Abstract Objectives Acupuncture needle manipulation causes mechanical deformation of connective tissue, which in turn results in mechanical stimulation of fibroblasts, with active changes in cell shape and autocrine purinergic signaling. We have previously shown using ultrasound elastography in humans that acupuncture needle manipulation causes measurable movement of tissue up to several centimeters away from the needle. The goal of this study was to quantify the spatial pattern of tissue displacement and deformation (shear strain) in response to acupuncture needling along an intermuscular connective tissue plane compared with needling over the belly of a muscle. Design Eleven (11) healthy human subjects...Weiterlesen

Abstract Background Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a common disease. No evidence is available for the clinical application of acupuncture and moxibustion for the management of AR symptoms in Hong Kong. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of acupuncture with or without herbal moxibustion on relieving AR symptoms in the Hong Kong population. Methods A single-centre, randomized, assessor-blinded, controlled trial with three parallel arms (acupuncture alone, acupuncture combined with herbal moxibustion treatment and waitlist) was designed. Groups with acupuncture treatment received treatment 3 times per week for a total of 12 sessions in 4 weeks. Acupuncture combined with herbal...Weiterlesen

Abstract Acupuncture needle manipulation has been previously shown to result in measurable changes in connective tissue architecture in animal experiments. In this study, we used a novel in vivo ultrasound (US)-based technique to quantify tissue displacement during acupuncture manipulation in humans. B-scan ultrasonic imaging was performed on the thighs of 12 human subjects at different stages of needle motion, including varying amounts of rotation, downward and upward movement performed with a computer-controlled acupuncture needling instrument. Tissue displacements, estimated using cross-correlation techniques, provided successful mapping and quantitative analysis of spatial and temporal tissue behaviour during acupuncture needle manipulation. Increasing amounts of...Weiterlesen

Abstract Acupuncture meridians traditionally are believed to constitute channels connecting the surface of the body to internal organs. We hypothesize that the network of acupuncture points and meridians can be viewed as a representation of the network formed by interstitial connective tissue. This hypothesis is supported by ultrasound images showing connective tissue cleavage planes at acupuncture points in normal human subjects. To test this hypothesis, we mapped acupuncture points in serial gross anatomical sections through the human arm. We found an 80% correspondence between the sites of acupuncture points and the location of intermuscular or intramuscular connective tissue planes in...Weiterlesen

Abstract Acupuncture needle manipulation gives rise to ‘needle grasp’, a biomechanical phenomenon characterized by an increase in the force necessary to pull the needle out of the tissue (pullout force). This study investigates the hypothesis that winding of connective tissue rather than contraction of muscle is the mechanism responsible for needle grasp. Authors: HELENE M. LANGEVIN, DAVID L. CHURCHILL, JUNRU WU, GARY J. BADGER, JASON A. YANDOW, JAMES R. FOX, AND MARTIN H. KRAG Published in: FASEB J. 2002 Jun;16(8):872-4. Epub 2002 Apr 10. Quelle:Weiterlesen

Abstract Acupuncture and related therapies such as moxibustion and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation are often used to manage cancer-related symptoms, but their effectiveness and safety are controversial. We conducted this overview to summarise the evidence on acupuncture for palliative care of cancer. Our systematic review synthesised the results from clinical trials of patients with any type of cancer. The methodological quality of the 23 systematic reviews in this overview, assessed using the Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews Instrument, was found to be satisfactory. There is evidence for the therapeutic effects of acupuncture for the management of cancer-related fatigue, chemotherapy-induced nausea...Weiterlesen

Abstract INTRODUCTION Ear acupuncture carried out in primary care by trained midwives, with no specialist training in acupuncture, may be effective in alleviating pregnancy-related lower back and/or posterior pelvic girdle pain (LBPGP). The objective of this study was to assess the effect of ear acupuncture associated with standard obstetric care, in the primary-care setting, on LBPGP experienced by pregnant women. MATERIAL AND METHODS This four-group, multicenter, randomized controlled trial was conducted at 18 public primary care centers in three regions in Spain, with the participation of 220 pregnant women at 24-36 weeks of gestation, aged 18 years or more, diagnosed with pregnancy-related...Weiterlesen

Abstract Objective The purpose of the study was to assess the efficacy and safety of using Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) as maintenance therapy considering the survival of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC)patients after first-line conventional platinum-based chemotherapy. Design An open-label, randomized, controlled trial. Setting: Four hospitals in China.  Interventions and main outcome measures: A total of 106 patients were eligible and randomly divided into two groups from four hospitals in China. Both groups received the best supporting care (BSC). Additionally, patients in the trial group were given CHM every day until the disease became aggravated or the patients resigned. The...Weiterlesen

Abstract Background Propranolol is recommended as first-line treatment for preventing migraine attacks; acupuncture has not been compared with propranolol in a head-to-head trial. Objective To compare acupuncture with propranolol using indirect treatment comparison meta-analysis. Method We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL). Randomized controlled trials comