measures included the Modified Barthel Index and Swallowing-Related Quality of Life, which were assessed before and after the four-week therapy period. Results: A total of 120 dysphagic subjects completed the study (60 in acupuncture group and 60 in control group). Significant differences existed in the Standardized Swallowing Assessment, Dysphagia Outcome Severity Scale, Modified Barthel Index, and Swallowing-Related Quality of Life scores of each group after the treatment (P < 0.01). After the four-week treatment, the Standardized Swallowing Assessment (mean difference − 2.9; 95% confidence interval (CI) – 5.0 to − 0.81; P < 0.01), Dysphagia Outcome Severity Scale (mean difference 2.3; 95% CI 0.7 to 1.2; P < 0.01), Modified Barthel Index (mean difference 17.2; 95% CI 2.6 to 9.3; P < 0.05) and Swallowing-Related Quality of Life scores (mean difference 31.4; 95% CI 3.2 to 11.4; P < 0.01) showed more significant improvement in the acupuncture group than the control group. Conclusions: Acupuncture combined with the standard swallowing training may be beneficial for dysphagic patients after stroke. PMID:25819076

  6. [Current situation and existing problems of acupuncture for primary hypertension].

    PubMed

    Zhang, Lili; Wei, Pengfei; Chen, Shaozong

    2018-03-12

    To analyze the present situation and existing problems of acupuncture for primary hypertension (PH) based on clinical research literature in recent 20 years. The clinical research literature regarding acupuncture for PH were searched from China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), VIP data network (VIP) and Wanfang database from 1997 through 2016; a total of 218 papers met the inclusive criteria. Microsoft Excel and Apriori algorithm of SPSS Clementine software were applied to analyze the data. The main acupoints of acupuncture for PH were Taichong (LR 3), Quchi (LI 11), Zusanli (ST 36) and Hegu (LI 4), but its support degree was only 12.21%. 127 papers were randomized controlled trials, accounting for 58.26%. 158 papers had clear diagnostic criteria, accounting for 72.48%. 138 papers had clear efficacy evaluation criteria, accounting for 63.30%. Only 5.05% of the papers were classified as high-quality literature by using Jadad scale. In recent 20 years, some rules existed in acupoint selection for PH, but the support degree was low so it could not accurately guide clinical treatment. Although the clinical literature quality of acupuncture for PH was gradually increasing, the proportion of high-quality literature was low, therefore modern medical research model and foreign similar research should be followed to design a more rigorous trial protocol. As a result, the quality of clinical research is increased to provide reference for future clinical treatment.

  7. Efficacy and safety of combined treatment of miniscalpel acupuncture and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs: an assessor-blinded randomized controlled pilot study.

    PubMed

    Jun, Seungah; Lee, Jung Hee; Gong, Han Mi; Chung, Yeon-Joong; Kim, Ju-Ran; Park, Chung A; Choi, Seong Hun; Lee, Geon-Mok; Lee, Hyun-Jong; Kim, Jae Soo

    2018-01-12

    Chronic neck pain is a common musculoskeletal disease during the lifespan of an individual. With an increase in dependence on computer technology, the prevalence of chronic neck pain is expected to rise and this can lead to socioeconomic problems. We have designed the current pilot study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of miniscalpel acupuncture treatment combined with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in patients with chronic neck pain. This seven-week clinical trial has been designed as an assessor-blinded, randomized controlled trial with three parallel arms. Thirty-six patients will be recruited and randomly allocated to three treatment groups: miniscalpel acupuncture treatment; NSAIDs; and miniscalpel acupuncture treatment combined with NSAIDs. Patients in the miniscalpel acupuncture and combined treatment groups will receive three sessions of miniscalpel acupuncture over a three-week period. Patients in the NSAIDs and combined treatment groups will receive zaltoprofen (one oral tablet, three times a day for three weeks). Primary and secondary outcomes will be measured at weeks 0 (baseline), 1, 2, 3 (primary end point), and 7 (four weeks after treatment completion) using the visual analogue scale and the Neck Disability Index, EuroQol 5-dimension questionnaire, and Patients' Global Impression of Change scale, respectively. Adverse events will also be recorded. This pilot study will provide a basic foundation for a future large-scale trial as well as information about the feasibility of miniscalpel acupuncture treatment combined with NSAIDs for chronic neck pain. Korean Clinical Research Information Service registry, KCT0002258 . Registered on 9 March 2017.

  8. [Effectiveness of acupuncture in postoperative ileus: a systematic review and Meta-analysis].

    PubMed

    Cheong, Kah Bik; Zhang, Jiping; Huang, Yong

    2016-06-01

    To conduct a systematic review and Meta-analysis of the effectiveness of acupuncture and common acupoint selection for postoperative ileus (POI). Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing acupuncture and non-acupuncture treatment were identified from the databases PubMed, Cochrane, EBSCO (Academic Source Premier and MEDLINE), Ovid (including Evidence-Based Medicine Reviews), China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang Data. The data from eligible studies were extracted and a Meta-analysis performed using a fixed-effects model. Results were expressed as relative risk (RR) for dichotomous data, and 95% CI (confidence intervals) were calculated. Each trial was evaluated using the CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials) and STRICTA (STandards for Reporting Interventions in Controlled Trials of Acupuncture) guideline . The quality of the study was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. Of the 69 studies screened, eight RCTs were included for review. Among these, four RCTs (with a total of 123 patients in the intervention groups and 124 patients in the control groups) met the criteria for Meta-analysis. The Meta-analysis results indicated that acupuncture combined with usual care showed a significantly higher total effective rate than the control condition (usual care) (RR 1.09, 95% CI 1.01, 1.18; P = 0.02). Zusanli (ST 36) and Shangjuxu (ST 37) were the most common acupoints selected. However, the quality of the studies was generally low, as they did not emphasize the use of blinding. The results suggested that acupuncture might be effective in improving POI; however, a definite conclusion could not be drawn because of the low quality of trials. Further large-scale, high-quality randomized clinical trials are needed to validate these findings and to develop a standardized method of treatment. We hope that the present results will lead to improved research, resulting in better

  9. Applications of Acupuncture Therapy in Modulating Plasticity of Central Nervous System.

    PubMed

    Xiao, Ling-Yong; Wang, Xue-Rui; Yang, Ye; Yang, Jing-Wen; Cao, Yan; Ma, Si-Ming; Li, Tian-Ran; Liu, Cun-Zhi

    2017-11-07

    Acupuncture is widely applied for treatment of various neurological disorders. This manuscript will review the preclinical evidence of acupuncture in mediating neural plasticity, the mechanisms involved. We searched acupuncture, plasticity, and other potential related words at the following sites: PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and VIP information data base. The following keywords were used: acupuncture, electroacupuncture, plasticity, neural plasticity, neuroplasticity, neurogenesis, neuroblast, stem cell, progenitor cell, BrdU, synapse, synapse structure, synaptogenesis, axon, axon regeneration, synaptic plasticity, LTP, LTD, neurotrophin, neurotrophic factor, BDNF, GDNF, VEGF, bFGF, EGF, NT-3, NT-4, NT-5, p75NTR, neurotransmitter, acetylcholine, norepinephrine, noradrenaline, dopamine, monamine. We assessed the effects of acupuncture on plasticity under pathological conditions in this review. Relevant references were reviewed and presented to reflect the effects of acupuncture on neural plasticity. The acquired literatures mainly focused on neurogenesis, alterations of synapses, neurotrophins (NTs), and neurotranimitters. Acupuncture methods mentioned in this article include manual acupuncture and electroacupuncture. The cumulative evidences demonstrated that acupuncture could induce neural plasticity in rodents exposed to cerebral ischemia. Neural plasticity mediated by acupuncture in other neural disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and depression, were also investigated and there is evidence of positive role of acupuncture induced plasticity in these disorders as well. Mediation of neural plasticity by acupuncture is likely associated with its modulation on NTs and neurotransmitters. The exact mechanisms underlying acupuncture's effects on neural plasticity remain to be elucidated. Neural plasticity may be the potential bridge between acupuncture and the treatment of various

  10. [Training program design of acupuncture and moxibustion manipulation techniques].

    PubMed

    Dong, Qin

    2009-12-01

    As an important component of acupuncture-moxibustion science, needling and moxibustion is one methodology and technology and its technical characteristics determine its special status and role in training programs. It is closely ralated to meridians-collaterals-acupoints and acupuncture treatment. Therefore, it demands an overall planning for acupuncture professional skills that consists of meridians-collaterals-acupoints knowledge and acupuncture treatment techniques. The practical training courses are the step by step progress involving repeated practices.

  11. Treatment of Lymphedema with Saam Acupuncture in Patients with Breast Cancer: A Pilot Study

    PubMed Central

    Jeong, Young Ju; Kwon, Hyo Jung; Park, Young Sun; Kwon, Oh Chang; Shin, Im Hee

    2015-01-01

    Abstract Background: Lymphedema is a troublesome complication affecting quality of life (QoL) in many women after breast-cancer treatment. Recent studies have suggested that acupuncture can reduce symptoms of lymphedema in breast-cancer survivors. Objectives: This was a pilot study. It was designed to assess the feasibility and the safety of acupuncture with the Saam acupuncture method for treating lymphedema in Korean patients after surgical therapy for breast cancer. Materials and Methods: This was a prospective, single-arm, observational pilot study using before and after measurements. The study was conducted at the East-West Medical Center at the Daegu Catholic University Medical Center, in Daegu, Korea. The subjects were 9 patients with breast cancer who presented with lymphedema of the upper limb ipsilateral to surgery. Saam acupuncture was administered 3 times per week for 6 consecutive weeks, for 30±5 minutes at each session.The primary outcome measure was severity of lymphedema as assessed by stages of lymphedema, a visual analogue scale (VAS), and by circumferential measurements of the upper extremity. The secondary outcome measure was QoL, which was assessed by a self-administered questionnaire using the Short Form–36 questionnaire. Results: Acupuncture reduced severity of lymphedema significantly, as assessed by the VAS (P<0.001) as well as by circumferential measurements of the upper extremity. Four weeks after the final treatment, symptoms were not aggravated. SF-36 scores remained significant for health status at the end of treatment. Conclusions: The Saam acupuncture method appeared to provide reduction of lymphedema among women after they had undergone surgery for breast cancer. A randomized, controlled prospective study with a larger sample size is required to clarify the role of acupuncture for managing lymphedema in patients with breast cancer. PMID:26155321

  12. Bilateral tension pneumothorax after acupuncture.

    PubMed

    Mohammad, Nurashikin

    2018-04-19

    Acupuncture is an ancient complementary medicine which is currently used worldwide. Many serious adverse events have been reported which include a spectrum of mild-to-fatal complications. However, the level of awareness with regard to complications is still low both to physicians and patients. We report a 63-year-old who presented with acute shortness of breath 2 hours after having had acupuncture. On examination, there was absent breath sound heard on the left lung and slightly reduced breath sound on the right lung. She had type 1 respiratory failure. Urgent chest radiograph confirmed bilateral pneumothorax which was more severe on the left with tension pneumothorax and mediastinal shift. Chest tubes were inserted bilaterally after failed needle aspiration attempts. Subsequently, the pneumothoraces resolved, and she was discharged well. The bilateral pneumothoraces caused by acupuncture were curable but could have been potentially fatal if diagnosis was delayed. This case report adds to the limited current literature on the complications of acupuncture leading to bilateral pneumothoraces. © BMJ Publishing Group Ltd (unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

  13. [Professor GAO Yuchun's experience of acupuncture for headache].

    PubMed

    Cui, Linhua; Xing, Xiao; Xue, Weihua; Wang, Yanjun; Xu, Cejun; Xuc, Jun; Gao, Yuchun; Kang, Suobin

    2015-12-01

    As one of the important founders of GAO's acupuncture academic school in YanZhao area, Professor GAO Yuchun 's experience of acupuncture for headache is summarized in this paper. In the opinion of Professor GAO, the treatment of headache should focus on eliminating evil and relieving pain, and the syndrome differentiation should be based on meridian differentiation, especially on three yang meridians of foot as well as liver meridian and kidney meridian. In the acupoint prescription, attention should be placed on strengthening the spleen and stomach. The midnight-midday ebb flow acupuncture is advocated. The combination between acupuncture order and movement of qi is emphasized. In the manipulation, the role of pressing hand, the stimulation during reinforcing and reducing methods, and needle-retention time are important. The breathing reinforcing and reducing method of acupuncture are also advocated.

  14. Acupuncture is all placebo and here is why.

    PubMed

    McGeeney, Brian E

    2015-03-01

    Alternative and complementary medicines such as acupuncture remain popular with the general public and many clinicians. The term "integrative medicine" is often now used to describe this type of non-science-based medicine, which has become more of a faith-based method of practice, making it harder to challenge. Acupuncture is commonly used to treat headache along with just about any other symptom and condition known to man. Physicians regularly fall into many misunderstandings when erroneously believing a real effect from acupuncture, when there is none. A perfunctory and poorly informed media contribute to the misinformation. Sixteen logical traps are identified which together explain most of the false reasoning behind the alleged effect of acupuncture. Practitioners need to do a better job of discerning truth from information and data available on acupuncture. © 2015 American Headache Society.

  15. Empirical study on human acupuncture point network

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Jian; Shen, Dan; Chang, Hui; He, Da-Ren

    2007-03-01

    Chinese medical theory is ancient and profound, however is confined by qualitative and faint understanding. The effect of Chinese acupuncture in clinical practice is unique and effective, and the human acupuncture points play a mysterious and special role, however there is no modern scientific understanding on human acupuncture points until today. For this reason, we attend to use complex network theory, one of the frontiers in the statistical physics, for describing the human acupuncture points and their connections. In the network nodes are defined as the acupuncture points, two nodes are connected by an edge when they are used for a medical treatment of a common disease. A disease is defined as an act. Some statistical properties have been obtained. The results certify that the degree distribution, act degree distribution, and the dependence of the clustering coefficient on both of them obey SPL distribution function, which show a function interpolating between a power law and an exponential decay. The results may be helpful for understanding Chinese medical theory.

  16. Effects of acupuncture in reducing attrition and mortality in HIV-infected men with peripheral neuropathy.

    PubMed

    Shiflett, Samuel C; Schwartz, Gary E

    2011-01-01

    A clinical trial reported in JAMA (Shay et al, 1998), involving acupuncture and amitriptyline in HIV-infected patients, concluded that there was no effect for either acupuncture or amitriptyline on neuropathic pain. However, a recent reassessment of this study showed that there were really three different and independent clinical trials, each with a different research design, which had been combined into a single database and consequently analyzed with a relatively insensitive statistics. When only the first substudy, factorially crossed design involving acupuncture and amitriptyline, was reanalyzed by itself using more powerful statistics, it was found that acupuncture and amitriptyline both worked independently to reduce pain, but also that acupuncture worked best in the absence of amitriptyline, and that there may have been adverse events associated with the combination of the two treatments. The present study reports the reanalysis of the second of the original independent studies involving only acupuncture and sham acupuncture, to determine whether the results confirm acupuncture-related findings from the first substudy. Subjects were 114 HIV-infected men with pain associated with peripheral neuropathy in the early 1990s, when antiretroviral drug cocktails were just beginning to be available in experimental form. The second of the independent studies in the original report by Shlay et al involved a single factor with two levels: a 14-week standardized acupuncture regimen and its control (off-point sham acupuncture). In addition, physical functioning at baseline (high or low, based on the Karnofsky scale), was factorially crossed with the acupuncture factor in our analyses. Primary data were reanalyzed using repeated-measures ANCOVA in an intention-to-treat procedure, and categorical data were analyzed by the Pearson chi-square test. Pain intensity, pain relief, mortality, and attrition. Whereas the results were inconclusive for the pain measures, acupuncture

  17. Acupuncture for ankle sprain: systematic review and meta-analysis.

    PubMed

    Park, Jimin; Hahn, Seokyung; Park, Ji-Yeun; Park, Hi-Joon; Lee, Hyangsook

    2013-03-04

    Ankle sprain is one of the most frequently encountered musculoskeletal injuries; however, the efficacy of acupuncture in treating ankle sprains remains uncertain. We therefore performed a systematic review to evaluate the evidence regarding acupuncture for ankle sprains. We searched 15 data sources and two trial registries up to February 2012. Randomized controlled trials of acupuncture were included if they involved patients with ankle sprains and reported outcomes of symptom improvement, including pain. A Cochrane risk of bias assessment tool was used. Risk ratio (RR) or mean difference (MD) was calculated with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) in a random effects model. Subgroup analyses were performed based on acupuncture type, grade of sprain, and control type. Sensitivity analyses were also performed with respect to risk of bias, sample size, and outcomes reported. Seventeen trials involving 1820 participants were included. Trial quality was generally poor, with just three reporting adequate methods of randomization and only one a method of allocation concealment. Significantly more participants in acupuncture groups reported global symptom improvement compared with no acupuncture groups (RR of symptoms persisting with acupuncture = 0.56, 95% CI 0.42-0.77). However, this is probably an overestimate due to the heterogeneity (I2 = 51%) and high risk of bias of the included studies. Acupuncture as an add-on treatment also improved global symptoms compared with other treatments only, without significant variability (RR 0.61, 95% CI 0.51-0.73, I2 = 1%). The benefit of acupuncture remained significant when the analysis was limited to two studies with a low risk of bias. Acupuncture was more effective than various controls in relieving pain, facilitating return to normal activity, and promoting quality of life, but these analyses were based on only a small number of studies. Acupuncture did not appear to be associated with adverse events. Given

  18. [Discussion on the key points of building modern theory of acupuncture treatment].

    PubMed

    Yang, Guang

    2013-10-01

    Acupuncture treatment is different from treatment of materia medica. However, syndrome differentiation system of internal medicine is adopted all the time for the present acupuncture textbooks. It is held that the characteristics of acupuncture can not be fully reflexed, and advantages of acupuncture can not be brought into full play. Therefore, it's urgent to build up a modem theory on acupuncture treatment which is fit for the clinical practice of acupuncture and can give a better play for the treatment of acupuncture. A clear target is one of the characteristics of acupuncture treatment. And it is based on the understanding of the location of disease, therefore, disease differentiation is held as the basis of acupuncture treatment. The aim of meridian differentiation is to select distal effective points on the base of diseases differentiation, which is also taken as the characteristics of acupuncture treatment. Syndrome differentiation is a process of understanding the general pathological states of the human body, it is an important process to enhance the therapeutic effect of acupuncture. Thus, the key point for establishing the modern acupuncture theory is clarifying the values of disease differentiation, meridian differentiation and syndrome differentiation.

  19. Acupuncture for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

    PubMed

    Hong, Soon-Sang; Cho, Seung-Hun

    2011-07-11

    Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neuro-psychiatric problem, affecting 7-9% of children. Pharmacological interventions are widely used with behavioral treatments in ADHD. Still, the origin of ADHD is unclear, limiting pharmacological effectiveness and making adverse effects common. The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has increased, especially for developmental and behavioral disorders, such as ADHD. CAM is used by 60-65% of parents of children with ADHD to relieve ADHD-associated symptoms and to avoid the side effects of conventional medication. Acupuncture has been widely used to treat patients with ADHD, but the available evidence of its effectiveness is insufficient. Our aim was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture in patients (both and each treatment naive and conventional therapy children) with ADHD (any subtype) compared to the waitlist control. This study is a waitlist controlled open trial. We used a computer generated randomization scheme. This randomised, controlled trial had two parallel arms (acupuncture, and waitlist group). Each arm consisted of 40 participants. The acupuncture group received acupuncture treatment two times per week for a total of 12 sessions over 6 weeks. Post-treatment follow-up was performed 3 weeks later to complement the 12 acupuncture sessions. Participants in the waitlist group did not receive acupuncture treatments during the first six weeks but were only required to be assessed. After 6 weeks, the same treatments given to the acupuncture group were provided to the waitlist group. The primary outcome of this trial included differences in Korean version of ADHD-Rating Scale (K-ADHD-RS) before randomization, 3 weeks and 6 weeks after randomization, and 3 weeks after completing the treatment. Subjective measurements, like K-ADHD-RS, are commonly used in ADHD. Although these measurements have adequate reliability and validity, lack of objective assessment in ADHD may

  20. Acupuncture for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

    PubMed Central

    2011-01-01

    Background Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neuro-psychiatric problem, affecting 7-9% of children. Pharmacological interventions are widely used with behavioral treatments in ADHD. Still, the origin of ADHD is unclear, limiting pharmacological effectiveness and making adverse effects common. The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has increased, especially for developmental and behavioral disorders, such as ADHD. CAM is used by 60-65% of parents of children with ADHD to relieve ADHD-associated symptoms and to avoid the side effects of conventional medication. Acupuncture has been widely used to treat patients with ADHD, but the available evidence of its effectiveness is insufficient. Our aim was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture in patients (both and each treatment naive and conventional therapy children) with ADHD (any subtype) compared to the waitlist control. Methods/Design This study is a waitlist controlled open trial. We used a computer generated randomization scheme. This randomised, controlled trial had two parallel arms (acupuncture, and waitlist group). Each arm consisted of 40 participants. The acupuncture group received acupuncture treatment two times per week for a total of 12 sessions over 6 weeks. Post-treatment follow-up was performed 3 weeks later to complement the 12 acupuncture sessions. Participants in the waitlist group did not receive acupuncture treatments during the first six weeks but were only required to be assessed. After 6 weeks, the same treatments given to the acupuncture group were provided to the waitlist group. The primary outcome of this trial included differences in Korean version of ADHD-Rating Scale (K-ADHD-RS) before randomization, 3 weeks and 6 weeks after randomization, and 3 weeks after completing the treatment. Discussion Subjective measurements, like K-ADHD-RS, are commonly used in ADHD. Although these measurements have adequate reliability and validity

  1. Efficacy and safety of acupuncture for dizziness and vertigo in emergency department: a pilot cohort study.

    PubMed

    Chiu, Chih-Wen; Lee, Tsung-Chieh; Hsu, Po-Chi; Chen, Chia-Yun; Chang, Shun-Chang; Chiang, John Y; Lo, Lun-Chien

    2015-06-09

    Dizziness and vertigo account for roughly 4% of chief symptoms in the emergency department (ED). Pharmacological therapy is often applied for these symptoms, such as vestibular suppressants, anti-emetics and benzodiazepines. However, every medication is accompanied with unavoidable side-effects. There are several research articles providing evidence of acupuncture treating dizziness and vertigo but few studies of acupuncture as an emergent intervention in ED. We performed a pilot cohort study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture in treating patients with dizziness and vertigo in ED. A total of 60 participants, recruited in ED, were divided into acupuncture and control group. Life-threatening conditions or central nervous system disorders were excluded to ensure participants' safety. The clinical effect of treating dizziness and vertigo was evaluated by performing statistical analyses on data collected from questionnaires of Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI), Visual Analog Scale (VAS) of dizziness and vertigo, and heart rate variability (HRV). The variation of VAS demonstrated a significant decrease (p-value: 0.001 and p-value: 0.037) between two groups after two different durations: 30 mins and 7 days. The variation of DHI showed no significant difference after 7 days. HRV revealed a significant increase in high frequency (HF) in the acupuncture group. No adverse event was reported in this study. Acupuncture demonstrates a significant immediate effect in reducing discomforts and VAS of both dizziness and vertigo. This study provides clinical evidence on the efficacy and safety of acupuncture to treat dizziness and vertigo in the emergency department. ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT02358239 . Registered 5 February 2015.

  2. [Discussion on knowledge structural system of modern acupuncture professionals].

    PubMed

    Wang, Qin-Yu; Li, Su-He

    2012-02-01

    To explore the knowledge structural system that the modern acupuncture professionals should have. The current situation of personnel training for modern acupuncture professionals was multi-dimensionally and comprehensively analyzed from course offering of higher education, laws of famous physicians growth, and discipline development features of the acupuncture and moxibustion subject, and suggestions were made to the shortages. The reasonable knowledge structural system that the modern acupuncture professionals should have included establishment of good Chinese medicine thoughts, mastery of complete Chinese medicine therapy, and ability of followup of dynamic development of subject. The reformation of course design is imperative in order to promote the reasonable knowledge structural system formation of modern acupuncture professionals.

  3. [Academic thoughts on Practice of acupuncture and moxibustion written by CHEN Jingwen, the acupuncture master in the Republic of China].

    PubMed

    Huang, Weiping; Li, Naiqi

    2015-03-01

    Through the collection of Practice of acupuncture and moxibustion written by CHEN Jingwen, the acupuncture master in the Republic of China, the academic characteristics on acupuncture and moxibusiton were analyzed. The literature comparison method was adopted to compare the works of LUO Zhaoju, ZENG Tianzhi and LI Wenxian, etc. at the same period. It was discovered that CHEN Jingwen was the medical master who systematicly brought up the theory of acupoint properties earlier in the modern times. Classifying drugs based on acupoints was his academic feature. Additionally, the compatibility therapy of Chinese medicine was introduced to explain the essential ideas on the acupoints combination. The treatment was determined on the basis of zangxiang theory and the reinforcing and reducing therapy of acupuncture was emphasized in the determination of treatment and prescription. CHEN Jingwen's theory of acupoint property had been stressed and spread among the medical scholars in the Republic of China and he had made the beneficial exploration for the development of modern acupuncture and moxibustion therapy.

  4. [To finish with fear of dental care].

    PubMed

    Bohl, J B; Bracconi, M; Herve, C; Pirnay, P

    2015-06-01

    The patient facing the dentist knows fear, anxiety. The symbolism of the mouth and teeth from childhood is an entirely specific nature of the human body. The terrifying image of dental treatment and dentist that has long been stigmatized through painting, literature, theater and cinema can change today. Many therapeutic options to the management of anxiety in dental phobia; anesthesia, conscious sedation, combined with a soothing cabinet, a caring dentist, targeted use of medications or milder alternative methods; homeopathy, herbal medicine, acupuncture, psychotherapy, places the patient's interests at the center of the caregiving relationship. But this treatment panel is also offered him the difficulty of the choice. This exercise without systematization, according to the patient with competence and kindness. Some patients may be sent or processed in collaboration with other health professionals.

  5. Acupuncture for irritable bowel syndrome: systematic review and meta-analysis

    PubMed Central

    Manheimer, Eric; Wieland, L. Susan; Cheng, Ke; Li, Shih Min; Shen, Xueyong; Berman, Brian M.; Lao, Lixing

    2013-01-01

    Objective Evidence-based treatment guidelines have been unable to provide evidence-based guidance on the effects of acupuncture for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) because the only previous systematic review included only small, heterogeneous and methodologically unsound trials. We conducted a new systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to estimate the effects of acupuncture for treating IBS. Methods MEDLINE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, EMBASE, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health, and the Chinese databases Sino-Med, CNKI, and VIP were searched through November 2011. Eligible RCTs compared acupuncture with sham acupuncture, other active treatments, or no (specific) treatment, and evaluated acupuncture as an adjuvant to another treatment. Our outcomes were overall IBS symptom severity and health-related quality of life. Dichotomous data were pooled to provide a relative risk (RR) of substantial improvement after treatment, and continuous data were pooled to provide a standardized mean difference (SMD) in post-treatment scores between groups. Results Seventeen RCTs (N=1806) were included. We found no evidence of an improvement with acupuncture relative to sham acupuncture on symptom severity (SMD = −0.11, 95% confidence interval: −0.35 to 0.13; 4 RCTs) or quality of life (SMD = −0.03, −0.27 to 0.22; 3 RCTs). Because of the homogeneity of the results of the sham-controlled trials, results were unaffected by restriction to the 4 sham-controlled RCTs that used adequate randomization, blinding, and had few withdrawals/drop-outs. Among RCTs that did not use a placebo control, acupuncture was more effective than pharmacological therapy (RR of symptom improvement=1.28, 1.12 to 1.45; 5 RCTs) and no (specific) treatment (RR = 2.11, 1.18 to 3.79; 2 RCTs). There was no difference between acupuncture and Bifidobacterium (RR = 1.07, 0.90 to 1.27; 2 RCTs) or between acupuncture and psychotherapy (RR=1.05, 0

  6. Acupuncture for treating acute ankle sprains in adults.

    PubMed

    Kim, Tae-Hun; Lee, Myeong Soo; Kim, Kun Hyung; Kang, Jung Won; Choi, Tae-Young; Ernst, Edzard

    2014-06-23

    An acute ankle sprain is a sudden-onset injury of one or more of the ankle ligaments. It is one of the most common musculoskeletal injuries in the general population as well as in athletes. In some countries, such as China and Korea, acupuncture is frequently used in the treatment of ankle sprains, either as a single treatment or a secondary intervention accompanied by standard medical treatment. To assess the effects (benefits and harms) of acupuncture for the treatment of ankle sprains in adults. We searched the Cochrane Bone, Joint and Muscle Trauma Group Specialised Register (May 2013), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (The Cochrane Library 2013, Issue 4), MEDLINE (1948 to May week 2 2013), EMBASE (1980 to May week 2 2013), China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases (1994 to August week 4 2013), the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (1937 to May 2013), the Allied and Complementary Medicine Database (1985 to May 2013), Science Links Japan (1996 to August week 4 2013), several Korean medical databases (August week 4 2013), the World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (August week 4 2013), the bibliographic references of included trials and conference proceedings. We included randomised and quasi-randomised controlled trials involving adults with acute ankle sprains. We included all types of acupuncture practices, such as needle acupuncture, electroacupuncture, laser acupuncture, pharmacoacupuncture, non-penetrating acupuncture point stimulation (e.g. acupressure and magnets) and moxibustion. Acupuncture could be compared with control (no treatment or placebo) or another standard non-surgical intervention. Two review authors independently screened the search results, assessed trial eligibility, assessed risk of bias and extracted data from the included trials. We calculated risk ratios (RRs) for dichotomous outcomes and mean differences for continuous outcomes. We conducted meta

  7. [Discussion on the cultural loss and return of modern acupuncture].

    PubMed

    Liu, Bing; Zhao, Jing-sheng; Gao, Shu-zhong

    2009-08-01

    The philosophical ontology analysis was used in this study to explore the self-factors related to the cultural loss of modern acupuncture, and to establish the theoretical constructs and the clinical model for the cultural return. It is indicated that the most important factors related to the cultural loss of modern acupuncture are the separation of technical characteristics and cultural connotations and the diversion of modern techniques away from classical acupuncture. An effective way of the cultural return is to build a harmonious theoretical and clinical model to develop acupuncture. Based on the foundation of acupuncture from its own culture roots, the traditional sense and cultural values should be enhanced to facilitate the cultural return of acupuncture in theory and clinical practice.

  8. 21 CFR 880.5580 - Acupuncture needle.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Acupuncture needle. 880.5580 Section 880.5580 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL... the skin in the practice of acupuncture. The device consists of a solid, stainless steel needle. The...

  9. [Relieving pre-exam anxiety syndrome with wrist-ankle acupuncture: a randomized controlled trial].

    PubMed

    Shu, Shi; Li, Tong-ming; Fang, Fan-fu; He, Hou-luo; Zhou, Qing-hui; Gu, Wei; Zhou, Shuang

    2011-06-01

    Pre-exam anxiety syndrome is a common condition occurring in pre-exam students and directly affects their examination performance and physical state. Wrist-ankle acupuncture has significant therapeutic effects in treating mental disorders and may also relieve the symptoms of pre-exam anxiety syndrome. To assess the therapeutic effect of wrist-ankle acupuncture on pre-exam anxiety syndrome. A total of 60 students who met the inclusion criteria of pre-exam anxiety syndrome were enrolled from a university in Shanghai and they were randomly divided into treatment group and control group. There were 30 cases in each group, and no case failed to follow-up. In the treatment group, wrist-ankle acupuncture was adopted to point upper 1 bilaterally (impression between flexor carpi ulnaris tendon and ulnar margin), and there was no requirement for Deqi (arrival of qi). In the control group, sham acupuncture was adopted. The treatment was applied 3 times totally in both groups one week before the exam, once every other day, each time with the needles retained for 30 min. The therapeutic effects were compared between two groups. Before and after 3 treatments, Sarason Test Anxiety Scale (TAS) and Expectation and Treatment Credibility Scale (ETCS) were measured and evaluated. The therapeutic effect experienced by the treatment group was better than that of the control group (P<0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in TAS and ETCS before treatment between the two groups. The scores of TAS after treatment in two groups were higher than those before treatment (P<0.05, P<0.01). There were statistical differences in TAS absolute difference and TAS relative difference between the two groups and the treatment group had better results (P<0.05, P<0.01). After treatment, patients in the treatment group had higher scores in ETCS than those in the control group (P<0.05, P<0.01). No adverse reaction was reported. Wrist-ankle acupuncture can relieve the symptoms of pre

  10. [Brief on the standardization of the practitioner's posture in acupuncture operation].

    PubMed

    Lu, Yonghui

    2015-07-01

    To discuss the standardization of the practitioner's posture in acupuncture operation. Based on the relevant discussion on 'way to holding needle' recorded in Lingshu (Miraculous Pivot) and in association with the clinical acupuncture practice, it was required to standardize the practitioner's posture in acupuncture operation in reference to Lingshu (Miraculous Pivot). The standard standing posture of the practitioner is the precondition of acupuncture operation; the standard holding needle with the puncture hand is the key to the exercise of acupuncture technique and the regular standing orientation is the need of acupuncture operation. The three aspects are complemented each other, which is the coordinative procedure in acupuncture operation and enable the practitioner's high concentration with the body, qi and mind involved.

  11. Effects of Acupuncture on Gait of Patients with Multiple Sclerosis.

    PubMed

    Criado, Maria Begoña; Santos, Maria João; Machado, Jorge; Gonçalves, Arminda Manuela; Greten, Henry Johannes

    2017-11-01

    Multiple sclerosis is considered a complex and heterogeneous disease. Approximately 85% of patients with multiple sclerosis indicate impaired gait as one of the major limitations in their daily life. Acupuncture studies found a reduction of spasticity and improvement of fatigue and imbalance in patients with multiple sclerosis, but there is a lack of studies regarding gait. We designed a study of acupuncture treatment, according to the Heidelberg model of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), to investigate if acupuncture can be a useful therapeutic strategy in patients with gait impairment in multiple sclerosis of relapsing-remitting type. The sample consisted of 20 individuals with diagnosis of multiple sclerosis of relapsing-remitting type. Gait impairment was evaluated by the 25-foot walk test. The results showed differences in time to walk 25 feet following true acupuncture. In contrast, there was no difference in time to walk 25 feet following sham acupuncture. When using true acupuncture, 95% of cases showed an improvement in 25-foot walk test, compared with 45% when sham acupuncture was done. Our study protocol provides evidence that acupuncture treatment can be an attractive option for patients with multiple sclerosis, with gait impairment.

  12. Acupuncture (PDQ)

    MedlinePlus

    ... patients who were waiting to receive treatment later. Observational studies have also reported both real acupuncture and ... NCCIH) are sponsoring a number of clinical trials (research studies) at ... and alternative methods. Few CAM therapies have been tested using demanding ...

  13. Hypothalamus and amygdala response to acupuncture stimuli in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

    PubMed

    Napadow, V; Kettner, N; Liu, J; Li, M; Kwong, K K; Vangel, M; Makris, N; Audette, J; Hui, K K S

    2007-08-01

    Brain processing of acupuncture stimuli in chronic neuropathic pain patients may underlie its beneficial effects. We used fMRI to evaluate verum and sham acupuncture stimulation at acupoint LI-4 in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) patients and healthy controls (HC). CTS patients were retested after 5 weeks of acupuncture therapy. Thus, we investigated both the short-term brain response to acupuncture stimulation, as well as the influence of longer-term acupuncture therapy effects on this short-term response. CTS patients responded to verum acupuncture with greater activation in the hypothalamus and deactivation in the amygdala as compared to HC, controlling for the non-specific effects of sham acupuncture. A similar difference was found between CTS patients at baseline and after acupuncture therapy. For baseline CTS patients responding to verum acupuncture, functional connectivity was found between the hypothalamus and amygdala--the less deactivation in the amygdala, the greater the activation in the hypothalamus, and vice versa. Furthermore, hypothalamic response correlated positively with the degree of maladaptive cortical plasticity in CTS patients (inter-digit separation distance). This is the first evidence suggesting that chronic pain patients respond to acupuncture differently than HC, through a coordinated limbic network including the hypothalamus and amygdala.

  14. [Effect of acupuncture combined with massage of sole on sleeping quality of the patient with insomnia].

    PubMed

    Zhong, Zhi-Guo; Cai, Heng; Li, Xiao-Long; Lü, Dong

    2008-06-01

    To assess effect of acupuncture combined with massage of sole on sleeping quality of the patient with insomnia. Fifty-eight cases of insomnia were randomly divided into an observation group (n = 32) and a control group (n = 26). The observation group were treated with oral administration of Alprazolam, massage of sole, and acupuncture at Zhongwan (CV 12), Guanyuan (CV 4), Qihai (CV 6), etc. on the abdomen as main points; the control group were treated with Alprazolam. Clinical therapeutic effects, and scores for Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) were assessed before and after treatment in the two groups. The effective rate was 93.75 in the observation group and 88.46% in the control group with no significant difference between the two groups; after treatment, there were significant or very significant differences in scores for various factors in the PSQI, SAS and SDS (P < 0.01, P < 0.05). Abdominal acupuncture as main combined with massage of sole can obviously improve sleeping quality of the patient with insomnia.

  15. Factors affecting whether or not cancer patients consider using acupuncture.

    PubMed

    Oh, Byeongsang; Eade, Thomas; Kneebone, Andrew; Pavlakis, Nick; Clarke, Stephen; Eslick, Guy; River, Jo; Back, Michael

    2017-04-01

    To explore the factors associated with utilisation of an acupuncture service in a tertiary oncology setting in an Australian public hospital. Cancer patients attending oncology clinics at a university teaching hospital were invited to participate in the evaluation of acupuncture services from June 2014 to May 2015. Patients had a prior diagnosis of cancer (albeit at different stages) and were planning to receive, or were already receiving, systemic and/or radiation cancer treatment. The majority (81%) of participants indicated that they would consider the use of acupuncture during their cancer treatment. The most common reasons given for not considering acupuncture included adequate control of symptoms already with medical treatment, inconvenient clinic timing, and needle phobia. The main reasons given for considering acupuncture use included its perceived capability of reducing fatigue, boosting energy levels, improving immune function, and reducing pain and anxiety. Patients considering acupuncture use also demonstrated significantly higher levels of stress (p<0.001), anxiety and depression (p<0.001), fatigue (p<0.001), and lower global quality of life (p<0.01) compared to those who were not considering acupuncture. The findings show that demand for acupuncture by cancer patients is high. A substantial proportion of cancer patients intend to use acupuncture to manage cancer and/or cancer treatment-related symptoms. Discussion with patients about acupuncture and other complementary therapies during the consultation may improve cancer care. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

  16. [Profound meaning of acupuncture taboos in Internal Classic based on the fault of reinforcing and reducing technique by mind conduction of acupuncture therapy].

    PubMed

    Qin, Yuge; Wang, Feng; Qin, Yuheng; Li, Li; Li, Mei

    2016-05-01

    By analyzing the acupuncture taboos in Neijing (Internal Classic) on clinical application of mind conduction of acupuncture therapy in going against the actual situation, astronomy and others, it is found that the relevant acupuncture taboo implies many subtle mysteries of human body, qi, mind and astronomy, which have not been discovered yet in modern science and are very significant in qi protection. In Neijing, the acupuncture physicians have been highly required in the mind treatment, in which, accurately regulating qi circulation is the target in the treatment. The mind conduction is used for qi circulation to accomplish accurately the reinforcing or reducing in the deficiency or excess condition. All of the taboos are provided to normalize the accuracy of reinforcing and reducing technique of acupuncture therapy and avoid the damage of qi in human body. Hence, those taboos must be obeyed so as to prevent from serious consequence and ensure the safety of this acupuncture therapy.

  17. Fear, pain and stress hormones during childbirth.

    PubMed

    Alehagen, Siw; Wijma, Barbro; Lundberg, Ulf; Wijma, Klaas

    2005-09-01

    To investigate the course of fear, pain and stress hormones during labor, and the associations between fear, pain, stress hormones and duration of labor in nulliparous women with and without epidural analgesia (EDA). One day during gestation weeks 37-39, urinary and salivary samples were collected to measure catecholamines and cortisol. Hourly during labor, the participants answered the Delivery Fear Scale and a pain intensity scale, and urinary and salivary samples were collected to measure stress hormones. The course of fear, pain and stress hormones differed throughout labor in women with and without EDA. Pain and cortisol increased throughout labor in women without EDA. Women who received EDA had more fear, but not more pain, before the administration of the EDA than women who did not receive EDA. Pain, fear and catecholamines decreased when women received EDA, but fear and pain increased again later in labor. Fear and pain correlated, as well as levels of fear in the different phases of labor. During phase one of labor epinephrine and duration of the phase were negatively correlated. The course of fear, pain and concentrations of stress hormones differed, highly influenced by the administration of EDA. Fear and pain correlated more pronounced than stress hormones and fear, pain and duration of labor.

  18. Acupuncture and related interventions for smoking cessation.

    PubMed

    White, Adrian R; Rampes, Hagen; Liu, Jian Ping; Stead, Lindsay F; Campbell, John

    2011-01-19

    Acupuncture and related techniques are promoted as a treatment for smoking cessation in the belief that they may reduce nicotine withdrawal symptoms. The objectives of this review are to determine the effectiveness of acupuncture and the related interventions of acupressure, laser therapy and electrostimulation in smoking cessation, in comparison with no intervention, sham treatment, or other interventions. We searched the Cochrane Tobacco Addiction Group specialized register, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, EMBASE, BIOSIS Previews, PsycINFO, Science Citation Index, AMED, Acubriefs in November 2010; and four Chinese databases: Chinese Biomedical Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Data and VIP in November 2010. Randomized trials comparing a form of acupuncture, acupressure, laser therapy or electrostimulation with either no intervention, sham treatment or another intervention for smoking cessation. We extracted data in duplicate on the type of smokers recruited, the nature of the intervention and control procedures, the outcome measures, method of randomization, and completeness of follow up.We assessed abstinence from smoking at the earliest time-point (before six weeks), and at the last measurement point between six months and one year. We used the most rigorous definition of abstinence for each trial, and biochemically validated rates if available. Those lost to follow up were counted as continuing smokers. Where appropriate, we performed meta-analysis using a fixed-effect model. We included 33 reports of studies. Compared with sham acupuncture, the fixed-effect risk ratio (RR) for the short-term effect of acupuncture was 1.18 (95% confidence interval 1.03 to 1.34), and for the long-term effect was 1.05 (CI 0.82 to 1.35). The studies were not judged to be free from bias. Acupuncture was less effective than nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). There was no evidence that acupuncture is superior to

  19. Informing nurses of the lived experience of acupuncture treatment: a phenomenological account.

    PubMed

    Griffiths, Viv; Taylor, Bev

    2005-05-01

    Acupuncture is a component of Traditional Chinese Medicine, focusing on a holistic, energy-based approach to the individual, rather than a disease-oriented, diagnostic, and treatment model. Nurses are increasingly involving themselves in the use of acupuncture as practitioners and as supporters of acupuncture in mainstream health care. This project described the lived experience of acupuncture treatment, with specific objectives to: inform nurses of people's experiences of having acupuncture; give nurses the language to explain to patients the experience of having acupuncture; and create possibilities for offering acupuncture as an informed choice of treatment in nursing and health care. The phenomenon of experiencing acupuncture was located within the participants' accounts of what it was like for them before, during, and after treatment.

  20. Acupuncture lowering blood pressure for secondary prevention of stroke: a study protocol for a multicenter randomized controlled trial.

    PubMed

    Du, Yu-Zheng; Gao, Xin-Xin; Wang, Cheng-Ting; Zheng, Hai-Zhen; Lei, Yun; Wu, Meng-Han; Shi, Xue-Min; Ban, Hai-Peng; Gu, Wen-Long; Meng, Xiang-Gang; Wei, Mao-Ti; Hu, Chun-Xiao

    2017-09-15

    Stroke is the prime cause of morbidity and mortality in the general population, and hypertension will increase the recurrence and mortality of stroke. We report a protocol of a pragmatic randomized controlled trial (RCT) using blood pressure (BP)-lowering acupuncture add-on treatment to treat patients with hypertension and stroke. This is a large-scale, multicenter, subject-, assessor- and analyst-blinded, pragmatic RCT. A total of 480 patients with hypertension and ischemic stroke will be randomly assigned to two groups: an experimental group and a control group. The experimental group will receive "HuoXueSanFeng" acupuncture combined with one antihypertensive medication in addition to routine ischemic stroke treatment. The control group will only receive one antihypertensive medication and basic treatments for ischemic stroke. HuoXueSanFeng acupuncture will be given for six sessions weekly for the first 6 weeks and three times weekly for the next 6 weeks. A 9-month follow-up will, thereafter, be conducted. Antihypertensive medication will be adjusted based on BP levels. The primary outcome will be the recurrence of stroke. The secondary outcomes including 24-h ambulatory BP, the TCM syndrome score, the Short Form 36-item Health Survey (SF-36), the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), as well as the Barthel Index (BI) scale will be assessed at baseline, 6 weeks and 12 weeks post initiating treatments; cardiac ultrasound, carotid artery ultrasound, transcranial Doppler, and lower extremity ultrasound will be evaluated at baseline and 12 weeks after treatment. The safety of acupuncture will also be assessed. We aim to determine the clinical effects of controlling BP for secondary prevention of stroke with acupuncture add-on treatment. ClinicalTrials.gov, ID: NCT02967484 . Registered on 13 February 2017; last updated on 27 June 2017.

  1. Evaluation of phantom-based education system for acupuncture manipulation.

    PubMed

    Lee, In-Seon; Lee, Ye-Seul; Park, Hi-Joon; Lee, Hyejung; Chae, Younbyoung

    2015-01-01

    Although acupuncture manipulation has been regarded as one of the important factors in clinical outcome, it has been difficult to train novice students to become skillful experts due to a lack of adequate educational program and tools. In the present study, we investigated whether newly developed phantom acupoint tools would be useful to practice-naïve acupuncture students for practicing the three different types of acupuncture manipulation to enhance their skills. We recruited 12 novice students and had them practice acupuncture manipulations on the phantom acupoint (5% agarose gel). We used the Acusensor 2 and compared their acupuncture manipulation techniques, for which the target criteria were depth and time factors, at acupoint LI11 in the human body before and after 10 training sessions. The outcomes were depth of needle insertion, depth error from target criterion, time of rotating, lifting, and thrusting, time error from target criteria and the time ratio. After 10 training sessions, the students showed significantly improved outcomes in depth of needle, depth error (rotation, reducing lifting/thrusting), thumb-forward time error, thumb-backward time error (rotation), and lifting time (reinforcing lifting/thrusting). The phantom acupoint tool could be useful in a phantom-based education program for acupuncture-manipulation training for students. For advanced education programs for acupuncture manipulation, we will need to collect additional information, such as patient responses, acupoint-specific anatomical characteristics, delicate tissue-like modeling, haptic and visual feedback, and data from an acupuncture practice simulator.

  2. The safety of acupuncture during pregnancy: a systematic review

    PubMed Central

    Park, Jimin; Sohn, Youngjoo; White, Adrian R; Lee, Hyangsook

    2014-01-01

    Objective Although there is a growing interest in the use of acupuncture during pregnancy, the safety of acupuncture is yet to be rigorously investigated. The objective of this review is to identify adverse events (AEs) associated with acupuncture treatment during pregnancy. Methods We searched Medline, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Allied and Complementary Medicine Database (AMED) and five Korean databases up to February 2013. Reference lists of relevant articles were screened for additional reports. Studies were included regardless of their design if they reported original data and involved acupuncture needling and/or moxibustion treatment for any conditions in pregnant women. Studies of acupuncture for delivery, abortion, assisted reproduction or postpartum conditions were excluded. AE data were extracted and assessed in terms of severity and causality, and incidence was determined. Results Of 105 included studies, detailed AEs were reported only in 25 studies represented by 27 articles (25.7%). AEs evaluated as certain, probable or possible in the causality assessment were all mild/moderate in severity, with needling pain being the most frequent. Severe AEs or deaths were few and all considered unlikely to have been caused by acupuncture. Total AE incidence was 1.9%, and the incidence of AEs evaluated as certainly, probably or possibly causally related to acupuncture was 1.3%. Conclusions Acupuncture during pregnancy appears to be associated with few AEs when correctly applied. PMID:24554789

  3. [Development and prospects of acupuncture therapy in Eritrea].

    PubMed

    Hu, Shan-Jia

    2011-10-01

    It has been over 30 years that acupuncture was first introduced and later used to treat patients in Eritrea. There are acupuncture clinics at three hospitals to treat various common diseases. As one of the valuable treatments to cure diseases, acupuncture has been accepted by the government and the public in Eritrea. It is the fruits of public recognition, government support and the devotion of Chinese clinic practitioners.

  4. Acupuncture for ankle sprain: systematic review and meta-analysis

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background Ankle sprain is one of the most frequently encountered musculoskeletal injuries; however, the efficacy of acupuncture in treating ankle sprains remains uncertain. We therefore performed a systematic review to evaluate the evidence regarding acupuncture for ankle sprains. Methods We searched 15 data sources and two trial registries up to February 2012. Randomized controlled trials of acupuncture were included if they involved patients with ankle sprains and reported outcomes of symptom improvement, including pain. A Cochrane risk of bias assessment tool was used. Risk ratio (RR) or mean difference (MD) was calculated with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) in a random effects model. Subgroup analyses were performed based on acupuncture type, grade of sprain, and control type. Sensitivity analyses were also performed with respect to risk of bias, sample size, and outcomes reported. Results Seventeen trials involving 1820 participants were included. Trial quality was generally poor, with just three reporting adequate methods of randomization and only one a method of allocation concealment. Significantly more participants in acupuncture groups reported global symptom improvement compared with no acupuncture groups (RR of symptoms persisting with acupuncture = 0.56, 95% CI 0.42–0.77). However, this is probably an overestimate due to the heterogeneity (I2 = 51%) and high risk of bias of the included studies. Acupuncture as an add-on treatment also improved global symptoms compared with other treatments only, without significant variability (RR 0.61, 95% CI 0.51–0.73, I2 = 1%). The benefit of acupuncture remained significant when the analysis was limited to two studies with a low risk of bias. Acupuncture was more effective than various controls in relieving pain, facilitating return to normal activity, and promoting quality of life, but these analyses were based on only a small number of studies. Acupuncture did not appear to be associated with

  5. Acupuncture for the prevention of tension-type headache.

    PubMed

    Linde, Klaus; Allais, Gianni; Brinkhaus, Benno; Fei, Yutong; Mehring, Michael; Shin, Byung-Cheul; Vickers, Andrew; White, Adrian R

    2016-04-19

    Acupuncture is often used for prevention of tension-type headache but its effectiveness is still controversial. This is an update of our Cochrane review originally published in Issue 1, 2009 of The Cochrane Library. To investigate whether acupuncture is a) more effective than no prophylactic treatment/routine care only; b) more effective than 'sham' (placebo) acupuncture; and c) as effective as other interventions in reducing headache frequency in adults with episodic or chronic tension-type headache. We searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE and AMED to 19 January 2016. We searched the World Health Organization (WHO) International Clinical Trials Registry Platform to 10 February 2016 for ongoing and unpublished trials. We included randomised trials with a post-randomisation observation period of at least eight weeks, which compared the clinical effects of an acupuncture intervention with a control (treatment of acute headaches only or routine care), a sham acupuncture intervention or another prophylactic intervention in adults with episodic or chronic tension-type headache. Two review authors checked eligibility; extracted information on participants, interventions, methods and results; and assessed study risk of bias and the quality of the acupuncture intervention. The main efficacy outcome measure was response (at least 50% reduction of headache frequency) after completion of treatment (three to four months after randomisation). To assess safety/acceptability we extracted the number of participants dropping out due to adverse effects and the number of participants reporting adverse effects. We assessed the quality of the evidence using GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation). Twelve trials (11 included in the previous version and one newly identified) with 2349 participants (median 56, range 10 to 1265) met the inclusion criteria.Acupuncture was compared with routine care or treatment of acute headaches only in two large trials (1265

  6. Acupuncture for the prevention of tension-type headache

    PubMed Central

    Linde, Klaus; Allais, Gianni; Brinkhaus, Benno; Fei, Yutong; Mehring, Michael; Shin, Byung-Cheul; Vickers, Andrew; White, Adrian R

    2016-01-01

    Background Acupuncture is often used for prevention of tension-type headache but its effectiveness is still controversial. This is an update of our Cochrane review originally published in Issue 1, 2009 of The Cochrane Library. Objectives To investigate whether acupuncture is a) more effective than no prophylactic treatment/routine care only; b) more effective than ‘sham’ (placebo) acupuncture; and c) as effective as other interventions in reducing headache frequency in adults with episodic or chronic tension-type headache. Search methods We searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE and AMED to 19 January 2016. We searched the World Health Organization (WHO) International Clinical Trials Registry Platform to 10 February 2016 for ongoing and unpublished trials. Selection criteria We included randomised trials with a post-randomisation observation period of at least eight weeks, which compared the clinical effects of an acupuncture intervention with a control (treatment of acute headaches only or routine care), a sham acupuncture intervention or another prophylactic intervention in adults with episodic or chronic tension-type headache. Data collection and analysis Two review authors checked eligibility; extracted information on participants, interventions, methods and results; and assessed study risk of bias and the quality of the acupuncture intervention. The main efficacy outcome measure was response (at least 50% reduction of headache frequency) after completion of treatment (three to four months after randomisation). To assess safety/acceptability we extracted the number of participants dropping out due to adverse effects and the number of participants reporting adverse effects. We assessed the quality of the evidence using GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation). Main results Twelve trials (11 included in the previous version and one newly identified) with 2349 participants (median 56, range 10 to 1265) met the inclusion criteria

  7. Electro-acupuncture for pain relief after nasal septoplasty: a randomized controlled study.

    PubMed

    Sahmeddini, Mohammad A; Farbood, Arash; Ghafaripuor, Sina

    2010-01-01

    Electro-acupuncture (EA) can be effective in some pain conditions, but still there have been no randomized controlled studies of EA for treatment of acute postoperative pain in nasal septoplasty. Therefore, we did a study to test whether EA of specific points is superior to sham acupuncture for complementary analgesia after nasal septoplasty. Ninety (90) patients with an American Society of Anesthesiology (ASA) physical status of I-II scheduled for elective septoplasty were randomly allocated to acupuncture group or control group. Postoperative pain was treated with intravenous meperidine. The time to the first analgesic request, and pain intensity on a 100-mm visual analogue scale (VAS-100) were used to evaluate postoperative pain, and the amount of postoperative meperidine and incidence of analgesia related to side-effects were recorded. Postoperative pain intensity on VAS-100 and respiratory depression were similar in both groups (p > 0.05), but nausea and vomiting were less in the acupuncture group than in the control group (p < 0.05). Findings from our study demonstrate that both uses of EA and 0.1 mg/kg IV morphine given intraoperatively resulted in a similar postoperative pain score, and meperidine was not given in any patient in the two groups during postoperative period because the VAS scores of all patients were less than 40 mm.

  8. [The development of World Federation of Acupuncture-Moxibustion Societies].

    PubMed

    Wang, Hong-cai; Deng, Liang-yue; Liu, Bao-yan

    2014-10-01

    From cooperation between World Federation of Acupuncture-Moxibustion Societies (WFAS) and World Health Organization, works of academics and standardization, acupuncture-moxibustion education, technique service, organization development, etc., the 27-year development of WFAS since 1987 was summarized and reviewed in details. The growth of WFAS witnesses and promotes the development of acupuncture and moxibustion in the world, so by learning the experience and lessons, WFAS could have a wider path, becoming a core organization for communicating and promoting the development of acupuncture, even the traditional medicine in the world.

  9. A single point acupuncture treatment at large intestine meridian: a randomized controlled trial in acute tonsillitis and pharyngitis.

    PubMed

    Fleckenstein, Johannes; Lill, Christian; Lüdtke, Rainer; Gleditsch, Jochen; Rasp, Gerd; Irnich, Dominik

    2009-09-01

    One out of 4 patients visiting a general practitioner reports of a sore throat associated with pain on swallowing. This study was established to examine the immediate pain alleviating effect of a single point acupuncture treatment applied to the large intestine meridian of patients with sore throat. Sixty patients with acute tonsillitis and pharyngitis were enrolled in this randomized placebo-controlled trial. They either received acupuncture, or sham laser acupuncture, directed to the large intestine meridian section between acupuncture points LI 8 and LI 10. The main outcome measure was the change of pain intensity on swallowing a sip of water evaluated by a visual analog scale 15 minutes after treatment. A credibility assessment regarding the respective treatment was performed. The pain intensity for the acupuncture group before and immediately after therapy was 5.6+/-2.8 and 3.0+/-3.0, and for the sham group 5.6+/-2.5 and 3.8+/-2.5, respectively. Despite the articulation of a more pronounced improvement among the acupuncture group, there was no significant difference between groups (Delta=0.9, confidence interval: -0.2-2.0; P=0.12; analysis of covariance). Patients' satisfaction was high in both treatment groups. The study was prematurely terminated due to a subsequent lack of suitable patients. A single acupuncture treatment applied to a selected area of the large intestine meridian was no more effective in the alleviation of pain associated with clinical sore throat than sham laser acupuncture applied to the same area. Hence, clinically relevant improvement could be achieved. Pain alleviation might partly be due to the intense palpation of the large intestine meridian. The benefit of a comprehensive acupuncture treatment protocol in this condition should be subject to further trials.

  10. [Clinical observasion of acupuncture in patients with depression and its impact on serum 5-HT].

    PubMed

    Zhou Xiufang; Li, Yan; Zhou, Zhenhua; Pan, Shuaiguo

    2015-02-01

    To observe the clinical effect of acupuncture for depression and to discuss its impact on the content of 5-HT in patients with depression. Eighty patients with depression were randomly divided into an acupuncture group and a western medication group,40 cases in each one. Acupuncture was applied in the acupuncture group,Siman(KI 14),Shenshu(BL 23),Guanyuan(CV 4),Dazhui(GV 14),Yinlingquan(SP 9), Zusanli(ST 36),Taichong(LR 3),Yanglingquan(GB 34) and Jingming(BL 1) were selected, the intensive moxibustion was applied at G(uanyuan(CV 4). Fluoxetine was treated with oral administration in the western medication group. The treatments of six weeks were required in each group. The Hamilton depression rating scale (HAMD) was applied to evaluate efficacy and serum 5-HT was detected before and after treatment in the two groups. After treatment,the scores of HAMD were decreased obviously in the two groups compared with those before treatment (scores in the acupuncture group: 24. 48 ± 0. 28 vs 8. 95 ± 2. 24; scores in the western medication group: 24. 14±0. 24 vs 10. 29±1. 30),and the differences were statistically significant (both P<0. 05). Between the two groups,the scores of HAMD in the acupuncture group at the end of the lst,2nd,4th,6th weeks were superior to those in the western medication group (all P<0. 05). The content of serum 5-HT after treatment was increased markedly compared with that before treatment [the content in the acupuncture group: (26. 21 2. 36)pg/mL vs (52. 07 ± 0. 56)pg/mL, the content in the western medication group:(26. 26±2. 31)pg/mL vs (51. 70±0. 52)pg/ mL, both P<0. 05]. But there was no statistic significance between the two groups(P >0.05). The efficacy of acupuncture for depression is superior to that of western medication with fluoxetine.

  11. [Thinking on designation of sham acupuncture in clinical research].

    PubMed

    Pan, Li-Jia; Chen, Bo; Zhao, Xue; Guo, Yi

    2014-01-01

    Randomized controlled trials (RCT) is the source of the raw data of evidence-based medicine. Blind method is adopted in most of the high-quality RCT. Sham acupuncture is the main form of blinded in acupuncture clinical trial. In order to improve the quality of acupuncture clinical trail, based on the necessity of sham acupuncture in clinical research, the current situation as well as the existing problems of sham acupuncture, suggestions were put forward from the aspects of new way and new designation method which can be adopted as reference, and factors which have to be considered during the process of implementing. Various subjective and objective factors involving in the process of trial should be considered, and used of the current international standards, try to be quantification, and carry out strict quality monitoring.

  12. Acupuncture and moxibustion for lateral elbow pain: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    Background Acupuncture and moxibustion have widely been used to treat lateral elbow pain (LEP). A comprehensive systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) including both English and Chinese databases was conducted to assess the efficacy of acupuncture and moxibustion in the treatment of LEP. Methods Revised STRICTA (2010) criteria were used to appraise the acupuncture procedures, the Cochrane risk of bias tool was used to assess the methodological quality of the studies. A total of 19 RCTs that compared acupuncture and/or moxibustion with sham acupuncture, another form of acupuncture, or conventional treatment were included. Results All studies had at least one domain rated as high risk or uncertain risk of bias in the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Results from three RCTs of moderate quality showed that acupuncture was more effective than sham acupuncture. Results from 10 RCTs of mostly low quality showed that acupuncture or moxibustion was superior or equal to conventional treatment, such as local anesthetic injection, local steroid injection, non-steroidal anti- inflammatory drugs, or ultrasound. There were six low quality RCTs that compared acupuncture and moxibustion combined with manual acupuncture alone, and all showed that acupuncture and moxibustion combined was superior to manual acupuncture alone. Conclusion Moderate quality studies suggest that acupuncture is more effective than sham acupuncture. Interpretations of findings regarding acupuncture vs. conventional treatment, and acupuncture and moxibustion combined vs. manual acupuncture alone are limited by the methodological qualities of these studies. Future studies with improved methodological design are warranted to confirm the efficacy of acupuncture and moxibustion for LEP. PMID:24726029

  13. Acupuncture suppresses intravenous methamphetamine self-administration through GABA receptor's mediation.

    PubMed

    Choi, Yi Jeong; Kim, Nam Jun; Zhao, Rong Jie; Kim, Da Hye; Yang, Chae Ha; Kim, Hee Young; Gwak, Young S; Jang, Eun Young; Kim, Jae Su; Lee, Yun Kyu; Lee, Hyun Jong; Lee, Sang Nam; Lim, Sung Chul; Lee, Bong Hyo

    2018-01-01

    Methamphetamine is one of the widely abused drugs. In spite of a number of studies, there is still little successful therapy to suppress the methamphetamine abuse. Acupuncture has shown to attenuate the reinforcing effects of psychostimulant. Based on, the present study investigated if acupuncture could suppress intravenous methamphetamine self-administration behavior. In addition, a possible neuronal mechanism was investigated. Male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 270-300g were trained to intake food pellet. After catheter implantation, animal was trained to self-administer methamphetamine (0.05mg/kg) intravenously using fixed ratio 1 schedule in daily 2h session during 3 weeks. After training, rats who established baseline (infusion variation less than 20% of the mean for 3 consecutive days) received acupuncture treatment on the next day. Acupuncture was performed at each acupoint manually. In the second experiment, the selective antagonists of GABA A or GABA B receptor were given before acupuncture to investigate the possible neuronal involvement of GABA receptor pathway in the acupuncture effects. C-Fos expression was examined in the nucleus accumbens to support behavioral data. Acupuncture at HT7, but not at control acupoint LI5, reduced the self-administration behavior significantly. Also, the effects of acupuncture were blocked by the GABA receptor antagonists. C-Fos expression was shown to be parallel with the behavioral data. Results of this study have shown that acupuncture at HT7 suppressed methamphetamine self-administration through GABA receptor system, suggesting that acupuncture at HT7 can be a useful therapy for the treatment of methamphetamine abuse. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. [The indications of acupuncture-moxibustion in China state-compiled textbooks].

    PubMed

    Gang, Weijuan; Wu, Xiaodong; Wang, Fang; Wang, Xin

    2017-03-12

    The Acupuncture-moxibustion and Acupuncture-moxibustion therapy have been the state-compiled textbooks of acupuncture-moxibustion in colleges and universities of TCM for nearly more than half a century, which play a regulating and guiding role for acupuncture education and to a certain extent represent the development status of this discipline. The indications included in Acupuncture-moxibustion from 1th edition to 7th edition and Acupuncture-moxibustion therapy from 1th edition to 3rd edition were analyzed in this study, which was aimed to basically reflect the current situation of acupuncture indications. As a result, it was found the inheritance and innovation of indications were both reflected in each edition of textbooks, 1/3 of which occurred repeatedly in more than half of the textbooks, and 1/3 of which occurred only once. The indications were classified by internal medicine, surgery, gynecology, dermatology, orthopedics, etc., which were not consistent with system classification of modern medicine such as digestive system, respiratory system, etc. The indications were mainly named after TCM disease names, involving only several names of western medicine diseases, which were contradicted to the names adopted from journals and literature. This inconformity of classification method and naming method between TCM and western medicine was not only a difficulty for modern acupuncture and moxibustion, but also an essential factor to hinder the development of acupuncture, therefore comparative study was needed in the future.

  15. Acupuncture at SI5 attenuates morphine seeking behavior after extinction.

    PubMed

    Lee, Bong Hyo; Ma, Jeong Hun; In, Sunghyun; Kim, Hee Young; Yoon, Seong Shoon; Jang, Eun Young; Yang, Chae Ha

    2012-10-31

    Our previous studies have shown that acupuncture attenuates morphine self-administration and sensitization behavior as well as withdrawal signs. The present study was designed to investigate the role of acupuncture in the reinstatement of morphine seeking. Male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 270-300 g were subjected to intravenous catheterization after food training. The animals were trained to self-administer morphine (1.0mg/kg, 3 weeks), followed by extinction (1 week). Extinction conditions were introduced by substituting saline for morphine. The rats were then tested for reinstatement of morphine self-administration by a priming injection of morphine (0.25mg/kg). To see whether acupuncture can reduce morphine reinstatement, acupuncture was performed at SI5 or LI5 for 1 min immediately before a morphine injection. To further test the involvement of gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors in acupuncture effects, GABA receptor antagonists were injected before acupuncture. In the present results, acupuncture at SI5, but not at control acupoint LI5 attenuated the reinstatement of morphine seeking behavior, which was blocked by the GABA receptor antagonists. It suggests that acupuncture can reduce the reinstatement of morphine seeking, possibly due to the mediation of GABA receptor system. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. [Origin and thought on the philosophical ideas of acupuncture in Chinese medicine].

    PubMed

    Ren, Xiumei

    2017-12-12

    Acupuncture in Chinese medicine has been a treasure in Chinese traditional medicine for thousands of years. It is opposite to many basic theories in modern medicine in dynasties. Different from the cross compatibility and interactions among medical medicines, acupuncture in Chinese medicine has its own consolidation and inherent philosophical ideas. In view of this, how to discuss the philosophical ideas and its development of acupuncture in Chinese medicine becomes of great importance. It is crucial to clearly answer the three theoretical propositions in the development of acupuncture in Chinese medicine. Firstly, the differences in acupuncture should be identified between the ancient time and the modern time. The issues focus on the origin of Huangdi Neijing ( Yellow Emperor's Internal Medicine ) and its philosophical divergence. Secondly, the origin of acupuncture should be identified, whether it is from China or India. Thirdly, the differences in acupuncture should be identified between China and the west, focusing on the explanation and rectification of the interrelationship between the acupuncture in Chinese medicine and the western acupuncture. Hence, the basic features are discussed on the reality of acupuncture in Chinese medicine as well as its diversity. Finally, the proposition is extended on how to holistically grasp the philosophical foundation of acupuncture in Chinese medicine and its future trend.

  17. [Combination of acupuncture, cupping and medicine for treatment of fibromyalgia syndrome: a multi-central randomized controlled trial].

    PubMed

    Jang, Zhen-Ya; Li, Chang-Du; Qiu, Ling; Guo, Jun-Hua; He, Ling-Na; Yue, Yang; Li, Fang-Ze; Qin, Wen-Yi

    2010-04-01

    To evaluate the clinical effect of combination of acupuncture, cupping and medicine for treatment of fibromyalgia syndrome. By using multi-central randomized controlled method, 186 cases were randomly divided into an acupuncture combined with cupping and western medicine group (group A), an acupuncture combined with cupping group (group B) and a western medicine group (group C) and treated continuously for 4 weeks. The treatment of acupuncture combined with cupping was produced by acupuncture at five mental points and moving cupping on the Hechelu of the back, once evrey other day, thrice each week, and the western medicine therapy by oral administration of Amitriptyline, once each day. The scores of McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ), the amount of tenderness point and the time of producing effect were compared and the therapeutic effects were assessed with the Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD). The cured and markedly effective rate was 65.0% (39/60) in the group A, which was superior to 15.9% (10/63) in the group B and 16.1% (9/56) in the group C (both P < 0.001). After treatment, the scores of MPQ and HAMD and the amount of tenderness point all decreased in the three groups, group A being significantly better than group B and group C, and the time of producing effect in the group A was more earlier than those in the group B and the group C. The therapeutic effect of combination of acupuncture, cupping and medicine on fibromyalgia syndrome is superior to that of the simple acupuncture combined with cupping or the simple medicine.

  18. Novel intervention with acupuncture for anorexia and cachexia in patients with gastrointestinal tract cancers: a feasibility study.

    PubMed

    Yoon, Saunjoo L; Grundmann, Oliver; Williams, Joseph J; Carriere, Gwen

    2015-03-01

    To investigate the feasibility of using acupuncture as a complementary intervention to existing treatments and to evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture in improving appetite and slowing weight loss with patients with gastrointestinal (GI) tract cancers. 
 One-group pre- and postintervention feasibility study. 
 Outpatient clinic for patients with cancer and a community setting, both in Florida. 
 A convenience sample of seven adults with GI cancer.
 Eight acupuncture sessions were provided during eight weeks. Data were collected using the visual analog scale (VAS) for appetite, Simplified Nutritional Appetite Questionnaire (SNAQ), Karnofsky Performance Status, and bioelectrical impedance analysis. 
 Appetite, weight, attrition rate.
 Seven patients with a mean age of 61 years completed the intervention. Acupuncture was well accepted, feasible, and safe without any reported side effects. Appetite showed improvement, with an average score of 3.04 on the VAS and 4.14 on SNAQ compared to the preintervention scores. The average weight loss was 1.32% compared to the baseline during an eight-week period. 
 The acupuncture intervention was feasible and indicated positive outcomes. Because of the small sample size and lack of a control group, statistical significance of effectiveness was not determined. Acupuncture seemed to improve appetite and slow weight loss in patients with GI cancers, so additional studies with a larger sample size and a variety of cancers are warranted. 
 Oncology nurses are uniquely able to equip patients with information about complementary therapy modalities, such as acupuncture, which is a promising way to improve appetite and slow weight loss in patients with GI cancers.


  19. [Current situation of the standardization of acupuncture and moxibustion in Taiwan].

    PubMed

    Pan, Li-Jia; Cui, Rui; Zhan, Bi-Yu; Liao, Cai-Yan; Cao, Qi-Hua; Li, Gui-Lan; Guo, Yi

    2012-09-01

    The current situation of the standardization of acupuncture and moxibustion in the Taiwan region is introduced in this paper from the three aspects, named the development state of standard of acupuncture and moxibustion in Taiwan, the implementation of Taiwan district standard and the standardization of acupuncture and moxibustion in Taiwan. At present, the relevant standards of acupuncture and moxibustion in Taiwan just include the standard operation procedure of acupuncture and moxibustion, the reference guideline of the safe operation in the medical service centers of traditional Chinese medicine, and the faculty standard of Chinese medicine hospital, etc. It is concluded that the current situation of the standardization of acupuncture and moxibusiton presented the weak awareness of the standardization of acupuncture and moxibustion in the industry, insufficient enterprise standard, less-quantity of the implemented standards and narrow coverage.

  20. Acupuncture in the treatment of headache: a traditional explanation of an ancient art.

    PubMed

    Cady, Roger K; Farmer, Kathleen

    2015-03-01

    Over the past 4000 years, acupuncture has survived the test of time. Recent scientific studies posit acupuncture is an effective intervention for back and joint pain and headache, including migraine. The process of acupuncture is explained, including the role of Qi, the integration of Yang and Yin, the 5 elements, the 8 trigrams, and the metaphors that help the acupuncturist understand the patient, interpret symptoms, and determine acupuncture points in the meridians used to prevent or treat disease. A case study is presented from 3 perspectives: allopathic, traditional acupuncture, and Western acupuncture. Selected acupuncture studies in headache are reviewed. The safety of acupuncture is discussed as well as the challenges in conducting clinical studies of acupuncture. © 2015 American Headache Society.

  1. Acupuncture point injection treatment of primary dysmenorrhoea: a randomised, double blind, controlled study

    PubMed Central

    Wade, C; Wang, L; Zhao, W J; Cardini, F; Kronenberg, F; Gui, S Q; Ying, Z; Zhao, N Q; Chao, M T; Yu, J

    2016-01-01

    Objective To determine if injection of vitamin K3 in an acupuncture point is optimal for the treatment of primary dysmenorrhoea, when compared with 2 other injection treatments. Setting A Menstrual Disorder Centre at a public hospital in Shanghai, China. Participants Chinese women aged 14–25 years with severe primary dysmenorrhoea for at least 6 months not relieved by any other treatment were recruited. Exclusion criteria were the use of oral contraceptives, intrauterine devices or anticoagulant drugs, pregnancy, history of abdominal surgery, participation in other therapies for pain and diagnosis of secondary dysmenorrhoea. Eighty patients with primary dysmenorrhoea, as defined on a 4-grade scale, completed the study. Two patients withdrew after randomisation. Interventions A double-blind, double-dummy, randomised controlled trial compared vitamin K3 acupuncture point injection to saline acupuncture point injection and vitamin K3 deep muscle injection. Patients in each group received 3 injections at a single treatment visit. Primary and secondary outcome measures The primary outcome was the difference in subjective perception of pain as measured by an 11 unit Numeric Rating Scale (NRS). Secondary measurements were Cox Pain Intensity and Duration scales and the consumption of analgesic tablets before and after treatment and during 6 following cycles. Results Patients in all 3 groups experienced pain relief from the injection treatments. Differences in NRS measured mean pain scores between the 2 active control groups were less than 1 unit (−0.71, CI −1.37 to −0.05) and not significant, but the differences in average scores between the treatment hypothesised to be optimal and both active control groups (1.11, CI 0.45 to 1.78) and (1.82, CI 1.45 to 2.49) were statistically significant in adjusted mixed-effects models. Menstrual distress and use of analgesics were diminished for 6 months post-treatment. Conclusions Acupuncture point injection of

  2. [Strengthening innovation in clinical research methodology of acupuncture and moxibustion to promote internationalization process of acupuncture-moxibustion].

    PubMed

    Wang, Long; Zou, Wei; Chi, Qing-bin

    2009-06-01

    In order to explore the problems and countermeasure in the methodology of acupuncture and moxibustion clinical researches at present, clinical research literatures about acupuncture and moxibustion (Acup-Mox) published in recent years in our country were reviewed. For the urgent need of the current internationalization of Acup-Mox, the authors proposed the model of clinical research on Acup-Mox, which should strictly stick to the international standard and fully embody traditional Chinese medicine characteristics in the intervention measures of acupuncture. It is indicated that innovation of the methodology about clinical researches of Acup-Mox has great significance in improving the quality of clinical research on Acup-Mox in our country and promoting internationalization of Acup-Mox.

  3. Impedance analysis of acupuncture points and pathways

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Teplan, Michal; Kukučka, Marek; Ondrejkovičová, Alena

    2011-12-01

    Investigation of impedance characteristics of acupuncture points from acoustic to radio frequency range is addressed. Discernment and localization of acupuncture points in initial single subject study was unsuccessfully attempted by impedance map technique. Vector impedance analyses determined possible resonant zones in MHz region.

  4. Effects of Acupuncture on Sensory Perception: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

    PubMed Central

    Baeumler, Petra I.; Fleckenstein, Johannes; Takayama, Shin; Simang, Michael; Seki, Takashi; Irnich, Dominik

    2014-01-01

    Background The effect of acupuncture on sensory perception has never been systematically reviewed; although, studies on acupuncture mechanisms are frequently based on the idea that changes in sensory thresholds reflect its effect on the nervous system. Methods Pubmed, EMBASE and Scopus were screened for studies investigating the effect of acupuncture on thermal or mechanical detection or pain thresholds in humans published in English or German. A meta-analysis of high quality studies was performed. Results Out of 3007 identified articles 85 were included. Sixty five studies showed that acupuncture affects at least one sensory threshold. Most studies assessed the pressure pain threshold of which 80% reported an increase after acupuncture. Significant short- and long-term effects on the pressure pain threshold in pain patients were revealed by two meta-analyses including four and two high quality studies, respectively. In over 60% of studies, acupuncture reduced sensitivity to noxious thermal stimuli, but measuring methods might influence results. Few but consistent data indicate that acupuncture reduces pin-prick like pain but not mechanical detection. Results on thermal detection are heterogeneous. Sensory threshold changes were equally frequent reported after manual acupuncture as after electroacupuncture. Among 48 sham-controlled studies, 25 showed stronger effects on sensory thresholds through verum than through sham acupuncture, but in 9 studies significant threshold changes were also observed after sham acupuncture. Overall, there is a lack of high quality acupuncture studies applying comprehensive assessments of sensory perception. Conclusions Our findings indicate that acupuncture affects sensory perception. Results are most compelling for the pressure pain threshold, especially in pain conditions associated with tenderness. Sham acupuncture can also cause such effects. Future studies should incorporate comprehensive, standardized assessments of sensory

  5. Effects of acupuncture on sensory perception: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

    PubMed

    Baeumler, Petra I; Fleckenstein, Johannes; Takayama, Shin; Simang, Michael; Seki, Takashi; Irnich, Dominik

    2014-01-01

    The effect of acupuncture on sensory perception has never been systematically reviewed; although, studies on acupuncture mechanisms are frequently based on the idea that changes in sensory thresholds reflect its effect on the nervous system. Pubmed, EMBASE and Scopus were screened for studies investigating the effect of acupuncture on thermal or mechanical detection or pain thresholds in humans published in English or German. A meta-analysis of high quality studies was performed. Out of 3007 identified articles 85 were included. Sixty five studies showed that acupuncture affects at least one sensory threshold. Most studies assessed the pressure pain threshold of which 80% reported an increase after acupuncture. Significant short- and long-term effects on the pressure pain threshold in pain patients were revealed by two meta-analyses including four and two high quality studies, respectively. In over 60% of studies, acupuncture reduced sensitivity to noxious thermal stimuli, but measuring methods might influence results. Few but consistent data indicate that acupuncture reduces pin-prick like pain but not mechanical detection. Results on thermal detection are heterogeneous. Sensory threshold changes were equally frequent reported after manual acupuncture as after electroacupuncture. Among 48 sham-controlled studies, 25 showed stronger effects on sensory thresholds through verum than through sham acupuncture, but in 9 studies significant threshold changes were also observed after sham acupuncture. Overall, there is a lack of high quality acupuncture studies applying comprehensive assessments of sensory perception. Our findings indicate that acupuncture affects sensory perception. Results are most compelling for the pressure pain threshold, especially in pain conditions associated with tenderness. Sham acupuncture can also cause such effects. Future studies should incorporate comprehensive, standardized assessments of sensory profiles in order to fully characterize its

  6. Needle Acupuncture for Substance Use Disorders: A Systematic Review

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-01-01

    RCTs). We did identify statistically significant, clinically medium effects in favor of acupuncture (as an adjunctive or monotherapy) versus any...statistically significant, clinically medium effects in favor of acupuncture (as an adjunctive or monotherapy) versus any comparator at...at postintervention. We did identify statistically significant, clinically medium effects in favor of acupuncture (as an adjunctive or monotherapy

  7. Evaluation of Phantom-Based Education System for Acupuncture Manipulation

    PubMed Central

    Lee, In-Seon; Lee, Ye-Seul; Park, Hi-Joon; Lee, Hyejung; Chae, Younbyoung

    2015-01-01

    Background Although acupuncture manipulation has been regarded as one of the important factors in clinical outcome, it has been difficult to train novice students to become skillful experts due to a lack of adequate educational program and tools. Objectives In the present study, we investigated whether newly developed phantom acupoint tools would be useful to practice-naïve acupuncture students for practicing the three different types of acupuncture manipulation to enhance their skills. Methods We recruited 12 novice students and had them practice acupuncture manipulations on the phantom acupoint (5% agarose gel). We used the Acusensor 2 and compared their acupuncture manipulation techniques, for which the target criteria were depth and time factors, at acupoint LI11 in the human body before and after 10 training sessions. The outcomes were depth of needle insertion, depth error from target criterion, time of rotating, lifting, and thrusting, time error from target criteria and the time ratio. Results After 10 training sessions, the students showed significantly improved outcomes in depth of needle, depth error (rotation, reducing lifting/thrusting), thumb-forward time error, thumb-backward time error (rotation), and lifting time (reinforcing lifting/thrusting). Conclusions The phantom acupoint tool could be useful in a phantom-based education program for acupuncture-manipulation training for students. For advanced education programs for acupuncture manipulation, we will need to collect additional information, such as patient responses, acupoint-specific anatomical characteristics, delicate tissue-like modeling, haptic and visual feedback, and data from an acupuncture practice simulator. PMID:25689598

  8. [Application of gene chip technology for acupuncture research over the past 15 years].

    PubMed

    Jia, Wenrui; Zhang, Yue; Guo, Qiying; Sun, Qisheng; Guo, Qiulei; Ji, Zhi; Yang, Fangyuan; Zhan, He; Wang, He; Sui, Minghe; Hou, Zhongwei; Wang, Chaoyang; Liu, Qingguo

    2017-12-12

    To explore the application of gene chip technology in the acupuncture research so as to provide evidences for the mechanism of acupuncture for regulating bodies. The literature on the application of gene chip technology in the acupuncture field from 2001 to 2016 was collected in PubMed, Springer, CNKI and WANFANG databases, which was analyzed and summarized. There were some achievements of the technology for acupuncture research, focusing on the five aspects, including the study of the relationship between meridian-point and viscera, the influencing factors of acupuncture effect, the effect and mechanism of acupuncture analgesia, the mechanism of acupuncture anti-aging, the effect and mechanism of acupuncture for diseases of each system. Gene chip technology plays an important role in researching acupuncture mechanism. It is an important technology for genomics study of acupuncture. However, there are also some disadvantages such as high cost, deficient data mining, non-uniform observation objects, deficient professionals, etc. All those need further resolution so as to promote the application of this technology in the acupuncture researching field.

  9. Research on relation between cortical functional section and acupuncture point

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Shuwang; Li, Chunhua; Liang, Guozhuang; Wang, Shuhai

    2008-02-01

    The application of the infrared imaging using in the brain cognition and the acupuncture is introduced. Acupuncturing a certain point of the healthy experimental cats, observing the responds of the cerebral cortical temperature by using of infrared imaging, and researching the corresponding relation between the acupuncture points with the active sections of the cerebral cortex, so the effect of the acupuncture is obtained. The theory of the refreshment and induce resuscitation pinprick is approved. The method of the "refreshment and induce resuscitation pinprick" can promote the metabolize renovation, improve the living function and increase the healing rate. However, the relations between the points and the cortical functional sections have not the last word still. After removing the skulls on the head, full of the cerebral cortex of a cat are exposed. Observing the infrared imaging and measuring the temperatures of the visual cerebral cortex during the process of acupuncturing the points to judge the activation position. During the process of acupuncture, the trend of the rising temperature on cerebral cortex is primary in terms of the phenomena in the infrared pictures. The cortical hemogram variety is measured in terms of the infrared pictures and the temperature values, so the characteristic curve of the temperature for a corresponding position on the cerebral cortex and the acupuncture point can be obtained. When the acupuncture point is changed, the position where temperature varied on cerebral cortex is different correspondingly. The variety in the cortical functional sections is corresponding to the result of the acupuncture point in terms of the imaging and the temperatures. The experimental results accord with the theoretic model, so they validate the correctness of the "refreshment and induce resuscitation pinprick". According to the experimental results, we know that the variety of a cortical functional section is corresponding to a special acupuncture

  10. Rewiring the primary somatosensory cortex in carpal tunnel syndrome with acupuncture

    PubMed Central

    Maeda, Yumi; Kim, Hyungjun; Kettner, Norman; Kim, Jieun; Cina, Stephen; Malatesta, Cristina; Gerber, Jessica; McManus, Claire; Ong-Sutherland, Rebecca; Mezzacappa, Pia; Libby, Alexandra; Mawla, Ishtiaq; Morse, Leslie R.; Kaptchuk, Ted J.; Audette, Joseph

    2017-01-01

    Abstract Carpal tunnel syndrome is the most common entrapment neuropathy, affecting the median nerve at the wrist. Acupuncture is a minimally-invasive and conservative therapeutic option, and while rooted in a complex practice ritual, acupuncture overlaps significantly with many conventional peripherally-focused neuromodulatory therapies. However, the neurophysiological mechanisms by which acupuncture impacts accepted subjective/psychological and objective/physiological outcomes are not well understood. Eligible patients (n = 80, 65 female, age: 49.3 ± 8.6 years) were enrolled and randomized into three intervention arms: (i) verum electro-acupuncture ‘local’ to the more affected hand; (ii) verum electro-acupuncture at ‘distal’ body sites, near the ankle contralesional to the more affected hand; and (iii) local sham electro-acupuncture using non-penetrating placebo needles. Acupuncture therapy was provided for 16 sessions over 8 weeks. Boston Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Questionnaire assessed pain and paraesthesia symptoms at baseline, following therapy and at 3-month follow-up. Nerve conduction studies assessing median nerve sensory latency and brain imaging data were acquired at baseline and following therapy. Functional magnetic resonance imaging assessed somatotopy in the primary somatosensory cortex using vibrotactile stimulation over three digits (2, 3 and 5). While all three acupuncture interventions reduced symptom severity, verum (local and distal) acupuncture was superior to sham in producing improvements in neurophysiological outcomes, both local to the wrist (i.e. median sensory nerve conduction latency) and in the brain (i.e. digit 2/3 cortical separation distance). Moreover, greater improvement in second/third interdigit cortical separation distance following verum acupuncture predicted sustained improvements in symptom severity at 3-month follow-up. We further explored potential differential mechanisms of local versus distal acupuncture using

  11. Patient perspectives on care received at community acupuncture clinics: a qualitative thematic analysis.

    PubMed

    Tippens, Kimberly M; Chao, Maria T; Connelly, Erin; Locke, Adrianna

    2013-10-29

    Community acupuncture is a recent innovation in acupuncture service delivery in the U.S. that aims to improve access to care through low-cost treatments in group-based settings. Patients at community acupuncture clinics represent a broader socioeconomic spectrum and receive more frequent treatments compared to acupuncture users nationwide. As a relatively new model of acupuncture in the U.S., little is known about the experiences of patients at community acupuncture clinics and whether quality of care is compromised through this high-volume model. The aim of this study was to assess patients' perspectives on the care received through community acupuncture clinics. The investigators conducted qualitative, thematic analysis of written comments from an observational, cross-sectional survey of clients of the Working Class Acupuncture clinics in Portland, Oregon. The survey included an open-ended question for respondents to share comments about their experiences with community acupuncture. Comments were received from 265 community acupuncture patients. Qualitative analysis of written comments identified two primary themes that elucidate patients' perspectives on quality of care: 1) aspects of health care delivery unique to community acupuncture, and 2) patient engagement in health care. Patients identified unique aspects of community acupuncture, including structures that facilitate access, processes that make treatments more comfortable and effective and holistic outcomes including physical improvements, enhanced quality of life, and empowerment. The group setting, community-based locations, and low cost were highlighted as aspects of this model that allow patients to access acupuncture. Patients' perspectives on the values and experiences unique to community acupuncture offer insights on the quality of care received in these settings. The group setting, community-based locations, and low cost of this model potentially reduce access barriers for those who might not

  12. [The current situation of acupuncture definition in international organizations and legislation of some countries].

    PubMed

    Sun, Yujie; Liu, Baoyan; He, Liyun; Wu, Xiaodong; Liu, Jia

    2017-12-12

    Acupuncture is developing rapidly in the world, and more attention is paid on acupuncture in various countries. Because of the cultural differences, there are different views on acupuncture between China and the west, which has brought influence and challenge to the development of acupuncture in the world. Acupuncture-related research is becoming increasingly extensive and complex, but the definition of acupuncture is lack of unified standards. The definition of acupuncture is in urgent need. Based on the analysis of acupuncture definition in the 201 international organizations of 48 countries on five continents and legislation of representative countries, this paper summarized the development status of acupuncture in foreign countries, and put forward that the definition of acupuncture should adopt the model of small connotation and large extension, integrate discipline superiority, expand the scope of acupuncture, and focus on the overall situation.

  13. Acupuncture in Menopause (AIM) study: a pragmatic, randomized controlled trial.

    PubMed

    Avis, Nancy E; Coeytaux, Remy R; Isom, Scott; Prevette, Kristen; Morgan, Timothy

    2016-06-01

    The aim of the study was to evaluate the short and long-term effects of acupuncture on vasomotor symptoms (VMS) and quality of life-related measures. A total of 209 perimenopausal and postmenopausal women aged 45 to 60 years, experiencing four or more VMS per day, were recruited from the community and randomized to receive up to 20 acupuncture treatments within the first 6 months (acupuncture group) or the second 6 months (waitlist control group) of the 12-month study period. The primary outcome was mean daily frequency of VMS. Secondary outcomes were VMS interference with daily life, sleep quality, depressive symptoms, somatic and other symptoms, anxiety, and quality of life. The VMS frequency declined by 36.7% at 6 months in the acupuncture group and increased by 6.0% in the control group (P < 0.001 for between-group comparison). At 12 months, the reduction from baseline in the acupuncture group was 29.4% (P < 0.001 for within-group comparison from baseline to 12 months), suggesting that the reduction was largely maintained after treatment. Statistically significant clinical improvement was observed after three acupuncture treatments, and maximal clinical effects occurred after a median of eight treatments. Persistent improvements were seen in many quality of life-related outcomes in the acupuncture group relative to the control group. We found that a course of acupuncture treatments was associated with significant reduction in VMS, and several quality-of-life measures, compared with no acupuncture, and that clinical benefit persisted for at least 6 months beyond the end of treatment.

  14. Acupuncture for cerebral palsy: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

    PubMed

    Li, Ling-Xin; Zhang, Ming-Ming; Zhang, Yin; He, Jing

    2018-06-01

    To evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture therapy for children with cerebral palsy. We conducted electronic searches of PUBMED (1950/2017), EMBASE (1974/2017), ScienceDirect (1986/2017), Academic Source Premier (1887/2017), the Cochrane Library (Issue 4, April 2017), Science Citation Index Expanded (1900/2017), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (1915/2017), China Biological Medicine (1990/2017-04), WanFang (1980/2017), VIP (1989/2017), and Chinese Science Citation Database (1989/2017). We included randomized controlled trials that aimed to compare the effect of acupuncture plus rehabilitation training versus rehabilitation training alone. Data about functional motor abilities, daily activity/social participation, effective rate, intellectual development, and adverse effects were included. We used Revman 5.2 software for statistical analysis. The primary outcomes included functional motor abilities, daily activity, and effective rate. The secondary outcomes included intellectual development and adverse effects. Twenty-one studies with a total of 1718 participants met the inclusion criteria. The effect size of gross motor function (SMD = 0.64, 95% CI: 0.52 to 0.76, P < 0.00001; I 2 = 0%, P = 0.69; in 13 studies with 1144 patients) and the total effective rate (RR = 1.28, 95% CI: 1.20 to 1.37, P < 0.00001; I 2 = 18%, P = 0.27; in 12 studies with 1106 patients) suggested that acupuncture plus rehabilitation produced a significant improvement in gross motor function and a high total effective rate. The pooled fine motor function (SMD = 3.48, 95% CI: 2.62 to 4.34, P < 0.00001; I 2 = 64%, P = 0.10; in 2 studies with 193 patients), modified Ashworth scale scores (SMD = -0.31, 95% CI: -0.52 to -0.11, P = 0.003; I 2 = 74%, P = 0.004; in 5 studies with 363 patients) and activities of daily living (SMD = 1.45, 95% CI: 1.20 to 1.71, P < 0.00001; I 2 = 78%, P = 0.004; in 4 studies with 313 patients) also indicated improvements in children with cerebral palsy

  15. [Achievements and enlightenment of modern acupuncture therapy for stroke based on the neuroanatomy].

    PubMed

    Chen, Li-Fang; Fang, Jian-Qiao; Chen, Lu-Ni; Wang, Chao

    2014-04-01

    Up to now, in the treatment of stroke patients by acupuncture therapy, three main representative achievements involving scalp acupuncture intervention, "Xing Nao Kai Qiao" (restoring consciousness and inducing resuscitation) acupuncture technique and nape acupuncture therapy have been got. Regarding their neurobiological mechanisms, the scalp acupuncture therapy is based on the functional localization of the cerebral cortex, "Xing Nao Kai Qiao" acupuncture therapy is closely related to nerve stem stimulation, and the nape acupuncture therapy is based on the nerve innervation of the regional neck-nape area in obtaining therapeutic effects. In fact, effects of these three acupuncture interventions are all closely associated with the modern neuroanatomy. In the treatment of post-stroke spastic paralysis, cognitive disorder and depression with acupuncture therapy, modern neuroanatomical knowledge should be one of the key theoretical basis and new therapeutic techniques should be explored and developed continuously.

  16. Live bee acupuncture (Bong-Chim) dermatitis: dermatitis due to live bee acupuncture therapy in Korea.

    PubMed

    Park, Joon Soo; Lee, Min Jung; Chung, Ki Hun; Ko, Dong Kyun; Chung, Hyun

    2013-12-01

    Live bee acupuncture (Bong-Chim) dermatitis is an iatrogenic disease induced by so-called live bee acupuncture therapy, which applies the honeybee (Apis cerana) stinger directly into the lesion to treat various diseases in Korea. We present two cases of live bee acupuncture dermatitis and review previously published articles about this disease. We classify this entity into three stages: acute, subacute, and chronic. The acute stage is an inflammatory reaction, such as anaphylaxis or urticaria. In the chronic stage, a foreign body granuloma may develop from the remaining stingers, similar to that of a bee sting reaction. However, in the subacute stage, unlike bee stings, we see the characteristic histological "flame" figures resulting from eosinophilic stimulation induced by excessive bee venom exposure. We consider this stage to be different from the adverse skin reaction of accidental bee sting. © 2013 The International Society of Dermatology.

  17. Acupuncture Therapy and Incidence of Depression After Stroke.

    PubMed

    Lu, Chung-Yen; Huang, Hsin-Chia; Chang, Hen-Hong; Yang, Tsung-Hsien; Chang, Chee-Jen; Chang, Su-Wei; Chen, Pei-Chun

    2017-06-01

    We investigated whether use of acupuncture within a 3-month poststroke period after hospital discharge is associated with reduced risk of depression. This cohort study included 16 046 patients aged ≥18 years with an initial hospitalization for stroke during 2000 and 2012 in the claims database of a universal health insurance program. Patients who had received acupuncture therapies within 3 months of discharge were defined as acupuncture users (n=1714). All patients were followed up for incidence of depression until the end of 2013. We assessed the association between use of acupuncture and incidence of depression using Cox proportional hazards models in all subjects and in propensity score-matched samples consisting of 1714 pairs of users and nonusers. During the follow-up period, the incidence of depression per 1000 person-years was 11.1 and 9.7 in users and nonusers, respectively. Neither multivariable-adjusted Cox models (hazard ratio, 1.04; 95% confidence interval, 0.84-1.29) nor the propensity score-matching model (hazard ratio, 1.06; 95% confidence interval, 0.79-1.42) revealed an association between use of acupuncture and incidence of depression. In patients admitted to hospital for stroke, acupuncture therapy within 3 months after discharge was not associated with subsequent incidence of depression. © 2017 American Heart Association, Inc.

  18. Effect of acupuncture for radioactive-iodine-induced anorexia in thyroid cancer patients: a randomized, double-blinded, sham-controlled pilot study.

    PubMed

    Jeon, Ju-Hyun; Yoon, Jeungwon; Cho, Chong-Kwan; Jung, In-Chul; Kim, Sungchul; Lee, Suk-Hoon; Yoo, Hwa-Seung

    2015-05-01

    The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for radioactive iodine (RAI)-induced anorexia in thyroid cancer patients. Fourteen thyroid cancer patients with RAI-induced anorexia were randomized to a true acupuncture or sham acupuncture group. Both groups were given 6 true or sham acupuncture treatments in 2 weeks. Outcome measures included the change of the Functional Assessment of Anorexia and Cachexia Treatment (FAACT; Anorexia/Cachexia Subscale [ACS], Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General [FACT-G]), Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), weight, body mass index (BMI), ACTH, and cortisol levels. The mean FAACT ACS scores of the true and sham acupuncture groups increased from baseline to exit in intention-to-treat (ITT) and per protocol (PP) analyses; the true acupuncture group showed higher increase but with no statistical significance. Between groups, from baseline to the last treatment, statistically significant differences were found in ITT analysis of the Table of Index (TOI) score (P = .034) and in PP analysis of the TOI (P = .016), FACT-G (P = .045), FAACT (P = .037) scores. There was no significant difference in VAS, weight, BMI, ACTH, and cortisol level changes between groups. Although the current study is based on a small sample of participants, our findings support the safety and potential use of acupuncture for RAI-induced anorexia and quality of life in thyroid cancer patients. © The Author(s) 2015.

  19. Acupuncture for the Prevention of Tension-Type Headache (2016).

    PubMed

    Nielsen, Arya

    Linde K, Allais G, Brinkhaus B, et al. Acupuncture for the prevention of tension-type headache.Cochrane Database Syst Rev2016, Issue 48. Art No.: CD007587. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD007587.pub2. Acupuncture is often used for prevention of tension-type headache but its effectiveness is still controversial. This is an update of our Cochrane review originally published in Issue 1, 2009 of The Cochrane Library. To investigate whether acupuncture is (a) more effective than no prophylactic treatment/routine care only; (b) more effective than "sham" (placebo) acupuncture; and (c) as effective as other interventions in reducing headache frequency in adults with episodic or chronic tension-type headache. We searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and AMED to 19 January 2016. We searched the World Health Organization (WHO) International Clinical Trials Registry Platform to 10 February 2016 for ongoing and unpublished trials. We included randomized trials with a post-randomization observation period of at least eight weeks, which compared the clinical effects of an acupuncture intervention with a control (treatment of acute headaches only or routine care), a sham acupuncture intervention or another prophylactic intervention in adults with episodic or chronic tension-type headache. Two review authors checked eligibility; extracted information on participants, interventions, methods and results; and assessed study risk of bias and the quality of the acupuncture intervention. The main efficacy outcome measure was response (at least 50% reduction of headache frequency) after completion of treatment (three to four months after randomization). To assess safety/acceptability we extracted the number of participants dropping out due to adverse effects and the number of participants reporting adverse effects. We assessed the quality of the evidence using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE). Twelve trials (11 included in the previous version and one newly

  20. FMRI connectivity analysis of acupuncture effects on an amygdala-associated brain network

    PubMed Central

    Qin, Wei; Tian, Jie; Bai, Lijun; Pan, Xiaohong; Yang, Lin; Chen, Peng; Dai, Jianping; Ai, Lin; Zhao, Baixiao; Gong, Qiyong; Wang, Wei; von Deneen, Karen M; Liu, Yijun

    2008-01-01

    Background Recently, increasing evidence has indicated that the primary acupuncture effects are mediated by the central nervous system. However, specific brain networks underpinning these effects remain unclear. Results In the present study using fMRI, we employed a within-condition interregional covariance analysis method to investigate functional connectivity of brain networks involved in acupuncture. The fMRI experiment was performed before, during and after acupuncture manipulations on healthy volunteers at an acupuncture point, which was previously implicated in a neural pathway for pain modulation. We first identified significant fMRI signal changes during acupuncture stimulation in the left amygdala, which was subsequently selected as a functional reference for connectivity analyses. Our results have demonstrated that there is a brain network associated with the amygdala during a resting condition. This network encompasses the brain structures that are implicated in both pain sensation and pain modulation. We also found that such a pain-related network could be modulated by both verum acupuncture and sham acupuncture. Furthermore, compared with a sham acupuncture, the verum acupuncture induced a higher level of correlations among the amygdala-associated network. Conclusion Our findings indicate that acupuncture may change this amygdala-specific brain network into a functional state that underlies pain perception and pain modulation. PMID:19014532

  1. Type and frequency of side effects during PC6 acupuncture: observations from therapists and patients participating in clinical efficacy trials of acupuncture.

    PubMed

    Enblom, Anna; Johnsson, Anna

    2017-12-01

    Many therapists practise PC6 acupuncture for emesis (nausea and vomiting) during pregnancy, different cancer therapies, palliative care, after surgery, or to induce relaxing effects in general. Knowledge of side effects is central to shared decision-making. To describe the type and frequency of side effects and the level of needle-induced pain during PC6 acupuncture. We included 1298 PC6 acupuncture treatments, delivered to 221 participants (77% women, mean age 52.5, range 18-91 years). The subjects had received genuine PC6 acupuncture, in one of two previous randomised controlled trials, aimed at inducing antiemetic (n=100, with 100 providing data on side effects and 94 on needle-induced pain, respectively) or relaxing (n=121, with 120 providing data) effects. Side effects during and after the acupuncture treatments were registered in structured treatment protocols and study diaries. No serious complications occurred. Side effects during the acupuncture sessions included minor bleeding in 5.0%, tiredness in 4.9%, numbness in 4.5% and dizziness in 1.4% of the 1298 treatments. After treatment, the mean proportions of participants reporting side effects each week were: tiredness 25.8%; feeling cold 17.8%; dizziness 9.7%; sweating 9.3%; haematoma 8.8%; and soreness at the needling sites 4.3%. Participants perceived the needling to be not painful (47.4% of participants), or mildly (39.1%), moderately (11.6%) or very painful (1.4%). Few side effects occurred and those that did were mild. Nearly 90% found PC6 acupuncture to be not painful or only mildly painful. Healthcare professionals may consider the observed levels of side effects when informing patients about side effects of PC6 acupuncture. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

  2. Acupuncture for Cancer-Induced Bone Pain?

    PubMed Central

    Paley, Carole A.; Bennett, Michael I.; Johnson, Mark I.

    2011-01-01

    Bone pain is the most common type of pain in cancer. Bony metastases are common in advanced cancers, particularly in multiple myeloma, breast, prostate or lung cancer. Current pain-relieving strategies include the use of opioid-based analgesia, bisphosphonates and radiotherapy. Although patients experience some pain relief, these interventions may produce unacceptable side-effects which inevitably affect the quality of life. Acupuncture may represent a potentially valuable adjunct to existing strategies for pain relief and it is known to be relatively free of harmful side-effects. Although acupuncture is used in palliative care settings for all types of cancer pain the evidence-base is sparse and inconclusive and there is very little evidence to show its effectiveness in relieving cancer-induced bone pain (CIBP). The aim of this critical review is to consider the known physiological effects of acupuncture and discuss these in the context of the pathophysiology of malignant bone pain. The aim of future research should be to produce an effective protocol for treating CIBP with acupuncture based on a sound, evidence-based rationale. The physiological mechanisms presented in this review suggest that this is a realistic objective. PMID:21799687

  3. Bilateral tension pneumothorax related to acupuncture.

    PubMed

    Tagami, Rumi; Moriya, Takashi; Kinoshita, Kosaku; Tanjoh, Katsuhisa

    2013-06-01

    We report on a patient with a rare case of bilateral tension pneumothorax that occurred after acupuncture. A 69-year-old large-bodied man, who otherwise had no risk factors for spontaneous pneumothorax, presented with chest pressure, cold sweats and shortness of breath. Immediately after bilateral pneumothorax had been identified on a chest radiograph in the emergency room, his blood pressure and percutaneous oxygen saturation suddenly decreased to 78 mm Hg and 86%, respectively. We confirmed deterioration in his cardiopulmonary status and diagnosed bilateral tension pneumothorax. We punctured his chest bilaterally and inserted chest tubes for drainage. His vital signs promptly recovered. After the bilateral puncture and drainage, we learnt that he had been treated with acupuncture on his upper back. We finally diagnosed a bilateral tension pneumothorax based on the symptoms that appeared 8 h after the acupuncture. Because the patient had no risk factors for spontaneous pneumothorax, no alternative diagnosis was proposed. We recommend that patients receiving acupuncture around the chest wall must be adequately informed of the possibility of complications and expected symptoms, as a definitive diagnosis can be difficult without complete information.

  4. [Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis by Bee-venom Acupuncture].

    PubMed

    Chen, Shi-Yun; Zhou, Peng; Qin, Ye

    2018-04-25

    To study the clinical efficacy and safety of bee-venom acupuncture therapy for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). A total of 120 cases of RA patients were randomized into bee-sting acupuncture group (treatment) and western medicine group (control) in accordance with the random number table. The patients of the control group were treated by oral administration of Methotrexate (10 mg, once a week) and Celecoxlb (0.2 g, once a day), and those of the treatment group treated by 5 to 15 bee stings of Ashi -points or acupoints according to different conditions and corporeity, and with the bee-sting retained for about 5 min every time, once every other day. The treatment lasted for 8 weeks. The therapeutic effect was assessed by examining symptoms and signs of the affected joints as morning stiffness duration, swollen/tender joint counts (indexes), handgrip strength, 15 m-walking time, visual analogue scale (VAS), Disease Activity Score including a 28-joint count (DAS 28), rheumatoid factor (RF), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody (ACCPA); and for assessing the safety of bee-venom acupuncture, the patients' responses of fever, enlargement of lymph nodes, regional red and swollen, itching, blood and urine tests for routine were examined. Findings of DAS 28 responses displayed that of the two 60 cases in the control and bee-venom acupuncture groups, 15 and 18 experienced marked improvement, 33 and 32 were effective, 12 and 10 ineffective, with the effective rates being 80% and 83. 33%, respectively. No significant difference was found between the two groups in the effective rate ( P >0.05). After the treatment, both groups have witnessed a marked decrease in the levels of morning stiffness duration, arthralgia index, swollen joint count index, joint tenderness index, 15 m walking time, VAS, RF, ESR, CRP and ACCPA, and an obvious increase of handgrip strength relevant to their own levels of pre-treatment in each

  5. Deciphering the biological effects of acupuncture treatment modulating multiple metabolism pathways.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Aihua; Yan, Guangli; Sun, Hui; Cheng, Weiping; Meng, Xiangcai; Liu, Li; Xie, Ning; Wang, Xijun

    2016-02-16

    Acupuncture is an alternative therapy that is widely used to treat various diseases. However, detailed biological interpretation of the acupuncture stimulations is limited. We here used metabolomics and proteomics technology, thereby identifying the serum small molecular metabolites into the effect and mechanism pathways of standardized acupuncture treatments at 'Zusanli' acupoint which was the most often used acupoint in previous reports. Comprehensive overview of serum metabolic profiles during acupuncture stimulation was investigated. Thirty-four differential metabolites were identified in serum metabolome and associated with ten metabolism pathways. Importantly, we have found that high impact glycerophospholipid metabolism, fatty acid metabolism, ether lipid metabolism were acutely perturbed by acupuncture stimulation. As such, these alterations may be useful to clarify the biological mechanism of acupuncture stimulation. A series of differentially expressed proteins were identified and such effects of acupuncture stimulation were found to play a role in transport, enzymatic activity, signaling pathway or receptor interaction. Pathway analysis further revealed that most of these proteins were found to play a pivotal role in the regulation of multiple metabolism pathways. It demonstrated that the metabolomics coupled with proteomics as a powerful approach for potential applications in understanding the biological effects of acupuncture stimulation.

  6. Psychometric properties of the brief version of the Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale in a Turkish sample.

    PubMed

    Koydemir, Selda; Demir, Ayhan

    2007-06-01

    The purpose of the study was to report initial data on the psychometric properties of the Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale. The scale was applied to a nonclinical sample of 250 (137 women, 113 men) Turkish undergraduate students selected randomly from Middle East Technical University. Their mean age was 20.4 yr. (SD= 1.9). The factor structure of the Turkish version, its criterion validity, and internal reliability coefficients were assessed. Although maximum likelihood factor analysis initially indicated that the scale had only one factor, a forced two-factor solution accounted for more variance (61%) in scale scores than a single factor. The straightforward items loaded on the first factor, and the reverse-coded items loaded on the second factor. The total score was significantly positively correlated with scores on the Revised Cheek and Buss Shyness Scale and significantly negatively correlated with scores on the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. Factor 1 (straightforward items) correlated more highly with both Shyness and Self-esteem than Factor 2 (reverse-coded items). Internal consistency estimate was .94 for the Total scores, .91 for the Factor 1 (straightforward items), and .87 for the Factor 2 (reverse-coded items). No sex differences were evident for Fear of Negative Evaluation.

  7. Battlefield acupuncture: Opening the door for acupuncture in Department of Defense/Veteran's Administration health care.

    PubMed

    Walker, Patricia Hinton; Pock, Arnyce; Ling, Catherine G; Kwon, Kyung Nancy; Vaughan, Megan

    2016-01-01

    Battlefield acupuncture is a unique auricular acupuncture procedure which is being used in a number of military medical facilities throughout the Department of Defense (DoD). It has been used with anecdotal published positive impact with warriors experiencing polytrauma, post-traumatic stress disorder, and traumatic brain injury. It has also been effectively used to treat warriors with muscle and back pain from carrying heavy combat equipment in austere environments. This article highlights the history within the DoD related to the need for nonpharmacologic/opioid pain management across the continuum of care from combat situations, during evacuation, and throughout recovery and rehabilitation. The article describes the history of auricular acupuncture and details implementation procedures. Training is necessary and partially funded through DoD and Veteran's Administration (VA) internal Joint Incentive Funds grants between the DoD and the VA for multidisciplinary teams as part of a larger initiative related to the recommendations from the DoD Army Surgeon General's Pain Management Task Force. Finally, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences School of Medicine and Graduate School of Nursing faculty members present how this interdisciplinary training is currently being integrated into both schools for physicians and advanced practice nurses at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Current and future research challenges and progress related to the use of acupuncture are also presented. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  8. NIH Consensus Conference. Acupuncture.

    PubMed

    1998-11-04

    To provide clinicians, patients, and the general public with a responsible assessment of the use and effectiveness of acupuncture to treat a variety of conditions. A nonfederal, nonadvocate, 12-member panel representing the fields of acupuncture, pain, psychology, psychiatry, physical medicine and rehabilitation, drug abuse, family practice, internal medicine, health policy, epidemiology, statistics, physiology, biophysics, and the representatives of the public. In addition, 25 experts from these same fields presented data to the panel and a conference audience of 1200. Presentations and discussions were divided into 3 phases over 2 1/2 days: (1) presentations by investigators working in areas relevant to the consensus questions during a 2-day public session; (2) questions and statements from conference attendees during open discussion periods that were part of the public session; and (3) closed deliberations by the panel during the remainder of the second day and morning of the third. The conference was organized and supported by the Office of Alternative Medicine and the Office of Medical Applications of Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md. The literature, produced from January 1970 to October 1997, was searched through MEDLINE, Allied and Alternative Medicine, EMBASE, and MANTIS, as well as through a hand search of 9 journals that were not indexed by the National Library of Medicine. An extensive bibliography of 2302 references was provided to the panel and the conference audience. Expert speakers prepared abstracts of their own conference presentations with relevant citations from the literature. Scientific evidence was given precedence over clinical anecdotal experience. The panel, answering predefined questions, developed their conclusions based on the scientific evidence presented in the open forum and scientific literature. The panel composed a draft statement, which was read in its entirety and circulated to the experts and the audience

  9. Acupuncture, the limbic system, and the anticorrelated networks of the brain.

    PubMed

    Hui, Kathleen K S; Marina, Ovidiu; Liu, Jing; Rosen, Bruce R; Kwong, Kenneth K

    2010-10-28

    The study of the mechanism of acupuncture action was revolutionized by the use of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Over the past decade, our fMRI studies of healthy subjects have contributed substantially to elucidating the central effect of acupuncture on the human brain. These studies have shown that acupuncture stimulation, when associated with sensations comprising deqi, evokes deactivation of a limbic-paralimbic-neocortical network, which encompasses the limbic system, as well as activation of somatosensory brain regions. These networks closely match the default mode network and the anti-correlated task-positive network described in the literature. We have also shown that the effect of acupuncture on the brain is integrated at multiple levels, down to the brainstem and cerebellum. Our studies support the hypothesis that the effect of acupuncture on the brain goes beyond the effect of attention on the default mode network or the somatosensory stimulation of acupuncture needling. The amygdala and hypothalamus, in particular, show decreased activation during acupuncture stimulation that is not commonly associated with default mode network activity. At the same time, our research shows that acupuncture stimulation needs to be done carefully, limiting stimulation when the resulting sensations are very strong or when sharp pain is elicited. When acupuncture induced sharp pain, our studies show that the deactivation was attenuated or reversed in direction. Our results suggest that acupuncture mobilizes the functionally anti-correlated networks of the brain to mediate its actions, and that the effect is dependent on the psychophysical response. In this work we also discuss multiple avenues of future research, including the role of neurotransmitters, the effect of different acupuncture techniques, and the potential clinical application of our research findings to disease states including chronic pain, major depression, schizophrenia, autism, and Alzheimer

  10. Effects of acupuncture and placebo TENS in addition to exercise in treatment of rotator cuff tendinitis.

    PubMed

    Razavi, Mahnaz; Jansen, Gunilla Brodda

    2004-12-01

    To compare the effect of acupuncture with placebo transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) when added to the exercise treatment of rotator cuff tendinitis with respect to pain, shoulder movements and function. Prospective alternate allocation controlled trial. Outpatient department. Thirty-three patients (12 women and 21 men) were included in the study. All had clinically diagnosed rotator cuff tendinitis. Both groups underwent a standardized training programme. Each patient received in addition either 10 treatments with acupuncture or placebo TENS, 1-2 times per week. The parameters investigated were intensity of pain (measured with visual analogue scale), active, passive as well as functional movements in the shoulder (hand in neck (HIN) and pour out of a pot (POP)). Patients were tested before treatment, after treatment and at a six-month follow-up. Medicine intake, ability to lie on the affected side and sleep disturbances were evaluated. A subjective assessment was made after the treatment and at follow-up. Sixteen patients had acupuncture, 17 placebo TENS. Eight patients endured pain at rest in the placebo TENS group, and 10 in the acupuncture group. After treatment both groups improved, the improvement persisted at the six-month follow-up. Both groups increased range of movement. Except for the functional test HIN in the acupuncture group, there were no differences between the groups regarding other parameters investigated directly after treatment or at six-month follow-up. There is no difference between the effect of additional acupuncture treatment and placebo TENS in the treatment of rotator cuff tendinitis.

  11. Clinical Trial Research on Mongolian Medical Warm Acupuncture in Treating Insomnia.

    PubMed

    Bo, Agula; Si, Lengge; Wang, Yuehong; Xiu, Lan; Wu, Rihan; Li, Yutang; Mu, Rigenjiya; Ga, Latai; Miao, Mei; Shuang, Fu; Wu, Yunhua; Jin, Qiu; Tong, Suocai; Wuyun, Gerile; Guan, Wurihan; Mo, Rigen; Hu, Sileng; Zhang, Lixia; Peng, Rui; Bao, Lidao

    2016-01-01

    Objective. Insomnia is one of the most common sleep disorders. Hypnotics have poor long-term efficacy. Mongolian medical warm acupuncture has significant efficacy in treating insomnia. The paper evaluates the role of Mongolian medical warm acupuncture in treating insomnia by investigating the Mongolian medicine syndromes and conditions, Pittsburgh sleep quality index, and polysomnography indexes. Method. The patients were diagnosed in accordance with International Classification of Sleep Disorders (ICSD-2). The insomnia patients were divided into the acupuncture group (40 cases) and the estazolam group (40 cases). The patients underwent intervention of Mongolian medical warm acupuncture and estazolam. The indicators of the Mongolian medicine syndromes and conditions, Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI), and polysomnography indexes (PSG) have been detected. Result. Based on the comparison of the Mongolian medicine syndrome scores between the warm acupuncture group and the drug treatment group, the result indicated P < 0.01. The clinical efficacy result showed that the effective rate (85%) in the warm acupuncture group was higher than that (70%) in the drug group. The total scores of PSQI of both groups were approximated. The sleep quality indexes of both groups decreased significantly ( P < 0.05). The sleep quality index in the Mongolian medical warm acupuncture group decreased significantly ( P < 0.01) and was better than that in the estazolam group. The sleep efficiency and daytime functions of the patients in the Mongolian medical warm acupuncture group improved significantly ( P < 0.01). The sleep time was significantly extended ( P < 0.01) in the Mongolian medical warm acupuncture group following PSG intervention. The sleep time during NREM in the Mongolian warm acupuncture group increased significantly ( P < 0.01). The sleep time exhibited a decreasing trend during REM and it decreased significantly in the Mongolian warm acupuncture group ( P < 0.01). The

  12. The Status of the Quality Control in Acupuncture-Neuroimaging Studies

    PubMed Central

    Qiu, Ke; Jing, Miaomiao; Liu, Xiaoyan; Gao, Feifei; Liang, Fanrong; Zeng, Fang

    2016-01-01

    Using neuroimaging techniques to explore the central mechanism of acupuncture gains increasing attention, but the quality control of acupuncture-neuroimaging study remains to be improved. We searched the PubMed Database during 1995 to 2014. The original English articles with neuroimaging scan performed on human beings were included. The data involved quality control including the author, sample size, characteristics of the participant, neuroimaging technology, and acupuncture intervention were extracted and analyzed. The rigorous inclusion and exclusion criteria are important guaranty for the participants' homogeneity. The standard operation process of acupuncture and the stricter requirement for acupuncturist play significant role in quality control. More attention should be paid to the quality control in future studies to improve the reproducibility and reliability of the acupuncture-neuroimaging studies. PMID:27242911

  13. The Neuroprotective Role of Acupuncture and Activation of the BDNF Signaling Pathway

    PubMed Central

    Lin, Dong; De La Pena, Ike; Lin, Lili; Zhou, Shu-Feng; Borlongan, Cesar V.; Cao, Chuanhai

    2014-01-01

    Recent studies have been conducted to examine the neuroprotective effects of acupuncture in many neurological disorders. Although the neuroprotective effects of acupuncture has been linked to changes in signaling pathways, accumulating evidence suggest the participation of endogenous biological mediators, such as the neurotrophin (NT) family of proteins, specifically, the brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Accordingly, acupuncture can inhibit neurodegeneration via expression and activation of BDNF. Moreover, recent studies have reported that acupuncture can increase ATP levels at local stimulated points. We have also demonstrated that acupuncture could activate monocytes and increase the expression of BDNF via the stimulation of ATP. The purpose of this article is to review the recent findings and ongoing studies on the neuroprotective roles of acupuncture and therapeutic implications of acupuncture-induced activation of BDNF and its signaling pathway. PMID:24566146

  14. Laser acupuncture causes thermal changes in small intestine meridian pathway.

    PubMed

    de Souza, Regina Célia; Pansini, Mario; Arruda, Gisele; Valente, Caroline; Brioschi, Marcos Leal

    2016-11-01

    The acupuncture meridians represent the flow of corporal energy which contains the acupuncture points. Laser acupuncture is a form of acupuncture stimulation by the use of laser. Thermographic images represent the propagation of heat in micro-environmental systems. The objective of this study was to investigate the use of thermographic images to document the changes on the small intestine meridian (S.I.M.) when submitted to laser acupuncture. Another important issue regards to the analysis of the flow direction if it is upward when stimulated by acupuncture points. For the execution of this work, a laser acupuncture pen was used in points of the meridian in the S.I.M. Two healthy male volunteers were selected (18 and 60 years old, respectively), and doses of 576,92 J/cm 2 with low-power infrared laser equipment with a wavelength of 780 nm in the SI.3 and SI.19 points were applied. An infrared thermal camera was used to measure the temperature of the S.I.M. during the 6 min laser acupuncture pen stimulus. When the laser acupuncture of both volunteers was conducted in the SI.3 point, it presented hyper-radiation of the hemi face in the same side, far from the application site. When this was applied in the SI.19 point, hyper-radiation in the same point and temperature lowering at the end of the meridian were observed. The laser energy caused thermal changes along the path of the S.I.M., distal, and proximal at the same time, proving the existence of the S.I.M.

  15. [Acupuncture combined with medication for morning blood pressure of essential hypertension].

    PubMed

    Zhang, Yi; Du, Yuzheng

    2018-04-12

    Based on the western medication, to evaluate the advantages in the morning blood pressure treated with acupuncture at Fengchi (GB 20) and Neck-Jiaji (EX-B 2) combined with acupuncture technique for activating blood circulation, eliminating wind and regulating the liver and spleen in the patients with essential hypertension. A total of 90 patients of essential hypertension of the mild and moderate degrees were randomized into a medication group (30 cases, 3 dropping), No.1 acupuncture group (30 cases, 2 dropping) and No.2 acupuncture group (30 cases, 1 dropping). In the medication group, adalat was prescribed for oral administration, 30 mg at 7 am every day, continuously for 6 weeks. In the No.1 acupuncture group, on the basis of the treatment as the medication group, the acupuncture technique for activating blood circulation, eliminating wind and regulating the liver and spleen was applied and the acupoints were Renying (ST 9), Hegu (LI 4), Taichong (LR 3), Quchi (LI 11) and Zusanli (ST 36). In the No.2 acupuncture group, on the basis of the treatment as the No.1 acupuncture group, Fengchi (GB 20) and Neck-Jiaji (EX-B 2) were added in acupuncture. Acupuncture was given in the time zone from 8 am through 10 am every day, once a day, 5 times a week, totally for 6 weeks. Separately, before treatment and in 2, 4 and 6 weeks of treatment, the morning blood pressure, the control rate and the symptom score were observed in the patients of the three groups. The morning blood pressure was followed up in 3 and 6 months separately. Compared with those before treatment, in 2, 4 and 6 weeks of treatment, the levels of blood pressure reduced in the patients of the three groups ( P <0.05, P <0.01). After 2-week treatment, the differences were not significant in the morning blood pressure and its control rate in the patients of the three groups (all P >0.05). In 4 and 6 weeks of treatment, the levels of the morning blood pressure in the No.2 acupuncture group were lower than those

  16. [Four seasons acupuncture and Five Shu Points].

    PubMed

    Zhao, Jing-sheng; Shi, Xin-de

    2009-10-01

    The method of four seasons acupuncture was initially recorded in the Internal Classic. It has the important meaning for understanding the contents of acupoints, especially the Five Shu Points. Its original meaning is that the place of acupuncture is difference on each season in order to cooperate with the both qi from the depth of acupuncture and four seasons. Through the interpretation from different aspects, the depth of qi is mainly considered as layer location and further considered as acupoints, and then gradually formed the principle of using the Five Shu Points. Following this way, we could correctly understand the contents of the Five Shu Points.

  17. Acupuncture inhibits cue-induced heroin craving and brain activation★

    PubMed Central

    Cai, Xinghui; Song, Xiaoge; Li, Chuanfu; Xu, Chunsheng; Li, Xiliang; Lu, Qi

    2012-01-01

    Previous research using functional MRI has shown that specific brain regions associated with drug dependence and cue-elicited heroin craving are activated by environmental cues. Craving is an important trigger of heroin relapse, and acupuncture may inhibit craving. In this study, we performed functional MRI in heroin addicts and control subjects. We compared differences in brain activation between the two groups during heroin cue exposure, heroin cue exposure plus acupuncture at the Zusanli point (ST36) without twirling of the needle, and heroin cue exposure plus acupuncture at the Zusanli point with twirling of the needle. Heroin cue exposure elicited significant activation in craving-related brain regions mainly in the frontal lobes and callosal gyri. Acupuncture without twirling did not significantly affect the range of brain activation induced by heroin cue exposure, but significantly changed the extent of the activation in the heroin addicts group. Acupuncture at the Zusanli point with twirling of the needle significantly decreased both the range and extent of activation induced by heroin cue exposure compared with heroin cue exposure plus acupuncture without twirling of the needle. These experimental findings indicate that presentation of heroin cues can induce activation in craving-related brain regions, which are involved in reward, learning and memory, cognition and emotion. Acupuncture at the Zusanli point can rapidly suppress the activation of specific brain regions related to craving, supporting its potential as an intervention for drug craving. PMID:25368637

  18. Acupuncture inhibits cue-induced heroin craving and brain activation.

    PubMed

    Cai, Xinghui; Song, Xiaoge; Li, Chuanfu; Xu, Chunsheng; Li, Xiliang; Lu, Qi

    2012-11-25

    Previous research using functional MRI has shown that specific brain regions associated with drug dependence and cue-elicited heroin craving are activated by environmental cues. Craving is an important trigger of heroin relapse, and acupuncture may inhibit craving. In this study, we performed functional MRI in heroin addicts and control subjects. We compared differences in brain activation between the two groups during heroin cue exposure, heroin cue exposure plus acupuncture at the Zusanli point (ST36) without twirling of the needle, and heroin cue exposure plus acupuncture at the Zusanli point with twirling of the needle. Heroin cue exposure elicited significant activation in craving-related brain regions mainly in the frontal lobes and callosal gyri. Acupuncture without twirling did not significantly affect the range of brain activation induced by heroin cue exposure, but significantly changed the extent of the activation in the heroin addicts group. Acupuncture at the Zusanli point with twirling of the needle significantly decreased both the range and extent of activation induced by heroin cue exposure compared with heroin cue exposure plus acupuncture without twirling of the needle. These experimental findings indicate that presentation of heroin cues can induce activation in craving-related brain regions, which are involved in reward, learning and memory, cognition and emotion. Acupuncture at the Zusanli point can rapidly suppress the activation of specific brain regions related to craving, supporting its potential as an intervention for drug craving.

  19. Acupuncture for musculoskeletal pain: A meta-analysis and meta-regression of sham-controlled randomized clinical trials

    PubMed Central

    Yuan, Qi-ling; Wang, Peng; Liu, Liang; Sun, Fu; Cai, Yong-song; Wu, Wen-tao; Ye, Mao-lin; Ma, Jiang-tao; Xu, Bang-bang; Zhang, Yin-gang

    2016-01-01

    The aims of this systematic review were to study the analgesic effect of real acupuncture and to explore whether sham acupuncture (SA) type is related to the estimated effect of real acupuncture for musculoskeletal pain. Five databases were searched. The outcome was pain or disability immediately (≤1 week) following an intervention. Standardized mean differences (SMDs) with 95% confidence intervals were calculated. Meta-regression was used to explore possible sources of heterogeneity. Sixty-three studies (6382 individuals) were included. Eight condition types were included. The pooled effect size was moderate for pain relief (59 trials, 4980 individuals, SMD −0.61, 95% CI −0.76 to −0.47; P < 0.001) and large for disability improvement (31 trials, 4876 individuals, −0.77, −1.05 to −0.49; P < 0.001). In a univariate meta-regression model, sham needle location and/or depth could explain most or all heterogeneities for some conditions (e.g., shoulder pain, low back pain, osteoarthritis, myofascial pain, and fibromyalgia); however, the interactions between subgroups via these covariates were not significant (P < 0.05). Our review provided low-quality evidence that real acupuncture has a moderate effect (approximate 12-point reduction on the 100-mm visual analogue scale) on musculoskeletal pain. SA type did not appear to be related to the estimated effect of real acupuncture. PMID:27471137

  20. Visualized Characterization for Cerebral Response of Acupuncture Deqi: Paradox Underway

    PubMed Central

    Yang, Ming-Xiao; Zeng, Fang; Wu, Xi; Chen, Jiao; Liu, Yan-Qin; Feng, Yue; Liang, Fan-Rong

    2013-01-01

    Acupuncture as an oriental natural healing therapy with prolonged history has been extensively utilized in the management of great numbers of disorders. Deqi, a renowned acupuncture needling sensation, is profoundly regarded as the predictor and also the prerequisite of a preferable acupuncture treatment efficacy. Till now, there is still no consistency being reached towards the mechanism of acupuncture Deqi as a result of the discrepancy for publicly acknowledged evidence. Recent visualized research on Deqi using modern technologies has demonstrated possible central mechanism towards it. However, there is a conspicuous paradox underway in the research of cerebral response to acupuncture Deqi. This paper provided a view of up-to-date studies using visualized tools to characterize the brain response to acupuncture Deqi, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT). The paradox was extruded to highlight certain reasons from a TCM view. It is hypothesized that acupoints located at different dermal sites, state of participant, and needling manipulation can all contribute to the current paradox. Hence, further studies on acupuncture Deqi should pay more attention to the strategy of experiment design with generalized measurement, valid sham control methods, and more to subjects in diseased condition. PMID:23935686

  1. Effects of acupuncture on tissue-oxygenation of the rat brain.

    PubMed

    Chen, G S; Erdmann, W

    1977-01-01

    Acupuncture has been claimed to be effective in restoring consciousness in some comatose patients. Possible mechanisms to explain alleged acupuncture-induced arousal may include vasodilatory effects caused by sympathetic stimulation which leads to an augmentation of cerebral microcirculation and thereby improves oxygen supply to the brain tissue. Experiments were performed in ten albino rats (Wistar) employing PO2 microelectrodes which were inserted into the cortex of the animals through small burholes. Brain tissue PO2 was continuously recorded before, during, and after acupuncture. Stimulation of certain acupuncture loci (Go-26) resulted in immediate increase of PO2 in the frontal cortex of the rat brain. This effect was reproducible. The effect was comparable to that obtained with increase of inspiratory CO2 known to induce arterial vasodilatation and thus capillary perfusion pressure. The effect was more significant as compared to tissue PO2 increases obtained after increase of inspiratory oxygen concentration from 21% to 100%. It appears that acupuncture causes an increase of brain tissue perfusion which may be, at least in part, responsible for arousal of unconscious patients. Dilatation of cerebral vascular vessels and improvement of autoregulation in the brain by acupuncture stimulation may also explain the effectiveness of acupuncture in the treatment of migraine headache.

  2. Laser therapy on points of acupuncture: Are there benefits in dentistry?

    PubMed

    de Oliveira, Renata Ferreira; da Silva, Camila Vieira; Cersosimo, Maria Cecília Pereira; Borsatto, Maria Cristina; de Freitas, Patrícia Moreira

    2015-10-01

    Studies have shown the use of laser therapy at points of acupuncture as an alternative to metal needles. The scientific literature in the area of laser acupuncture is rather large; however, the actual mechanisms and effects have not yet been proven in detail. Therefore, the current manuscript reviews the existing literature regarding the effects of laser acupuncture in Dentistry, seeking treatment modalities in which this technique is used and which are able to generate positive clinical results. Thus, the literature survey was conducted in electronic databases--Medline/Pubmed, VHL and Science Direct--using the uniterms "alternative medicine", "low-power laser and acupuncture", "laser acupuncture and dentistry" and "laser therapy and acupuncture". Retrospective and prospective clinical studies were considered. According to the findings of the literature, laser therapy at points of acupuncture was effective for the treatment of various orofacial problems encountered in dentistry, but there are still many differences among the parameters used for irradiation and there is a lack of important information reported by the studies, such as the wavelength, dose, power density, irradiation time and frequency, points of acupuncture selected for irradiation and therapy outcomes. Although these results indicate the potential benefit of the use of laser therapy at points of acupuncture on Dentistry, further double-blinded, controlled clinical trials should be carried out in order to standardize protocols for clinical application. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Psychometric Evaluation of the Fear of Positive Evaluation Scale in Patients With Social Anxiety Disorder

    PubMed Central

    Weeks, Justin W.; Heimberg, Richard G.; Rodebaugh, Thomas L.; Goldin, Philippe R.; Gross, James J.

    2014-01-01

    The Fear of Positive Evaluation Scale (FPES; Weeks, Heimberg, & Rodebaugh, 2008) was designed to assess fear of positive evaluation, a proposed cognitive component of social anxiety. Although previous findings on the psychometric properties of the FPES have been highly encouraging, only one previous study has examined the psychometric profile of the FPES in a sample of patients with social anxiety disorder (Fergus et al., 2009). The primary purpose of the present study was to conduct a large multi-site examination of the psychometric profile of the FPES among patients with a principal diagnosis of social anxiety disorder (n = 226; generalized subtype: 97.8%). Responses of non-anxious control participants (n = 42) were also examined. The factorial validity, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, construct validity, and treatment sensitivity of the FPES were strongly supported by our findings. Furthermore, an FPES cutoff score was identified for distinguishing levels of fear of positive evaluation characteristic of patients with social anxiety disorder from those characteristic of the control group. Results provide additional support for the psychometric properties of the FPES in clinical samples. PMID:21966932

  4. Wrist-ankle acupuncture (WAA) for primary dysmenorrhea (PD) of young females: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

    PubMed

    Chen, Yingfan; Tian, Sinan; Tian, Jing; Shu, Shi

    2017-08-22

    Primary dysmenorrhea (PD) is one of the most common health complaints all over the world, specifically among young females. Acupuncture has been employed to relieve the pain-based symptoms and to avoid the side effects of conventional medication, and wrist-ankle acupuncture (WAA) has confirmed analgesic efficacy for various types of pain. The aim of this study is to evaluate the immediate analgesia effect of WAA on PD of young females. This study will carry out a randomized parallel controlled single-blind trial to observe the immediate analgesia effect of WAA in PD of young females. Sixty participants who meet inclusion criteria will be recruited from September 2016 to September 2017 in Changhai hospital of China. They are randomly assigned to WAA therapy or sham acupuncture groups (30 patients for each group), and then receive real or sham acupuncture treatment, respectively. In this trial, the primary outcome measure is simple form of McGill pain questionnaire (SF-MPQ), while expectation and treatment credibility scale (ETCS), safety assessment, the COX menstrual symptom scale (CMSS), questionnaire about the feeling of being punctured are included in the secondary outcomes. This trial will be the first study protocol designed to evaluate the immediate analgesia effect of WAA in PD of young females. The strengths in methodology, including rigorous randomized, sham-controlled, participants-blinded and assessors-blinded, will guarantee the quality of this study. WAA doesn't require any needling sensation, so non-penetrating sham acupuncture can serve as an effective placebo intervention in this trial. Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (identifier: ChiCTR-IOR-16008546 ; registration date: 27 May 2016).

  5. A Qualitative Study of the Communication Process for Medical Acupuncture in Family Medicine.

    PubMed

    Ledford, Christy J W; Fisher, Carla L; Crawford, Paul

    2018-05-01

    As evidence establishes the efficacy of medical acupuncture, more family physicians and family medicine residents may receive medical acupuncture training and need to know how to effectively communicate about the treatment option with patients. By identifying how physicians talk about acupuncture treatment with their patients, we aimed to develop a model for physician training that could enhance their ability to integrate and practice medical acupuncture in conventional clinical settings. To capture the communication process that family physicians engage in when integrating acupuncture treatment into a clinical environment, we sought both physicians' and patients' perspectives. We conducted interviews with 17 family physicians and 15 patients in a US family medicine clinic that has integrated medical acupuncture into its practice. Audio recordings were transcribed and analyzed by two members of the study team in ATLAS.ti, using the constant comparative method. Integrating acupuncture into family medicine entailed a three-phase communication process: (1) introduce acupuncture, (2) explain the medical process, and (3) evaluate treatment outcomes. The emerging three-phase process of communicating acupuncture described here provides an initial model for teaching communication in the context of medical acupuncture. Given the exploratory nature of this initial study and the rarity of acupuncture treatment integrated into family medical settings, this is a first step in building knowledge in this realm of practice. Future research is needed to better understand the experience of patients who do not report notable results of acupuncture and to extend this study into other family medicine settings.

  6. Effectiveness of Acupuncture and Electroacupuncture for Chronic Neck Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

    PubMed

    Seo, See Yoon; Lee, Ki-Beom; Shin, Joon-Shik; Lee, Jinho; Kim, Me-Riong; Ha, In-Hyuk; Ko, Youme; Lee, Yoon Jae

    2017-01-01

    result reporting adverse effects, no serious outcome of adverse event was confirmed. Acupuncture and conventional medicine for chronic neck pain have similar effectiveness on pain and disability when compared solely between the two of them. When acupuncture was added onto conventional treatment it relieved pain better, and electroacupuncture relieved pain even more. It is difficult to draw conclusion because the included studies have a high risk of bias and imprecision. Therefore better designed large-scale studies are needed in the future.

  7. [Efficacy comparison between needle-knife therapy and acupuncture-cupping for cervical spondylosis of cervical type].

    PubMed

    Cao, Li; Wang, Fan

    2014-05-01

    To compare the efficacy differences between needle-knife therapy and acupuncture-cupping for treatment of cervical spondylosis (CS) of cervical type. Sixty cases of CS were randomly divided into a needle-knife group (30 cases) and an acupuncture-cupping group (30 cases). The needle-knife therapy was applied at points among superior nuchal line of occipital bone, bilateral neck muscle, neck centerline, trapezius and medial border scapula for only once. In the acupuncture-cupping group, acupuncture was applied at Fengchi (GB 20), Fengfu (GV 16), Tianzhu (BL 10), Dazhui (GV 14), Jianjing (GB 21), Jiaji (Ex-B2, from C4 to C6), Houxi (SI 3) and Ashi point, followed by cupping on local skin, once every other day for totally six times. The score of neck stiffness and visual analogue scale (VAS) were observed before and after treatment, in follow-up of 1, 3 and 6 months after treatment in the two groups, and the efficacy was compared. In the needle-knife group, 9 cases were cured, 12 cases were markedly effective, 8 cases were effective and 1 case was failed; the total effective rate was 96.7% (29/30) and the cured and markedly effective rate was 70.0% (21/30). In the acupuncture-cupping group, 8 cases were cured, 9 cases were markedly effective, 11 cases were effective and 2 cases were failed; the total effective rate was 93.3% (28/30) and the cured and markedly effective rate was 56.7% (17/30). The difference of total effective rate in the two groups was not statistically significant (P > 0.05), but the cured and markedly effective rate of needle-knife group was significantly superior to that of acupuncture-cupping group (P < 0.05). The needle-knife therapy was significantly superior to acupuncture-cupping on improvement of neck stiffness in the follow-up of 1, 3, 6 months after treatment (P < 0.05, P < 0.001); both treatments were effective on relief of neck pain, but the needle-knife group had better effects in the follow-up of 3 and 6 months after treatment compared

  8. Reduced health resource use after acupuncture for low-back pain.

    PubMed

    Moritz, Sabine; Liu, Ming F; Rickhi, Badri; Xu, Tracy J; Paccagnan, Patricia; Quan, Hude

    2011-11-01

    Acupuncture is commonly used to treat low-back pain (LBP) and clinical trials have demonstrated its efficacy. However, less is known about how the utilization of acupuncture impacts public health service utilization in the real world. This study investigates the association between acupuncture utilization for LBP and health care utilization by assessing whether patients who undergo acupuncture subsequently use fewer health care resources and whether those patients differ in their health care use from the general population with LBP. This study employed the design of a two-group pre/post secondary data analysis. There were two study populations. To identify patients who received acupuncture for LBP in 2000, patient charts at Alberta registered acupuncture clinics were reviewed. The comparison group was identified from the Alberta physician claims administrative database. Acupuncture group cases were matched with four comparison cases from the general population with LBP based on gender and age. Number of physician visits and physician service cost for LBP-related services for 1 year pre- and postacupuncture treatment period were calculated from the physician claims data for both study groups. For the 201 cases and 804 controls, the mean age was 48 years and 54% were female. The number of physician visits for the 1-year period postacupuncture decreased 49% for the acupuncture group (p<0.01) compared to the 1-year period preacupuncture. For the comparison there was a decrease of 2% in physician visits (p=0.59) for the same time periods. Corresponding to the decrease, physician services cost declined 37% for the case group (p=0.01) and 1% for the comparison (p=0.86). Results suggest that patients with LBP were less likely to visit physicians for LBP after acupuncture treatment. This led to reduced health services spending on LBP. © Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

  9. Effectiveness of Acupuncture in the Treatment of Gulf War Illness

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2013-01-01

    AD_________________ Award Number: W81XWH-09-2-0064 TITLE: Effectiveness of Acupuncture in the...CONTRACTING ORGANIZATION: New England School of Acupuncture , Inc. Newton, MA 02458-1005...December 2012 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER Effectiveness of Acupuncture in the Treatment of Gulf War Illness 5b. GRANT NUMBER W81XWH

  10. Efficacy of femtosecond lasers for application of acupuncture therapy.

    PubMed

    Ohta, Mika; Hosokawa, Yoichiroh; Hatano, Naoya; Sugano, Aki; Ito, Akihiko; Takaoka, Yutaka

    2017-12-01

    Acupuncture treatment utilizes the stimulation of metal acupuncture needles that are manually inserted into a living body. In the last decades, laser light has been used as an alternative to needles to stimulate acupuncture points. We previously reported suppression of myostatin (Mstn) gene expression in skeletal muscle by means of femtosecond laser (FL) irradiation, after electroacupuncture, in which acupuncture needles are stimulated with a low-frequency microcurrent. The purpose of the study here was to investigate the efficacy of FL irradiation in mouse skeletal muscle with regard to protein synthesis. After irradiation of the hindlimbs, we first analyzed Mstn gene expression and Mstn protein level in the skeletal muscle. We then evaluated phosphorylation of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and its downstream target 70-kDa ribosomal protein S6 kinase (p70S6K). The results showed that FL irradiation significantly reduced the amount of Mstn protein and enhanced the phosphorylation of p70S6K in of the mTOR/S6K signaling pathway. We suggest that FL irradiation activated the protein synthetic pathway in the skeletal muscle. In conclusion, we determined that FL irradiation can serve as an alternative for acupuncture needles and has the potential of being a new non-invasive acupuncture treatment of skeletal muscle.

  11. High fear of intra-oral injections: prevalence and relationship to dental fear and dental avoidance among 10- to 16-yr-old children.

    PubMed

    Berge, Karin G; Agdal, Maren L; Vika, Margrethe; Skeie, Marit S

    2016-12-01

    The present study aimed to: (i) estimate the prevalence of self-reported high fear of intra-oral injections, high blood-injury fear, and injection fear; (ii) explore the overlap between high fear of intra-oral injections and high fear of dental treatment; and (iii) evaluate the possible consequence of high fear of intra-oral injections in terms of avoidance of dental care. The sample included 1,441 subjects, 10- to 16-yr of age, attending elementary schools in a county of Norway. Data were collected using questionnaires that were completed in classrooms. The survey instruments used were the Intra-Oral Injection Fear-scale, the Children's Fear Survey Schedule-Dental Subscale, the Injection Phobia scale for children, and the Mutilation Questionnaire for children. In total, 13.9% of the children reported high intra-oral injection fear. A strong association was found between fear of intra-oral injections and dental fear. When an intra-oral injection was needed, 10.6% would avoid dental treatment. In multiple regression analysis, high intra-oral injection fear was found to be associated with avoidance of dental treatment (OR = 6.52; 95% CI: 3.99-10.67). It was concluded that high fear of intra-oral injections was prevalent and might lead to avoidance of necessary dental treatment. Hence, intra-oral injection fear should be addressed before treatment of dental fear. © 2016 Eur J Oral Sci.

  12. Assessing fear-avoidance beliefs in patients with cervical radiculopathy.

    PubMed

    Dedering, Asa; Börjesson, Tina

    2013-12-01

    The study sought to evaluate validity and reliability of the Fear Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire and the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia in patients with cervical radiculopathy. A test-retest design was used to test stability over time in 46 patients with cervical radiculopathy. Differences between patients and healthy subjects were also evaluated comparing the patients with 41 physically active and healthy subjects. The patients answered the Fear Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire and the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia twice. To test for differences between the patients and the healthy subjects, the latter answered the same questionnaires once. Questionnaires about activity, personal factors and health were also used. The test-retest reliability assessed with weighted kappa was 0.68 for the Fear Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire and 0.45 for the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia. Only six of the 11 single items of the Fear Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire and none of the single items of the Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia showed kappa coefficients exceeding 0.60 (good reliability). Patients with cervical radiculopathy rated significantly worse on the Fear Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire and the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia than the healthy subjects did. The Fear Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire may be recommended for test-retest evaluations because 'good' reliability was found. The Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia had only 'moderate' test-retest reliability, and this should be considered when using this scale in test-retest evaluations. Both questionnaires can discriminate between patients with cervical radiculopathy and healthy subjects. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  13. Characteristics analysis of acupuncture electroencephalograph based on mutual information Lempel—Ziv complexity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Luo, Xi-Liu; Wang, Jiang; Han, Chun-Xiao; Deng, Bin; Wei, Xi-Le; Bian, Hong-Rui

    2012-02-01

    As a convenient approach to the characterization of cerebral cortex electrical information, electroencephalograph (EEG) has potential clinical application in monitoring the acupuncture effects. In this paper, a method composed of the mutual information method and Lempel—Ziv complexity method (MILZC) is proposed to investigate the effects of acupuncture on the complexity of information exchanges between different brain regions based on EEGs. In the experiments, eight subjects are manually acupunctured at ‘Zusanli’ acupuncture point (ST-36) with different frequencies (i.e., 50, 100, 150, and 200 times/min) and the EEGs are recorded simultaneously. First, MILZC values are compared in general. Then average brain connections are used to quantify the effectiveness of acupuncture under the above four frequencies. Finally, significance index P values are used to study the spatiality of the acupuncture effect on the brain. Three main findings are obtained: (i) MILZC values increase during the acupuncture; (ii) manual acupunctures (MAs) with 100 times/min and 150 times/min are more effective than with 50 times/min and 200 times/min; (iii) contralateral hemisphere activation is more prominent than ipsilateral hemisphere's. All these findings suggest that acupuncture contributes to the increase of brain information exchange complexity and the MILZC method can successfully describe these changes.

  14. Immediate relief of herniated lumbar disc-related sciatica by ankle acupuncture: A study protocol for a randomized controlled clinical trial.

    PubMed

    Xiang, Anfeng; Xu, Mingshu; Liang, Yan; Wei, Jinzi; Liu, Sheng

    2017-12-01

    Around 90% of sciatica cases are due to a herniated intervertebral disc in the lumbar region. Ankle acupuncture (AA) has been reported to be effective in the treatment of acute nonspecific low back pain. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of a single session of ankle acupuncture for disc-related sciatica. This will be a double-blinded, randomized controlled clinical trial. Patients diagnosed with disc-related sciatica will be randomly divided into 3 parallel groups. The treatment group (n = 30) will receive ankle acupuncture. The 2 control groups will either undergo traditional needle manipulation (n = 30) or sham acupuncture (n = 30) at the same point as the treatment group. The primary outcome will be pain intensity on a visual analog scale (VAS). The secondary outcomes will be paresthesia intensity on a VAS and the Abbreviated Acceptability Rating Profile (AAPR). The success of blinding will be evaluated, and the needle-induced sensation and adverse events will be recorded. All outcomes will be evaluated before, during, and after the treatment. This study will determine the immediate effect and specificity of ankle acupuncture for the treatment of disc-related sciatica. We anticipate that ankle acupuncture might be more effective than traditional needle manipulation or sham acupuncture. ChiCTR-IPR-15007127 (http://www.chictr.org.cn/showprojen.aspx?proj=11989). Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Acupuncture and Its Role in Modern Medicine

    PubMed Central

    Lewin, Andrew J.

    1974-01-01

    Although both the philosophic and physiologic basis of acupuncture seems fanciful to Western medical thinking, the results obtained in the treatment of certain disease states cannot be lightly dismissed. Its use in the induction of surgical analgesia may have immediate application for Western Medicine. Its mechanism of action is a complete enigma, but information accumulated from research in hypnosis, visceral learning and, most important, the physiology of pain perception may contain clues to the pathophysiologic principles involved. The fact that many disorders for which acupuncture therapy is useful are thought to have a large psychosomatic component only serves to reinforce the Eastern concept of inseparability of mind and body. A great deal of attention is being given to this concept in the current medical literature. In order to define the role of acupuncture in modern medical practice, a more scientific approach in both clinical and basic research is necessary. If acupuncture can be proved safe and efficacious in the treatment of certain diseases, lack of knowledge regarding its mechanism of action should not delay its incorporation into our medical armamentarium. PMID:4590887

  16. A new diode laser acupuncture therapy apparatus

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Chengwei; Huang, Zhen; Li, Dongyu; Zhang, Xiaoyuan

    2006-06-01

    Since the first laser-needles acupuncture apparatus was introduced in therapy, this kind of apparatus has been well used in laser biomedicine as its non-invasive, pain- free, non-bacterium, and safetool. The laser acupuncture apparatus in this paper is based on single-chip microcomputer and associated by semiconductor laser technology. The function like traditional moxibustion including reinforcing and reducing is implemented by applying chaos method to control the duty cycle of moxibustion signal, and the traditional lifting and thrusting of acupuncture is implemented by changing power output of the diode laser. The radiator element of diode laser is made and the drive circuit is designed. And chaos mathematic model is used to produce deterministic class stochastic signal to avoid the body adaptability. This function covers the shortages of continuous irradiation or that of simple disciplinary stimulate signal, which is controlled by some simple electronic circuit and become easily adjusted by human body. The realization of reinforcing and reducing of moxibustion is technological innovation in traditional acupuncture coming true in engineering.

  17. Prenatal acupuncture: Women's expectations and satisfaction and influence on labor.

    PubMed

    Trutnovsky, Gerda; Schneeweiss, Melanie; Pregartner, Gudrun; Reif, Philipp; Lang, Uwe; Ulrich, Daniela

    2018-06-01

    Use of prenatal acupuncture for labor preparation is common, but there is still conflicting evidence with respect to its objective obstetric benefits. There is little information on women's expectations and subjective experiences with acupuncture treatments. In this retrospective cohort study, a validated questionnaire on women's treatment satisfaction was sent to women who had received prenatal acupuncture at the obstetric clinic of the Medical University of Graz, Austria within the last 3 years. The electronic obstetric database was used to extract detailed clinical and obstetric data of women who received acupuncture and delivered at the hospital. For comparison, obstetric data were matched with a control group of women without prenatal acupuncture, who had given birth at the hospital during the study period. The questionnaire was sent to 150 women, out of which 70 (46.7%) completed and returned the questionnaire. Analysis of the questionnaire indicated good overall satisfaction (mean sum score 26.22 ± 4.72) with acupuncture treatment-97.1% indicated that they were very or quite satisfied. Responders did not differ from nonresponders, except for the time between delivery and questionnaire (P = .015). Comparisons between the deliveries after prenatal acupuncture (n = 144) and the matched control deliveries (n = 576) showed no statistical significant differences in the length of labor and use of analgesics. Prenatal acupuncture is likely to have positive effects on pregnant women, aside from an objective influence on labor duration and pain. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  18. The standardization of acupuncture treatment for radiation-induced xerostomia: A literature review.

    PubMed

    Li, Ling-Xin; Tian, Guang; He, Jing

    2016-07-01

    To assess the relative standardization of acupuncture protocols for radiation-induced xerostomia. A literature search was carried out up to November 10, 2012 in the databases PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE and China National Knowledge Infrastruction with the terms: radiation-induced xerostomia, acupuncture, acupuncture treatment, and acupuncture therapy. Five ancient Chinese classic acupuncture works were also reviewed with the keywords "dry mouth, thirst, dry tongue, dry eyes and dry lips" to search the effective acupuncture points for dry mouth-associated symptoms in ancient China. Twenty-two full-text articles relevant to acupuncture treatment for radiation-induced xerostomia were included and a total of 48 acupuncture points were searched in the 5 ancient Chinese classic acupuncture works, in which the most commonly used points were Chengjiang (CV24), Shuigou (GV 26), Duiduan (GV 27), Jinjin (EX-HN 12), and Yuye (EX-HN 13) on head and neck, Sanjian (LI 3), Shangyang (LI 1), Shaoshang (LU 11), Shaoze (SI 1), Xialian (LI 8) on hand, Fuliu (KI 7), Dazhong (KI 4), Zuqiaoyin (GB 44), Taichong (LR 3), Zhaohai (KI 6) on foot, Burong (ST 19), Zhangmen (LR 13), Tiantu (CV 22), Qimen (LR 14) on abdomen, Feishu (BL 13), Danshu (BL 19), Xiaochaogshu (BL 27), Ganshu (BL 18) on back, Shenmen (TF 4), Shen (CO10, Kidney), Yidan (CO11, Pancreas) and Pi (CO13, Spleen) on ear. There were considerable heterogeneities in the current acupuncture treatment protocols for radiation-induced xerostomia. Based on the results of the review and the personal perspectives, the authors provide a recommendation for manual acupuncture protocols in treating radiationinduced xerostomia patients with head and neck cancer.

  19. From peripheral to central: the role of ERK signaling pathway in acupuncture analgesia.

    PubMed

    Park, Ji-Yeun; Park, Jongbae J; Jeon, Songhee; Doo, Ah-Reum; Kim, Seung-Nam; Lee, Hyangsook; Chae, Younbyoung; Maixner, William; Lee, Hyejung; Park, Hi-Joon

    2014-05-01

    Despite accumulating evidence of the clinical effectiveness of acupuncture, its mechanism remains largely unclear. We assume that molecular signaling around the acupuncture needled area is essential for initiating the effect of acupuncture. To determine possible bio-candidates involved in the mechanisms of acupuncture and investigate the role of such bio-candidates in the analgesic effects of acupuncture, we conducted 2 stepwise experiments. First, a genome-wide microarray of the isolated skin layer at the GB34-equivalent acupoint of C57BL/6 mice 1 hour after acupuncture found that a total of 236 genes had changed and that extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) activation was the most prominent bio-candidate. Second, in mouse pain models using formalin and complete Freund adjuvant, we found that acupuncture attenuated the nociceptive behavior and the mechanical allodynia; these effects were blocked when ERK cascade was interrupted by the mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK)/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) inhibitor U0126 (.8 μg/μL). Based on these results, we suggest that ERK phosphorylation following acupuncture needling is a biochemical hallmark initiating the effect of acupuncture including analgesia. This article presents the novel evidence of the local molecular signaling in acupuncture analgesia by demonstrating that ERK activation in the skin layer contributes to the analgesic effect of acupuncture in a mouse pain model. This work improves our understanding of the scientific basis underlying acupuncture analgesia. Copyright © 2014 American Pain Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Is acupuncture an acceptable option in stroke rehabilitation? A survey of stroke patients.

    PubMed

    Yam, Winnie; Wilkinson, Jenny M

    2010-01-01

    Stroke is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality and stroke survivors make up the largest group of patients in rehabilitation. These individuals also have one of the longest lengths of stay in rehabilitation. It has been suggested that acupuncture may be beneficial in post-stroke rehabilitation and in this study we examine how stroke patients value acupuncture and their perceptions of acupuncture as a rehabilitation treatment option. A questionnaire was distributed to individuals undergoing post-stroke rehabilitation at three rehabilitation centers attached to hospitals in Toronto, Canada. Two hundred and seventy-three individuals completed the questionnaire with the respondent group comprising mainly males (62%) over 65 years of age (68%). Overall 29% had used acupuncture with 16% receiving acupuncture treatment for stroke related conditions. Almost all respondents (98%) wanted to know more about acupuncture in stroke rehabilitation and 87% would consider acupuncture as a treatment option. Few (8%) reported that they had advanced level knowledge about acupuncture, with most reporting a basic (48%) or intermediate (33%) level which recognized that acupuncture used fine needles to produce a therapeutic response. Those with prior acupuncture experience expected to pay more for treatment. The main factors influencing decisions to use acupuncture were practitioner competency (84%), cost (65%) and sterilization concerns (40%). This study demonstrates that there is willingness by patients attending conventional hospital-based rehabilitation centers to consider acupuncture in stroke rehabilitation and that lack of knowledge about this treatment is not a barrier to use. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Systematic review on randomized controlled clinical trials of acupuncture therapy for neurovascular headache.

    PubMed

    Zhao, Lei; Guo, Yi; Wang, Wei; Yan, Li-juan

    2011-08-01

    To evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture as a treatment for neurovascular headache and to analyze the current situation related to acupuncture treatment. PubMed database (1966-2010), EMBASE database (1986-2010), Cochrane Library (Issue 1, 2010), Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (1979-2010), China HowNet Knowledge Database (1979-2010), VIP Journals Database (1989-2010), and Wanfang database (1998-2010) were retrieved. Randomized or quasi-randomized controlled studies were included. The priority was given to high-quality randomized, controlled trials. Statistical outcome indicators were measured using RevMan 5.0.20 software. A total of 16 articles and 1 535 cases were included. Meta-analysis showed a significant difference between the acupuncture therapy and Western medicine therapy [combined RR (random efficacy model)=1.46, 95% CI (1.21, 1.75), Z=3.96, P<0.0001], indicating an obvious superior effect of the acupuncture therapy; significant difference also existed between the comprehensive acupuncture therapy and acupuncture therapy alone [combined RR (fixed efficacy model)=3.35, 95% CI (1.92, 5.82), Z=4.28, P<0.0001], indicating that acupuncture combined with other therapies, such as points injection, scalp acupuncture, auricular acupuncture, etc., were superior to the conventional body acupuncture therapy alone. The inclusion of limited clinical studies had verified the efficacy of acupuncture in the treatment of neurovascular headache. Although acupuncture or its combined therapies provides certain advantages, most clinical studies are of small sample sizes. Large sample size, randomized, controlled trials are needed in the future for more definitive results.

  2. Combined Acupuncture and Auriculotherapy in Burning Mouth Syndrome Treatment: A Preliminary Single-Arm Clinical Trial.

    PubMed

    Franco, Faraína Rodrigues Vasconcelos; Castro, Luciano Alberto; Borsatto, Maria Cristina; Silveira, Erika Aparecida; Ribeiro-Rotta, Rejane Faria

    2017-02-01

    Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is a chronic pain disorder that is difficult to diagnose and refractory to treatment; it is more prevalent in pre- and postmenopausal women. Acupuncture and auriculotherapy have been suggested as options for the treatment of pain because they promote analgesia and allow for the reduction of symptoms with lower doses of drugs; this leads to greater patient compliance with treatment and has a positive effect on quality of life. Clinical trials investigating the effectiveness of acupuncture in the treatment of BMS are scarce in the literature. To investigate the effect of combined acupuncture and auriculotherapy on pain management and quality of life in patients with BMS. Sixty patients with BMS were subjected to a thorough differential diagnosis. Of these, 12 met the inclusion criteria and agreed to participate. Eight patients completed treatment with acupuncture and auriculotherapy using a previously established protocol. The outcome variables were analyzed before and after treatment: pain/burning (visual analog scale; VAS), salivary flow (unstimulated sialometry), and quality of life (Short-Form Oral Health Impact Profile [OHIP-14]). Two-year follow-up was carried out by assessing VAS and OHIP-14. The intensity of pain/burning decreased significantly after the first treatment sessions, as shown by low values on the VAS (0-2) and a subjective indicator of quality of life (mean = 5.37 ± 3.50). There was no relationship between salivary flow and the intensity of pain/burning. At 2-year follow-up, no statistically significant difference was observed for VAS, but improvement on OHIP-14 was seen. Combined acupuncture/auriculotherapy was effective in reducing the intensity of burning and improving quality of life. There was no relationship between salivary flow and the intensity of burning mouth. Patients' status improved after acupuncture and auriculotherapy at 2-year follow-up.

  3. Acupuncture Modulates Resting State Connectivity in Default and Sensorimotor Brain Networks

    PubMed Central

    Dhond, Rupali P.; Yeh, Calvin; Park, Kyungmo; Kettner, Norman; Napadow, Vitaly

    2008-01-01

    Previous studies have defined low-frequency, spatially consistent networks in resting fMRI data which may reflect functional connectivity. We sought to explore how a complex somatosensory stimulation, acupuncture, influences intrinsic connectivity in two of these networks: the default mode network (DMN) and sensorimotor network (SMN). We analyzed resting fMRI data taken before and after verum and sham acupuncture. Electrocardiography data was used to infer autonomic modulation through measures of heart rate variability (HRV). Probabilistic independent component analysis was used to separate resting fMRI data into DMN and SMN components. Following verum, but not sham, acupuncture there was increased DMN connectivity with pain (anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), periaqueductal gray), affective (amygdala, ACC), and memory (hippocampal formation, middle temporal gyrus) related brain regions. Furthermore, increased DMN connectivity with the hippocampal formation, a region known to support memory and interconnected with autonomic brain regions, was negatively correlated with acupuncture-induced increase in a sympathetic related HRV metric (LFu), and positively correlated with a parasympathetic related metric (HFu). Following verum, but not sham, acupuncture there was also increased SMN connectivity with pain related brain regions (ACC, cerebellum). We attribute differences between verum and sham acupuncture to more varied and stronger sensations evoked by verum acupuncture. Our results demonstrate for the first time that acupuncture can enhance the post-stimulation spatial extent of resting brain networks to include anti-nociceptive, memory, and affective brain regions. This modulation and sympathovagal response may relate to acupuncture analgesia and other potential therapeutic effects. PMID:18337009

  4. Sham-controlled, randomized, feasibility trial of acupuncture for prevention of radiation-induced xerostomia among patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma

    PubMed Central

    Meng, Zhiqiang; Garcia, M. Kay; Hu, Chaosu; Chiang, Joseph; Chambers, Mark; Rosenthal, David I.; Peng, Huiting; Wu, Caijun; Zhao, Qi; Zhao, Genming; Liu, Luming; Spelman, Amy; Palmer, J. Lynn; Wei, Qi; Cohen, Lorenzo

    2013-01-01

    Background Xerostomia (dry mouth) after head/neck radiation is a common problem among cancer patients. Quality of life (QOL) is impaired, and available treatments are of little benefit. This trial determined the feasibility of conducting a sham-controlled trial of acupuncture and whether acupuncture could prevent xerostomia among head/neck patients undergoing radiotherapy. Methods A sham controlled, feasibility trial was conducted at Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China among patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma undergoing radiotherapy. To determine feasibility of a sham procedure, 23 patients were randomized to real acupuncture (N = 11) or to sham acupuncture (N = 12). Patients were treated 3 times/week during their course of radiotherapy. Subjective measures were the Xerostomia Questionnaire (XQ) and MD Anderson Symptom Inventory for Head and Neck Cancer (MDASI-HN). Objective measures were unstimulated whole salivary flow rates (UWSFR) and stimulated salivary flow rates (SSFR). Patients were followed for 1 month after radiotherapy. Results XQ scores for acupuncture were significantly lower than sham controls starting in week 3 and lasted through the 1-month follow-up (all P’s < 0.001 except for week 3, which was 0.006), with clinically significant differences as follows: week 6 – RR 0.28 [95% CI, 0.10, 0.79]; week 11- RR 0.17 [95% CI, 0.03, 1.07]. Similar findings were seen for MDASI-HN scores and MDASI-Intrusion scores. Group differences for UWSFR and SSFR were not found. Conclusions In this small pilot study, true acupuncture given concurrently with radiotherapy significantly reduced xerostomia symptoms and improved QOL when compared with sham acupuncture. Large-scale, multi-center, randomized, placebo-controlled trials are now needed. PMID:22285177

  5. [Design of warm-acupuncture technique training evaluation device].

    PubMed

    Gao, Ming; Xu, Gang; Yang, Huayuan; Liu, Tangyi; Tang, Wenchao

    2017-01-12

    To design a warm-acupuncture teaching instrument to train and evaluate its manipulation. We refer to the principle and technical operation characteristics of traditional warm-acupuncture, as well as the mechanical design and single-chip microcomputer technology. The device is consisted of device noumenon, universal acupoints simulator, vibration reset system and circuit control system, including frame, platform framework, the swing framework, universal acupoints simulator, vibration reset outfit, operation time circuit, acupuncture sensation display, and vibration control circuit, etc. It can be used to train needle inserting with different angles and moxa rubbing and loading. It displays whether a needle point meets the location required. We determine whether the moxa group on a needle handle is easy to fall off through vibration test, and operation time is showed. The device can objectively help warm-acupuncture training and evaluation so as to promote its clinical standardization manipulation.

  6. [Current situation and problems in school study of acupuncture and moxibustion].

    PubMed

    Li, Chen; Liu, Weihong

    2015-05-01

    By taking the evaluations made by scholars such as Wang Yongyan, et al. on status of TCM academic research as the introduction, various influencing factors in acupuncture school development are separately discussed, and the overall trend and existential state are described in modern acupuncture academic area. By displaying the opinions of acupuncture schools in recent years, the relationship among specific therapy, school and schools is analyzed to explain the similarities and differences of school and schools as well as their respective characteristics. It is proposed that the obstacles that lay before acupuncture school researchers are not the rights and wrongs of school and schools, but the evaluation criterion and development patterns that is appropriate for acupuncture research and development.

  7. Acupuncture: In Depth

    MedlinePlus

    ... College of Physicians in 2007 recommend acupuncture as one of several nondrug approaches physicians should consider when patients with chronic low- ... a conditioning-expectation effect. Forschende Komplementärmedizin ... health approaches for pain management in the United States. Mayo ...

  8. Acupuncture or acupressure for induction of labour.

    PubMed

    Smith, Caroline A; Armour, Mike; Dahlen, Hannah G

    2017-10-17

    This is one of a series of reviews of methods of cervical ripening and labour induction. The use of complementary therapies is increasing. Women may look to complementary therapies during pregnancy and childbirth to be used alongside conventional medical practice. Acupuncture involves the insertion of very fine needles into specific points of the body. Acupressure is using the thumbs or fingers to apply pressure to specific points. The limited observational studies to date suggest acupuncture for induction of labour has no known adverse effects to the fetus, and may be effective. However, the evidence regarding the clinical effectiveness of this technique is limited. To determine, from the best available evidence, the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture and acupressure for third trimester cervical ripening or induction of labour. We searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group's Trials Register (30 November 2016), PubMed (1966 to 25 November 2016), ProQuest Dissertations & Theses (25 November 2016), CINAHL (25 November 2016), Embase (25 November 2016), the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Portal (ICTRP) (3 October 2016), and bibliographies of relevant papers. Randomised controlled trials comparing acupuncture or acupressure, used for third trimester cervical ripening or labour induction, with placebo/no treatment or other methods on a predefined list of labour induction methods. Two review authors independently assessed trials for inclusion and risk of bias, extracted data, and checked them for accuracy. The quality of the evidence was assessed using GRADE. This updated review includes 22 trials, reporting on 3456 women. The trials using manual or electro-acupuncture were compared with usual care (eight trials, 760 women), sweeping of membranes (one trial, 207 women), or sham controls (seven trials, 729 women). Trials using acupressure were compared with usual care (two trials, 151 women) or sham controls (two trials, 239 women). Many studies

  9. [Discussion on several basic issues of acupuncture-moxibustion science].

    PubMed

    Wang, Guangjun

    2016-10-12

    Nine basic issues on acupuncture-moxibustion science are discussed in this paper. The author believes those include the universal property of acupoints,the placebo effect of acupuncture and moxibustion,the continuous transmission of acupuncture information,the factors of the effects such as growth as well as acquired shape and properties,the classification evidence of acupoint function,the compatibility of acupoints,the change of functional state of acupoint and deqi . The universal property of acupoints means whether there is identical position of acupoint among different ethnic groups. The continuous transmission of acupuncture information is seen as whether the delivery which mainly shows as diffusion maintains active in special region and situation. The classification evidence of acupoint function refers to if there exists universal biological basis.

  10. Acupuncture therapy for sudden sensorineural hearing loss: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Xin-chang; Xu, Xiu-ping; Xu, Wen-tao; Hou, Wen-zhen; Cheng, Ying-ying; Li, Chang-xi; Ni, Guang-xia

    2015-01-01

    Acupuncture has commonly been used in China, either alone or in combination with Western medicine, to treat sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL). The purpose of this systematic review is to assess the efficacy and safety of acupuncture therapy for patients with SSHL. We searched PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Embase, China National Knowledge Internet (CNKI), Database for Chinese Technical Periodicals (VIP), and Chinese Biomedical literature service system (SinoMed) to collect randomized controlled trials of acupuncture for SSHL published before July 2014. A meta-analysis was conducted according to the Cochrane systematic review method using RevMan 5.2 software. The evidence level for each outcome was assessed using the GRADE methodology. Twelve trials involving 863 patients were included. A meta-analysis showed that the effect of manual acupuncture combined with Western medicine comprehensive treatment (WMCT) was better than WMCT alone (RR 1.33, 95%CI 1.19-1.49) and the same as the effect of electroacupuncture combined with WMCT (RR 1.33, 95%CI 1.19-1.50). One study showed a better effect of electroacupuncture than of WMCT (RR 1.34, 95%CI 1.24-1.45). For mean changes in hearing over all frequencies, the meta-analysis showed a better effect with the combination of acupuncture and WMCT than with WMCT alone (MD 10.85, 95%CI 6.84-14.86). However, the evidence levels for these interventions were low or very low due to a high risk of bias and small sample sizes in the included studies. There was not sufficient evidence showing that acupuncture therapy alone was beneficial for treating SSHL. However, interventions combining acupuncture with WMCT had more efficacious results in the treatment of SSHL than WMCT alone. Electroacupuncture alone might be a viable alternative treatment besides WMCT for SSHL. However, given that there were fewer eligible RCTs and limitations in the included trials, such as methodological drawbacks and small sample sizes, large-scale RCTs are

  11. Efficacy of acupuncture for chronic knee pain: protocol for a randomised controlled trial using a Zelen design

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Background Chronic knee pain is a common and disabling condition in people over 50 years of age, with knee joint osteoarthritis being a major cause. Acupuncture is a popular form of complementary and alternative medicine for treating pain and dysfunction associated with musculoskeletal conditions. This pragmatic Zelen-design randomised controlled trial is investigating the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of needle and laser acupuncture, administered by medical practitioners, in people with chronic knee pain. Methods/Design Two hundred and eighty two people aged over 50 years with chronic knee pain have been recruited from metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria, Australia. Participants originally consented to participate in a longitudinal natural history study but were then covertly randomised into one of four treatment groups. One group continued as originally consented (ie natural history group) and received no acupuncture treatment. The other three were treatment groups: i) laser acupuncture, ii) sham laser or, iii) needle acupuncture. Acupuncture treatments used a combined Western and Traditional Chinese Medicine style, were delivered by general practitioners and comprised 8–12 visits over 12 weeks. Follow-up is currently ongoing. The primary outcomes are pain measured by an 11-point numeric rating scale (NRS) and self-reported physical function measured by the Western Ontario and McMaster (WOMAC) Universities Osteoarthritis Index subscale at the completion of treatment at 12 weeks. Secondary outcomes include quality of life, global rating of change scores and additional measures of pain (other NRS and WOMAC subscale) and physical function (NRS). Additional parameters include a range of psychosocial measures in order to evaluate potential relationships with acupuncture treatment outcomes. Relative cost-effectiveness will be determined from health service usage and outcome data. Follow-up assessments will also occur at 12 months. Discussion The

  12. A rating instrument for fear of hospitalisation.

    PubMed

    Jankovic, Slobodan M; Antonijevic, Gordana V; Vasic, Ivana R; Zivkovic-Radojevic, Marija N; Mirkovic, Snjezana N; Nikolic, Bosko V; Opancina, Valentina D; Putnik, Srdjan S; Radoicic, Ljiljana R; Raspopovic, Katarina M; Stanojevic, Dragan R; Teofilov, Sladjana D; Tomasevic, Katarina V; Radonjic, Vesela

    2018-04-01

    To develop and validate a reliable instrument that can measure fear of hospitalisation experienced by outpatients. After having a diagnosis established, some patients experience sense of fear, unpleasantness and embarrassment due to the possibility to be admitted to a hospital. Currently, there is no available instrument for measuring fear of hospitalisation. Cross-sectional study for assessing reliability and validity of a questionnaire. The questionnaire with 17 items and answers according to the Likert scale was developed during two brainstorming sessions of the research team. Its reliability, validity and temporal stability were tested on the sample of 330 outpatients. The study was multicentric, involving patients from seven cities and three countries. Fear of hospitalisation scale showed satisfactory reliability, when rated both by the investigators (Cronbach's alpha .799) and by the patients themselves (Cronbach's alpha .760). It is temporally stable, and both divergent and convergent validity tests had good results. Factorial analysis revealed three domains: fear of being injured, trust to medical staff and fear of losing privacy or autonomy. This study developed new reliable and valid instrument for measuring fear of hospitalisation. Identification of patients with high level of fear of hospitalisation by this instrument should help clinicians to administer measures which may decrease fear and prevent avoidance of healthcare utilisation. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  13. [Impacts on chronic fatigue syndrome of qi deficiency syndrome and T cell subgroups in patients treated with acupuncture at selective time].

    PubMed

    Ling, Jia-Yan; Shen, Lin; Liu, Qing; Wang, Ling-Yun

    2013-12-01

    To verify the clinical efficacy on chronic fatigue syndrome of qi deficiency syndrome treated with acupuncture at selective time and explore the effect mechanism. Eighty patients were randomized into a selective-time-acupuncture group and an acupuncture group, 40 cases in each one. Qihai (CV 6), Guanyuan (CV 4), Hegu (LI 4), Taichong (LR 3), Sanyinjiao (SP 6) and Zusanli (ST 36) were selected in the two groups. In the selective-time-acupuncture group, acupuncture was used at 9:00am to 11:00am. In the acupuncture group, acupuncture was used at any time except in the range from 9:00am to 11:00am. No any manipulation was applied after the arrival of needling sensation. The treatment was given once every day, 10 day treatment made one session and two sessions of treatment were required. The fatigue scale was adopted to evaluate the efficacy before and after treatment in the patients of the two groups. The ratios among CD3+, CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in the peripheral blood were detected before ad b a after treatment. In the acupuncture group, the total score of fatigue and the score of physical fatigue were reduced after treatment as compared with those before treatment (all P<0.05). In the selective-time -acupuncture group, the total score of fatigue, the s core of physical fatigue and the score of mental fatigue after treatment were reduced obviously as compared with those hefore treatment (all P<0. 01). The improvements in the scores of the selective-time-acupuncture group were superior to the acupuncture group (all P<0. 05). The ratio of CD3+ and CD8+ T cells was increased obviously after treatment in the two groups (all P<0. 05) and the ratio of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells was reduced obviously in the selective-time-acupuncture group (P<0. 05), which was better than that in the acupuncture group (all P<0.05). The total effective rate was 95.0% (38/40) in the selective-time-acupuncture group, which was better than 80.0% (32/40) in the acupuncture group (P<0.05). The

  14. Neurobiological mechanisms of acupuncture for some common illnesses: a clinician's perspective.

    PubMed

    Cheng, Kwokming James

    2014-06-01

    This paper presents some previously proposed neurobiological mechanisms on how acupuncture may work in some clinical applications from a clinician's perspective. For the treatment of musculoskeletal conditions, the proposed mechanisms included microinjury, increased local blood flow, facilitated healing, and analgesia. Acupuncture may trigger a somatic autonomic reflex, thereby affecting the gastric and cardiovascular functions. Acupuncture may also change the levels of neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine, thereby affecting the emotional state and craving. This mechanism may form the basis for the treatment of smoking cessation. By affecting other pain-modulating neurotransmitters such as met-enkephalin and substance P along the nociceptive pathway, acupuncture may relieve headache. Acupuncture may affect the hypothalamus pituitary axis and reduce the release of the luteinizing hormone in the treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome. In addition, two other approaches to the acupuncture mechanism, the fascia connective tissue network and the primo vascular system, are briefly reviewed. Finally, the idea of true versus sham acupuncture points, which are commonly used in clinical trials, is examined because the difference between true and sham points does not exist in the neurobiological model. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  15. Acupuncture point injection treatment of primary dysmenorrhoea: a randomised, double blind, controlled study.

    PubMed

    Wade, C; Wang, L; Zhao, W J; Cardini, F; Kronenberg, F; Gui, S Q; Ying, Z; Zhao, N Q; Chao, M T; Yu, J

    2016-01-05

    To determine if injection of vitamin K3 in an acupuncture point is optimal for the treatment of primary dysmenorrhoea, when compared with 2 other injection treatments. A Menstrual Disorder Centre at a public hospital in Shanghai, China. Chinese women aged 14-25 years with severe primary dysmenorrhoea for at least 6 months not relieved by any other treatment were recruited. Exclusion criteria were the use of oral contraceptives, intrauterine devices or anticoagulant drugs, pregnancy, history of abdominal surgery, participation in other therapies for pain and diagnosis of secondary dysmenorrhoea. Eighty patients with primary dysmenorrhoea, as defined on a 4-grade scale, completed the study. Two patients withdrew after randomisation. A double-blind, double-dummy, randomised controlled trial compared vitamin K3 acupuncture point injection to saline acupuncture point injection and vitamin K3 deep muscle injection. Patients in each group received 3 injections at a single treatment visit. The primary outcome was the difference in subjective perception of pain as measured by an 11 unit Numeric Rating Scale (NRS). Secondary measurements were Cox Pain Intensity and Duration scales and the consumption of analgesic tablets before and after treatment and during 6 following cycles. Patients in all 3 groups experienced pain relief from the injection treatments. Differences in NRS measured mean pain scores between the 2 active control groups were less than 1 unit (-0.71, CI -1.37 to -0.05) and not significant, but the differences in average scores between the treatment hypothesised to be optimal and both active control groups (1.11, CI 0.45 to 1.78) and (1.82, CI 1.45 to 2.49) were statistically significant in adjusted mixed-effects models. Menstrual distress and use of analgesics were diminished for 6 months post-treatment. Acupuncture point injection of vitamin K3 relieves menstrual pain rapidly and is a useful treatment in an urban outpatient clinic. NCT00104546; Results

  16. [Briefs of Japanese acupuncture-moxibustion works of Chinese translation version in modern times].

    PubMed

    Liu, Kechen; Zhang, Shujian

    2017-05-12

    The authors collected 25 Japanese acupuncture-moxibustion works of Chinese translation version in modern times (1912-1960) and investigated them from 3 aspects, named the study on the mechanisms of acupuncture and moxibustion, the explanation of basic theory and clinical treatment with acupuncture and moxibustion. Generally speaking, Japanese acupuncture-moxibustion works of Chinese translation version explained the mechanisms of acupuncture and moxibustion in terms of the theory of western medicine rather than traditional one. It proposed the study on the phenomenon of meridian and collateral, which absorbed the anatomic knowledge of western medicine in the discussion on meridians, collaterals and acupoints; introduced diagnostic methods and techniques of acupuncture and moxibustion and adopted the classification of western medicine system and the diseases in western medicine to discuss the treatment with acupuncture and moxibustion. All of these reflect the academic characteristics of acupuncture and moxibustion in Japan at those times and the position of Chinese scholars, by which the Japanese medical works were introduced for the academic innovation.

  17. A systematic review of the effects of acupuncture on xerostomia and hyposalivation.

    PubMed

    Assy, Zainab; Brand, Henk S

    2018-02-13

    Saliva is fundamental to our oral health and our well-being. Many factors can impair saliva secretion, such as adverse effects of prescribed medication, auto-immune diseases (for example Sjögren's syndrome) and radiotherapy for head and neck cancers. Several studies have suggested a positive effect of acupuncture on oral dryness. Pubmed and Web of Science were electronically searched. Reference lists of the included studies and relevant reviews were manually searched. Studies that met the inclusion criteria were systematically evaluated. Two reviewers assessed each of the included studies to confirm eligibility and assessing the risk of bias. Ten randomized controlled trials investigating the effect of acupuncture were included. Five trials compared acupuncture to sham/placebo acupuncture. Four trials compared acupuncture to oral hygiene/usual care. Only one clinical trial used oral care sessions as control group. For all the included studies, the quality for all the main outcomes has been assessed as low. Although some publications suggest a positive effect of acupuncture on either salivary flow rate or subjective dry mouth feeling, the studies are inconclusive about the potential effects of acupuncture. Insufficient evidence is available to conclude whether acupuncture is an evidence-based treatment option for xerostomia/hyposalivation. Further well-designed, larger, double blinded trials are required to determine the potential benefit of acupuncture. Sample size calculations should be performed before before initiating these studies.

  18. Recommendations for acupuncture in clinical practice guidelines of the national guideline clearinghouse.

    PubMed

    Guo, Yao; Zhao, Hong; Wang, Fang; Li, Si-Nuo; Sun, Yu-Xiu; Han, Ming-Juan; Liu, Bao-Yan

    2017-11-01

    To organize the clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) related to acupuncture included in the National Guideline Clearinghouse (NGC) to systematically summarize the diseases and disorders most commonly treated with acupuncture, the strength of recommendations for acupuncture and the quality of evidence. The NGC database was systematically searched for guidelines that included acupuncture as an intervention. Two independent reviewers studied the summaries and the full texts of the guidelines and included guidelines based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Thirty-nine guidelines were collected with 80 recommendations. The Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE) II instrument was used to assess the quality of these guidelines. Of the 80 recommendations on acupuncture, 49 recommendations were clearly for acupuncture, 25 recommendations were against acupuncture and 6 recommendations did not indicate any clear recommendations, 37 recommendations were for painful diseases/disorders, and 12 recommendations were for non-painful diseases/disorders. Locomotor system disorders were the most common in the painful diseases/disorders category. Out of all the recommendations for acupuncture, most recommendations (87.76%) were weak in strength, and most of the evidence (40.84%) was of low quality. In the National Guideline Clearinghouse, the recommendations for acupuncture focus on painful diseases/disorders. The recommendations in the guidelines are not high in strength, and most of the evidence is moderate or low in quality.

  19. Factors affecting decision-making of patients choosing acupuncture in a public hospital.

    PubMed

    Sayampanathan, Andrew Arjun; Koh, Thean Howe Bryan; Kong, Keng He; Low, Yin Peng

    2015-11-01

    With increasing evidence to support its practice, acupuncture has been integrated within many hospitals around the world. The purpose of this study is to understand the factors affecting decision making of patients as they select acupuncture treatment for their medical conditions and symptoms within a public hospital. A qualitative study consisting of in depth interviews with 14 patients was conducted. All patients attended an acupuncture clinic within a public hospital. Data collected was analysed via thematic analysis. Four main factor groups affecting decision making of patients were identified- factors affecting the level and value of patient-centric care, the confidence and trust patients place within the acupuncture service, the presence of collaborative efforts between acupuncturists and Western medicine practitioners, and the knowledge, culture and belief society has regarding the role of acupuncture and Western medicine. All participants interviewed had more than one factor group present as enablers toward their eventual selection of acupuncture for ailment management. It was also noted that although the majority of participants had sufficient knowledge regarding acupuncture, there were a select few who had misperceptions or no knowledge regarding certain aspects of acupuncture. There may be certain patterns in the way patients choose to utilise acupuncture services in public hospitals. Further studies should also be carried out in other public hospitals to analyse the factor groups identified further.

  20. Standardizing therapeutic parameters of acupuncture for pain suppression in rats: preliminary study.

    PubMed

    Yeo, Sujung; Lim, Hyungtaeck; Choe, Ilwhan; Kim, Sung-Hoon; Lim, Sabina

    2014-01-15

    Despite acupuncture's wide and successful use, it is still considered as lacking scientifically rigorous evidence, especially with respect to its effectiveness. To address this problem, it is necessary to re-examine the practice of acupuncture using scientific methodology. The standardization of acupuncture practices may offer a solution. As a preliminary step towards the standardization of acupuncture stimulation in animal experiments, this study attempted to clarify the various therapeutic parameters that contribute to acupuncture's efficacy. This study identified specific acupoints, temporal point of needling, rotation of the needle, duration of acupuncture, and diameter of the needle as the parameters, through formalin test. In this test, acupuncture was performed on either the ST36 or LR2 point immediately after pain induction and 5 minutes after pain induction. The formalin test yielded no significant suppression of pain in the case of ST36 and LR2 acupuncture stimulation immediately following pain induction. When acupuncture was applied 5 minutes after pain induction, however, the ST36 stimulation resulted in a significant decrease in pain, while the LR2 stimulation produced no change. The duration of acupuncture, but not the diameter of the needle, was also significant. As for the rotation of the needle, there was no significant difference in the pain reduction achieved in the rotation and non-rotation groups. We determined that specific acupoint, temporal point of needling, and duration of treatment are important factors in the inhibition of pain. These finding strongly suggest that in animal experiments, the application of a set of appropriate therapeutic parameters can significantly influence the outcome.

  1. [Current development of acupuncture-moxibustion in India:a case study of West Bengal].

    PubMed

    Yang, Yuyang; Liu, Jingyuan; Luo, Lu

    2017-03-12

    Acupuncture-moxibustion was introduced to India in mid-20th century and has been legislated in two provinces in India where the registration of acupuncture practitioners is implemented at present. In India, the central government recognizes that acupuncture-moxibustion is an approach of treatment and is permitted by the licensed doctor. Because of the weakness of the basic development of acupuncture-moxibustion in India, the go-vernment put great effort to support and protect their national traditional medicine. Acupuncture-moxibustion development is mainly in the folk and in the progression for the provincial and governmental legislation. In the paper, by taking West Bengal as example, the legislation, clinical application, education and scientific research of acupuncture-moxibustion are analyzed so that an approach is explored for the further development of acupuncture-moxibustion in India.

  2. Effect of soothing-liver and nourishing-heart acupuncture on early selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor treatment onset for depressive disorder and related indicators of neuroimmunology: a randomized controlled clinical trial.

    PubMed

    Liu, Yi; Feng, Hui; Mo, Yali; Gao, Jingfang; Mao, Hongjing; Song, Mingfen; Wang, Shengdong; Yin, Yan; Liu, Wenjuan

    2015-10-01

    To observe the effect of soothing-liver and nourishing-heart acupuncture on selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRIs) treatment effect onset in patients with depressive disorder and related indicators of neuroimmunology. Overall, 126 patients with depressive disorder were randomly divided into a medicine and acupuncture-medicine group using a random number table. Patients were treated for 6 consecutive weeks. The two groups were evaluated by the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and Side Effects Rating Scale (SERS) to assess the effect of the soothing-liver and nourishing-heart acupuncture method on early onset of SSRI treatment effect. Changes in serum 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and inflammatory cytokines before and after treatment were recorded and compared between the medicine group and the acupuncture-medicine group. The acupuncture-medicine group had significantly lower MADRS scores at weeks 1, 2, 4, and 6 after treatment compared with the medicine group (P < 0.01). The acupuncture group had significantly lower SERS scores at weeks 1, 2, 4, and 6 after treatment compared with the medicine group (P < 0.01). At 6 weeks after treatment, serum 5-HT in the acupuncture-medicine group was significantly higher compared with the medicine group (P < 0.01). Interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the acupuncture-medicine group was significantly lower than that in the medicine group (P < 0.01), whereas there was no significant difference in IL-1β between the groups (P > 0.05). Anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-4 and IL-10 were significantly higher in the acupuncture-medicine group compared with the medicine group (P < 0.01, P < 0.05, respectively). The soothing-liver and nourishing-heart acupuncture method can effectively accelerate the onset of SSRI effects when treating depressive disorder and can significantly reduce the adverse reactions of SSRIs. Moreover, acupuncture can enhance serum 5-HT and regulate the balance of pro-inflammatory cytokines and anti

  3. Effect of Acupuncture and Clomiphene in Chinese Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

    PubMed Central

    Stener-Victorin, Elisabet; Kuang, Hong-Ying; Ma, Hong-Li; Gao, Jing-Shu; Xie, Liang-Zhen; Hou, Li-Hui; Hu, Zhen-Xing; Shao, Xiao-Guang; Ge, Jun; Zhang, Jin-Feng; Xue, Hui-Ying; Xu, Xiao-Feng; Liang, Rui-Ning; Ma, Hong-Xia; Yang, Hong-Wei; Li, Wei-Li; Huang, Dong-Mei; Sun, Yun; Hao, Cui-Fang; Du, Shao-Min; Yang, Zheng-Wang; Wang, Xin; Yan, Ying; Chen, Xiu-Hua; Fu, Ping; Ding, Cai-Fei; Gao, Ya-Qin; Zhou, Zhong-Ming; Wang, Chi Chiu; Wu, Tai-Xiang; Liu, Jian-Ping; Ng, Ernest H. Y.; Legro, Richard S.; Zhang, Heping

    2017-01-01

    Importance Acupuncture is used to induce ovulation in some women with polycystic ovary syndrome, without supporting clinical evidence. Objective To assess whether active acupuncture, either alone or combined with clomiphene, increases the likelihood of live births among women with polycystic ovary syndrome. Design, Setting, and Participants A double-blind (clomiphene vs placebo), single-blind (active vs control acupuncture) factorial trial was conducted at 21 sites (27 hospitals) in mainland China between July 6, 2012, and November 18, 2014, with 10 months of pregnancy follow-up until October 7, 2015. Chinese women with polycystic ovary syndrome were randomized in a 1:1:1:1 ratio to 4 groups. Interventions Active or control acupuncture administered twice a week for 30 minutes per treatment and clomiphene or placebo administered for 5 days per cycle, for up to 4 cycles. The active acupuncture group received deep needle insertion with combined manual and low-frequency electrical stimulation; the control acupuncture group received superficial needle insertion, no manual stimulation, and mock electricity. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcome was live birth. Secondary outcomes included adverse events. Results Among the 1000 randomized women (mean [SD] age, 27.9 [3.3] years; mean [SD] body mass index, 24.2 [4.3]), 250 were randomized to each group; a total of 926 women (92.6%) completed the trial. Live births occurred in 69 of 235 women (29.4%) in the active acupuncture plus clomiphene group, 66 of 236 (28.0%) in the control acupuncture plus clomiphene group, 31 of 223 (13.9%) in the active acupuncture plus placebo group, and 39 of 232 (16.8%) in the control acupuncture plus placebo group. There was no significant interaction between active acupuncture and clomiphene (P = .39), so main effects were evaluated. The live birth rate was significantly higher in the women treated with clomiphene than with placebo (135 of 471 [28.7%] vs 70 of 455 [15

  4. Special Section: Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM): Acupuncture From Ancient Practice to Modern Science

    MedlinePlus

    ... Home Current Issue Past Issues Special Section CAM Acupuncture From Ancient Practice to Modern Science Past Issues / ... percent of U.S. adults use acupuncture. What Is Acupuncture? Dr. Adeline Ge adjusts placement of acupuncture needles ...

  5. Acupuncture for the Treatment of Hot Flashes in Patients with Breast Cancer Receiving Antiestrogen Therapy: A Pilot Study in Korean Women

    PubMed Central

    Jeong, Young Ju; Park, Young Sun; Kwon, Hyo Jung; Shin, Im Hee; Bong, Jin Gu

    2013-01-01

    Abstract Objectives Antiestrogen therapy can cause vasomotor symptoms similar to those occurring during menopause, including hot flashes. Recent studies suggest that acupuncture is effective in reducing vasomotor symptoms in patients with breast cancer receiving tamoxifen. The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility and safety of acupuncture for treatment of hot flashes in Korean patients with breast cancer receiving antiestrogen therapy. Design This was a prospective single-arm observational study using before and after measurements. Settings/location The study was located at the East–West Medical Center at Daegu Catholic University Medical Center, Daegu, Korea. Subjects The subjects were 10 patients with breast cancer who were undergoing antiestrogen therapy with tamoxifen or anastrozole and who were suffering from hot flashes. Interventions Acupuncture was administered 3 times a week for 4 consecutive weeks, for 20±5 minutes at each session. Outcome measures The outcome measure was severity of hot flashes assessed by visual analogue scale (VAS) and total hot flash score. Results During treatment, severity of hot flashes was reduced by 70%–95% in all patients. Acupuncture significantly alleviated severity of hot flashes assessed by a visual analogue scale (F=30.261; p<0.001) as well as the total hot flash score (F=21.698; p=0.006). Four (4) weeks after the final treatment, symptoms were not aggravated. Conclusions Acupuncture appeared to provide effective relief from hot flashes among Korean women receiving antiestrogen therapy after surgery for breast cancer, and the effects lasted for at least 1 month after termination of treatment. A randomized controlled prospective study with a larger sample size is required to clarify the role of acupuncture in the management of hot flashes in Korean patients with breast cancer. PMID:23383974

  6. Assessing knowledge about acupuncture: A survey of people with back pain in the UK.

    PubMed

    Greville-Harris, Maddy; Hughes, John; Lewith, George; Liossi, Christina; White, Peter; Graham, Cynthia A; Bishop, Felicity L

    2016-12-01

    Despite the prevalence of acupuncture treatment in the UK, and the increasing evidence of safety and effectiveness, the information presented to patients by practitioners frequently contains inaccuracies. As knowledge of treatment affects both patient decision-making and treatment outcomes, this study aimed to establish what is known about acupuncture in a sample of people who had, and had not, previously experienced acupuncture. A 15-item questionnaire was constructed to assess knowledge of acupuncture. Online survey of people with a history of back pain. 202 participants completed the questionnaire. 66.8% of the sample was female and 33.2% male, with a mean age of 35 years (range 18-74 years). 87.6% had back pain in the past six months, 44.1% currently. 21.8% had previously received acupuncture, and 69.8% had previously read or heard information about acupuncture. On average participants answered 11.03 of 15 questions about acupuncture correctly (SD=2.64). Items relating to common concerns about acupuncture, acupuncture efficacy, and types of acupuncture were correctly answered by ≥80% of participants. Participants possessed less knowledge of accessibility, Government legislation, and methods of administration. The study identified key gaps in knowledge about acupuncture among patients. In particular, many participants were unaware that acupuncture is available from the UK National Health Service and that acupuncturists are not subject to statutory regulation in the UK. These knowledge gaps should be addressed in order to increase people's understanding of and access to acupuncture. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  7. Complementary acupuncture in Parkinson's disease: a spect study.

    PubMed

    Huang, Yong; Jiang, Xuemei; Zhuo, Ying; Wik, Gustav

    2010-02-01

    We studied cerebral effects of complementary acupuncture in Parkinson's disease using single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) measures of 99mTc-ECD and 99mTc-TRODAT-4, before and after five weeks of treatment. Ten patients were randomly assigned to receive levodopa alone (controls) or levodopa and complementary scalp electro-acupuncture. Before treatment, no hemispheric regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) differences were found, whereas striatal dopamine transporter (DAT) activity was lower in the most affected hemisphere. Treatment with levodopa alone did not change rCBF, whereas it increased basal ganglion DAT activity in the most affected hemisphere. Patients who received levodopa and complementary acupuncture had increased rCBF in the frontal lobe, the occipital lobe, the basal ganglion, and the cerebellum in the most affected hemisphere as compared to baseline, but there were no changes in basal ganglia DAT levels. Thus, complementary acupuncture treatment in Parkinson's disease may affect rCBF but not basal ganglion DAT.

  8. The Effectiveness of Individualized Acupuncture Protocols in the Treatment of Gulf War Illness: A Pragmatic Randomized Clinical Trial.

    PubMed

    Conboy, Lisa; Gerke, Travis; Hsu, Kai-Yin; St John, Meredith; Goldstein, Marc; Schnyer, Rosa

    2016-01-01

    Gulf War Illness is a Complex Medical Illness characterized by multiple symptoms, including fatigue, sleep and mood disturbances, cognitive dysfunction, and musculoskeletal pain affecting veterans of the first Gulf War. No standard of care treatment exists. This pragmatic Randomized Clinical Trial tested the effects of individualized acupuncture treatments offered in extant acupuncture practices in the community; practitioners had at least 5 years of experience plus additional training provided by the study. Veterans with diagnosed symptoms of Gulf War Illness were randomized to either six months of biweekly acupuncture treatments (group 1, n = 52) or 2 months of waitlist followed by weekly acupuncture treatments (group 2, n = 52). Measurements were taken at baseline, 2, 4 and 6 months. The primary outcome is the SF-36 physical component scale score (SF-36P) and the secondary outcome is the McGill Pain scale. Of the 104 subjects who underwent randomization, 85 completed the protocol (82%). A clinically and statistically significant average improvement of 9.4 points (p = 0.03) in the SF-36P was observed for group 1 at month 6 compared to group 2, adjusting for baseline pain. The secondary outcome of McGill pain index produced similar results; at 6 months, group 1 was estimated to experience a reduction of approximately 3.6 points (p = 0.04) compared to group 2. Individualized acupuncture treatment of sufficient dose appears to offer significant relief of physical disability and pain for veterans with Gulf War Illness. This work was supported by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs through the Gulf War Illness Research Program under Award No. W81XWH-09-2-0064. Opinions, interpretations, conclusions and recommendations are those of the author and are not necessarily endorsed by the Department of Defense. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01305811.

  9. A blinded randomised trial of acupuncture (manual and electroacupuncture) compared with a non-penetrating sham for the symptoms of osteoarthritis of the knee.

    PubMed

    Jubb, Ronald W; Tukmachi, Emad S; Jones, Peter W; Dempsey, Emma; Waterhouse, Lynn; Brailsford, Sue

    2008-06-01

    To compare the effect of acupuncture (manual and electroacupuncture) with that of a non-penetrating sham ('placebo' needle) in patients with osteoarthritic knee pain and disability who are blind to the treatment allocation. Acupuncture naïve patients with symptomatic and radiological evidence of osteoarthritis of the knee were randomly allocated to a course of either acupuncture or non-penetrating sham acupuncture using a sheathed 'placebo' needle system. Acupuncture points for pain and stiffness were selected according to acupuncture theory for treating Bi syndrome. Both manual and electrical stimulation were used. Response was assessed using the WOMAC index for osteoarthritis of the knee, self reported pain scale, the EuroQol score and plasma beta-endorphin. The effectiveness of blinding was assessed. There were 34 patients in each group. The primary end point was the change in WOMAC pain score after the course of treatment. Comparison between the two treatment groups found a significantly greater improvement with acupuncture (mean difference 60, 95% CI 5 to 116, P= 0.035) than with sham. Within the acupuncture group there was a significant improvement in pain (baseline 294, mean change 95, 95% CI 60 to 130, P<0.001) which was not seen by those who had sham acupuncture (baseline 261, mean change 35, 95% CI -10 to 80, P=0.12). Similar effects within group, but not between groups, were seen with the secondary end points of WOMAC stiffness, WOMAC function, and self reported pain. One month after treatment the between group pain difference had been lost (mean difference 46; 95% CI -9 to 100, P=0.10) although the acupuncture group was still benefiting compared to baseline (mean difference 59; 95% CI 16 to 102, P=0.009). The EuroQol score, a generic measure of health related quality of life, was not altered by the treatments. A minority of patients correctly guessed their treatment group (41% in the acupuncture group and 44% in the control group). Plasma beta

  10. Optimizing acupuncture treatment for dry eye syndrome: a systematic review.

    PubMed

    Kim, Bong Hyun; Kim, Min Hee; Kang, Se Hyun; Nam, Hae Jeong

    2018-05-03

    In a former meta-analysis review, acupuncture was considered a potentially effective treatment for dry eye syndrome (DES), but there were heterogeneities among the outcomes. We updated the meta-analysis and conducted subgroup analysis to reduce the heterogeneity and suggest the most effective acupuncture method based on clinical trials. We searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in 10 databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTAL, AMED, SCOPUS, CNKI, Wangfang database, Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System (OASIS), Koreamed, J-stage) and searched by hand to compare the effects of acupuncture and artificial tears (AT). We also conducted subgroup analysis by (1) method of intervention (acupuncture only or acupuncture plus AT), (2) intervention frequency (less than 3 times a week or more than 3 times a week), (3) period of treatment (less than 4 weeks or more than 4 weeks), and (4) acupoints (BL1, BL2, ST1, ST2, TE23, Ex-HN5). The Bucher method was used for subgroup comparisons. Nineteen studies with 1126 patients were included. Significant improvements on the Schirmer test (weighted mean difference[WMD], 2.14; 95% confidence interval[CI], 0.93 to 3.34; p = 0.0005) and break up time (BUT) (WMD, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.79 to 1.18; p < 0.00001) were reported. In the subgroup analysis, acupuncture plus AT treatment had a weaker effect in BUT but a stronger effect on the Schirmer test and a better overall effect than acupuncture alone. For treatment duration, treatment longer than 1 month was more effective than shorter treatment. With regard to treatment frequency, treatment less than three times a week was more effective than more frequent treatment. In the acupoint analysis, acupuncture treatment including the BL2 and ST1 acupoints was less effective than treatment that did not include them. None of those factors reduced the heterogeneity. Acupuncture was more effective than AT in treating DES but showed high heterogeneity. Intervention differences

  11. Acupuncture's Cardiovascular Actions: A Mechanistic Perspective.

    PubMed

    Longhurst, John

    2013-04-01

    Over the last several decades, there has been an explosion of articles on acupuncture, including studies that have begun to explore mechanisms underlying its analgesic and cardiovascular actions. Modulation of cardiovascular function is most effective during manual and low-frequency, low-intensity electroacupuncture (EA) at a select set of acupoints situated along meridians located over deep somatic nerves on the upper and lower extremities. Stimulation at these acupoints activates underlying sensory neural pathways that project to a number of regions in the central nervous system (CNS) that ultimately regulate autonomic outflow and hence cardiovascular function. A long-loop pathway involving the hypothalamus, midbrain, and medulla underlies EA modulation of reflex increases in blood pressure (BP). Actions of excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters in the supraspinal CNS underlie processing of the somatic input and adjustment of autonomic outflow during EA. Acupuncture also decreases elevated blood pressure through actions in the thoracic spinal cord. Reflexes that lower BP likewise are modulated by EA through its actions on sympathetic and parasympathetic nuclei in the medulla. The autonomic influence of acupuncture is slow in onset but prolonged in duration, typically lasting beyond the period of stimulation. Clinical studies suggest that acupuncture can be used to treat cardiac diseases, such as myocardial ischemia and hypertension, associated with overactivity of the sympathetic nervous system.

  12. Acupuncture's Cardiovascular Actions: A Mechanistic Perspective

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Abstract Over the last several decades, there has been an explosion of articles on acupuncture, including studies that have begun to explore mechanisms underlying its analgesic and cardiovascular actions. Modulation of cardiovascular function is most effective during manual and low-frequency, low-intensity electroacupuncture (EA) at a select set of acupoints situated along meridians located over deep somatic nerves on the upper and lower extremities. Stimulation at these acupoints activates underlying sensory neural pathways that project to a number of regions in the central nervous system (CNS) that ultimately regulate autonomic outflow and hence cardiovascular function. A long-loop pathway involving the hypothalamus, midbrain, and medulla underlies EA modulation of reflex increases in blood pressure (BP). Actions of excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters in the supraspinal CNS underlie processing of the somatic input and adjustment of autonomic outflow during EA. Acupuncture also decreases elevated blood pressure through actions in the thoracic spinal cord. Reflexes that lower BP likewise are modulated by EA through its actions on sympathetic and parasympathetic nuclei in the medulla. The autonomic influence of acupuncture is slow in onset but prolonged in duration, typically lasting beyond the period of stimulation. Clinical studies suggest that acupuncture can be used to treat cardiac diseases, such as myocardial ischemia and hypertension, associated with overactivity of the sympathetic nervous system. PMID:24761168

  13. Assessing public speaking fear with the short form of the Personal Report of Confidence as a Speaker scale: confirmatory factor analyses among a French-speaking community sample.

    PubMed

    Heeren, Alexandre; Ceschi, Grazia; Valentiner, David P; Dethier, Vincent; Philippot, Pierre

    2013-01-01

    The main aim of this study was to assess the reliability and structural validity of the French version of the 12-item version of the Personal Report of Confidence as Speaker (PRCS), one of the most promising measurements of public speaking fear. A total of 611 French-speaking volunteers were administered the French versions of the short PRCS, the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale, the Fear of Negative Evaluation scale, as well as the Trait version of the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Beck Depression Inventory-II, which assess the level of anxious and depressive symptoms, respectively. Regarding its structural validity, confirmatory factor analyses indicated a single-factor solution, as implied by the original version. Good scale reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.86) was observed. The item discrimination analysis suggested that all the items contribute to the overall scale score reliability. The French version of the short PRCS showed significant correlations with the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (r = 0.522), the Fear of Negative Evaluation scale (r = 0.414), the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (r = 0.516), and the Beck Depression Inventory-II (r = 0.361). The French version of the short PRCS is a reliable and valid measure for the evaluation of the fear of public speaking among a French-speaking sample. These findings have critical consequences for the measurement of psychological and pharmacological treatment effectiveness in public speaking fear among a French-speaking sample.

  14. Assessing public speaking fear with the short form of the Personal Report of Confidence as a Speaker scale: confirmatory factor analyses among a French-speaking community sample

    PubMed Central

    Heeren, Alexandre; Ceschi, Grazia; Valentiner, David P; Dethier, Vincent; Philippot, Pierre

    2013-01-01

    Background: The main aim of this study was to assess the reliability and structural validity of the French version of the 12-item version of the Personal Report of Confidence as Speaker (PRCS), one of the most promising measurements of public speaking fear. Methods: A total of 611 French-speaking volunteers were administered the French versions of the short PRCS, the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale, the Fear of Negative Evaluation scale, as well as the Trait version of the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Beck Depression Inventory-II, which assess the level of anxious and depressive symptoms, respectively. Results: Regarding its structural validity, confirmatory factor analyses indicated a single-factor solution, as implied by the original version. Good scale reliability (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.86) was observed. The item discrimination analysis suggested that all the items contribute to the overall scale score reliability. The French version of the short PRCS showed significant correlations with the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (r = 0.522), the Fear of Negative Evaluation scale (r = 0.414), the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (r = 0.516), and the Beck Depression Inventory-II (r = 0.361). Conclusion: The French version of the short PRCS is a reliable and valid measure for the evaluation of the fear of public speaking among a French-speaking sample. These findings have critical consequences for the measurement of psychological and pharmacological treatment effectiveness in public speaking fear among a French-speaking sample. PMID:23662060

  15. [Discussion on quantum entanglement theory and acupuncture].

    PubMed

    Wang, Jun; Wu, Bin; Chen, Sheng

    2017-11-12

    The quantum entanglement is a new discovery of modern physics and has drawn a widely attention in the world. After learning the quantum entanglement, the authors have found that many characteristics of quantum are reflected in TCM, acupuncture theory and clinical practice. For example, the quantum entanglement phenomenon is mutually verified with the holism, yinyang doctrine, the theory of primary, secondary, root and knot in TCM, etc. It can be applied to interpret the clinical situations which is difficult to be explained in clinical practice, such as the instant effect of acupuncture, multi-point stimulation in one disorder and the points with specific effects. On the basis of the discovery above, the quantum entanglement theory achieved the mutual treatment among the relatives in acupuncture clinical practice and the therapeutic effects were significant. The results suggest that the coupling relationship in quantum entanglement presents between the diseases and the acupoints in the direct relative. The authors believe that the discovery in this study contributes to the exploration on the approaches to the acupuncture treatment in clinical practice and enrich the ideas on the disease prevention.

  16. Effect of Acupuncture on Post-implant Paresthesia.

    PubMed

    Sant'Anna, Crischina Branco Marques; Zuim, Paulo Renato Junqueira; Brandini, Daniela Atili; Guiotti, Aimée Maria; Vieira, Joao Batista; Turcio, Karina Helga Leal

    2017-04-01

    Paresthesia is defined as an alteration in local sensibility, associated with numbness, tingling, or unpleasant sensations caused by nerve lesions or irritation. It can be temporary or permanent. The treatment protocol for facial paresthesia is primarily based on the use of drugs and implant removal, which may not be completely effective or may require other risk exposure when there is no spontaneous regression. However, other therapeutic modalities such as acupuncture can be used. The aim of this study is to report a case of a patient with paresthesia of the inferior alveolar nerve and pain caused by an implant surgery performed 2 years earlier. The patient received acupuncture treatment during 4 months of weekly sessions. Six points were used: Large Intestine (LI4), Large Intestine (LI11), Stomach (ST36), Liver (LR3), Extra Head and Neck (E-HN-18), and Stomach (ST5). The visual analog scale was used before and after each session for the analysis of paresthesia and pain, together with assessment of the paresthesia by delimitation of the desensitized region of the skin and presented discomfort. Pain remission and reduction in the size of the paresthesia area occurred after four sessions. Copyright © 2017 Medical Association of Pharmacopuncture Institute. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. Patient characteristics for outpatient acupuncture in Beijing, China.

    PubMed

    Napadow, Vitaly; Kaptchuk, Ted J

    2004-06-01

    This study quantifies and compares patient characteristics in outpatient acupuncture. Prospective primary source evidence was gathered at two prominent outpatient acupuncture clinics in Beijing, China (n = 563, n = 233). The most common condition was Bell's palsy, which represented 20.6% and 25.3% of total cases at the two clinics, respectively. The second most common condition was cerebrovascular accident (CVA) rehabilitation. These treatments represented 11.9% and 12.0% of treatments at the two clinics, respectively. Other trends at the clinics included the following: (1) neurologic complaints predominated; (2) doctors see a large number of patients per day; (3) the majority of patients overall were female; while (4) the majority of patients treated for CVAs rehabilitation were male. As cultural and socioeconomic differences in perceptions of acupuncture exist between peoples of different countries, this study also compared patient main complaints in China to available data on acupuncture patients seen in other parts of China, Germany, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the United States. Except for the German clinic data, Western clinic acupuncturists saw more musculoskeletal complaints compared to China, where neurologic complaints predominated. Another significant difference between Asian and Western clinics was the number of patients seen per hour. While acupuncturists were reported to see 1.2 patients per hour in U. S. clinics, acupuncturists at the two Beijing, China, clinics saw 7.0 and 10.4 patients per hour, respectively. The main complaints seen in acupuncture outpatient clinics throughout the world likely result from a combination of inherent disease prevalence as well as patients' attitudes toward what acupuncture can treat successfully. Copyright Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

  18. Public status and prevalence of acupuncture in Japan.

    PubMed

    Ishizaki, Naoto; Yano, Tadashi; Kawakita, Kenji

    2010-12-01

    Acupuncture originated in China and is widespread throughout Asia. It is expected that a higher utilization of this remedy exists in these countries compared to Western countries. We conducted annual nationwide surveys from 2003 through 2006 on the utilization of acupuncture in Japan. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 2000 individuals randomly chosen from the resident database. Annual utilization percentages, based on the number of respondents, from 2003 to 2006 were 6.5%, 4.8%, 6.4%, and 6.7%, respectively, while lifetime experiences determined in each surveys were estimated as 26.7, 19.4, 24.4 and 25.4, respectively. Respondents who had utilized acupuncture and/or moxibustion tended to be older than those who had no experience. Acupuncture was mainly used for musculoskeletal symptoms, and a detailed breakdown of the musculoskeletal symptoms identified in the 2005 survey showed 50.9% for low back pain, 35.9% for shoulder stiffness and 12.0% for knee pain. Reasons given for continuing therapy included the effective amelioration of symptoms, comfort of the procedure and low number of side-effects, while those who decided against continuing cited no improvement of symptoms, cost and lack of time for treatment. In conclusion, annual utilization of acupuncture and/or moxibustion was estimated at more than 6%, and the percentage of those with a lifetime experience was ∼25%, thus demonstrating the relatively higher utilization of the remedy in Japan over utilization in western countries. Application of the treatment for musculoskeletal problems and utilization by the older population were specific standouts of the use of acupuncture and/or moxibustion in Japan.

  19. Clinical effect of acupuncture on cervical spondylotic radiculopathy: results of a case series.

    PubMed

    Nakajima, Miwa; Inoue, Motohiro; Itoi, Megumi; Kitakoji, Hiroshi

    2013-12-01

    To observe the effectiveness of acupuncture applied to the cervical region of patients with upper extremity radicular symptoms due to cervical spondylotic radiculopathy (CSR). 15 subjects diagnosed with CSR and with upper extremity pain and/or paraesthesiae for 13.1±18.0 months were selected. The 15 patients had 16 affected limbs and scored a total of 17 symptom scores of pain and/or paraesthesiae. All patients were treated with acupuncture once a week for 4 weeks at up to 10 sites in the cervical paraspinal region centred on the affected area. The severity of the symptoms was recorded using a visual analogue scale (VAS) and functional evaluation was conducted using a Neck Disability Index (NDI). A significant reduction over time was seen for both mean VAS (p<0.0001) and NDI (p<0.0001). Changes were still significant at 4-week follow-up. A 50% reduction in symptoms was scored for 15 of the 17 symptoms scored. Favourable results were seen in nearly 90% of cases. These results show that acupuncture treatment to the cervical region may be effective as a conservative therapy for treating CSR.

  20. DoD–NCCAM/NIH Workshop on Acupuncture for Treatment of Acute Pain

    PubMed Central

    Belard, Jean Louis; Glowa, John; Khalsa, Partap; Weber, Wendy; Huntley, Kristen

    2013-01-01

    Abstract The Department of Defense (DoD) and the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) cosponsored a workshop that explored the possible benefits of acupuncture treatment for acute pain. One goal of the workshop was to establish a roadmap to building an evidence base on that would indicate whether acupuncture is helpful for treating active-duty military personnel experiencing acute pain. The workshop highlighted brief presentations on the most current research on acupuncture and acute pain mechanisms. The impact of various modifiers (stress, genetics, population, phenotypes, etc.) on acute pain pathways and response to acupuncture treatment was discussed. Additional presentations focused on common neural mechanisms, an overview of real-world experience with using acupuncture to treat traumatic acute pain, and best tools and methods specific for acupuncture studies. Three breakout groups addressed the gaps, opportunities, and barriers to acupuncture use for acute pain in military and trauma settings. Different models of effectiveness research and optimal research designs for conducting trials in acute traumatic pain were also discussed. PMID:23020611

  1. [Analysis on acupuncture literature in Science Citation Index (SCI) periodicals in 2007].

    PubMed

    Gao, Liang; Tian, Li-xin; Guo, Yi

    2009-06-01

    To grasp the international developing tendency of acupuncture research and provide some references for promoting acupuncture and moxibustion internationalization process, the articles about acupuncture in Science Citation Index (SCI) periodicals in 2007 were retrieved by adopting the retrieval tactics on line in combination with database searching. Results indicate that 257 articles about acupuncture had been retrived from the SCI Web databases. These articles were published in 125 journals respectively, most of which were Euramerican journals. Among these journals, the impact factor of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), 25. 547, is the highest one. It is shown that the impact factors of the SCI periodicals, in which acupuncture articles embodied are increased, the quality of these articles are improved obviously and the types of the articles are various in 2007, but there is obvious difference in the results of these studies due to the difference of experimental methods, the subjects of these experiments and acupuncture manipulations. Therefore, standardization of many problems arising from the researches on acupuncture is extremely imminent.

  2. Rising to the challenges of evidence-based medicine: a way forward for acupuncture.

    PubMed

    Godwin, Jacob

    2014-11-01

    Evidence-based medicine offers important opportunities and poses critical challenges to the acupuncture profession. Having a clear understanding of what evidence-based medicine is and what it is not is necessary to understanding how the acupuncture field might benefit by adopting evidence-based medicine as its paradigm. This article discusses the need for the acupuncture field to retool its professional, academic, and clinical apparatuses to produce, critically appraise, and use high-quality scientific evidence in order to develop acupuncture as an evidence-based procedure. Development of evidence-based acupuncture procedures, practice guidelines, and research directives may help acupuncture become a standard therapeutic procedure rather than a complement or alternative to conventional medicine.

  3. Owner assessment of chronic pain intensity and results of gait analysis of dogs with hip dysplasia treated with acupuncture.

    PubMed

    Teixeira, Lívia R; Luna, Stelio P L; Matsubara, Lídia M; Cápua, Maria L B; Santos, Bianca P C R; Mesquita, Luciane R; Faria, Luis G; Agostinho, Felipe S; Hielm-Björkman, Anna

    2016-11-01

    OBJECTIVE To evaluate pain intensity and kinetic variables in dogs with hip dysplasia (HD) treated with acupuncture, carprofen, or a placebo. DESIGN Randomized, controlled clinical study. ANIMALS 54 HD-affected dogs and 16 healthy dogs. PROCEDURES Seven HD-affected dogs were removed from the study. Dogs with HD were treated in a blinded manner for 30 days with acupuncture (once weekly for 5 sessions; n = 15), carprofen (4.4 mg/kg [2.0 mg/lb], PO, q 24 h; n = 16), or placebo capsules containing lactose (1 mg/kg [0.45 mg/lb], PO, q 24 h; n = 16). Dogs were evaluated 2 weeks and immediately before (baseline) and 2, 4, and 6 weeks after the onset of treatment. Owners evaluated the dogs' pain intensity with 2 validated questionnaires and a visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain and evaluated degree of lameness with a VAS for locomotion. Kinetics of the hind limbs were also evaluated. Sixteen HD-free dogs were used to assess the evaluation protocol. RESULTS Owners' assessments revealed that outcomes of the 3 treatments did not differ significantly. The Canine Brief Pain Inventory and VAS pain intensity assessments were decreased from baseline at weeks 4 and 6, respectively, but only in acupuncture-treated dogs. The locomotion VAS values were decreased at week 4 in acupuncture-treated and carprofen-treated dogs. Kinetic evaluation findings did not differ among the groups or over time. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Neither acupuncture nor carprofen was significantly different from placebo. Acupuncture and carprofen reduced the degree of subjectively evaluated lameness, and acupuncture was associated with a decrease in validated chronic pain scores.

  4. The sum of all fears: conceptual challenges with measuring fear of cancer recurrence.

    PubMed

    Costa, Daniel S J; Smith, Allan Ben; Fardell, Joanna E

    2016-01-01

    Fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) is increasingly recognised as a major concern for people with cancer once active treatment is completed. Several instruments have been designed to assess FCR; however, no gold standard has emerged. Many instruments conceptualise FCR as a multidimensional construct. However, this potentially conflates FCR as an outcome with its antecedents and consequences. This is problematic when an aggregate of distinct dimensions is calculated, as is commonly recommended. For example, the total score on the Fear of Cancer Recurrence Inventory is an aggregate of items from seven sub-scales: triggers, severity, psychological distress, coping strategies, functioning impairments, insight and reassurance. Similarly, the total score on the Fear of Progression Questionnaire is an aggregate of affective reaction, partnership/family, work and loss of autonomy. Arguably, the severity and affective reaction domains represent fear, and the other sub-scales represent related concepts, rather than "dimensions" of FCR. The total score represents a combination of concepts whose meaning is unclear. The same total score could be produced by patients with very different experiences, and patients with the same level of fear could have very different total scores. Therefore, we argue that although the level of FCR may be determined by a complex network of antecedents and modifiers and have variable consequences, FCR itself may be a simple concept, which can be assessed using a smaller number of items. Conceptual clarity in its research infancy should prevent FCR becoming a construct that is vaguely operationalised and interpreted.

  5. Acupuncture in the Management of Injury and Operative Pain Under Field Conditions.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1976-03-01

    id,, iI ne.e.siry andl’,:,ni’, I’ Acupuncture Analgesia, ’ Pain Control Orofacial Acupuncture, Tooth Pulp.. Regional Analgesia Tisdocument reports...experimental series. The primary Acupuncture points which presently enjoy maximal favor in terms of the control of orofacial pain (there are three; see below...be used to ideitify optimal waveforms for three critical Acupuncture "points" associated wit., orofacial pain control. The same model will then be

  6. [Professor LAI Xinsheng's experience of acupuncture combined with medication for epilepsy].

    PubMed

    Fang, Yajing; Wu, Peilong; Wang, Yumei; He, Kejie; Zhang, Sujuan; Lai, Xinsheng

    2018-04-12

    Professor LAI Xinsheng 's experience of acupuncture combined with medication for epilepsy is summarized, which is explained from epilepsy's etiology and pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of acupuncture and medication, respectively. Besides, the theoretical foundation and use instruction of acupuncture technique " tong - yuan " for epilepsy are introduced. Professor LAI highly values the adherence to etiology and pathogenesis, pays attention to syndrome differentiation and searches for the primary disease cause. He proposes the wind, phlegm, stasis and deficiency are the pathogenesis of epilepsy, and points out acupuncture could be applied during attack stage and remittent stage, but electroacupuncture should be used with caution. Regulating spirit is the key for treating epilepsy. The combination of acupuncture and medication could regulate the governor vessel and guide qi to the origin, which have significant curative effect.

  7. Treating primary dysmenorrhoea with acupuncture: a narrative review of the relationship between acupuncture 'dose' and menstrual pain outcomes.

    PubMed

    Armour, Mike; Smith, Caroline A

    2016-12-01

    A number of randomised controlled trials have been performed to determine the effectiveness or efficacy of acupuncture in primary dysmenorrhoea. The objective of this review was to explore the relationship between the 'dose' of the acupuncture intervention and menstrual pain outcomes. Eight databases were systematically searched for trials examining penetrating body acupuncture for primary dysmenorrhoea published in English up to September 2015. Dose components for each trial were extracted, assessed by the two authors and categorised by neurophysiological dose (number of needles, retention time and mode of stimulation), cumulative dose (total number and frequency of treatments), needle location and treatment timing. Eleven trials were included. Components of acupuncture dose were well reported across all trials. The relationship between needle location and menstrual pain demonstrated conflicting results. Treatment before the menses appeared to produce greater reductions in pain than treatment starting at the onset of menses. A single needle during menses may provide greater pain reduction compared to multiple needles. Conversely, multiple needles before menses were superior to a single needle. Electroacupuncture may provide more rapid pain reduction compared to manual acupuncture but may not have a significantly different effect on overall menstrual pain. There appear to be relationships between treatment timing and mode of needle stimulation, and menstrual pain outcomes. Needle location, number of needles used and frequency of treatment show clear dose-response relationships with menstrual pain outcomes. Current research is insufficient to make definitive clinical recommendations regarding optimum dose parameters for treating primary dysmenorrhoea. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

  8. The short- and long-term benefit in chronic low back pain through adjuvant electrical versus manual auricular acupuncture.

    PubMed

    Sator-Katzenschlager, Sabine M; Scharbert, Gisela; Kozek-Langenecker, Sibylle A; Szeles, Jozef C; Finster, Gabriele; Schiesser, Andreas W; Heinze, Georg; Kress, Hans Georg

    2004-05-01

    Acupuncture is an established adjuvant analgesic modality for the treatment of chronic pain. Electrical stimulation of acupuncture points is considered to increase acupuncture analgesia. In this prospective, randomized, double-blind, controlled study we tested the hypothesis that auricular electroacupuncture (EA) relieves pain more effectively than conventional manual auricular acupuncture (CO) in chronic low back pain patients with insufficient pain relief (visual analogue scale [VAS] > or = 5) treated with standardized analgesic therapy. Disposable acupuncture needles were inserted in the auricular acupuncture points 29, 40, and 55 of the dominant side and connected to a newly developed battery-powered miniaturized stimulator worn behind the ear. Patients were randomized into group EA (n = 31) with continuous low-frequency auricular EA (1 Hz biphasic constant current of 2 mA) and group CO (n = 30) without electrical stimulation (sham-electroacupuncture). Treatment was performed once weekly for 6 wk, and in each group needles were withdrawn 48 h after insertion. During the study period and a 3-mo follow-up, patients were asked to complete the McGill questionnaire. Psychological well being, activity level, quality of sleep, and pain intensity were assessed by means of VAS; moreover, analgesic drug consumption was documented. Pain relief was significantly better in group EA during the study and the follow-up period as compared with group CO. Similarly, psychological well-being, activity, and sleep were significantly improved in group EA versus group CO, the consumption of analgesic rescue medication was less, and more patients returned to full-time employment. Neuropathic pain in particular improved in patients treated with EA. There were no adverse side effects. These results are the first to demonstrate that continuous EA stimulation of auricular acupuncture points improves the treatment of chronic low back pain in an outpatient population. Continuous electrical

  9. [Professor GAO Yuchun's experience on "sequential acupuncture leads to smooth movement of qi"].

    PubMed

    Wang, Yanjun; Xing, Xiao; Cui, Linhua

    2016-01-01

    Professor GAO Yuchun is considered as the key successor of GAO's academic school of acupuncture and moxibustion in Yanzhao region. Professor GAO's clinical experience of, "sequential acupuncture" is introduced in details in this article. In Professor GAO's opinions, appropriate acupuncture sequence is the key to satisfactory clinical effects during treatment. Based on different acupoints, sequential acupuncture can achieve the aim of qi following needles and needles leading qi; based on different symptoms, sequential acupuncture can regulate qi movement; based on different body positions, sequential acupuncture can harmonize qi-blood and reinforcing deficiency and reducing excess. In all, according to the differences of disease condition and constitution, based on the accurate acupoint selection and appropriate manipulation, it is essential to capture the nature of diseases and make the order of acupuncture, which can achieve the aim of regulating qi movement and reinforcing deficiency and reducing excess.

  10. Effects of electro-acupuncture on personality traits in depression: a randomized controlled study.

    PubMed

    Wang, Wei-dong; Lu, Xue-yu; Ng, Siu-man; Hong, Lan; Zhao, Yang; Lin, Ying-na; Wang, Fang

    2013-10-01

    To explore the personality-adjusting effect of electro-acupuncture treatment for depression and compared this treatment with paroxetine treatment. A non-blinded, randomized controlled trial was adopted. Sixty depressed patients, who met trial criteria, were randomly assigned to the treatment and the control groups. In the treatment group, electro-acupuncture treatment was used, and paroxetine treatment was used in the control group. During the 24-week study period, 12 patients dropped out and 48 patients completed the study. The Minnesota Multiple Personality Inventory (MMPI) was adopted as the evaluation tool. At the same time, the Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS), Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) were used to evaluate the psychological state. Evaluations were done before and after treatment. After treatment, patients' psychological state improved significantly in both groups (P<0.01). For the treatment group, within-group comparison between baseline and after 24 weeks of treatment showed that severity of depression had significantly decreased (P<0.01). MADRS and SDS scores decreased significantly (P<0.05) and MMPI subscale scores for hypochondriasis, depression, psychopathic deviate, psychasthenia, social introversion and fake decreased significantly (P<0.05). For the control group, severity of depression also decreased significantly. MADRS and SDS scores decreased significantly (P<0.05); and MMPI subscale scores for hypochondriasis, depression, hysteria, paranoia, and psychasthenia decreased significantly (P<0.05). Between-group comparison demonstrated that for the MMPI subscales paranoia and social introversion, the decrease of score was greater in the treatment group than in the control group (P<0.05). However, there were no other significant differences between the control group and the treatment group. Electro-acupuncture is effective for treating depression and affects personality traits.

  11. An overview of acupuncture for psoriasis vulgaris, 2009-2014.

    PubMed

    Xiang, Yu; Wu, Xing; Lu, Chuanjian; Wang, Kaiyi

    2017-05-01

    Psoriasis is a chronic, proliferative, and inflammatory skin disease which affects around 2-3% of the global population. Current pharmacotherapy is effective, however medication with safe and long-lasting therapeutic effects is needed. Acupuncture for psoriasis is widely used in China as well as other Asian countries, and is gradually becoming accepted globally. To determine the characteristics and advantages of acupuncture treatment for psoriasis, and to improve the clinical outcomes of this disease in the future, this review summarizes literature on acupuncture treatment for psoriasis published between 2009 and 2014. Databases search was conducted with the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), MEDLINE, and PubMed databases over a time period ranging from January 2009 to December 2014. The condition term was "psoriasis" and the key intervention terms were "needling", "moxibustion", "auriculotherapy", "cupping and bloodletting therapy", "catgut embedding therapy", "point-injection therapy", "traditional Chinese medicine fumigation therapy", "fire needling therapy", and "vesiculation moxibustion". Languages were limited to English and Chinese. Therapeutic mechanisms, therapy, therapeutic characteristics, advantages and limits of acupuncture for psoriasis are discussed. The conclusion is that acupuncture therapies for psoriasis are simple, convenient, and effective, with long-lasting therapeutic effects as well as minimal side effects and toxicity.

  12. Assessing fears of preschool children with nighttime fears by a parent version of the fear survey schedule for preschool children.

    PubMed

    Kushnir, Jonathan; Gothelf, Doron; Sadeh, Avi

    2015-01-01

    Although excessive fears are common in preschool children, validated assessment tools for this age are lacking. Our aim was to modify and provide preliminary evidence of the utility of a preschoolers' fear screening tool, a parent-reported Fear Survey Schedule for Preschool Children (FSS-PC). 109 Israeli preschool children (aged 4-6 years) with chronic night time fears (NF) and 30 healthy children (controls) participated. The FSS-PC analysis included: 1) internal reliability, 2) correlations between FSS-PC scores and Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) measures, 3) differences between NF and a comparison sample of FSS-PC scores, and 4) FSS-PC sensitivity in detecting change in NF following an intervention for NF. There were low-to-medium positive correlations between the FSS-PC scores and several internalizing scales of the CBCL measures. FSS-PC scores in the NF group were significantly higher than the control children's score. FSS-PC scores had adequate internal reliability and were also sensitive for detecting significant changes in fear levels following behavioral interventions. Unique cultural and environmental circumstances and specific study group. This new version of the FSS-PC may provide clinicians with a novel and useful screening tool for early assessment of fear- and anxiety-related phenomena of preschool children.

  13. Holistic medicine not "torture": performing acupuncture in Galway, Ireland.

    PubMed

    Anderson, Kevin Taylor

    2010-07-01

    This article examines how the aesthetic design of clinics and interactive discourse and rituals construct the social reality of acupuncture sessions as a form of holistic medical therapy. Verbal and nonverbal interactions create an appealing medical environment but also help prevent the emergence of undesired counter-realities (e.g., pain, biomedical intervention). Based on observations of acupuncture sessions conducted in Galway, Ireland, I illustrate how ambiance and aesthetic elements of clinics create a complex medico-cultural environment that balances oppositional associations (Western/non-Western, exoticism/convention, medical alterity/medical professionalism). Patients interviewed continually referred to acupuncture as a natural and non-invasive form of medical treatment. This suggests that interpersonal discourse and aesthetic design play key roles in how patients define acupuncture treatment, and that these ephemeral agents may also influence how patients come to define efficacy.

  14. Molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of acupuncture on neuropathic pain.

    PubMed

    Ju, Ziyong; Cui, Huashun; Guo, Xiaohui; Yang, Huayuan; He, Jinsen; Wang, Ke

    2013-09-05

    Acupuncture has been used to treat neuropathic pain for a long time, but its mechanisms of action remain unknown. In this study, we observed the effects of electroacupuncture and manual acu-puncture on neuropathic pain and on ephrin-B/EphB signaling in rats models of chronic constriction injury-induced neuropathic pain. The results showed that manual acupuncture and elec-puncture significantly reduced mechanical hypersensitivity following chronic constriction injury, es-pecially electroacupuncture treatment. Real-time PCR results revealed that ephrin-B1/B3 and EphB1/B2 mRNA expression levels were significantly increased in the spinal dorsal horns of chronic constriction injury rats. Electroacupuncture and manual acupuncture suppressed the high sion of ephrin-B1 mRNA, and elevated EphB3/B4 mRNA expression. Electroacupuncture signifi-cantly enhanced the mRNA expression of ephrin-B3 and EphB3/B6 in the dorsal horns of neuro-pathic pain rats. Western blot results revealed that electroacupuncture in particular, and manual acupuncture, significantly up-regulated ephrin-B3 protein levels in rat spinal dorsal horns. The re-sults of this study suggest that acupuncture could activate ephrin-B/EphB signaling in neuropathic pain rats and improve neurological function.

  15. Systematic Review on Acupuncture for Treatment of Dysphagia after Stroke

    PubMed Central

    Ye, Qiuping; Xie, Yu; Shi, Junheng; Ou, Aihua; Xu, Nenggui

    2017-01-01

    Objective To assess the therapeutic efficacy of acupuncture for dysphagia after stroke. Methods Seven electronic databases were searched from their inception until 31 September 2016. All randomized controlled trials (RCTs) incorporating acupuncture or acupuncture combined with other interventions for treatment of dysphagia after stroke were enrolled. Then they were extracted and assessed by two independent evaluators. Direct comparisons were conducted in RevMan 5.3.0 software. Results 6010 patients of 71 papers were included. The pooled analysis of efficacy rate of 58 studies indicated that acupuncture group was superior to the control group with moderate heterogeneity (RR = 1.17, 95% CI: 1.13 1.21, Z = 9.08, and P < 0.00001); meta-analysis of the studies using blind method showed that the efficacy rate of acupuncture group was 3.01 times that of control group with no heterogeneity (RR = 3.01, 95% CI: 1.95 4.65, Z = 4.97, and P < 0.00001). Only 13 studies mentioned the safety evaluation. Conclusion The result showed that the acupuncture group was better than control group in terms of efficacy rate of dysphagia after stroke. And the combining result of those researches using blind method was more strong in proof. Strict evaluation standard and high-quality RCT design are necessary for further exploration. PMID:28852414

  16. Molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of acupuncture on neuropathic pain

    PubMed Central

    Ju, Ziyong; Cui, Huashun; Guo, Xiaohui; Yang, Huayuan; He, Jinsen; Wang, Ke

    2013-01-01

    Acupuncture has been used to treat neuropathic pain for a long time, but its mechanisms of action remain unknown. In this study, we observed the effects of electroacupuncture and manual acu-puncture on neuropathic pain and on ephrin-B/EphB signaling in rats models of chronic constriction injury-induced neuropathic pain. The results showed that manual acupuncture and elec-puncture significantly reduced mechanical hypersensitivity following chronic constriction injury, es-pecially electroacupuncture treatment. Real-time PCR results revealed that ephrin-B1/B3 and EphB1/B2 mRNA expression levels were significantly increased in the spinal dorsal horns of chronic constriction injury rats. Electroacupuncture and manual acupuncture suppressed the high sion of ephrin-B1 mRNA, and elevated EphB3/B4 mRNA expression. Electroacupuncture signifi-cantly enhanced the mRNA expression of ephrin-B3 and EphB3/B6 in the dorsal horns of neuro-pathic pain rats. Western blot results revealed that electroacupuncture in particular, and manual acupuncture, significantly up-regulated ephrin-B3 protein levels in rat spinal dorsal horns. The re-sults of this study suggest that acupuncture could activate ephrin-B/EphB signaling in neuropathic pain rats and improve neurological function. PMID:25206545

  17. Design and reliability analysis of a novel laser acupuncture device

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pan, Boan; Zhong, Fulin; Zhao, Ke; Li, Ting

    2018-02-01

    Acupuncture has a long history of more than 2000 years in China. However, traditional acupuncture adopts metallic needles which may bring discomfort and pricking to patients. Laser acupuncture (LA) is a non-invasive and painless way to achieve some therapeutic effects. And compared to traditional acupuncture, LA is free from infection. Taking these advantages of LA into consideration, we innovatively developed a portable laser acupuncture device with therapy part and detection part together. Therapy part sends out laser at the wavelength of 650 nm onto special acupoints of patients. And detection part includes integrated light-emitting diode (LED, 735/805/850 nm) and photodiode (OPT101). The detection part is used for the data collection for calculation of hemodynamic parameters based on near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). In this work, we carried out current-power test for sensitivity of therapy part. And we also conducted liquid-model optical experiment and arm blocking test for the sensitivity and effectiveness of detection part. The final results demonstrated great potential and reliability of the novel laser acupuncture device. In the future, we will apply this device in clinical applications to verify the effectiveness of the device and improve the reliability for more treatment of diseases.

  18. Acupuncture Treatment of Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy in an American Indian Community.

    PubMed

    Bailey, Anne; Wingard, Deborah; Allison, Matthew; Summers, Priscilla; Calac, Daniel

    2017-04-01

    Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) develops in 30% of type 2 diabetes patients, increases the risk for foot ulcers and amputation, and is a significant source of disability and medical costs. Treatment remains challenging, propelling research to focus on therapeutic methods that aim to improve blood circulation or ameliorate oxidative stress that drives development of DPN. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of acupuncture treatment for DPN symptoms and lower extremity arterial circulation in people with type 2 diabetes. Twenty-five patients seen at a Southern California Tribal Health Center who reported a threshold level of diabetic neuropathy symptoms in the lower extremities during the previous 4 weeks received acupuncture treatment once per week over a 10-week period between 2011 and 2013. The Neuropathy Total Symptom Scale (NTSS-6), Neuropathy Disability Score (NDS), and laser Doppler fluxmetry (LDF) were used for assessment at baseline and 10 weeks. A total of 19 of 25 study participants completed the study and reported a significant reduction in the NTSS symptoms of aching pain, burning pain, prickling sensation, numbness, and allodynia. Lancinating pain did not decrease significantly. LDF measures improved but not significantly. Acupuncture may effectively ameliorate selected DPN symptoms in these American Indian patients. Copyright © 2017 Medical Association of Pharmacopuncture Institute. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Meta-analysis of acupuncture therapy for the treatment of stable angina pectoris

    PubMed Central

    Zhang, Ze; Chen, Min; Zhang, Li; Zhang, Zhe; Wu, Wensheng; Liu, Jun; Yan, Jun; Yang, Guanlin

    2015-01-01

    Angina pectoris is a common symptom imperiling patients’ life quality. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for stable angina pectoris. Clinical randomized-controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the efficacy of acupuncture to conventional drugs in patients with stable angina pectoris were searched using the following database of PubMed, Medline, Wanfang and CNKI. Overall odds ratio (ORs) and weighted mean difference (MD) with their 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated by using fixed- or random-effect models depending on the heterogeneity of the included trials. Total 8 RCTs, including 640 angina pectoris cases with 372 patients received acupuncture therapy and 268 patients received conventional drugs, were included. Overall, our result showed that acupuncture significantly increased the clinical curative effects in the relief of angina symptoms (OR=2.89, 95% CI=1.87-4.47, P<0.00001) and improved the electrocardiography (OR=1.83, 95% CI=1.23-2.71, P=0.003), indicating that acupuncture therapy was superior to conventional drugs. Although there was no significant difference in overall effective rate relating reduction of nitroglycerin between two groups (OR=2.13, 95% CI=0.90-5.07, P=0.09), a significant reduction on nitroglycerin consumption in acupuncture group was found (MD=-0.44, 95% CI=-0.64, -0.24, P<0.0001). Furthermore, the time to onset of angina relief was longer for acupuncture therapy than for traditional medicines (MD=2.44, 95% CI=1.64-3.24, P<0.00001, min). No adverse effects associated with acupuncture therapy were found. Acupuncture may be an effective therapy for stable angina pectoris. More clinical trials are needed to systematically assess the role of acupuncture in angina pectoris. PMID:26131084

  20. Meta-analysis of acupuncture therapy for the treatment of stable angina pectoris.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Ze; Chen, Min; Zhang, Li; Zhang, Zhe; Wu, Wensheng; Liu, Jun; Yan, Jun; Yang, Guanlin

    2015-01-01

    Angina pectoris is a common symptom imperiling patients' life quality. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for stable angina pectoris. Clinical randomized-controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the efficacy of acupuncture to conventional drugs in patients with stable angina pectoris were searched using the following database of PubMed, Medline, Wanfang and CNKI. Overall odds ratio (ORs) and weighted mean difference (MD) with their 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated by using fixed- or random-effect models depending on the heterogeneity of the included trials. Total 8 RCTs, including 640 angina pectoris cases with 372 patients received acupuncture therapy and 268 patients received conventional drugs, were included. Overall, our result showed that acupuncture significantly increased the clinical curative effects in the relief of angina symptoms (OR=2.89, 95% CI=1.87-4.47, P<0.00001) and improved the electrocardiography (OR=1.83, 95% CI=1.23-2.71, P=0.003), indicating that acupuncture therapy was superior to conventional drugs. Although there was no significant difference in overall effective rate relating reduction of nitroglycerin between two groups (OR=2.13, 95% CI=0.90-5.07, P=0.09), a significant reduction on nitroglycerin consumption in acupuncture group was found (MD=-0.44, 95% CI=-0.64, -0.24, P<0.0001). Furthermore, the time to onset of angina relief was longer for acupuncture therapy than for traditional medicines (MD=2.44, 95% CI=1.64-3.24, P<0.00001, min). No adverse effects associated with acupuncture therapy were found. Acupuncture may be an effective therapy for stable angina pectoris. More clinical trials are needed to systematically assess the role of acupuncture in angina pectoris.

  1. Effect of acupuncture anesthesia on acne vulgaris of pricking-bloodletting cupping: a single-blind randomized clinical trail.

    PubMed

    Xu, Jianfeng; Lin, Ruizhu; Wang, Jing; Wu, Yongli; Wang, Yingxu; Zhang, Yuequan; Xi, Chaolei; Wu, Qiang

    2013-12-01

    To evaluate the effect on acne vulgaris of pricking-bloodletting cupping at Dazhui (GV 14) under acupuncture anesthesia, and establish whether providing anesthesia to the treatment area by manipulating Hegu (LI 4) and Quchi (LI 11) might have an additional therapeutic benefit. Thirty-eight patients were recruited and randomized into a control group and an intervention group with a single-blind (observer-blind) method. The control group was treated by pricking-bloodletting cupping at Dazhui (GV 14)-and the studied group by pricking-bloodletting cupping at Dazhui (GV 14) under acupuncture anesthesia at Hegu (LI 4) and Quchi (LI 11). Both groups were treated twice weekly for 6 weeks. The analgesic and therapeutic effects of acupuncture were evaluated on a visual analog scale (VAS) and global acne grading system (GAGS), respectively. There were differences in the VAS scores of pain on pricking and in the pricked area, and the duration of pain between the groups. After 12 treatments, there was a significant reduction in GAGS scores from baseline in both groups, but there was no significant difference between the groups. Acupuncture anesthesia at Hegu (LI 4) and Quchi (LI 11) is an effective means of alleviating the pain of pricking-bloodletting cupping and reducing the duration of pain in the treatment area. Pricking-bloodletting cupping at Dazhui (GV 14) improves the skin lesions of patients with moderate acne vulgaris, but acupuncture anesthesia does not appear to have an additional therapeutic effect.

  2. Acupuncture therapy in treating migraine: results of a magnetic resonance spectroscopy imaging study.

    PubMed

    Gu, Tao; Lin, Lei; Jiang, Yun; Chen, Juan; D'Arcy, Ryan Cn; Chen, Min; Song, Xiaowei

    2018-01-01

    Acupuncture has been proven to be effective as an alternative therapy in treating migraine, but the pathophysiological mechanisms of the treatment remain unclear. This study investigated possible neurochemical responses to acupuncture treatment. Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy imaging was used to investigate biochemical levels pre- and post-acupuncture treatment. Participants (N=45) included subjects diagnosed with: 1) migraine without aura; 2) cervicogenic headache; and 3) healthy controls. Participants in the two patient groups received verum acupuncture using acupoints that target migraine without aura but not cervicogenic headache, while the healthy controls received a sham treatment. All participants had magnetic resonance spectroscopy scans before and after the acupuncture therapy. Levels of brain metabolites were examined in relation to clinical headache assessment scores. A significant increase in N -acetylaspartate/creatine was observed in bilateral thalamus in migraine without aura after the acupuncture treatment, which was significantly correlated with the headache intensity score. The data demonstrate brain biochemical changes underlying the effect of acupuncture treatment of migraine.

  3. [Status and progress of stimulating parameters in acupuncture treatment of ischemic cerebrovascular disease].

    PubMed

    Wei, Yuan-yuan; Fan, Xiao-nong; Wang, Shu; Shi, Xue-min

    2008-08-01

    Acute ischemic cerebrovascular disease is one of the critical diseases seriously endangering human health. Acupuncture therapy, an effective treatment method for many types of disorders has been generally acknowledged. In recent years, many scientific researchers have studied the relationship between the effects of acupuncture in relieving cerebral ischemia-induced sequelae and the stimulating parameters. The acupuncture stimulating parameter includes the frequency of electroacupuncture (EA), the frequency of acupuncture treatment, and the acquired quantity of stimulation, etc for clinical patients and experimental animals. It was found that different stimulating parameters may have different efficacies. Current research results provide a good basis not only for analysis of the factors of acupuncture-produced effects, but also for determination of the optimal combination of stimulating parameters. However, acupuncture therapeutic effect involves multiple factors and multiple levels, and current quantitative acupuncture parameter researches have been mainly restricted to animal experiments. Hence, more researches in which statistics specialists take part are definitely needed.

  4. An fMRI study of neural pathways following acupuncture in mild cognitive impairment patients

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Feng, Yuanyuan; Bai, Lijun; Wang, Hu; Zhong, Chongguang; You, Youbo; Zhang, Wensheng; Tian, Jie

    2012-03-01

    While the use of acupuncture as a complementary therapeutic method for treating MCI is popular in certain parts of the world, the underlying mechanism is still elusive. In the current study, we adopted multivariate Granger causality analysis (mGCA) to explore the causal interactions of brain networks involving acupuncture in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) patients compared to healthy controls (HC). The fMRI experiment was performed with two different paradigms: namely, deep acupuncture (DA) and superficial acupuncture (SA) at acupoint KI3. Results demonstrated that deep acupuncture could modulate the abnormal regions in MCI group. These regions are implicated in memory encoding and retrieving. This may relate to the purported therapeutically beneficial effects of acupuncture for the treatment of MCI. However, the most significant causal interactions were found in the sensorimotor regions in HC group. This may because acupuncture has a greater modulatory effect on patients with a pathological imbalance. This paper provides the preliminary neurophysiological evidence for the potential efficacy effect of acupuncture on MCI.

  5. The effect of myofascial release and microwave diathermy combined with acupuncture versus acupuncture therapy in tension-type headache patients: A pragmatic randomized controlled trial.

    PubMed

    Georgoudis, George; Felah, Bledjana; Nikolaidis, Pantelis; Damigos, Dimitrios

    2018-04-01

    Nonpharmacological therapies for tension-type headache (TTH) and cervicogenic cephalalgia are often a treatment choice, despite the weak to moderate evidence. The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of an acupuncture/stretching protocol versus acupuncture/stretching plus physiotherapy techniques, in patients with TTH cephalalgia. A single-blind, prospective, multicentre, randomized controlled trial was designed considering the pragmatic situation of administering such protocols and treating the 44 headache patients participating in this study. The patients were randomly assigned in 2 treatment groups (control group, n = 20, acupuncture/stretching; experimental group, n = 24, acupuncture/stretching plus physiotherapy) and completed 10 treatment sessions within 4 weeks with measurements taking place before treatment, after the fifth treatment and after the 10th treatment. The mechanical pressure pain threshold (PPT) was considered as the main outcome measure, using a mechanical algometer to measure 7 bilateral somatic points. Acupuncture in both groups included 17-20 acupuncture points, whereas stretching was initially taught and subsequently self-administered (self-stretches), following a standardized set of movements of the cervical spine. Physiotherapy consisted of microwave diathermy and myofascial release with hands-on techniques. An improvement was noted in both groups/treatments regarding the main outcome measure PPT, all the way from the first to fifth and the 10th treatment, at all measuring sites and at all measurements in both groups (p < .001). When comparing the 2 groups, differences were noted after the 10th treatment (p < .05). In conclusion, patients with TTH headache were benefited from acupuncture and stretching but further PPT improvements were evidenced when physiotherapy hands-on techniques were added. In clinical terms, the combination of physiotherapy in the form of myofascial release and microwave diathermy with

  6. Advertising, expectations and informed consent: the contents and functions of acupuncture leaflets.

    PubMed

    Bishop, Felicity L; Salmon, Cathy

    2013-12-01

    To evaluate the content of patient information leaflets about acupuncture. 401 patient information leaflets were obtained from practising UK acupuncturists and subjected to content and thematic analysis. 59% of included leaflets were from NHS physiotherapists. Almost all the leaflets defined acupuncture and the majority explained how it might work, described the treatment process and placed it in a historical context. Most described possible benefits and risks of acupuncture and discussed contraindications and safety. Just under a third of leaflets (120, 30%) suggested conditions that might be helped by acupuncture, most commonly musculoskeletal pain, arthritis and injuries. By emphasising differences between individuals in acupuncture treatments and responsiveness, the leaflets fostered hope for positive effects without making any guarantees. Information leaflets are broadly consistent with the evidence for acupuncture, but some claims are inconsistent with official advice from advertising regulators. An ethically sound, scientifically grounded and psychologically effective leaflet should accurately convey both benefits and risks of treatment, optimise patients' expectations and allay concerns about needling. This study suggests that acupuncture leaflets might achieve these multiple functions but care should be taken to ensure adequate coverage of risks.

  7. Acupuncture for retained placenta: a retrospective case series.

    PubMed

    Djakovic, Ivka; Bilic, Nada

    2014-12-01

    A placenta is considered to be retained when it remains undelivered 30 or 60 min after the birth of the baby following active or physiological management of the third stage of labour, respectively. It can be life threatening for the mother. We retrospectively examined the influence of acupuncture on the delivery of retained placentas in the third stage of labour in 70 women. In all cases the third stage of labour was actively managed, and acupuncture was provided 30 min after delivery at points KI16 and SP6 for 15 min. After acupuncture 77% of placentas separated successfully. In 10% of cases some retained placental tissue was detected and manual removal of the avulsed cotyledon was performed, while in 13% the entire placenta was retained and manual removal of the placenta under general anaesthesia was necessary. Acupuncture may help to facilitate placental separation but further controlled trials are needed. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

  8. How might acupuncture work? A systematic review of physiologic rationales from clinical trials.

    PubMed

    Moffet, Howard H

    2006-07-07

    Scientific interest in acupuncture has led numerous investigators to conduct clinical trials to test the efficacy of acupuncture for various conditions, but the mechanisms underlying acupuncture are poorly understood. The author conducted a PubMed search to obtain a fair sample of acupuncture clinical trials published in English in 2005. Each article was reviewed for a physiologic rationale, as well as study objectives and outcomes, experimental and control interventions, country of origin, funding sources and journal type. Seventy-nine acupuncture clinical trials were identified. Twenty-six studies (33%) offered no physiologic rationale. Fifty-three studies (67%) posited a physiologic basis for acupuncture: 33 (62% of 53) proposed neurochemical mechanisms, 2 (4%) segmental nervous system effects, 6 (11%) autonomic nervous system regulation, 3 (6%) local effects, 5 (9%) effects on brain function and 5 (9%) other effects. No rationale was proposed for stroke; otherwise having a rationale was not associated with objective, positive or negative findings, means of intervention, country of origin, funding source or journal type. The dominant explanation for how acupuncture might work involves neurochemical responses and is not reported to be dependent on treatment objective, specific points, means or method of stimulation. Many acupuncture trials fail to offer a meaningful rationale, but proposing a rationale can help investigators to develop and test a causal hypothesis, choose an appropriate control and rule out placebo effects. Acupuncture may stimulate self-regulatory processes independent of the treatment objective, points, means or methods used; this would account for acupuncture's reported benefits in so many disparate pathologic conditions.

  9. [Data Mining-revealed Characteristics of Clinical Application of Scalp Acupuncture].

    PubMed

    Wang, Qiong; Xing, Hai-Jiao; Bao, Na; Kong, Ling-Juan; Jia, Ye-Juan; Yang, Ke; Sun, Yan-Hui; Wang, Jian-Ling; Shi, Jing; Li, Xiao-Feng; Xu, Jing; Zhang, Xuan-Ping; Zhang, Xin; Jia, Chun-Sheng; Li, Ren-Ling

    2018-03-25

    To explore the regularity and characteristics of clinical application of scalp acupuncture therapy for different types of clinical conditions so as to provide a reference for clinical practice. In the present study, "head acupuncture" and"scalp acupuncture" were used as the keywords to search papers and academic dissertations having definite standards for diagnosis and therapeutic effect assessment and published in journals and academic conferences collected in database China National Knowledge Internet(CNKI) from January 1 of 1959 to December 31 of 2016, followed by constructing a database after sorting, screening, recording, extracting, and statistical analysis by using a computer. Then, the data mining was conducted for summarizing the indications of disease categories, involved medical departments, needle-insertion methods, needle manipulation techniques, academic schools, and clinical efficacy of scalp acupuncture therapy. As a result, a total of 587 papers met our including criteria were analyzed. The scalp acupuncture therapy was widely employed in the treatment of various clinical conditions of different departments, with the application frequency being the internal medicine (438 times), surgery (75 times), pediatrics (44 times), etc. Of the indicated 102 types of clinical problems, 55 belong to the internal medicine, constituting of 53.92%, particularly the cerebral apoplexy and its sequelae with the top application frequency being 102 and 115 times, respectively. In terms of needle inserting methods mentioned in partial papers (most papers do not mention), fingernail-pressing-aided needle insertion, needle-twirling insertion, fingers-squeezed-needle insertion, particularly the swiftly rotating needle insertion and rapid needle-propelling insertion were most commonly used.Regarding the needle manipulation method, rapid needle twirling technique was frequently employed, usually at a frequency of approximately 200 times per min. In regard to the academic

  10. [Li Wen-Rong's experience on acupuncture at painful locality taken as acupoint].

    PubMed

    Wei, Qing-Lin; Li, Jun

    2010-04-01

    Doctor Li Wen-Rong, who has been practicing acupuncture for five decades by combination of the meridian theory of TCM and related modern medical science, has still been active in acupuncture clinic, especially in acupuncture manipulation based on the method of acupuncture at painful locality taken as acupoint, Jiaji (EX-B 2) being selected as the main acupoints and Back-shu acupoints of the Bladder Meridian as adjuvant acupoints, except the acupoints on the limbs, and the selected acupoints being relatively concentrated and the needles being inserted in tender points for treatment of relevant nervous system diseases and complicated chronic cases, which has formed her own academic style. In this article, the authors introduce some of her medical records by using acupuncture manipulation based on the method of acupuncture at painful locality taken as acupoint for treatment of facial paralysis, renal colic and rheumatoid arthritis, and the main idea of this article is to summarize and analyze her academic thoughts.

  11. [The relationship between acupuncture-moxibustion theory of DOU Hanqing and Neo- Confucianism].

    PubMed

    Li, Baojin; Huang, Longxiang

    2018-02-12

    For the construction factors of acupuncture-moxibustion theory of DOU Hanqing , a doctor in Jin-Yuan Dynasty, we studied his life, acupuncture-moxibustion theory and culture background in the History of Medicine and Philosophy of Science & Technology. It was found that the major source of DOU Hanqing ' s Confucianism was the CHENG - ZHU Neo-Confucianism. The data show that Neo-Confucianism played an important role in the enrichment of his human nature, spirit, moral cultivation and political talent, making him a scholar in the Jin - Yuan dynasty, also shaping his medical ethics, medical skill and acupuncture-moxibustion theory. The inheritance, development and application of CHENG - ZHU Neo-Confucianism provided the most fundamental thinking, research methods and patterns for DOU Hanqing to interpret the acupuncture classics, summarize his teachers' experience and develop his theoretical system. DOU Hanqing ' s acupuncture-moxibustion practice and theory reached a new level, because he took acupuncture-moxibustion as one of the knowledge investigation and attainment of CHENG - ZHU Neo-Confucianism.

  12. Design and study of deep laser acupuncture stimulator of modulation and multibeam

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mao, Haitao; Wang, Qingguo; Xing, Qian; Li, Fangzheng; Cheng, Dongan

    2002-04-01

    The laser acupuncture stimulation has been applied extensively to replace the acupuncture needles. But the laser is transmitted to the acupoint through the skin, so the curative effect of the laser irradiation on an acupoint from cuticle is limited. We have developed the deep laser acupuncture stimulator of modulation and multibeam. The laser beam (such as He-Ne, LD, etc.) is turned into the modulated waveform. The modulated laser beam can simulate the customary acupuncture way such as twirling and rotating, etc. The laser beam is split into 3-8 beams by the means of optical shunt. After that they enter into laser acupuncture pins separately through the optical fiber joiners. The laser beam and pins can give simultaneously the stimulation in the depths of 3-8 acupoints. It has been proved by the clinical practice that the deep laser acupuncture has the notable efficiency for the apoplexy and sequelae of apoplexy, sciatica, rheumatoid arthritis, etc.

  13. [Relationship between early maladaptive schemas, attachment quality and fear of darkness].

    PubMed

    Kopcsó, Krisztina; Láng, András

    2014-12-07

    Although fear of darkness is most common in childhood, it is also a remarkable phenomenon in young adulthood. To examine the relationship between fear of darkness, early maladaptive schemas and attachment quality in young adults and assess fear related sex differences. A self-developed scale was used to measure fear of darkness' intensity and frequency. Young Schema Questionnaire - Short Form and two scales that measure attachment dimensions were also applied. 120 university students (68 women, 52 men) filled in the tests. Fear of darkness' frequency correlated with avoidant attachment, and intensity with independent and anxious attachment. Fear of darkness variables correlated with several early maladaptive schemas. Women reported more frequent and intensive fear of darkness than men. These results indicated that the elevated level of fear of darkness is related to specific cognitive style and attachment quality. This highlights the potential clinical relevance of fear of darkness.

  14. Acupuncture Therapy in a Group Setting for Chronic Pain.

    PubMed

    Kligler, Benjamin; Nielsen, Arya; Kohrherr, Corinne; Schmid, Tracy; Waltermaurer, Eve; Perez, Elidania; Merrell, Woodson

    2018-02-01

    This project was designed to test the feasibility and effectiveness of acupuncture therapy given in a group setting for chronic pain. Nonrandomized, repeated measures quasi-experimental trial. Care was delivered in a primary care clinic waiting area after clinic hours. Included were primary care patients (≥18 years old) with chronic pain of the neck, back, shoulder, or osteoarthritis of any site of at least three months' duration. Subjects received eight weekly acupuncture therapy sessions in a group setting. Acupuncture therapy included a combination of palpation, acupuncture needling, Tui na, Gua sha, and auricular treatment. Baseline pain levels were established in a two- to four-week run-in; assessment of the intervention impact on pain intensity, mood, and functional status were made at the end of the treatment period (eight weeks) and 16 weeks after completion of intervention (24 weeks). Of the total 113 participants recruited for the trial, 96 completed the 24-week protocol. We found a statistically and clinically significant decrease in pain severity, pain interference, and depression in our study population. There were no serious adverse events. Acupuncture therapy offered in the group setting was effective in reducing pain severity, pain interference, and depression in patients with chronic neck, back, or shoulder pain or osteoarthritis. Benefit persisted through the 24-week measure despite no additional treatment. This finding has potentially important implications for improving access to effective acupuncture treatment for patients with limited financial resources. © 2017 American Academy of Pain Medicine. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com

  15. Effects of acupuncture on tissue oxygenation of the rat brain.

    PubMed

    Chen, G S; Erdmann, W

    1978-04-01

    Acupuncture has been claimed to be effective in restoring consciousness in some comatose patients. Possible mechanisms to explain alleged acupuncture-induced arousal may include vasodilatory effects caused by smypathetic stimulation which leads to an augmentation of cerebral microcirculation and thereby improves oxygen supply to the brain tissue. Experiments were performed in ten albino rats (Wistar) employing PO2 microelectrodes which were inserted into the cortex through small burholes. Brain tissue PO2 was continuously recorded before, during, and after acupuncture. Stimulation of certain acupuncture points (Go-26) resulted in immediate increase of PO2 in the frontal cortex of the rat brain. This effect was reproducible and was comparable to that obtained with increase of inspiratory CO2 known to induce arterial vasodilatation and thus capillary perfusion pressure. The effect was more significant as compared to tissue PO2 increases obtained after increase in inspiratory oxygen concentration from 21% to 100%. It appears that acupuncture causes increased brain tissue perfusion which may be, at least in part, responsible for arousal of unconscious patients.

  16. In vivo Monitoring of Serotonin by Nanomaterial Functionalized Acupuncture Needle

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Yu-Tao; Tang, Li-Na; Ning, Yong; Shu, Qing; Liang, Feng-Xia; Wang, Hua; Zhang, Guo-Jun

    2016-06-01

    Acupuncture treatment is amazing but controversial. Up to now, the mechanism of treating diseases by acupuncture and moxibustion is still unclear, especially the occurrence of the molecular events in local acupoints. Herein, we report an extremely stable microsensor by modifying carbon nanotube (CNT) to the tip surface of acupuncture needle and applying this CNT-modified acupuncture needle for real time monitoring of serotonin (5-HT) in vivo. To stabilize CNT modification on the needle tip surface, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)(PEDOT) was employed as glue water to stick CNT on the needle. The detection limit of the CNT-modified needle was found to be approximately 50 nM and 78 nM in the PBS and the cell medium, respectively. In addition, the needle showed good selectivity to some inflammatory mediators and some electroactive molecules. For the first time, the CNT-modified needle could be directly probed into rat body for real time monitoring of 5-HT in vivo, showing a great potential for better understanding the mechanism of acupuncture treatment.

  17. Stochastic resonance in feedforward acupuncture networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Qin, Ying-Mei; Wang, Jiang; Men, Cong; Deng, Bin; Wei, Xi-Le; Yu, Hai-Tao; Chan, Wai-Lok

    2014-10-01

    Effects of noises and some other network properties on the weak signal propagation are studied systematically in feedforward acupuncture networks (FFN) based on FitzHugh-Nagumo neuron model. It is found that noises with medium intensity can enhance signal propagation and this effect can be further increased by the feedforward network structure. Resonant properties in the noisy network can also be altered by several network parameters, such as heterogeneity, synapse features, and feedback connections. These results may also provide a novel potential explanation for the propagation of acupuncture signal.

  18. [Controlled observation of the efficacy between floating acupuncture at Tianying point and warm-needling therapy for supraspinous ligament injury].

    PubMed

    Li, Xin-Wei; Shao, Xiao-Mei; Tan, Ke-Ping; Fang, Jian-Qiao

    2013-04-01

    To compare the efficacy difference in the treatment of supraspinous ligament injury between floating acupuncture at Tianying point and the conventional warm needling therapy. Ninety patients were randomized into a floating acupuncture group and a warm needling group, 45 cases in each one. In the floating acupuncture group, the floating needling technique was adopted at Tianying point. In the warm needling group, the conventional warm needling therapy was applied at Tianying point as the chief point in the prescription. The treatment was given 3 times a week and 6 treatments made one session. The visual analogue scale (VAS) was adopted for pain comparison before and after treatment of the patients in two groups and the efficacy in two groups were assessed. The curative and remarkably effective rate was 81.8% (36/44) in the floating acupuncture group and the total effective rate was 95.5% (42/44), which were superior to 44.2% (19/43) and 79.1% (34/43) in the warm needling group separately (P < 0.01, P < 0.05). VAS score was lower as compared with that before treatment of the patients in two groups (both P < 0.01) and the score in the floating acupuncture group was lower than that in the warm needling group after treatment (P < 0.01). Thirty-six cases were cured and remarkably effective in the floating acupuncture group after treatment, in which 28 cases were cured and remarkably effective in 3 treatments, accounting for 77.8 (28/36), which was apparently higher than 26.3 (5/19) in the warm-needling group (P < 0.01). The floating acupuncture at Tianying point achieves the quick and definite efficacy on supraspinous ligament injury and presents the apparent analgesic effect. The efficacy is superior to the conventional warm-needling therapy.

  19. Effect of aerobic exercises versus laser acupuncture in treatment of postmenopausal hot flushes: a randomized controlled trial.

    PubMed

    Elhosary, Eman Abdelfatah Mohamed; Ewidea, Mahmoud Mohamed; Ahmed, Hamada Ahmed Hamada; El Khatib, Ayman

    2018-02-01

    [Purpose] To compare the effect of aerobic exercises versus laser acupuncture in treatment of postmenopausal hot flushes. [Subjects and Methods] This study was designed as single blind randomized controlled trial. A total of 48 postmenopausal women complained of hot flushes. Their ages ranged between 45 to 55 years and were randomly assigned into 2 equal groups: group (A), which received an aerobic exercises, and group (B), which received laser acupuncture. Both groups recieved 3 sessions per week for two months. The level of follicular stimulating hormone, lutelizing hormone, and hot flushes dairy card were assessed the severity of hot flahes before and after treatment program. [Results] There were Significant reduction in FSH, LH, and menopausal daily hot flush scale in group A compared with group B at the post treatment. [Conclusion] Eight week program of an aerobic exercises yields improvement in FSH, LH, and decrease in severity of hot flushes assessed by hot flush dairy card than laser acupuncture in the treatment of postmenopausal hot flashes.

  20. Comparative Effectiveness of Acupuncture for Chronic Pain and Co-morbid Conditions in Veterans

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2016-10-01

    AWARD NUMBER: W81XWH-15-1-0245 TITLE: Comparative Effectiveness of Acupuncture for Chronic Pain and Co- morbid Conditions in Veterans PRINCIPAL...2015 - 29 Sep 2016 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER Comparative Effectiveness of Acupuncture for Chronic Pain and Co-morbid Conditions in...acupuncture Comparative Effectiveness (PEACE) trial is to investigate EA and BFA (a form of auricular acupuncture) to guide the personalized delivery of

  1. Acupuncture and related interventions for smoking cessation.

    PubMed

    White, Adrian R; Rampes, Hagen; Liu, Jian Ping; Stead, Lindsay F; Campbell, John

    2014-01-23

    Acupuncture and related techniques are promoted as a treatment for smoking cessation in the belief that they may reduce nicotine withdrawal symptoms. The objectives of this review are to determine the effectiveness of acupuncture and the related interventions of acupressure, laser therapy and electrostimulation in smoking cessation, in comparison with no intervention, sham treatment, or other interventions. We searched the Cochrane Tobacco Addiction Group Specialized Register (which includes trials of smoking cessation interventions identified from the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, EMBASE, and PsycINFO) and AMED in October 2013. We also searched four Chinese databases in September 2013: Sino-Med, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Data and VIP. Randomized trials comparing a form of acupuncture, acupressure, laser therapy or electrostimulation with either no intervention, sham treatment or another intervention for smoking cessation. We extracted data in duplicate on the type of smokers recruited, the nature of the intervention and control procedures, the outcome measures, method of randomization, and completeness of follow-up.We assessed abstinence from smoking at the earliest time-point (before six weeks) and at the last measurement point between six months and one year. We used the most rigorous definition of abstinence for each trial, and biochemically validated rates if available. Those lost to follow-up were counted as continuing smokers. Where appropriate, we performed meta-analysis pooling risk ratios using a fixed-effect model. We included 38 studies. Based on three studies, acupuncture was not shown to be more effective than a waiting list control for long-term abstinence, with wide confidence intervals and evidence of heterogeneity (n = 393, risk ratio [RR] 1.79, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.98 to 3.28, I² = 57%). Compared with sham acupuncture, the RR for the short-term effect of acupuncture was 1

  2. Context-Dependent Encoding of Fear and Extinction Memories in a Large-Scale Network Model of the Basal Amygdala

    PubMed Central

    Vlachos, Ioannis; Herry, Cyril; Lüthi, Andreas; Aertsen, Ad; Kumar, Arvind

    2011-01-01

    The basal nucleus of the amygdala (BA) is involved in the formation of context-dependent conditioned fear and extinction memories. To understand the underlying neural mechanisms we developed a large-scale neuron network model of the BA, composed of excitatory and inhibitory leaky-integrate-and-fire neurons. Excitatory BA neurons received conditioned stimulus (CS)-related input from the adjacent lateral nucleus (LA) and contextual input from the hippocampus or medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). We implemented a plasticity mechanism according to which CS and contextual synapses were potentiated if CS and contextual inputs temporally coincided on the afferents of the excitatory neurons. Our simulations revealed a differential recruitment of two distinct subpopulations of BA neurons during conditioning and extinction, mimicking the activation of experimentally observed cell populations. We propose that these two subgroups encode contextual specificity of fear and extinction memories, respectively. Mutual competition between them, mediated by feedback inhibition and driven by contextual inputs, regulates the activity in the central amygdala (CEA) thereby controlling amygdala output and fear behavior. The model makes multiple testable predictions that may advance our understanding of fear and extinction memories. PMID:21437238

  3. The Timing of Acupuncture Stimulation Does Not Influence Anesthetic Requirement

    PubMed Central

    Chernyak, Grigory; Sengupta, Papiya; Lenhardt, Rainer; Liem, Edwin; Doufas, Anthony G.; Sessler, Daniel I.; Akça, Ozan

    2005-01-01

    Studies suggest that acupuncture is more effective when induced before induction of general anesthesia than afterwards. We tested the hypothesis that electro-acupuncture initiated 30 minutes before induction reduces anesthetic requirement more than acupuncture initiated after induction. Seven volunteers were each anesthetized with desflurane on 3 study days. Needles were inserted percutaneously at 4 acupuncture points thought to produce analgesia in the upper abdominal area and provide generalized sedative and analgesic effects: Zusanli (St36), Sanyinjiao (Sp6), Liangqiu (St34), and Hegu (LI4). Needles were stimulated at 2-Hz and 10-Hz, with frequencies alternating at two-second intervals. On Preinduction day, electro-acupuncture was started 30 minutes before induction of anesthesia and maintained throughout the study. On At-induction day, needles were positioned before induction of anesthesia, but electro-acupuncture stimulation was not initiated until after induction. On Control day, electrodes were positioned near the acupoints, but needles were not inserted. Noxious electrical stimulation was administered via 25-G needles on the upper abdomen (70 mA, 100 Hz, 10 seconds). Desflurane concentration was increased 0.5% when movement occurred and decreased 0.5% when it did not. These up-and-down sequences continued until volunteers crossed from movement to no-movement 4 times. The P50 of logistic regression identified desflurane requirement. Desflurane requirement was similar on the Control (5.2±0.6%, mean±SD), Preinduction (5.0±0.8%), and At-induction (4.7±0.3%, P=0.125) days. This type of acupuncture is thus unlikely to facilitate general anesthesia or decrease the need for anesthetic drugs. PMID:15673863

  4. Acupuncture in the management of chronic low back pain: a blinded randomized controlled trial.

    PubMed

    Kerr, Daniel P; Walsh, Deirdre M; Baxter, David

    2003-01-01

    To assess the efficacy of acupuncture in the treatment of chronic low back pain. Patients (n = 60) with chronic low back pain were recruited and randomly allocated to either Acupuncture therapy or Placebo transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) groups. Patients were treated weekly for 6 weeks, and blinded assessments were carried out pre- and post-treatment using the McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ) and visual analog scales (VAS) for pain, the Short-form 36 quality-of-life questionnaire, and a simple range of motion measurement. A total of 46 patients completed the trial and were followed up at 6 months. Analysis of results using t tests showed that in both groups there were significant pre-post improvements for all scores, except for MPQ scores in the Placebo-TENS group. There was no significant difference between the 2 groups for any of the outcome measures at the end of treatment. Results from the 6-month follow-up would suggest that the response was better in the acupuncture group. Further research is necessary to fully assess the efficacy of this treatment in combating chronic low back pain using larger sample sizes or alternative control groups.

  5. Laser acupuncture improves memory impairment in an animal model of Alzheimer's disease.

    PubMed

    Sutalangka, Chatchada; Wattanathorn, Jintanaporn; Muchimapura, Supaporn; Thukham-Mee, Wipawee; Wannanon, Panakaporn; Tong-un, Terdthai

    2013-10-01

    The burden of Alzheimer's disease is continually rising globally, especially in the Asia-Pacific region. Unfortunately, the efficacy of the therapeutic strategy is still very limited. Because the effect of acupuncture at HT7 can improve learning and memory, the beneficial effect of laser acupuncture, a noninvasive form of acupuncture, at HT7 on memory improvement in patients with Alzheimer's disease has been a focus of research. To elucidate this issue, we used AF64A, a cholinotoxin, to induce memory impairment in male Wistar rats, which weighed 180-220 g. Then, the animals were treated with laser acupuncture either at HT7 or at a sham acupoint once daily for 10 minutes for a period of 14 days. Spatial memory assessments were performed at 1, 7, and 14 days after AF64A administration and at the end of the experiment, and the changes in the malondialdehyde (MDA) level and in the superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activities in the hippocampus were recorded. The results showed that laser acupuncture significantly suppressed AChE activity in the hippocampus. Although laser acupuncture enhanced SOD and CAT activities, no reduction in MDA level in this area was observed. Therefore, laser acupuncture at HT7 is a potential strategy to attenuate memory impairment in patients with Alzheimer's disease. However, further research, especially on the toxicity of laser acupuncture following repetitive exposure, is essential. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  6. Pivotal factors concerned in design of acupuncture clinical research: From two articles in JAMA.

    PubMed

    Wu, Jia-Ni; Qin, Zong-Shi; Liu, Zhi-Shun

    2017-11-01

    Two randomized controlled trials of acupuncture concerning polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and stress urinary incontinence (SUI) were published simultaneously in the 24th issue, 2017 of The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). A trial involving PCOS indicated that active acupuncture did not increase live birth compared with sham acupuncture; meanwhile, another trial referring to SUI showed that electroacupuncture resulted in less urine leakage compared with sham electroacupuncture. With an eye to the negative and positive results of acupuncture, three pivotal factors should be contemplated: (1) proper illness for acupuncture, that is, a problem need to be solved in current medical science, and acupuncture may really work for it; (2) proper pre-studied primary outcome, which is better be objective and repeatedly measurable to reveal the therapeutic effect of acupuncture truly and objectively; (3) proper sham control, which can blind the patients to the upmost extent with minimal biological effects. Through the publication of clinical trials of acupuncture in high-impact journals in recent years, researchers should have confidence in their clinical trials by pondering over these three pivotal factors.

  7. Acupuncture for neurogenesis in experimental ischemic stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

    PubMed

    Lu, Lin; Zhang, Xiao-guang; Zhong, Linda L D; Chen, Zi-xian; Li, Yan; Zheng, Guo-qing; Bian, Zhao-xiang

    2016-01-20

    Acupuncture has been used for patients with stroke and post-stroke rehabilitation for thousands of years. Previous studies reported that acupuncture enhanced stroke recovery through neurogenesis. Hence, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis for preclinical studies to assess the current evidence for acupuncture effect on neurogenesis in treating ischaemic stroke. Studies were obtained from six databases, including PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, VIP information database, and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, Ultimately, 34 studies containing 1617 animals were identified. Neurogenesis markers of Brdu, Nestin, PSA-NCAM, NeuN and GFAP were selected as major outcomes. The pooled results of 15 studies marked with Brdu showed significant effects of acupuncture for improving proliferation when compared with control groups (P < 0.01); 13 studies marked with Nestin showed significant effects of acupuncture for increasing proliferation when compared with control groups (P < 0.01); 4 studies marked with PSA-NCAM showed significant effects of acupuncture for enhancing migration when compared with control groups (P < 0.01); 4 studies marked with NeuN showed significant effects of acupuncture for stimulating differentiation when compared with control groups (P < 0.01). The findings suggest that acupuncture is a prospective therapy targeting neurogenesis for ischemic stroke.

  8. Identifying women who are afraid of giving birth: A comparison of the fear of birth scale with the WDEQ-A in a large Australian cohort.

    PubMed

    Haines, H M; Pallant, J F; Fenwick, J; Gamble, J; Creedy, D K; Toohill, J; Hildingsson, I

    2015-12-01

    The WDEQ-A is the most widely used measure of childbirth fear in pregnant women; however there is increasing discussion in the literature that simpler, more culturally transferrable tools may offer a better solution to identifying fearful women in clinical practice. To compare the two item Fear of Birth Scale (FOBS) with the 33 item WDEQ-A in a large cohort of Australian pregnant women. Self-report questionnaires during second trimester including Wijma Delivery Expectancy Questionnaire (WDEQ-A) and Fear of Birth Scale (FOBS). Correlation of FOBS and WDEQ-A was tested using Spearman's correlation coefficients. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve assessed the sensitivity and specificity of possible cut-points on the FOBS against WDEQ-A cut-point of ≥85. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were determined. Fearful and non-fearful women as classified by both instruments were compared for differences in demographic, psycho-social and obstetric characteristics. 1410 women participated. The correlation between the instruments was strong (Spearman's Rho = 0.66, p < 0.001). The area under the ROC was 0.89 indicating high sensitivity with a FOBS cut-point of 54. Sensitivity was 89%, specificity 79% and Youden index 0.68. Positive predictive value was 85% and negative predictive value 79%. Both instruments identified high fear as significantly associated with first time mothers, previous emergency caesarean and women with self-reported anxiety and/or depression. Additionally FOBS identified a significant association between fearful women and preference for caesarean. This study supports the use of the FOBS in clinical practice to identify childbirth fear in pregnant women. Crown Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Acupuncture therapy in treating migraine: results of a magnetic resonance spectroscopy imaging study

    PubMed Central

    Gu, Tao; Lin, Lei; Jiang, Yun; Chen, Juan; D’Arcy, Ryan CN; Chen, Min; Song, Xiaowei

    2018-01-01

    Background Acupuncture has been proven to be effective as an alternative therapy in treating migraine, but the pathophysiological mechanisms of the treatment remain unclear. This study investigated possible neurochemical responses to acupuncture treatment. Patients and methods Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy imaging was used to investigate biochemical levels pre- and post-acupuncture treatment. Participants (N=45) included subjects diagnosed with: 1) migraine without aura; 2) cervicogenic headache; and 3) healthy controls. Participants in the two patient groups received verum acupuncture using acupoints that target migraine without aura but not cervicogenic headache, while the healthy controls received a sham treatment. All participants had magnetic resonance spectroscopy scans before and after the acupuncture therapy. Levels of brain metabolites were examined in relation to clinical headache assessment scores. Results A significant increase in N-acetylaspartate/creatine was observed in bilateral thalamus in migraine without aura after the acupuncture treatment, which was significantly correlated with the headache intensity score. Conclusion The data demonstrate brain biochemical changes underlying the effect of acupuncture treatment of migraine. PMID:29740217

  10. Acupuncture and related techniques during perioperative period: A literature review.

    PubMed

    Acar, H Volkan

    2016-12-01

    Acupuncture has been used in the Far East for more than 2000 years. Since the early 1970s, this technique has been gaining popularity among Western medical community. A number of studies suggest that its mechanism of effect can be explained in biomedical terms. In this context, a number of transmitters and modulators including beta-endorphin, serotonin, substance P, interleukins, and calcitonin gene-related peptide are released. For that reason, acupuncture can be used in a wide variety of clinical conditions. Studies showed that acupuncture may have beneficial effect in perioperative period. It relieves preoperative anxiety, decreases postoperative analgesic requirements, and decreases the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting. In this review article, we examine perioperative use of acupuncture for a variety of conditions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Immediate effects of electroacupuncture and manual acupuncture on pain, mobility and muscle strength in patients with knee osteoarthritis: a randomised controlled trial.

    PubMed

    Plaster, Ralph; Vieira, Wellington Bueno; Alencar, Flávia Alves Duarte; Nakano, Eduardo Yoshio; Liebano, Richard Eloin

    2014-06-01

    To compare the immediate effects of electroacupuncture and manual acupuncture on pain, mobility and muscle strength in patients with knee osteoarthritis. Sixty patients with knee osteoarthritis, with a pain intensity of ≥2 on the pain Numerical Rating Scale, were included. The patients were randomised into two groups: manual acupuncture and electroacupuncture. Pain intensity, degree of dysfunction (Timed Up and Go (TUG) test), maximal voluntary isometric contraction and pressure pain threshold were assessed before and after a single session of manual acupuncture or electroacupuncture treatments. Both groups showed a significant reduction in pain intensity (p<0.001) and time to run the TUG test after the acupuncture treatment (p=0.005 for the manual acupuncture group and p=0.002 for the electroacupuncture group). There were no differences between the groups regarding pain intensity (p=0.25), TUG test (p=0.70), maximum voluntary isometric contraction (p=0.43) or pressure pain threshold (p=0.27). This study found no difference between the immediate effects of a single session of manual acupuncture and electroacupuncture on pain, muscle strength and mobility in patients with knee osteoarthritis. RBR-9TCN2X. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

  12. [Randomized Controlled Clinical Trials of Eye-acupuncture Therapy for Patients with Post-stroke Insomnia].

    PubMed

    Liu, Lu-Yang; Wang, Peng-Qin

    2017-02-25

    To observe the therapeutic effect of eye-acupuncture therapy for post-stroke insomnia. Sixty patients (45-70 years in age) with post-stroke insomnia were randomized into eye-acupuncture group and routine acupuncture (body acupuncture) group (30 cases in each). Patients of the eye-acupuncture group were treated by acupuncture stimulation of bilateral Shangjiao (Upper-energizer) and Xin (Heart) regions and those of the routine acupuncture group treated by acupuncture stimulation of Baihui (GV 20), Sishencong (EX-HN 1), Anmian (EX-HN 16), etc. After Deqi , the filiform needles were retained for 20 min, and the treatment in both groups was conducted once a day, with 15 days being one therapeutic course and 2 courses altogether. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) including the subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep duration, habitual sleep efficiency, sleep disturbances, daytime dysfunction, and total PSQI score was used to evaluate the overall sleep quality. The clinical efficacy was assessed according to the "Guiding Principles of Clinical Trials for New Drugs of Traditional Chinese Medicine" formulated by Chinese Ministry of Health. Following the treatment, of the two 30 cases in the eye-and routine acupuncture groups, 21 and 9 experienced a marked improvement in their symptoms, 8 and 17 were effective, and 1 and 4 invalid, with the effective rate being 96.7% and 86.7%, respectively. The PSQI scores of the subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep duration, habitual sleep efficiency, sleep disturbances, daytime dysfunction, and the total PSQI score were all significantly decreased in comparison with pre-treatment in each group ( P <0.01). The therapeutic effect of the eye-acupuncture was markedly superior to those of routine acupuncture in reducing sleep latency, sleep disturbances and daytime dysfunction ( P <0.05), but without significant differences between the two groups in the effective rate, sleep quality, sleep duration, sleep efficiency

  13. [From literature to academic history:the position and pathway of acupuncture theory research].

    PubMed

    Zhang, Shujian

    2017-03-12

    There are two clues in academic inheritance of acupuncture, including theoretical inheritance and empirical inheritance. Up to now, the mainstream of acupuncture theory has not been in conformity with empirical clinic, and could not explain new clinical techniques. The existing acupuncture theories are in need of strict re-examination, and new academic achievements shall be carefully absorbed. The literature review, concepts research and academic history study are considered as key pathways of acupuncture theory research.

  14. Thermography applied acupuncture and qi-gong

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Qin, Yuwen; Ji, Hong-Wei; Chen, Jin-Long; Li, Hong-Qi

    1997-04-01

    Thermographic technique can be used to measure temperature distribution of body surface in real-time, non-contact and full-field, which has been successfully used in medical diagnosis, remote sensing, and NDT, etc. The authors have developed a thermographic experiment that can be applied to inspect the effect of action of acupuncture and qi-gong (a system of deep breathing exercises) by measuring the temperature of hand and arm. The observation is performed respectively by thermography for the dynamic changes of temperature of the arm and hand after acupuncture therapy and qi-gong therapy. Thermographic results show that the temperature on the collateral channels increases markedly. In the meantime, it can be seen that the above therapies of Chinese medicine can stimulate the channel collateral system. This also contributes a new basis to the effect of action of the therapies of Chinese medicine. The work shows that thermographic technique is a powerful tool for research in Chinese medicine. In this paper, some thermal images are obtained from the persons treated with acupuncture and qi- gong.

  15. The modulation of brain functional connectivity with manual acupuncture in healthy subjects: An electroencephalograph case study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yi, Guo-Sheng; Wang, Jiang; Han, Chun-Xiao; Deng, Bin; Wei, Xi-Le; Li, Nuo

    2013-02-01

    Manual acupuncture is widely used for pain relief and stress control. Previous studies on acupuncture have shown its modulatory effects on the functional connectivity associated with one or a few preselected brain regions. To investigate how manual acupuncture modulates the organization of functional networks at a whole-brain level, we acupuncture at ST36 of a right leg to obtain electroencephalograph (EEG) signals. By coherence estimation, we determine the synchronizations between all pairwise combinations of EEG channels in three acupuncture states. The resulting synchronization matrices are converted into functional networks by applying a threshold, and the clustering coefficients and path lengths are computed as a function of threshold. The results show that acupuncture can increase functional connections and synchronizations between different brain areas. For a wide range of thresholds, the clustering coefficient during acupuncture and post-acupuncture period is higher than that during the pre-acupuncture control period, whereas the characteristic path length is shorter. We provide further support for the presence of “small-world" network characteristics in functional networks by using acupuncture. These preliminary results highlight the beneficial modulations of functional connectivity by manual acupuncture, which could contribute to the understanding of the effects of acupuncture on the entire brain, as well as the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying acupuncture. Moreover, the proposed method may be a useful approach to the further investigation of the complexity of patterns of interrelations between EEG channels.

  16. [Strategy programming for acupuncture development along One-Belt-One-Road countries].

    PubMed

    Yang, Yuyang; Shen, Zhixiang; Wu, Zhongchao; Luo, Lu; Liu, Jingyuan; Liu, Baoyan

    2017-04-12

    Acupuncture has been applied in 183 countries and regions and gradually become a name card as TCM spreads across the world. The international influence of which plays a significant role in enhancing TCM development. The laws and regulations of TCM acupuncture along One-Belt-One-Road countries were compared and analyzed in this article. With comprehensive research and analysis, the international development strategy of acupuncture was rationally proposed. Combined with the historical background of China's national initiative One-Belt-One-Road, the acupuncture was taken as a breakthrough to lead the global spreading of TCM culture and Chinese herbs, so as to enhance China's soft strength, which could further create a fine cultural environment for the economic prosperity of One-Belt-One-Road countries. In addition, the strategy selection for China regarding TCM acupuncture development along One-Belt-One-Road countries was proposed, and the suggestive solution and implementation strategy for the essential missions and significant issues were provided.

  17. Sympathomodulatory effects of Saam acupuncture on heart rate variability in night-shift-working nurses.

    PubMed

    Hwang, Deok-Sang; Kim, Hyee Kwon; Seo, Jung Chul; Shin, Im Hee; Kim, Dal Ho; Kim, Yong-Suk

    2011-01-01

    We assessed the effects of Saam (traditional Korean) acupuncture on the autonomic nervous system in night-shift nurses using power-spectral heart-rate variability (HRV) analysis. This study had a 2 × 4 cross-over design with a series of six (n = 1) controlled trials. Six night-shift nurses were randomly divided into two groups, and each nurse received four acupuncture treatments on the third day of night-shift work. One group started with Saam acupuncture (gallbladder jeonggyeok), while the other started with sham acupuncture. Saam acupuncture and sham acupuncture were applied in turn. HRV was measured before and after treatment. For statistical analysis, the results of the two groups were combined, and a Bayesian model was used to compare the changes in HRV values before and after treatment, between Saam and sham acupuncture. As the ratio of low- to high-frequency power (LF/HF) for HRV increased on the third day of night-shift work in the pilot study, HRV measurements were made on the third day. Compared with sham acupuncture, Saam acupuncture reduced sympathetic activity; the overall median treatment effect estimate in LF normalised units decreased by -17.4 (confidence interval (CI): -26.67, -8.725) and that for LF/HF decreased by -1.691 (CI: -3.222, -0.3789). The overall median treatment effect estimate in HF normalised units increased by 17.41 (CI: 6.393, 27.13) with Saam acupuncture, suggesting an increase in parasympathetic activity. Saam acupuncture may attenuate the imbalance between sympathetic and parasympathetic activities induced by night-shift work in nurses. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. [Thinking on research of acupuncture for amblyopia].

    PubMed

    Zhao, Jian-Hao

    2013-07-01

    It has been found by the author that among the researches concerning acupuncture in the treatment of amblyopia, only anisometropic amblyopia has noticeable results with treatment. Based on the previous publications, a hypothesis theory of self biological single eye occlusion is displayed particularly for simplex anisometropic amblyopia. It is also reminded that amblyopia acupuncture treatment does not always have sufficient RCTs for clinical research, so it couldn't be promoted as a normalized clinic treatment measure on an international base. It is also mentioned that reports from mainland China present a significant discrepancy with that from international in terms of successful treatment percentage. This is probably caused by the disagreement of amblyopia test methods and clinical standards. Some important considerations and key points that require particular attention during amblyopia acupuncture treatment and several recommendations on development and directions for further research are also put forward.

  19. Is Acupuncture Effective for Hypertension? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

    PubMed Central

    Zhao, Xiao-Feng; Hu, Han-Tong; Li, Jia-Shen; Shang, Hong-Cai; Zheng, Hai-Zhen; Niu, Jian-Fei; Shi, Xue-Ming; Wang, Shu

    2015-01-01

    Objective To determine the efficacy of acupuncture for hypertension. Method Seven electronic databases were searched on April 13, 2014 to include eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Data were extracted and risk of bias was assessed. Subgroup analyses and meta- analysis were performed. Results 23 RCTs involving 1788 patients were included. Most trials had an unclear risk of bias regarding allocation concealment, blinding, incomplete outcome data and selective reporting. Compared with sham acupuncture plus medication, a meta-analysis of 2 trials revealed that acupuncture as an adjunct to medication was more effective on systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure change magnitude (n=170, SBP: mean difference (MD)= -7.47,95% confidence intervals (CI):-10.43 to -4.51,I2 =0%; DBP: -4.22,-6.26 to -2.18, 0%).A subgroup analysis of 4 trials also showed acupuncture combined with medication was superior to medication on efficacy rate (n=230, odds ratio (OR)=4.19, 95%CI: 1.65 to 10.67, I2 =0%). By contrast, compared with medication, acupuncture alone showed no significant effect on SBP /DBP after intervention and efficacy rate in the subgroup analysis. (7 trials with 510 patients, SBP: MD=-0.56, 95%CI:-3.02 to 1.89,I2 =60%; DBP: -1.01,-2.26 to 0.24, 23%; efficacy rate: 10 trials with 963 patients, OR=1.14, 95% CI: 0.70 to 1.85, I2 =54%).Adverse events were inadequately reported in most RCTs. Conclusion Our review provided evidence of acupuncture as an adjunctive therapy to medication for treating hypertension, while the evidence for acupuncture alone lowing BP is insufficient. The safety of acupuncture is uncertain due to the inadequate reporting of it. However, the current evidence might not be sufficiently robust against methodological flaws and significant heterogeneity of the included RCTs. Larger high-quality trials are required. PMID:26207806

  20. Personal Fear of Death and Grief in Bereaved Mothers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Barr, Peter; Cacciatore, Joanne

    2008-01-01

    The study explored the relation of fear of death (Multidimensional Fear of Death Scale) to maternal grief (Perinatal Grief Scale-33) following miscarriage, stillbirth, neonatal death, or infant/child death. The 400 women participants were recruited from the website, e-mail lists, and parent groups of an organization that supports bereaved parents.…

  1. [Social anxiety and self-esteem: Hungarian validation of the "Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale - Straightforward Items"].

    PubMed

    Perczel-Forintos, Dóra; Kresznerits, Szilvia

    2017-06-01

    Although social anxiety disorder (SAD) is the third most frequent emotional disorder with 13-15% prevalence rate, it remains unrecognized very often. Social phobia is associated with low self-esteem, high self-criticism and fear of negative evaluation by others. It shows high comorbidity with depression, alcoholism, drug addiction and eating disorders. To adapt the widely used "Fear of Negative Evaluation" (FNE) social phobia questionnaire. Anxiety and mood disorder patients (n = 255) completed the Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale (30, 12 and 8 item-versions) as well as social cognition, anxiety and self-esteem questionnaires. All the three versions of the FNE have strong internal validity (α>0.83) and moderate significant correlation with low self-esteem, negative social cognitions and anxiety. The short 8-item BFNE-S has the strongest disciminative value in differentiating patients with social phobia and with other emotional disorders. The Hungarian version of the BFNE-S is an effective tool for the quick recognition of social phobia. Orv Hetil. 2017; 158(22): 843-850.

  2. Integrative laser medicine and high-tech acupuncture at the medical university of graz, austria, europe.

    PubMed

    Litscher, Gerhard

    2012-01-01

    At the moment, modernization of acupuncture has a high priority. On the traditional side, acupuncture has only recently been awarded the status of Intangible Cultural Heritage by the UNESCO. On the innovative side, high-tech acupuncture is a registered trademark in Austria. Acupuncture has been used for medical treatment for thousands of years. A large number of empirical data are available but the technical quantification of effects was not possible up to now. Using electroacupuncture, needle, or laser stimulation and modern biomedical techniques, it was possible for the first time to quantify changes in biological activities caused by acupuncture. This paper which serves as introduction for the special issue "High-Tech Acupuncture and Integrative Laser Medicine" of the present journal, focuses on the latest innovative aspects that underline the further enhancement and development of acupuncture. Special emphasis is given to new methodological and technical investigations, for example, results obtained from all kinds of acupuncture innovations (e.g., teleacupuncture) and integrative laser medicine.

  3. Integrative Laser Medicine and High-Tech Acupuncture at the Medical University of Graz, Austria, Europe

    PubMed Central

    Litscher, Gerhard

    2012-01-01

    At the moment, modernization of acupuncture has a high priority. On the traditional side, acupuncture has only recently been awarded the status of Intangible Cultural Heritage by the UNESCO. On the innovative side, high-tech acupuncture is a registered trademark in Austria. Acupuncture has been used for medical treatment for thousands of years. A large number of empirical data are available but the technical quantification of effects was not possible up to now. Using electroacupuncture, needle, or laser stimulation and modern biomedical techniques, it was possible for the first time to quantify changes in biological activities caused by acupuncture. This paper which serves as introduction for the special issue “High-Tech Acupuncture and Integrative Laser Medicine” of the present journal, focuses on the latest innovative aspects that underline the further enhancement and development of acupuncture. Special emphasis is given to new methodological and technical investigations, for example, results obtained from all kinds of acupuncture innovations (e.g., teleacupuncture) and integrative laser medicine. PMID:22570669

  4. Short-term longitudinal changes in adult dental fear.

    PubMed

    Hagqvist, Outi; Tolvanen, Mimmi; Rantavuori, Kari; Karlsson, Linnea; Karlsson, Hasse; Lahti, Satu

    2018-06-26

    This study aimed to evaluate (i) longitudinal fluctuations and considerable changes in adult fear at five data-collection points during a 2.5-yr period and (ii) the stability of symptoms of depression in dental fear-change groups. Pilot data from the FinnBrain Birth Cohort study, of 254 families expecting a baby, were used. Data-collection points (DCPs) were: 18-20 and 32-34 gestational weeks; and 3, 12, and 24 months after delivery. At baseline, 119 women and 85 men completed the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS) questionnaire. At all DCPs, 57 (48%) women and 35 (41%) men completed MDAS. Depression was measured using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Changes in MDAS were analyzed using general linear modelling for repeated measures. Stability of dental fear was assessed using dichotomized MDAS scores. Dental fear among women decreased statistically significantly in late pregnancy and increased thereafter. Among men, dental fear tended to increase in late pregnancy and decreased afterwards. Depression scores varied in high and fluctuating fear groups but the differences diminished towards the last DCP. Dental fear among adults experiencing a major life event does not seem to be stable. Clinicians should take this into account. The mechanisms behind these changes need further research. © 2018 Eur J Oral Sci.

  5. Clinical Effects of Laser Acupuncture plus Chinese Cupping on the Pain and Plasma Cortisol Levels in Patients with Chronic Nonspecific Lower Back Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

    PubMed

    Lin, Mu-Lien; Wu, Jih-Huah; Lin, Chi-Wan; Su, Chuan-Tsung; Wu, Hung-Chien; Shih, Yong-Sheng; Chiu, I-Ting; Chen, Chao-Yi; Chang, Wen-Dien

    2017-01-01

    Chronic nonspecific lower back pain (LBP) is a common disease. Insufficient data is currently available to conclusively confirm the analgesic effects of laser acupuncture on LBP. This study evaluated the effectiveness of laser acupuncture plus Chinese cupping in LBP treatment. Patients with chronic nonspecific LBP were enrolled for a randomized controlled trial and assigned to the laser acupuncture group (laser acupuncture plus Chinese cupping) and control group (sham laser plus Chinese cupping). Laser acupuncture (808 nm; 40 mW; 20 Hz; 15 J/cm 2 ) and Chinese cupping were applied on the Weizhong (BL40) and Ashi acupoints for 5 consecutive days. Plasma cortisol levels were assessed before and after the 5-day treatment session. The visual analog scale (VAS) scores were recorded at baseline and throughout the 5-day treatment session. After the treatment session, the plasma cortisol levels and VAS scores decreased significantly in both groups. In the laser acupuncture group, the VAS scores decreased significantly on days 4 and 5, and an enhanced reduction in VAS scores was observed. Laser acupuncture plus Chinese cupping at the Weizhong (BL40) and Ashi acupoints effectively reduced pain and inflammation in chronic nonspecific LBP. This therapy could be a suitable option for LBP treatment in clinical settings.

  6. Systematic Review of Adverse Effects: A Further Step towards Modernization of Acupuncture in China

    PubMed Central

    Wu, Junyi; Hu, Yanmei; Zhu, Yin; Yin, Ping; Xu, Shifen

    2015-01-01

    As a further step towards the modernization of acupuncture, the objective of this review was to figure out the frequency and severity of adverse complications and events in acupuncture treatment reported from 1980 to 2013 in China. All first-hand case reports of acupuncture-related complications and adverse events that could be identified in the scientific literature were reviewed and classified according to the type of complication and adverse event, circumstance of the event, and long-term patient outcome. The selected case reports were published between 1980 and 2013 in 3 databases. Relevant papers were collected and analyzed by 2 reviewers. Over the 33 years, 182 incidents were identified in 133 relevant papers. Internal organ, tissue, or nerve injury is the main complications of acupuncture especially for pneumothorax and central nervous system injury. Adverse effects also included syncope, infections, hemorrhage, allergy, burn, aphonia, hysteria, cough, thirst, fever, somnolence, and broken needles. Qualifying training of acupuncturists should be systemized and the clinical acupuncture operations should be standardized in order to effectively prevent the occurrence of acupuncture accidents, enhance the influence of acupuncture, and further popularize acupuncture to the rest of the world. PMID:26339265

  7. Measuring the effects of acupuncture and homoeopathy in general practice: An uncontrolled prospective documentation approach

    PubMed Central

    Güthlin, Corina; Lange, Oliver; Walach, Harald

    2004-01-01

    Background Despite the increasing demand for acupuncture and homoeopathy in Germany, little is known about the effects of these treatments in routine care. We set up a pragmatic documentation study in general practice funded within the scope of project launched by a German health insurer. Patients were followed-up for up to four years. Methods The aim of the project was to study the effects and benefits of acupuncture and/or homoeopathy, and to assess patient satisfaction within a prospective documentation of over 5000 acupuncture and over 900 homoeopathy patients. As data sources, we used the documentation made available by therapists on every individual visit and a standardised quality-of-life questionnaire (MOS SF-36); these were complemented by questions concerning the patient's medical history and by questions on patient satisfaction. The health insurer provided us with data on work absenteeism. Results Descriptive analyses of the main outcomes showed benefit of treatment with middle to large-sized effects for the quality of life questionnaire SF-36 and about 1 point improvement on a rating scale of effects, given by doctors. Data on the treatment and the patients' and physicians' background suggests chronically ill patients treated by fairly regular schemes. Conclusion Since the results showed evidence of a subjective benefit for patients from acupuncture and homoeopathy, this may account for the increase in demand for these treatments especially when patients are chronically ill and unsatisfied with the conventional treatment given previously. PMID:15113434

  8. The role of acupuncture in managing overactive bladder; a review of the literature.

    PubMed

    Forde, James C; Jaffe, Edward; Stone, Benjamin V; Te, Alexis E; Espinosa, Geo; Chughtai, Bilal

    2016-11-01

    Overactive bladder (OAB) affects a considerable proportion of men and women in the United States and is associated with significant costs and quality of life (QoL) reduction. While medication remains a mainstay of treatment, there is increasing interest in the use of alternative medicine in the form of acupuncture. We reviewed the literature on the role of acupuncture in managing OAB. A narrative review was compiled after searching electronic databases (PubMed, MEDLINE, Scopus, and EMBASE) for clinical studies involving acupuncture in treating OAB. Databases were searched from the time of inception through September 2015 by a clinician for articles reporting the results related to the use of acupuncture in OAB. Key search terms were acupuncture, overactive bladder, bladder instability, urgency, urinary incontinence. Articles in English or translated into English were included. Initial animal studies suggest several biochemical mechanisms of action underlying the effect of acupuncture on OAB suppression. The experience in humans includes two case series and six comparative trials. All studies demonstrated subjective improvement in OAB symptoms, and some reported objective improvement in urodynamic studies. Notably, some comparative trials showed the benefit of acupuncture to be comparable with antimuscarinic treatment. Despite their limitations, existing studies serve as a promising foundation for suggesting a role for acupuncture as an alternative therapy for OAB. Further well-designed studies are required to investigate optimal technique and their outcomes.

  9. Brain Correlates of Phasic Autonomic Response to Acupuncture Stimulation: An Event-Related fMRI Study

    PubMed Central

    Napadow, Vitaly; Lee, Jeungchan; Kim, Jieun; Cina, Stephen; Maeda, Yumi; Barbieri, Riccardo; Harris, Richard E.; Kettner, Norman; Park, Kyungmo

    2013-01-01

    Autonomic nervous system (ANS) response to acupuncture has been investigated by multiple studies; however, the brain circuitry underlying this response is not well understood. We applied event-related fMRI (er-fMRI) in conjunction with ANS recording (heart rate, HR; skin conductance response, SCR). Brief manual acupuncture stimuli were delivered at acupoints ST36 and SP9, while sham stimuli were delivered at control location, SH1. Acupuncture produced activation in S2, insula, and mid-cingulate cortex, and deactivation in default mode network (DMN) areas. On average, HR deceleration (HR–) and SCR were noted following both real and sham acupuncture, though magnitude of response was greater following real acupuncture and inter-subject magnitude of response correlated with evoked sensation intensity. Acupuncture events with strong SCR also produced greater anterior insula activation than without SCR. Moreover, acupuncture at SP9, which produced greater SCR, also produced stronger sharp pain sensation, and greater anterior insula activation. Conversely, acupuncture-induced HR– was associated with greater DMN deactivation. Between-event correlation demonstrated that this association was strongest for ST36, which also produced more robust HR–. In fact, DMN deactivation was significantly more pronounced across acupuncture stimuli producing HR–, versus those events characterized by acceleration (HR+). Thus, differential brain response underlying acupuncture stimuli may be related to differential autonomic outflows and may result from heterogeneity in evoked sensations. Our er-fMRI approach suggests that ANS response to acupuncture, consistent with previously characterized orienting and startle/defense responses, arises from activity within distinct subregions of the more general brain circuitry responding to acupuncture stimuli. PMID:22504841

  10. The effect of acupuncture on leukocyte levels in peripheral blood is modified by aspirin.

    PubMed

    Rivas-Vilchis, José Federico; Barrera-Escorcia, Eduardo; Fregoso-Padilla, Martha

    2009-01-01

    It has been shown that acupuncture can modify circulating levels of subpopulations of leukocytes. There have been few investigations on the effect of acupuncture on prostaglandins metabolism. Aspirin is capable of inhibiting the metabolism of prostaglandins and to produce several pharmacological effects. The objective of this study was to determine whether prior administration of aspirin could modify the action of acupuncture on levels of circulating leukocytes. Fourteen healthy males (age: 19-23 years) were recruited from a university student population. This study was a placebo-controlled, prospective, cross-over design. Subjects were randomly assigned into A or B groups. Group A received aspirin 500 mg and group B placebo, after 1 week of a washout period, group A received placebo and group B aspirin. Subjects were given acupuncture with manual needling in GV14 (Dazhui) acupoint 2 hr after receiving medication. The needle was stimulated for 10 sec and was kept in place for 5 min. Leukocytes and their subpopulations were quantified in blood samples taken immediately before and 2 hr after acupuncture treatment. In each subject pre-acupuncture values were compared to those post-acupuncture. The results showed that acupuncture significantly increased overall leukocytes (p=0.006) and neutrophils (p<0.001). Aspirin partially inhibited these effects. The data suggest that the effect of acupuncture on leukocytes may be related to levels of prostaglandins.

  11. Effect of Acupuncture on Body Weight Reduction and Inflammatory Mediators in Egyptian Obese Patients

    PubMed Central

    Ismail, Laila Ahmed Abou; Ibrahim, Alshaymaa Ahmed; Abdel-Latif, Ghada A.; El-Haleem, Dalia Adel Abd; Helmy, Ghada; Labib, Lylah M.; El-Masry, M. Kadry

    2015-01-01

    AIM: Aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of body acupuncture on body weight loss, routine laboratory tests and pro-inflammatory markers. METHODOLOGY: The study was performed on eighty obese patients. They were divided into three groups according to their body mass index. Subjects received acupuncture for three- six months in combination with a low-calorie diet. They were assessed pre and post acupuncture, by anthropometric measurement, routine laboratory tests and, tumor necrosis factor- alpha (TNF-α), interleukin- 6 (IL-6), and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) levels in serum. RESULTS: The pre-acupuncture results showed significant difference between the three grades of obesity and the controls regarding TNFα, IL-6 and hsCRP. We found significant reduction in anthropometric measurement of adiposity after acupuncture. In comparing the pre &post acupuncture results of TNF-α, IL-6 and hsCRP showed high significant reduction after acupuncture. There are highly significant decrease in kidney function (creatinine and uric acid) and lipid profile (cholesterol and triglycerides) and fasting blood glucose, but there was no significant difference in urea, SGPT, SGOT, HDL and LDL. CONCLUSION: Body acupuncture in combination with diet restriction was found to be effective for weight loss and also reduction of the inflammatory reactions. Acupuncture could be used as a synergistic treatment option for obesity control. PMID:27275202

  12. Acupuncture therapy for infants: a preliminary report on reasons for consultation, feasibility, and tolerability.

    PubMed

    Gentry, Katherine R; McGinn, Kathleen L; Kundu, Anjana; Lynn, Anne M

    2012-07-01

      The aim of this retrospective review was to determine the feasibility, safety, and potential therapeutic effects of acupuncture in an inpatient infant population and to obtain data that would support the design of a randomized, controlled trial of acupuncture in infants.   Hospitalized infants are often exposed to sedative and analgesic medications to facilitate intensive and invasive medical care. With increasing concern about the potential neurotoxic effects of common analgesic and sedative medications, minimizing an infant's exposure to such agents is desirable. Acupuncture can be therapeutic in adults and children, but data in infants are lacking.   We performed a retrospective chart review of infants who received acupuncture during hospitalizations between 2008 and 2010. Demographic data, diagnoses, reason for acupuncture consult, ventilator settings, sedative/analgesic medication regimens, details of acupuncture therapy, and adverse effects were among data collected.   Ten infants were identified in this review, seven of whom had agitation issues, two of whom had feeding difficulties, and one had both symptoms. Six of the eight infants with agitation had a decrease in the use of sedative and analgesic medications over the acupuncture therapy period, and four of five initially requiring mechanical ventilation were successfully weaned. One of the three infants with oral aversion transitioned rapidly to oral intake. Acupuncture therapy was well tolerated, and there were no complications observed.   In this small group of hospitalized infants, acupuncture was found to be safe, well tolerated, and therapeutic. More studies are warranted to define the role of acupuncture in this population. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  13. Acute Spinal Epidural Hematoma After Acupuncture: Personal Case and Literature Review.

    PubMed

    Domenicucci, Maurizio; Marruzzo, Daniele; Pesce, Alessandro; Raco, Antonino; Missori, Paolo

    2017-06-01

    Spinal acupuncture is a relatively safe and common analgesic treatment, but it may be complicated by serious adverse effects, such as direct spinal cord and nerve root injury, subdural empyema, and epidural abscesses. In this report we compare our case of an extremely uncommon spinal epidural hematoma, which appeared after treatment by acupuncture, with other similar documented cases. This is the case of a 64-year-old man who presented a left hemiparesis associated with paraesthesia. This appeared several hours after acupuncture treatment for left lumbosciatic pain. The cervicothoracic spine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan showed a cervicothoracic spinal epidural hematoma from C2 to T12. The rapid improvement of the patient's neurologic symptoms justified the adoption of a conservative treatment strategy. This gave excellent long-term results. Although a post-acupuncture spinal epidural hematoma (paSEH) is very rare, there are only 6 documented cases, it is a possible complication from acupuncture on the back. The use of very thin needles can produce bleeding, probably venous, in the epidural space. In general, this evolves more slowly than other kinds of epidural hematomas. The symptoms are also less severe, warranting less frequent surgical intervention, and in general there is a good outcome. The possibility of hematoma makes acupuncture contraindicated in patients who have coagulation disorders. The onset of severe spinal pain after spinal or paraspinal acupuncture treatment should lead to the suspicion of a paSEH, and a spinal MRI should be carried out. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. [Introduction and analysis on acupuncture education and qualification examination system in U.S.A].

    PubMed

    Lu, Cong; He, Wei; Zhao, Ying-Kai

    2013-12-01

    Based on research of the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ACAOM), the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM) and the related public websites of acupuncture educational institutions, the first hand information was studied, summarized and sorted on the status quo of the educational qualification or the relative authentication of education programs of ACAOM as well as the status of professional qualification and examination of NCCAOM. The education curriculum of the Master degree of Acupuncture, Master degree of Oriental Medicine Science as well as the Doctor degree of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine were also introduced in this article including student enrollment and graduation in recent years. The developing tendency of the federal unified acupuncture education, management, professional qualification and examination system of U. S. A. were discussed and analyzed as well.

  15. Hemiparesis after Operation of Astrocytoma Grade II in Adults: Effects of Acupuncture on Sensory-Motor Behavior and Quality of Life

    PubMed Central

    Yu, Haibo; Schröder, Sven; Li, Zhifeng; Yang, Ying; Chen, Yu; Huang, Xingxian

    2013-01-01

    To evaluate the effect of acupuncture on hemiparesis and quality of life for adults with brain astrocytoma grade II, we conducted a randomized, observer-blinded clinical trial. Fifty-eight patients were randomized to standard rehabilitation (SR) therapy without acupuncture (n = 20), SR plus standard acupuncture (SA) (n = 19), and SR plus individualized acupuncture (IA) (n = 19). SA points were PC6, SP6, HT1, LU5, BL40, and ST36, while a special concept called “connecting and regulation Ren and Du” and “Jin-3-needling” served as IA. This treatment was individualized according to the clinical syndrome. The outcome was measured by the Barthel Index (BI), the Fugl-Meyer scale (FM), and the EORTC Core Quality of Life Questionnaire (QLQ-C30) with the Brain Cancer Module (BCM20). IA + SR reached significantly higher BI scores than SA + SR, which reached significantly higher BI scores than SR. IA + SR was significantly superior to SA + SR and to SR at the 8th week for the scores of FM motor and sensory assessments and most QLQ-C30-BCM20 items. In conclusion, the individualized acupuncture concept of “connecting and regulating Ren and Du” combined with “Jin-3-needling” offers a promising possibility for the treatment of hemiparesis due to astrocytoma, but further evaluation is mandatory. PMID:23864900

  16. Fear conditioning to subliminal fear relevant and non fear relevant stimuli.

    PubMed

    Lipp, Ottmar V; Kempnich, Clare; Jee, Sang Hoon; Arnold, Derek H

    2014-01-01

    A growing body of evidence suggests that conscious visual awareness is not a prerequisite for human fear learning. For instance, humans can learn to be fearful of subliminal fear relevant images--images depicting stimuli thought to have been fear relevant in our evolutionary context, such as snakes, spiders, and angry human faces. Such stimuli could have a privileged status in relation to manipulations used to suppress usually salient images from awareness, possibly due to the existence of a designated sub-cortical 'fear module'. Here we assess this proposition, and find it wanting. We use binocular masking to suppress awareness of images of snakes and wallabies (particularly cute, non-threatening marsupials). We find that subliminal presentations of both classes of image can induce differential fear conditioning. These data show that learning, as indexed by fear conditioning, is neither contingent on conscious visual awareness nor on subliminal conditional stimuli being fear relevant.

  17. [Acupuncture for aphasia: a retrospective analysis of clinical literature].

    PubMed

    Tan, Jie; Zhang, Hong; Han, Guodong; Ai, Kun; Deng, Shifeng

    2016-04-01

    With the Meta-analysis method, the clinical efficacy of acupuncture and other regular methods for aphasia was evaluated, and the acupoints selection for aphasia was explored. The acupuncture literature of clinical randomized control trials for aphasia published in CNKI, WANFANG, VIP and CBM database was searched; the statistical analysis of clinical efficacy of acupuncture and other regular methods for aphasia was performed by using software Revman 5. 2 provided by Cochrane library. A file of Microsoft Excel was established to perform the analysis of acupoints selection based on frequency analysis method, so as to summarize the characteristics and rules. Totally 385 articles were searched, and 37 articles those met the inclusive criteria was included, involving 1,260 patients in the acupuncture group and 1 238 patients in the control group. The Meta-analysis results showed OR = 3.82, 95% Cl [3.01, 4.85]; rhombus was located on the right side and the funnel plot was nearly symmetry, indicating the treatment effect of the acupuncture group for aphasia was superior to the control group (Z = 11.04, P < 0.000 01). The frequency-analysis results showed that the frequency of acupoints from top to bottom was Lian-quan (CV 23), Tongli (HT 5), Yamen (GV 15), Jinjin (EX-HN 12), Yuye (EX-HN 13), Baihui (GV 20), Yuyan II, Yuyan I and Yuyan III. The frequency of meridians from top to bottom was the governor vessel, extra channels, conception vessel, heart meridian and large intestine meridian. It is concluded that the clinical efficacy of acupuncture combined with speech rehabilitation training and medication treatment for aphasia is superior to that of speech rehabilitation training and medication treatment alone. The clinical treatment for aphasia focuses on its local effect; the main acupoints are in the head and face, and the meridians are governor vessel, extra channels and conception vessel.

  18. Acupuncture for menopausal vasomotor symptoms: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    Background Hot flushes and night sweats (vasomotor symptoms) are common menopausal symptoms, often causing distress, sleep deprivation and reduced quality of life. Although hormone replacement therapy is an effective treatment, there are concerns about serious adverse events. Non-hormonal pharmacological therapies are less effective and can also cause adverse effects. Complementary therapies, including acupuncture, are commonly used for menopausal vasomotor symptoms. While the evidence for the effectiveness of acupuncture in treating vasomotor symptoms is inconclusive, acupuncture has a low risk of adverse effects, and two small studies suggest it may be more effective than non-insertive sham acupuncture. Our objective is to assess the efficacy of needle acupuncture in improving hot flush severity and frequency in menopausal women. Our current study design is informed by methods tested in a pilot study. Methods/design This is a stratified, parallel, randomised sham-controlled trial with equal allocation of participants to two trial groups. We are recruiting 360 menopausal women experiencing a minimum average of seven moderate hot flushes a day over a seven-day period and who meet diagnostic criteria for the Traditional Chinese Medicine diagnosis of Kidney Yin deficiency. Exclusion criteria include breast cancer, surgical menopause, and current hormone replacement therapy use. Eligible women are randomised to receive either true needle acupuncture or sham acupuncture with non-insertive (blunt) needles for ten treatments over eight weeks. Participants are blinded to treatment allocation. Interventions are provided by Chinese medicine acupuncturists who have received specific training on trial procedures. The primary outcome measure is hot flush score, assessed using the validated Hot Flush Diary. Secondary outcome measures include health-related quality of life, anxiety and depression symptoms, credibility of the sham treatment, expectancy and beliefs about

  19. Acupuncture for Visceral Pain: Neural Substrates and Potential Mechanisms

    PubMed Central

    Chen, Shuping; Wang, Shubin; Rong, Peijing; Wang, Junying; Qiao, Lina; Feng, Xiumei; Liu, Junling

    2014-01-01

    Visceral pain is the most common form of pain caused by varied diseases and a major reason for patients to seek medical consultation. Despite much advances, the pathophysiological mechanism is still poorly understood comparing with its somatic counterpart and, as a result, the therapeutic efficacy is usually unsatisfactory. Acupuncture has long been used for the management of numerous disorders in particular pain and visceral pain, characterized by the high therapeutic benefits and low adverse effects. Previous findings suggest that acupuncture depresses pain via activation of a number of neurotransmitters or modulators including opioid peptides, serotonin, norepinephrine, and adenosine centrally and peripherally. It endows us, by advancing the understanding of the role of ion channels and gut microbiota in pain process, with novel perspectives to probe the mechanisms underlying acupuncture analgesia. In this review, after describing the visceral innervation and the relevant afferent pathways, in particular the ion channels in visceral nociception, we propose three principal mechanisms responsible for acupuncture induced benefits on visceral pain. Finally, potential topics are highlighted regarding the future studies in this field. PMID:25614752

  20. Synergistic effect of acupuncture and mirror therapy on post-stroke upper limb dysfunction: a study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

    PubMed

    Xu, Ying; Lin, Shufang; Jiang, Cai; Ye, Xiaoqian; Tao, Jing; Wilfried, Schupp; Wong, Alex W K; Chen, Lidian; Yang, Shanli

    2018-05-31

    Upper limb dysfunction is common after stroke, posing an important challenge for post-stroke rehabilitation. The clinical efficacy of acupuncture for the recovery of post-stroke upper limb function has been previously demonstrated. Mirror therapy (MT) has also been found to be effective. However, the effects of acupuncture and MT have not been systematically compared. This trial aims to elucidate the synergistic effects of acupuncture and MT on upper limb dysfunction after stroke. A 2 × 2 factorial randomized controlled trial will be conducted at the rehabilitation hospitals affiliated with Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. A total of 136 eligible subjects will be randomly divided into acupuncture treatment (AT), MT, combined treatment, and control groups in a 1:1:1:1 ratio. All subjects will receive conventional treatment. The interventions will be performed 5 days per week for 4 weeks. AT, MT, and combined treatment will be performed for 30 min per day (combined treatment: AT 15 min + MT 15 min). The primary outcomes in this study will be the mean change in scores on both the FMA and WMFT from baseline to 4 weeks intervention and at 12 weeks follow-up between the two groups and within groups. The secondary outcomes are the mean change in the scores on the Visual Analogue Scale, Stroke Impact Scale, and modified Barthel index. Medical abstraction of adverse events will be assessed at each visit. The results of this trial will demonstrate the synergistic effect of acupuncture and MT on upper limb motor dysfunction after stroke. In addition, whether AT and MT, either combined or alone, are more effective than the conventional treatment in the management of post-stroke upper limb dysfunction will also be determined. Chinese Clinical Trial Registry: ChiCTR-IOR-17011118 . Registered on April 11, 2017. Version number: 01.2016.09.1.

  1. Effectiveness of acupuncture therapy as treatment for tinnitus: a randomized controlled trial.

    PubMed

    Doi, Marcelo Yugi; Tano, Simone Sayomi; Schultz, Adriane Rocha; Borges, Ricardo; Marchiori, Luciana Lozza de Moraes

    2016-01-01

    Tinnitus is a subjective sensation of hearing a sound in the absence of an external stimulus, which significantly worsens the quality of life in 15-25% of affected individuals. To assess the effectiveness of acupuncture therapy for tinnitus. Randomized clinical trial ( 2T9T7Q) with 50 participants with tinnitus, divided into two groups: 25 participants in the acupuncture group and 25 participants in the control group. The acupuncture group received acupuncture treatment and the control group received no treatment. After a period of 5 weeks, they were called to perform the final evaluation and the control group received acupuncture treatment for ethical reasons. A statistically significant result was found for the primary outcome, reducing the intensity of tinnitus, with p=0.0001 and the secondary endpoint, showing improvement in quality of life, with p=0.0001. Chinese scalp acupuncture associated with bilateral electroacupuncture demonstrated, in the short term, a statistically significant improvement by reducing the level of tinnitus intensity, as well as improving the quality of life of individuals with tinnitus. Copyright © 2016 Associação Brasileira de Otorrinolaringologia e Cirurgia Cérvico-Facial. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

  2. Acupuncture in the treatment of tinnitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

    PubMed

    Liu, Fenye; Han, Xiuli; Li, Yunfeng; Yu, Shudong

    2016-02-01

    This study aimed at a systematic review and meta-analysis of all available randomized controlled trials (RCTs) using acupuncture to treat tinnitus. Five electronic databases, in both English and Chinese, were searched. All studies in our review and meta-analysis included parallel RCTs of tinnitus patients which compared subjects receiving acupuncture (or its other forms, such as electroacupuncture) to subjects receiving no treatment, sham treatment, drugs or basic medical therapy. Data from the articles were validated and extracted using a predefined data extraction form. Nearly all of Chinese studies reported positive results, while most of English studies reported negative results. Analysis of the combined data found that the acupuncture treatments seemed to provide some advantages over conventional therapies for tinnitus. It had difference in acupuncture points and sessions between Chinese studies and English studies. Methodological flaws were also found in many of the RCTs, especially in Chinese studies. The results of this review suggest that acupuncture therapy may offer subjective benefit to some tinnitus patients. Acupuncture points and sessions used in Chinese studies may be more appropriate, whereas these studies have many methodological flaws and risk bias, which prevents us making a definitive conclusion.

  3. Biomedical engineering meets acupuncture - development of a miniaturized 48-channel skin impedance measurement system for needle and laser acupuncture

    PubMed Central

    2010-01-01

    Background Due to controversially discussed results in scientific literature concerning changes of electrical skin impedance before and during acupuncture a new measurement system has been developed. Methods The prototype measures and analyzes the electrical skin impedance computer-based and simultaneously in 48 channels within a 2.5×3.5 cm matrix. Preliminary measurements in one person were performed using metal needle and violet laser (405 nm) acupuncture at the acupoint Kongzui (LU6). The new system is an improvement on devices previously developed by other researchers for this purpose. Results Skin impedance in the immediate surroundings of the acupoint was lowered reproducibly following needle stimulation and also violet laser stimulation. Conclusions A new instrumentation for skin impedance measurements is presented. The following hypotheses suggested by our results will have to be tested in further studies: Needle acupuncture causes significant, specific local changes of electrical skin impedance parameters. Optical stimulation (violet laser) at an acupoint causes direct electrical biosignal changes. PMID:21092296

  4. Acupuncture therapy in the management of the clinical outcomes for temporomandibular disorders: A PRISMA-compliant meta-analysis.

    PubMed

    Wu, Jun-Yi; Zhang, Chao; Xu, Yang-Peng; Yu, Ya-Yu; Peng, Le; Leng, Wei-Dong; Niu, Yu-Ming; Deng, Mo-Hong

    2017-03-01

    The purpose of this study was to evaluate conventional acupuncture therapy in the management of clinical outcomes for temporomandibular disorders (TMD) in adults. The electronic databases PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Clinical Trails.gov were searched for reports published until March 31, 2016. Nine eligible studies from 8 publications involving 231 patients were included in the meta-analysis. A comparison of the main outcome of visual analog scale (VAS) values of pain between the acupuncture group and control group showed a significant decrease (MD = -0.98, 95% CI [-1.62, -0.34], I=54%, P = 0.003) in the VAS following acupuncture treatment. However, subgroup analysis according to the type of sham control group indicated that there were significant differences in the results when sham acupuncture was used as the control group (MD = -1.54, 95% CI [-2.63, -0.45], I=58%, P = 0.006) as well as when sham laser treatment was used as the control group (MD = -1.29, 95% CI [-2.32, -0.27], I = 0%, P = 0.01). However, there was no significant difference when the splint treatment group was used as the control group (MD = -0.09, 95% CI [-0.69, 0.50], I = 0%, P = 0.76). Subgroup analyses of VAS for pain by the classification of diseases indicated that the myogenous TMD subgroup demonstrated a significant difference (MD = -1.49, 95% CI [-2.45, -0.53], I = 47%, P = 0.002), and TMD showed no statistically significant difference (MD = -0.42, 95% CI [-1.14, 0.30], I = 46%, P = 0.25). Subgroup analysis according to whether the subgroup penetrated the skin showed that nonpenetrating sham acupuncture as the control group showed a significant difference (MD = -1.56, 95% CI [-2.70, -0.41], I = 58%, P = 0.008) compared with the conventional acupuncture as the treatment modality, while penetrating sham acupuncture as the control group showed no significant difference (MD = -1.29, 95% CI [-3.40, 0.82], I = not applicable, P

  5. Brain functional connectivity network studies of acupuncture: a systematic review on resting-state fMRI.

    PubMed

    Cai, Rong-Lin; Shen, Guo-Ming; Wang, Hao; Guan, Yuan-Yuan

    2018-01-01

    Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a novel method for studying the changes of brain networks due to acupuncture treatment. In recent years, more and more studies have focused on the brain functional connectivity network of acupuncture stimulation. To offer an overview of the different influences of acupuncture on the brain functional connectivity network from studies using resting-state fMRI. The authors performed a systematic search according to PRISMA guidelines. The database PubMed was searched from January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2016 with restriction to human studies in English language. Electronic searches were conducted in PubMed using the keywords "acupuncture" and "neuroimaging" or "resting-state fMRI" or "functional connectivity". Selection of included articles, data extraction and methodological quality assessments were respectively conducted by two review authors. Forty-four resting-state fMRI studies were included in this systematic review according to inclusion criteria. Thirteen studies applied manual acupuncture vs. sham, four studies applied electro-acupuncture vs. sham, two studies also compared transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation vs. sham, and nine applied sham acupoint as control. Nineteen studies with a total number of 574 healthy subjects selected to perform fMRI only considered healthy adult volunteers. The brain functional connectivity of the patients had varying degrees of change. Compared with sham acupuncture, verum acupuncture could increase default mode network and sensorimotor network connectivity with pain-, affective- and memory-related brain areas. It has significantly greater connectivity of genuine acupuncture between the periaqueductal gray, anterior cingulate cortex, left posterior cingulate cortex, right anterior insula, limbic/paralimbic and precuneus compared with sham acupuncture. Some research had also shown that acupuncture could adjust the limbic-paralimbic-neocortical network, brainstem

  6. Randomised clinical trial of five ear acupuncture points for the treatment of overweight people.

    PubMed

    Yeo, Sujung; Kim, Kang Sik; Lim, Sabina

    2014-04-01

    To evaluate the efficacy of the five ear acupuncture points (Shen-men, Spleen, Stomach, Hunger, Endocrine), generally used in Korean clinics for treating obesity, and compare them with the Hunger acupuncture point. A randomised controlled clinical trial was conducted in 91 Koreans (16 male and 75 female, body mass index (BMI)≥23), who had not received any other weight control treatment within the past 6 months. Subjects were divided randomly into treatment I, treatment II or sham control groups and received unilateral auricular acupuncture with indwelling needles replaced weekly for 8 weeks. Treatment I group received acupuncture at the five ear acupuncture points, treatment II group at the Hunger acupuncture point only and the sham control group received acupuncture at the five ear acupuncture points used in treatment I, but the needles were removed immediately after insertion. BMI, waist circumference, weight, body fat mass (BFM), percentage body fat and blood pressure were measured at baseline and at 4 and 8 weeks after treatment. For the 58 participants who provided data at 8 weeks, significant differences in BMI, weight and BFM were found between the treatment and control groups. Treatment groups I and II showed 6.1% and 5.7% reduction in BMI, respectively (p<0.004). There were no significant differences between the two treatment groups. This finding suggests that the five ear acupuncture points, generally used in Korean clinics, and the Hunger point alone treatment are both effective for treating overweight people.

  7. [Research of clinic and laboratory of face acupuncture effect and the exploration of their afferent pathways].

    PubMed

    Zhang, S; Tang, Z; Wu, Z; Li, L; Zhang, R

    1996-01-01

    This paper shows that face acupuncture point (Liver point through gallbladder point) has significant effect of promoting bile secretion on the patients of cholecystectomy and choledochotomy and drainage. Special different point is that face acupuncture stimulation has very obvious posteffect comparing with other three body acupuncture groups and this posteffect lasts more than fifty minuts. The results also show that the successful rate of face acupuncture anesthesia is better than body acupuncture anesthesia during the ligation of oviduct and subtotal gastrectomy. The above results are all analysed statistically and there is a very significant difference among them. During the research on domestic dog anesthesiaed by face acupuncture, the successful rate is 86.5%, moreover the analgesic effect of face acupuncture can be blocked by blocking bilateral postganglionic fibre of trigeminal ganglion with 2% procaine. The results imply that trigeminal ganglion is the main afferent way of stimulation information of face acupuncture.

  8. Acupuncture Prevents the Impairment of Hippocampal LTP Through β1-AR in Vascular Dementia Rats.

    PubMed

    Xiao, Ling-Yong; Wang, Xue-Rui; Yang, Jing-Wen; Ye, Yang; Zhu, Wen; Cao, Yan; Ma, Si-Ming; Liu, Cun-Zhi

    2018-02-13

    It is widely accepted that the synaptic dysfunction and synapse loss contribute to the cognitive deficits of vascular dementia (VD) patients. We have previously reported that acupuncture improved cognitive function in rats with VD. However, the mechanisms involved in acupuncture improving cognitive ability remain to be elucidated. The present study aims to investigate the pathways and molecules involved in the neuroprotective effect of acupuncture. We assessed the effects of acupuncture on hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP), the most prominent cellular model of memory formation. Acupuncture enhanced LTP and norepinephrine (NE) levels in the hippocampus. Inhibition of the β-adrenergic receptor (AR), but not the α-AR, was able to block the effects of acupuncture on hippocampal LTP. Furthermore, inhibition of β1-AR, not β2-AR, abolished the enhanced LTP induced by acupuncture. The expression analysis revealed a significant upregulation of β1-AR and unchanged β2-AR with acupuncture, which supported the above findings. Specifically, increased β1-ARs in the dentate gyrus were expressed on neurons exclusively. Taken together, the present data supports a beneficial role of acupuncture in synaptic plasticity challenged with VD. A likely mechanism is the increase of NE and activation of β1-AR in the hippocampus.

  9. The effect of acupuncture treatment for insomnia in chronic hemodialysis patients

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Widjaja, J. A.; Simadibrata, C.; Srilestari, A.; Marbun, M. B. H.

    2017-08-01

    Insomnia is a problem often experienced by patients on chronic dialysiswhich reduces their quality of life. Current management of insomnia with this specific group of patients has yet to produce optimum results. In this study, we explored the roleof acupuncture as a treatment for symptoms of insomnia in patients on chronic dialysis. Twenty-eight hemodialysis patients suffering from insomnia were divided randomly into two groups, an acupuncture group (n = 15) who received acupuncture treatment at the points HT7 Shenmen, PC6 Neiguan, GV20 Baihui, and EX-HN1 Sishenchong, anda control group (n = 13) who underwenta sham procedure in which a needle was inserted into an elastic bandage at the same points. The acupuncture treatment was done during hemodialysis twice a week for five weeks. PSQI scores and the WHOQOL-BREF were assessed before treatment, after the fifth treatment, and at the end of the treatment. Significant differences were found in the PSQI score ((4.20±2.27 vs. 11.23±3.37) p = 0.000) and in the WHOQOL-BREF ((94.53±10.08 vs. 82.69±11.90) p = 0.008) between the acupuncture group and the control group by the end of the period of treatment. Acupuncture treatment effectively improved the quality of sleep and the quality of life for these chronic hemodialysis patients.

  10. Prolonged Repeated Acupuncture Stimulation Induces Habituation Effects in Pain-Related Brain Areas: An fMRI Study

    PubMed Central

    Li, Chuanfu; Yang, Jun; Park, Kyungmo; Wu, Hongli; Hu, Sheng; Zhang, Wei; Bu, Junjie; Xu, Chunsheng; Qiu, Bensheng; Zhang, Xiaochu

    2014-01-01

    Most previous studies of brain responses to acupuncture were designed to investigate the acupuncture instant effect while the cumulative effect that should be more important in clinical practice has seldom been discussed. In this study, the neural basis of the acupuncture cumulative effect was analyzed. For this experiment, forty healthy volunteers were recruited, in which more than 40 minutes of repeated acupuncture stimulation was implemented at acupoint Zhusanli (ST36). Three runs of acupuncture fMRI datasets were acquired, with each run consisting of two blocks of acupuncture stimulation. Besides general linear model (GLM) analysis, the cumulative effects of acupuncture were analyzed with analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) to find the association between the brain response and the cumulative duration of acupuncture stimulation in each stimulation block. The experimental results showed that the brain response in the initial stage was the strongest although the brain response to acupuncture was time-variant. In particular, the brain areas that were activated in the first block and the brain areas that demonstrated cumulative effects in the course of repeated acupuncture stimulation overlapped in the pain-related areas, including the bilateral middle cingulate cortex, the bilateral paracentral lobule, the SII, and the right thalamus. Furthermore, the cumulative effects demonstrated bimodal characteristics, i.e. the brain response was positive at the beginning, and became negative at the end. It was suggested that the cumulative effect of repeated acupuncture stimulation was consistent with the characteristic of habituation effects. This finding may explain the neurophysiologic mechanism underlying acupuncture analgesia. PMID:24821143

  11. [BO's abdominal acupuncture for obese type-2 diabetes mellitus].

    PubMed

    Yang, Yuan; Liu, Yunxia

    2015-04-01

    To observe the clinical efficacy of BO's abdominal acupuncture for obese type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Sixty patients of obese T2DM were randomly divided into an acupuncture group and a medication group, 30 cases in each one. Patients in the medication group were treated with basic treatment combined with oral administration of regular antidiabetics, three weeks as one session. Patients in the acupuncture group, based on the medication group, were treated with abdominal acupuncture at Yinqiguiyuan [Zhongwan (CV 12), Xiawan (CV 10), Qihai (CV 6), Guanguan (CV 4)], Fusiguan [Huaroumen (ST 24), Wailing (TE 5)], Tianshu (ST 25), Daheng (SP 15), Qixue (KI 13), etc.; the treatment was given three times per week, 3 weeks as one session. The systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), body weight, waist circumference (WC), hip circumference, body mass index (BI) were observed before and after treatment in the two groups, and fasting plasma glucose (FPG), fasting insulin (FINS), 2-hours postprandial blood glucose by oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and insulin, total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), HOMA-IR of insulin resistance index were calculated and adverge events were recorded. Compared before the treatment, SBP, WC, body weight, BMI, FPG, OG-TT2hBG, FINS, GTT2h insulin, HOMA-IR, TC and LDL-C in the acupuncture group were all significantly reduced (all P <0. 05), while FPG, OGTT2H insulin and TG were increased in the medication group (all P<0. 05)'. The differences of reducing SBP, WC, FPG, OGTT2H insulin, HOMA-IR, TC, TG and LDL-C were statistically significant between the two groups (all P<0. 05). The total effective rate was 93. 3% (28/30) in the acupuncture group, which was significantly superior to 23. 3% (7/30) in the medication group (P<0. 01). BO's abdominal acupuncture has obvious clinical efficacy for obese type-2 diabetes mellitus

  12. Effects of a Delphi consensus acupuncture treatment protocol on the levels of stress and vascular tone in women undergoing in-vitro fertilization: a randomized clinical trial protocol.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Yan; Phy, Jennifer; Scott-Johnson, Chris; Garos, Sheila; Orlando, Jennie; Prien, Samuel; Huang, Jaou-Chen

    2017-04-04

    The variability of published acupuncture protocols for patients undergoing In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF) complicates the interpretation of data and hinders our understanding of acupuncture's impact. In 2012, an acupuncture treatment protocol developed by a Delphi consensus process was published to describe the parameters of best practice acupuncture for Assisted Reproductive Technology and future research. However, there has been no clinical trial utilizing this protocol to assess the effects of acupuncture. This study aims to assess the implementation of Dephi consensus acupuncture protocol and to examine the impact of acupuncture on stress and uterine and ovarian blood flow among women between ages 21-42 years seeking IVF. This study is a one site prospective, two-arm randomized controlled non-blind clinical trial conducted in a medical school-affiliated fertility center . Participants will be randomized 1:1 into either the acupuncture group or the standard of care (no acupuncture) group using computer generated tables. Both groups will have 3 regular clinical visits as their standard IVF care during an approximately 2 to 3 weeks window. Women who are randomized into the acupuncture group would receive three sessions based on the Delphi consensus acupuncture protocol in addition to the standard care. The first treatment will be administered between days 6 to 8 of the stimulated IVF cycle. The second session will be performed on the day of embryo transfer at least 1 h prior to the transfer. The third session will be performed within 48 h post-embryo transfer. Participants will be followed for their pregnancy test and pregnancy outcome when applicable. The outcomes stress and blood flow will be measured by a validated perceived stress scale and vasoactive molecules, respectively. Although recruitment and scheduling could be challenging at times, the Delphi consensus acupuncture protocol was implemented as planned and well-accepted by the patients. Because

  13. [Educational philosophy of acupuncture and moxibustion of Chengjiang school successor professor HUANG Zongxu].

    PubMed

    Meng, Xianjun; Zhu, Anning; Yang, Zongbao; Kuang, Zifang; Wang, Yu; Xu, Weiwei

    2016-12-12

    Based on the historical documents regarding professor HUANG Zongxu , his educational philosophy of acupuncture and moxibustion was summarized. As a result, the following characteristics were found. He focused on the education of acupuncture and moxibustion, which combined the classroom teaching with apprentice teaching; he compiled teaching materials and committed himself to education reform; he started the first acupuncture undergraduate majors in Fujian province; he valued the academic inheritance and practice of acupuncture; he authored publications and proposed arguments to inherit experience. In addition, he valued medical ethics and focused on patients.

  14. Acupuncture for common cold: A systematic review and meta-analyze protocol.

    PubMed

    Cheng, Ying; Gao, Bifeng; Jin, Yuhao; Xu, Na; Guo, Taipin

    2018-03-01

    The common cold (CC) is the most common syndromes of infection in human beings, but there is currently no special treatment. For this reason, acupuncture is used to relieve the symptoms of the CC. Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) therapy that has been used for over 2000 years to treat various diseases. However, few studies have provided evidence for the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for the CC. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture on CC periods and its symptoms. The following electronic databases will be searched for studies conducted through January 1, 2019: Web of Science, Cochrane Library, EBASE, World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, Springer, Wan-fang database, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), Chinese Scientific Journal Database (VIP), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and other sources. All randomized controlled trials on acupuncture for common cold will be included. Risk of bias will be assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias assessment tool, while RevMan V.5.3.5 software will be implemented for the assessment of bias risk, data synthesis, subgroup analysis, and meta-analyses if conditions are met. Continuous outcomes will be presented as mean difference (MD) or standard mean difference (SMD), while dichotomous data will be expressed as relative risk. A high-quality synthesis of current evidence of acupuncture for CC will be stated from several aspect using subjective reports and objective measures of performance. The reduction rate of common cold symptoms after initial treatment, resolved cold symptoms, and reduced cold duration will be collected. This protocol will present the evidence of whether acupuncture therapy is an effective intervention for CC.

  15. [Effect of Acupuncture Therapy on Body Compositions in Patients with Obesity].

    PubMed

    Zhang, Hui-Min; Wu, Xue-Liang; Jiang, Chao; Shi, Rong-Xing

    2017-04-25

    To observe the clinical effectiveness of acupuncture intervention in weight reduction by modulating body compositions in obesity patients. A total of 71 obesity patients during weight-loss procedure were allocated to acupuncture+nutrition-consultation group ( n =40) and simple nutrition-consultation group ( n =31). The patients of the acupuncture +nutrition-consultation group were treated by acupuncture stimulation of Zhongwan (CV 12), Xiawan (CV 10), Tianshu (ST 25), Wailing (ST 26), Qihai (CV 6), Guanyuan (CV 4), etc. for 30 min, once every other day, 3 times per week, 12 times altogether, and also given with weekly nutrition consultation (including subjective query, objective measurement, analysis, program for nutrition support) at the same time. The patients of the simple nutrition-consultation group were treated by only weekly nutrition consultation for 4 weeks. Before and after the treatment, the patients' body weight, body mass index (BMI), fat mass, percentage of body fat, muscle mass, protein quality, water quality and bone mass were measured by using a composition analyzer. After 4 weeks' treatment, the body mass, BMI, fat mass and fat percentage in both acupuncture+nutrition-consultation and simple nutrition-consultation groups were significantly decreased ( P <0.01), while the weight levels of muscle, protein, bone and water content had no apparent changes ( P >0.05). The therapeutic effect of acupuncture+nutrition-consultation group was markedly superior to that of the simple nutrition-consultation group in increasing the improved degrees of body weight, BMI, fat mass and fat percentage ( P <0.01). Acupuncture plus nutrition consultation is effective in reducing body mass, fat mass and percentage of body fat in obesity patients.

  16. Acupuncture for chronic fatigue syndrome and idiopathic chronic fatigue: a multicenter, nonblinded, randomized controlled trial.

    PubMed

    Kim, Jung-Eun; Seo, Byung-Kwan; Choi, Jin-Bong; Kim, Hyeong-Jun; Kim, Tae-Hun; Lee, Min-Hee; Kang, Kyung-Won; Kim, Joo-Hee; Shin, Kyung-Min; Lee, Seunghoon; Jung, So-Young; Kim, Ae-Ran; Shin, Mi-Suk; Jung, Hee-Jung; Park, Hyo-Ju; Kim, Sung-Phil; Baek, Yong-Hyeon; Hong, Kwon-Eui; Choi, Sun-Mi

    2015-07-26

    The causes of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and idiopathic chronic fatigue (ICF) are not clearly known, and there are no definitive treatments for them. Therefore, patients with CFS and ICF are interested in Oriental medicine or complementary and alternative medicine. For this reason, the effectiveness of complementary and alternative treatments should be verified. We investigated the effectiveness of two forms of acupuncture added to usual care for CFS and ICF compared to usual care alone. A three-arm parallel, non-blinded, randomized controlled trial was performed in four hospitals. We divided 150 participants into treatment and control groups at the same ratio. The treatment groups (Group A, body acupuncture; Group B, Sa-am acupuncture) received 10 sessions for 4 weeks. The control group (Group C) continued usual care alone. The primary outcome was the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) at 5 weeks after randomization. Secondary outcomes were the FSS at 13 weeks and a short form of the Stress Response Inventory (SRI), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), and the EuroQol-5 Dimension (EQ-5D) at 5 and 13 weeks. Group A showed significantly lower FSS scores than Group C at 5 weeks (P = 0.023). SRI scores were significantly lower in the treatment groups than in the control group at 5 (Group A, P = 0.032; B, P <0.001) and 13 weeks (Group A, P = 0.037; B, P <0.001). Group B showed significantly lower BDI scores than Group C at 13 weeks (P = 0.007). NRS scores from the treatment groups were significantly reduced compared to control at 5 (Group A and B, P <0.001) and 13 weeks (Group A, P = 0.011; B, P = 0.002). Body acupuncture for 4 weeks in addition to usual care may help improve fatigue in CFS and ICF patients. Clinical Research Information Service (CRIS) KCT0000508; Registered on 12 August 2012.

  17. [Acupuncture combined with auricular point sticking therapy for post stroke depression:a randomized controlled trial].

    PubMed

    Zhang, Lin; Zhong, Yan; Quan, Shulin; Liu, Yehui; Shi, Xuehui; Li, Zhenguang; Wang, Jingjing

    2017-06-12

    To observe the clinical effects of acupuncture combined with auricular point sticking based on the western medication for post stroke depression (PSD). Sixty patients with PSD were randomly assigned into an acupuncture plus auricular application group (a combination group) and a medication group, 30 cases in each one. 20 mg paroxetine hydrochloride was prescribed orally in the medication group, once a day for continuous 8 weeks. Based on the above treatment, 30-minute acupuncture was used in the combination group for 8 weeks at Baihui (GV 20), Sishencong (EX-HN 1), Shenting (GV 24), Yintang (GV 29), Shenmen (HT 7), Neiguan (PC 6), Taichong (LR 3), Hegu (LI 4), Zusanli (ST 36), Sanyinjiao (SP 6) and Fenglong (ST 40), once the other day and three times a week. Auricular point sticking therapy for 8 weeks was applied at shenmen (TF 4 ), pizhixia (AT 4 ), xin (CO 15 ), and gan (CO 12 ), with pressing 3 times a day and once 3-5 days. The total score and each factor scores of Hamilton's depression scale (HAMD) were observed in the two groups before and after treatment, and Asberg's antidepressant side-effect rating scale (SERS) and clinical effect were evaluated. After treatment, the total HAMD scores of the two groups decreased compared with those before treatment (both P <0.05), with better effect in the combination group ( P <0.05). The scores of the combination group after treatment were lower than those in the medication group, including the anxiety/somatization factor, sleep disturbance factor, hopelessness factor (all P <0.05). The total effective rate of the combination group was 86.7% (26/30), which was better than 66.7% (20/30) of the medication group ( P <0.05). The SERS score of the combination group was lower than that of the medication group ( P <0.05). Acupuncture combined with auricular point sticking can improve the clinical symptoms and are effective and safe for PSD.

  18. Therapeutic Effects of Oligonol, Acupuncture, and Quantum Light Therapy in Chronic Nonbacterial Prostatitis

    PubMed Central

    Öztekin, İlhan; Akdere, Hakan; Can, Nuray; Aktoz, Tevfik; Turan, Fatma Nesrin

    2015-01-01

    This research aimed to compare anti-inflammatory effects of oligonol, acupuncture, and quantum light therapy in rat models of estrogen-induced prostatitis. Adult male Wistar albino rats were grouped as follows: Group I, control (n = 10); Group II, chronic prostatitis (n = 10); Group III, oligonol (n = 10); Group IV, acupuncture (n = 10); Group V, quantum (n = 10); Group VI, oligonol plus quantum (n = 10); Group VII, acupuncture plus oligonol (n = 10); Group VIII, quantum plus acupuncture (n = 10); and Group IX, acupuncture plus quantum plus oligonol (n = 10). Chronic prostatitis (CP) was induced by the administration of 17-beta-estradiol (E2) and dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Oligonol was given for 6 weeks at a dose of 60 mg/day. Acupuncture needles were inserted at CV 3/4 and bilaterally B 32/35 points with 1-hour manual stimulation. Quantum therapy was administered in 5-minute sessions three times weekly for 6 weeks. Lateral lobes of prostates were dissected for histopathologic evaluation. Although all of the treatment modalities tested in this study showed anti-inflammatory effects in the treatment of CP in male rats, a synergistic effect was observed for oligonol plus quantum light combination. Monotherapy with oligonol showed a superior anti-inflammatory efficacy as compared to quantum light and acupuncture monotherapies. PMID:26064171

  19. A Systematic Review of Experimental and Clinical Acupuncture in Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy

    PubMed Central

    Franconi, Giovanna; Schröder, Sven; Marchetti, Paolo; Robinson, Nicola

    2013-01-01

    Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a common side effect that can be very disabling and can limit or delay the dose of chemotherapy that can be administered. Acupuncture may be effective for treating peripheral neuropathy. The aim of this study was to review the available literature on the use of acupuncture for CIPN. The systematic literature search was performed using MEDLINE, Google Scholar, Cochrane Database, CINHAL, and ISI Proceedings. Hand searching was conducted, and consensus was reached on all extracted data. Only papers in the English language were included, irrespective of study design. From 3989 retrieved papers, 8 relevant papers were identified. One was an experimental study which showed that electroacupuncture suppressed CIPN pain in rats. In addition, there were 7 very heterogeneous clinical studies, 1 controlled randomised study using auricular acupuncture, 2 randomized controlled studies using somatic acupuncture, and 3 case series/case reports which suggested a positive effect of acupuncture in CIPN. Conclusions. Only one controlled randomised study demonstrated that acupuncture may be beneficial for CIPN. All the clinical studies reviewed had important methodological limitations. Further studies with robust methodology are needed to demonstrate the role of acupuncture for treating CIPN resulting from cancer treatment. PMID:23983788

  20. Effect of laser acupuncture versus traditional acupuncture in neck pain of cervical spondylosis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    El-Kharbotly, Ahmed M.; El-Gendy, Alyaa A.; Mohammed, Mouchira A.; El-Masry, Manal R.; Daoud, Eitedal M.; Hassan, Nagwa; Abdel-Wahab, Khaled G.; Helmy, Ghada; Mostafa, Taymour

    2014-02-01

    This prospective cohort study aimed to compare the efficiency of laser versus traditional acupuncture in treating cervical spondylosis (CS) pain. Forty female patients were randomized into two equal groups that received 3 sessions / week for 4 weeks. Group A received needle acupuncture therapy with electrical stimulation for 20 min at standard acupoints, ear points and Ashi point on the average 3 points. Group B received low level laser therapy (LLLT) acupuncture at the same acupoints. The results demonstrated that tenderness disappeared in 65% of patients in group A and 75% of patients in group B with improved percentage of 85.5% and 89.2%. Pain on VAS related to direction of motion at 6 directions was improved in all cases where with improvement percentage 76.45% and 85.88%. Pain on VAS at rest was improved in all patients with improvement percentage of 80.41% and 84.28%. NDIQ score improved in all patients with improvement percentage of 69.78% and 73.77%. Follow up of VAS after 6 months from the last session revealed persistent improvement in 55% of patients of group A vs 80% of patients of group B. Mean serum TNF-α was decreased in 85% of patients of group A vs 95% of patients of group B where serum beta endorphins was increased in all patients. It is concluded that both modes of treatment for CS gave improvement regarding pain intensity, disability and quality of life being more evident in LLLT followed for 6 months supported with improved serum TNFα and beta endorphin.

  1. [Effects on cervical spondylosis of vertebral artery type and the concentrations of plasma NPY and UII in the patients treated with the modified acupuncture at unilateral/bilateral Renying (ST 9)].

    PubMed

    Wang, Yanfu; Ma, Chaoyang; Li, Lingxiao; Zhang, Ting; Gui, Xinghua; Chen, Hao

    2018-05-12

    To observe the differences in the clinical therapeutic effects on cervical spondylosis of vertebral artery type (CSA) between the modified acupuncture and the routine acupuncture at unilateral/bilateral Renying (ST 9) as well as the impacts on the concentrations of plasma neuropeptide Y (NPY) and urotensinⅡ(UⅡ) in the patients. A total of 160 patients were divided into a modified bilateral acupuncture group, a modified unilateral acupuncture group, a routine bilateral acupuncture group and a routine unilateral acupuncture group, 40 cases in each one according to the random number table. In the modified bilateral acupuncture group, the modified acupuncture was applied bilaterally to Renying (ST 9). In the modified unilateral acupuncture group, the modified acupuncture was applied unilaterally to Renying (ST 9). In the routine bilateral acupuncture group, the routine acupuncture was applied bilaterally to Renying (ST 9). In the routine unilateral acupuncture group, the routine acupuncture was applied unilaterally to Renying (ST 9). The treatment was given once every day, continuously for 6 days as one course. Two courses of treatment were required at the interval of 1 day. In each group, before and after treatment, we observed the peak systolic blood flow velocity (Vs) of the vertebral artery (VA) and the basilar artery (BA), cervical vertigo symptoms and functional assessment scales (ESCV) and the concentration of plasma NPY and UⅡ. The clinical therapeutic effects were compared among the groups. After treatment, the clinical therapeutic effect in the modified bilateral acupuncture group was 90.0% (36/40), which was better than 80.0% (32/40) in the modified unilateral acupuncture group, 77.5% (35/40) in the routine bilateral acupuncture group and 65.0% (26/40) in the routine unilateral acupuncture group (all P <0.05). After treatment, Vs of VA and BA was improved remarkably in every group (all P <0.01), and the result in the modified bilateral acupuncture

  2. Does acupuncture used in nulliparous women reduce time from prelabour rupture of membranes at term to active phase of labour? A randomised controlled trial.

    PubMed

    Selmer-Olsen, Tone; Lydersen, Stian; Mørkved, Siv

    2007-01-01

    To assess if acupuncture influences the onset of labour and the need for induction after prelabour rupture of membranes (PROM) in nulliparous women. Further, to investigate a possible effect of acupuncture on the woman's wellbeing. In a randomised controlled trial (RCT), 106 nulliparous women with PROM were allocated to an acupuncture group (AG) or a control group (CG). The outcome measures were time from PROM to onset of active phase of labour, and rate of inductions if labour was absent after 2 days. The women's self-reported wellbeing was registered on a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). There was no statistically significant difference between the 2 groups regarding time from PROM to active phase (median times in AG versus CG: 15 versus 20.5 h, p=0.34). Additionally, there was no difference between the 2 groups in the need for induction. We found no significant differences in self-reported wellbeing, but the women receiving acupuncture considered their treatment to be more positive than the controls (p=0.003). No adverse effects were reported. Acupuncture treatment used in nulliparas after PROM showed no significant effect in reducing time to active labour or in reducing rate of inductions. There was no change in wellbeing as a result of acupuncture, but it was considered positive to receive this kind of treatment while waiting for labour to begin.

  3. [Zhu Lian's cognition on theory and method of acupuncture and moxibustion under background of western medicine].

    PubMed

    Li, Su-yun; Zhang, Li-jian; Liu, Bing

    2014-11-01

    With new acupuncture and moxibustion as the study object, based on the basic composition of acupuncture-moxibustion theory, from 3 aspects of meridian-acupoint theory, acupuncture-moxibustion method theory and acupuncture-moxibustion treatment theory, under the background of western medicine, ZHU Lian's different opinions on theory and method of acupuncture and moxibustion were discussed. It was believed by ZHU Lian that the distribution of 14-meridians was approximately identical to that of nerves, so with modern neuroanatomy knowledge to understand the meaning of acupoint; the acupuncture function could be explained from the angle of neurophysiology. Clinical diagnosis and treatment method could be established by modern classification methods of diseases. ZHU Lian's cognition that was different from traditional theory and method of acupuncture and moxibustion was combined with updated physiology and anatomy knowledge at that time, and was involved with Pavlov's advanced nerve theory, so she firstly put forward the opinion that acupuncture therapy can't work without the involvement of cerebral cortex.

  4. [Status of diagnosis and treatment devices of acupuncture based on SooPAT and bibliometrics in China].

    PubMed

    Bai, Lin; Ren, Yulan; Guo, Taipin; Chen, Lin; Zhou, Yumei; Feng, Shuwei; Li, Ji; Liang, Fanrong

    2016-11-12

    To perform a bibliometrics analysis on patent literature regarding diagnosis and treatment devices of acupuncture in China, aiming to provide references for the development of diagnosis and treatment devices of acupuncture. Based on SooPAT, a patent database, the patent literature regarding diagnosis and treatment devices of acupuncture in China was collected. With bibliometrics methods, the annual distribution of type, quantity, classification and content of diagnosis and treatment devices of acupuncture were analyzed. The number of acupuncture diagnosis and treatment devices reached its peak in 2012 and 2013 in China. The A61N in patent and utility model patent were the most, which were mainly related to electrotherapy, magnetic therapy, radioactive therapy and ultrasound therapy, etc. The main content was acupuncture treatment devices and meridian treatment devices. The 24-01 in design patent was the most, involving fixation devices used by doctors, hospitals and laboratories, etc. Currently the majority of diagnosis and treatment devices of acupuncture is therapeutic apparatus, while the acupuncture diagnosis devices are needed.

  5. 3D Monte Carlo simulation of light propagation for laser acupuncture and optimization of illumination parameters

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhong, Fulin; Li, Ting; Pan, Boan; Wang, Pengbo

    2017-02-01

    Laser acupuncture is an effective photochemical and nonthermal stimulation of traditional acupuncture points with lowintensity laser irradiation, which is advantageous in painless, sterile, and safe compared to traditional acupuncture. Laser diode (LD) provides single wavelength and relatively-higher power light for phototherapy. The quantitative effect of illumination parameters of LD in use of laser acupuncture is crucial for practical operation of laser acupuncture. However, this issue is not fully demonstrated, especially since experimental methodologies with animals or human are pretty hard to address to this issue. For example, in order to protect viability of cells and tissue, and get better therapeutic effect, it's necessary to control the output power varied at 5mW 10mW range, while the optimized power is still not clear. This study aimed to quantitatively optimize the laser output power, wavelength, and irradiation direction with highly realistic modeling of light transport in acupunctured tissue. A Monte Carlo Simulation software for 3D vowelized media and the highest-precision human anatomical model Visible Chinese Human (VCH) were employed. Our 3D simulation results showed that longer wavelength/higher illumination power, larger absorption in laser acupuncture; the vertical direction emission of the acupuncture laser results in higher amount of light absorption in both the acupunctured voxel of tissue and muscle layer. Our 3D light distribution of laser acupuncture within VCH tissue model is potential to be used in optimization and real time guidance in clinical manipulation of laser acupuncture.

  6. [Summarization and analysis on the acupuncture-related articles published in science citation index (SCI) periodicals in 2005].

    PubMed

    Yang, Jia-Yue; Wu, Li-Ping; Guo, Yi

    2007-04-01

    To retrieve, summarize and analyze journals and articles related to acupuncture published in SCI periodicals in 2005, so as to understand the international dynamics about acupuncture researches. The articles about treatment and mechanisms of acupuncture published in SCI periodicals in 2005 were found out and searched for by acupuncture information retrieval online and databank. Most of the 72 SCI periodicals retrieved are from the west, with 147 articles of acupuncture published, and Lancet has the highest impact factors of 23. 407. The kinds of the journals and articles publishing acupuncture researches are increasing, with varied types, rich and varied contents, and increasing the design level. However, the results of the studies are vastly different due to differences of experimental methods, objects and acupuncture manipulations. Therefore, standardization of acupuncture studies is extremely urgent.

  7. [Efficacy of Acupuncture Combined with Fire Dragon Moxibustion for Patients with Cervical Spondylotic Radiculopathy of Kidney-Deficiency-Cold Type].

    PubMed

    Jing, Fu-Quan; Wang, Xiu-Mei; Niu, Xiang-Lai; Zhou, Yu

    2016-08-25

    To compare the therapeutic effects of acupuncture combined with fire dragon moxibustion and simple acupuncture therapy in the treatment of patients with cervical spondylotic radiculopathy (CSR) of kidney-deficiency-cold type. Ninety kidney-deficiency-cold type CSR outpatients were randomly divided into control (acupuncture, n =40) and treatment (acupuncture +moxibustion, n =50) groups. Acupuncture stimulation was applied to Dazhui (GV 14), Ganshu (BL 18), Tianzhu (BL 10) and Houxi (SI 3), Jiaji (EX-B 2), Taixi (KI 3), Shenmai (BL 62), Zusanli (ST 36), Shenshu (BL 23), etc once daily, 5 times a week, and two weeks altogether, except the weekend. In addition, for patients of the treatment group, herbal medicinal powder separated-fire dargon moxibustion was applied to the patient's back from GV14 and Fengmen (BL 12) on the top to Zhibian (BL 54) area at the buttock, once every 3 days, 5 times altogether. The therapeutic effect was evaluated according to "CSR-20-points scale" including 3 aspects as neck-shoulder pain, upper-limb pain-numbness, finger numbness; working and daily life ability and physical conditions (Spurling tests, sensory, myodynamia and tendon reflex). ① After the treatment, CSR-20-points scores in both treatment and control groups were significantly increased in comparison with pre-treatment in each group ( P <0.05), with the score being markedly higher in the treatment group than in the control group ( P <0.05). ② Of the 40 and 50 cases in the control and the treatment group, 2 and 13 were cured, 14 and 24 experienced a remarkable improvement, 12 and 11 were effective, and 12 and 2 failed, with the total effective rates being 70.0%(28/40) and 96.0%(48/50), respectively. The therapeutic effect of the treatment group was notably better than that of the control group ( P <0.05). Acupuncture combined with fire dragon moxibustion is superior to simple acupuncture therapy in improving clinical symptoms of patients with CSR of kidney

  8. Status quo, issues, and challenges for acupuncture research evidence: an overview of clinical and fundamental studies.

    PubMed

    Cai, Yujia; Shen, Jiantong; Zhong, Dake; Li, Youping; Wu, Taixiang

    2012-02-01

    To systematically review the status quo, issues, and challenges from home and abroad for acupuncture research evidence, in order to identify global acupuncture research datum lines and policy-making evidence for future research direction. To carry out computed searching through the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, CNKI, SCI, WHO-ICTRP, and Chinese Clinical Trials Registry (ChiCTR) (up to January, 2010) for acupuncture-related secondary studies (systematic reviews and meta-analysis), animal randomized controlled trials (RCTs), published human RCTs (fundamental research with the human body or human body specimens as subjects), and registered on-going clinical trials (regardless of subject recruiting), and to analyze yearly publishing trends and research hotspots on subject headings for secondary studies and published and registered RCTs. (1) 63.7% of acupuncture clinical RCTs were published in the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), while RCTs published in MEDLINE, SCI, and CNKI each accounted for a third of all acupuncture fundamental RCTs. Publishing trends of acupuncture clinical RCTs indicated three periods - a period of slow growth before 1998, a period of gradual growth between 1999 and 2005, and a period of rapid growth after 2005. While few fundamental acupuncture RCTs were published before 2004, the period after 2005 demonstrated an increasing trend, but did not exhibit the same rapid growth as with clinical RCTs. Publication of Cochrane systematic reviews (CSRs) exhibited a time-dependent effect with acupuncture clinical RCTs, a trend that became more pronounced as time passed, while time intervals between CSR and acupuncture clinical RCT publications decreased. (2) Nine SRs were published in China, accounting for 30% of the global total of 29, while China's 68 RCTs accounted for 21% of global RCTs. Among five CSRs affirming the effects of acupuncture, only one contained four RCTs from China, which accounted for 10% of all RCTs included in

  9. CME Article: Perceptions of Acupuncture and Acupressure by Anesthesia Providers: A Quantitative Descriptive Study.

    PubMed

    Faircloth, Amanda C; Dubovoy, Arkadiy; Biddle, Chuck; Dodd-McCue, Diane; Butterworth, John F

    2016-04-01

    Background: Randomized controlled trials show that acupuncture and acupressure support anesthesia management by decreasing anxiety, opioid requirements, and treating post-operative nausea and vomiting. Acupuncture and acupressure have demonstrated clinical usefulness but have not yet diffused into mainstream anesthesia practice. To determine why, this study assessed U.S. anesthesia provider's perceptions of acupuncture and acupressure. Methods: After institutional review board approval, 96 anesthesiology departments stratified by geographic region (Northeast, South, West, and Midwest) and institution type (university medical centers, community hospitals, children's hospitals, and veterans affairs hospitals) were selected for participation in an anonymous, pretested, online survey. The target sample was 1728 providers, of whom 292 (54% anesthesiologists, 44% certified registered nurse anesthetists, 2% anesthesiologist assistants) responded, yielding an overall 17% response rate. Results: Spearman correlation coefficient revealed a statistically significant correlation between acupuncture and geographic region, with the West having the highest predisposition toward acupuncture use ( r s  = 0.159, p  = 0.007). Women are more likely to use acupuncture than men ( r s  =  - 0.188; p  = 0.002). A strong effect size exists between acupuncture and country of pre-anesthesia training ( r s  = 1.00; 95% CI = 1.08, 1.16). Some providers have used acupuncture (27%) and acupressure (18%) with positive outcomes; however, the majority have not used these modalities, but would consider using them (54%, SD = 1.44 ; acupressure: 60%, SD = 1.32). Seventy-six percent of respondents would like acupuncture education and 74% would like acupressure education (SDs of 0.43 and 0.44, respectively). Conclusions: While most of the U.S. anesthesia providers in this survey have not used these modalities, they nevertheless report a favorable perception of acupuncture

  10. Clinical Effects of Laser Acupuncture plus Chinese Cupping on the Pain and Plasma Cortisol Levels in Patients with Chronic Nonspecific Lower Back Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial

    PubMed Central

    Lin, Mu-Lien; Wu, Hung-Chien; Shih, Yong-Sheng; Chiu, I-Ting; Chen, Chao-Yi

    2017-01-01

    Objectives Chronic nonspecific lower back pain (LBP) is a common disease. Insufficient data is currently available to conclusively confirm the analgesic effects of laser acupuncture on LBP. This study evaluated the effectiveness of laser acupuncture plus Chinese cupping in LBP treatment. Methods Patients with chronic nonspecific LBP were enrolled for a randomized controlled trial and assigned to the laser acupuncture group (laser acupuncture plus Chinese cupping) and control group (sham laser plus Chinese cupping). Laser acupuncture (808 nm; 40 mW; 20 Hz; 15 J/cm2) and Chinese cupping were applied on the Weizhong (BL40) and Ashi acupoints for 5 consecutive days. Plasma cortisol levels were assessed before and after the 5-day treatment session. The visual analog scale (VAS) scores were recorded at baseline and throughout the 5-day treatment session. Results After the treatment session, the plasma cortisol levels and VAS scores decreased significantly in both groups. In the laser acupuncture group, the VAS scores decreased significantly on days 4 and 5, and an enhanced reduction in VAS scores was observed. Conclusion Laser acupuncture plus Chinese cupping at the Weizhong (BL40) and Ashi acupoints effectively reduced pain and inflammation in chronic nonspecific LBP. This therapy could be a suitable option for LBP treatment in clinical settings. PMID:28848615

  11. Safety and Efficacy of Acupuncture in Children A Review of the Evidence

    PubMed Central

    Jindal, Vanita; Ge, Adeline; Mansky, Patrick J.

    2008-01-01

    Summary Acupuncture has been used therapeutically in China for thousands of years and is growing in prominence in Europe and the United States. In a recent review of complementary and alternative medicine use in the US population, an estimated 2.1 million people or 1.1% of the population sought acupuncture care during the past 12 months. Four percent of the US population used acupuncture at any time in their lives. We reviewed 31 different published journal articles, including 23 randomized controlled clinical trials and 8 meta-analysis/systematic reviews. We found evidence of some efficacy and low risk associated with acupuncture in pediatrics. From all the conditions we reviewed, the most extensive research has looked into acupuncture’s role in managing postoperative and chemotherapy-induced nausea/vomiting. Postoperatively, there is far more evidence of acupuncture’s efficacy for pediatrics than for children treated with chemotherapy. Acupuncture seems to be most effective in preventing postoperative induced nausea in children. For adults, research shows that acupuncture can inhibit chemotherapy-related acute vomiting, but conclusions about its effects in pediatrics cannot be made on the basis of the available published clinical trials data to date. Besides nausea and vomiting, research conducted in pain has yielded the most convincing results on acupuncture efficacy. Musculoskeletal and cancer-related pain commonly affectss children and adults, but unfortunately, mostly adult studies have been conducted thus far. Because the manifestations of pain can be different in children than in adults, data cannot be extrapolated from adult research. Systematic reviews have shown that existing data often lack adequate control groups and sample sizes. Vas et al, Alimi et al, and Mehling et al demonstrated some relief for adults treated with acupuncture but we could not find any well-conducted randomized controlled studies that looked at pediatrics and acupuncture

  12. Manifestations, acquisition and diagnostic categories of dental fear in a self-referred population.

    PubMed

    Moore, R; Brødsgaard, I; Birn, H

    1991-01-01

    This study aimed to clarify how manifestations and acquisition relate to diagnostic categories of dental fear in a population of self-referred dental fear patients, since diagnostic criteria specifically related to dental fear have not been validated. DSM III-R diagnostic criteria for phobias were used to compare with four existing dental fear diagnostic categories, referred to as the Seattle system. Subjects were 208 persons with dental fear who were telephone interviewed, of whom a subsample of 155 responded to a mailed Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and a modified FSS-II Geer Fear Scale (GFS). Personal interviews and a Dental Beliefs Scale of perceived trust and social interaction with dentists were also used to evaluate a subsample of 80 patients selected by sex and high dental fear. Results showed that the majority of the 80 patients (66%), suffered from social embarrassment about their dental fear problem and their inability to do something about it. The largest cause of their fear (84%) was reported to be traumatic dental experiences, especially in childhood (70%). A minority of patients (16%) could not isolate traumatic experiences and had a history of general fearfulness or anxiety. Analysis of GFS data for the 155 subjects showed that fear of snakes and injuries were highest among women; heights and injections among men. Fear of blood was rarely reported. Spearman correlations between GFS individual items and DAS scores indicated functional independence between dental fear and common fears such as blood, injections and enclosures in most cases. Only in specific types of dental fear did these results support Rachman and Lopatka's contention that fears are thought to summate.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

  13. Acupuncture mobilizes the brain's default mode and its anti-correlated network in healthy subjects.

    PubMed

    Hui, Kathleen K S; Marina, Ovidiu; Claunch, Joshua D; Nixon, Erika E; Fang, Jiliang; Liu, Jing; Li, Ming; Napadow, Vitaly; Vangel, Mark; Makris, Nikos; Chan, Suk-Tak; Kwong, Kenneth K; Rosen, Bruce R

    2009-09-01

    Previous work has shown that acupuncture stimulation evokes deactivation of a limbic-paralimbic-neocortical network (LPNN) as well as activation of somatosensory brain regions. This study explores the activity and functional connectivity of these regions during acupuncture vs. tactile stimulation and vs. acupuncture associated with inadvertent sharp pain. Acupuncture during 201 scans and tactile stimulation during 74 scans for comparison at acupoints LI4, ST36 and LV3 was monitored with fMRI and psychophysical response in 48 healthy subjects. Clusters of deactivated regions in the medial prefrontal, medial parietal and medial temporal lobes as well as activated regions in the sensorimotor and a few paralimbic structures can be identified during acupuncture by general linear model analysis and seed-based cross correlation analysis. Importantly, these clusters showed virtual identity with the default mode network and the anti-correlated task-positive network in response to stimulation. In addition, the amygdala and hypothalamus, structures not routinely reported in the default mode literature, were frequently involved in acupuncture. When acupuncture induced sharp pain, the deactivation was attenuated or became activated instead. Tactile stimulation induced greater activation of the somatosensory regions but less extensive deactivation of the LPNN. These results indicate that the deactivation of the LPNN during acupuncture cannot be completely explained by the demand of attention that is commonly proposed in the default mode literature. Our results suggest that acupuncture mobilizes the anti-correlated functional networks of the brain to mediate its actions, and that the effect is dependent on the psychophysical response.

  14. [Professor WANG Linpeng's experience of acupuncture for migraine based on different stages and types].

    PubMed

    Wang, Shaosong

    2016-07-12

    By using the methods of experience summary and case report, professor WANG Linpeng 's clinical experience of acupuncture for migraine was summarized.Professor WANG proposed the different acupuncture plans should be established according to the active stage and remission stage of migraine; in the active stage acupuncture should be applied at gallbladder meridian with penetration needling technique to reinforce the stimulation intensity; in the remission stage the aim was to regulate zang-fu and back- shu points should be emphasized.In addition, attention should be paid on acupuncture technique and preventive treatment.For menstruation-type and psychological disorder-type migraine, different acupuncture plans should be adopted and regulating meridian and spirit was essential in the treatment.

  15. [Acupuncture therapy for the improvement of sleep quality of outpatients receiving methadone maintenance treatment: a randomized controlled trial].

    PubMed

    Li, Yi; Liu, Xue-bing; Zhang, Yao

    2012-08-01

    To study the efficacy and safety of acupuncture therapy for the improvement of sleep quality of outpatients receiving methadone maintenance treatment (MMT). Using randomized double-blinded controlled design, seventy-five MMT outpatients with low sleep quality [score of Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) > or = 8], were randomly assigned to the acupuncture group (38 cases) and the sham-acupuncture group (37 cases). All patients maintained previous MMT. Acupuncture was applied to Baihui (GV20), Shenmen (bilateral, TF4), Shenting (GV24), Sanyinjiao (bilateral, SP6), and Sishencong (EX-HN1) in the acupuncture group. The same procedures were performed in the sham-acupuncture group, but not to the acupoints (5 mm lateral to the acupoints selected in the acupuncture group) with shallow needling technique. The treatment was performed 5 times each week for 8 successive weeks. The PSQI was assessed before treatment, at the end of the 2nd, 4th, 6th, and 8th week of the treatment. The detection ratio of low sleep quality and the incidence of adverse acupuncture reactions were compared between the two groups at the end of the 8th week. The overall PSQI score was obviously higher in the acupuncture group than in the sham-acupuncture group with statistical difference (P < 0.01). The detection ratio of low sleep quality at the end of the 8th week was lower in the acupuncture group (60.53%, 23/38 cases) than in the sham-acupuncture group (83.78%, 31/37 cases) with statistical difference (P < 0.05). The rate of adverse acupuncture reaction was 5.26% (2/38 cases) in the acupuncture group and 2.70% (1/37 cases) in the sham-acupuncture group respectively, showing no statistical difference (P > 0.05). Acupuncture therapy could effectively and safely improve the sleep quality of outpatients receiving MMT.

  16. Do fears of malpractice litigation influence teaching behaviors?

    PubMed

    Reed, Darcy A; Windish, Donna M; Levine, Rachel B; Kravet, Steven J; Wolfe, Leah; Wright, Scott M

    2008-01-01

    Medical malpractice is prominently positioned in the consciousness of American physicians, and the perceived threat of malpractice litigation may push physicians to practice defensively and alter their teaching behaviors. The purposes of this study were to characterize the attitudes of academic medical faculty toward malpractice litigation and to identify teaching behaviors associated with fear of malpractice litigation. We surveyed 270 full-time clinically active physicians in the Department of Medicine at a large academic medical center. The survey assessed physicians' attitudes toward malpractice issues, fear of malpractice litigation, and self-reported teaching behaviors associated with concerns about litigation. Two hundred and fifteen physicians responded (80%). Faculty scored an average of 25.5 +/- 6.9 (range = 6-42, higher scores indicate greater fear) on a reliable malpractice fear scale. Younger age (Spearman's rho = 0.19, p = .02) and greater time spent in clinical activities (rho = 0.26, p < .001) were correlated with higher scores on the Malpractice Fear Scale. Faculty reported that because of the perceived prevalence of lawsuits and claims made against physicians, they spend more time writing clinical notes for patients seen by learners (74%), give learners less autonomy in patient care (44%), and limit opportunities for learners to perform clinical procedures (32%) and deliver bad news to patients (33%). Faculty with higher levels of fear on the Malpractice Fear Scale were more likely to report changing their teaching behaviors because of this perceived threat (rho = 0.38, p < .001). Physicians report changes in teaching behaviors because of concerns about malpractice litigation. Although concerns about malpractice may promote increased supervision and positive role modeling, they may also limit important educational opportunities for learners. These results may serve to heighten awareness to the fact that teaching behaviors and decisions may be

  17. Adverse events associated with acupuncture: three multicentre randomized controlled trials of 1968 cases in China.

    PubMed

    Zhao, Ling; Zhang, Fu-wen; Li, Ying; Wu, Xi; Zheng, Hui; Cheng, Lin-hao; Liang, Fan-rong

    2011-03-24

    In order to evaluate the safety of acupuncture in China objectively, we investigated the adverse events associated with acupuncture based on three multicentre randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to assess the safety of acupuncture, identifying the common types of acupuncture adverse events, and analysing the related risk factors for their occurrence. This observational study included patients who received acupuncture from three multicentre RCTs respectively for migraine, functional dyspepsia and Bell's palsy. The 1968 patients and their acupuncturists documented adverse events associated with acupuncture after treatment. We collected data about adverse events due to acupuncture treatment from their case report forms. We analysed the incidence and details of the adverse effects, and studied the risk factors for acupuncture adverse events with non-conditional logistic regression analysis. Among the 1968 patients, 74 patients (3.76%) suffered at least one adverse event throughout the treatment period. We did not observe the occurrence of serious adverse events. 73 patients with adverse events recovered within 2 weeks through effective treatment such as physiotherapy or self-treatment. A total of 3 patients withdrew because of adverse events. There were 9 types of adverse events related to acupuncture, including subcutaneous haematoma, bleeding, skin bruising and needle site pain. Subcutaneous haematoma and haemorrhage in the needling points were the most common adverse events. Age and gender were related to the occurrence of acupuncture adverse events. The older the patients were, the higher the risk of adverse events was. In addition, male patients had slightly higher risk of an adverse event than female patients. Acupuncture is a safe therapy with low risk of adverse events in clinical practice. The risk factors for adverse events (AEs) were related to the patients' gender and age and the local anatomical structure of the acupoints. AEs could be reduced and

  18. Effects of acupuncture on menopause-related symptoms and quality of life in women in natural menopause: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

    PubMed

    Chiu, Hsiao-Yean; Pan, Chieh-Hsin; Shyu, Yuh-Kae; Han, Bor-Cheng; Tsai, Pei-Shan

    2015-02-01

    This meta-analysis aims to evaluate the effects of acupuncture on hot flash frequency and severity, menopause-related symptoms, and quality of life in women in natural menopause. We systematically searched PubMed/Medline, PsychINFO, Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and CINAHL using keywords such as acupuncture, hot flash, menopause-related symptoms, and quality of life. Heterogeneity, moderator analysis, publication bias, and risk of bias associated with the included studies were examined. Of 104 relevant studies, 12 studies with 869 participants met the inclusion criteria and were included in this study. We found that acupuncture significantly reduced the frequency (g = -0.35; 95% CI, -0.5 to -0.21) and severity (g = -0.44; 95% CI, -0.65 to -0.23) of hot flashes. Acupuncture significantly decreased the psychological, somatic, and urogenital subscale scores on the Menopause Rating Scale (g = -1.56, g = -1.39, and g = -0.82, respectively; P < 0.05). Acupuncture improved the vasomotor subscale score on the Menopause-Specific Quality of Life questionnaire (g= -0.46; 95% CI, -0.9 to -0.02). Long-term effects (up to 3 mo) on hot flash frequency and severity (g = -0.53 and g = -0.55, respectively) were found. This meta-analysis confirms that acupuncture improves hot flash frequency and severity, menopause-related symptoms, and quality of life (in the vasomotor domain) in women experiencing natural menopause.

  19. [Effects of acupuncture on quality of life in children with spastic cerebral palsy].

    PubMed

    Liu, Zhen-huan; Pan, Pei-guang; Ma, Mei-mei

    2007-03-01

    To investigate the effect of acupuncture in children with spastic cerebral palsy (SCP). One hundred SCP children, 2 to 7 years old, were randomly assigned to two groups equally. The control group was treated with rehabilitation training using Bobath and Vojta physical training methods and the acupuncture group treated also with the same training but with acupuncture conducted additionally. The therapeutic course was 3-12 months arranged according to the state of illness. The total effective rate, development quotient (DQ), improvement rate of brain hypogenesis and atrophy showed by skull CT, and recovery rate of cerebral emission computed tomography (ECT) were all higher in the acupuncture group than those in the control group (all P < 0.01). Acupuncture obviously promotes the compensation of cerebral function and shows a favorable effect in improving quality of life of the children with SCP.

  20. Orthogonal design to sift the optimal parameter of Neiguan acupuncture for cerebral infarction

    PubMed Central

    Zhang, Yanan; Yang, Sha; Fan, Xiaonong; Wang, Shu; He, Nina; Li, Lingxin; Luo, Ding; Shi, Xuemin

    2013-01-01

    The individual difference and non-repeatability in acupuncture have not only restricted the development of acupuncture, but have also affected the specificity of acupoints. The present study used instruments to control needle depth, lifting and thrusting frequency, and the duration of acupuncture. Effects of the quantified acupuncture were observed at Neiguan (PC6) with different stimulation parameters. A frequency of 1, 2, or 3 Hz and duration of 5, 60, or 180 seconds were used to observe cerebral blood flow and ratio of infarct volume recovery. Results showed that stimulation at Neiguan with a frequency of 1 Hz and long duration of 180 seconds or 2/3 Hz and long duration of 5/60 seconds significantly increased cerebral blood flow and decreased the ratio of infarct volume. Interactions between frequency and duration play a critical role in quantified acupuncture therapy. PMID:25206575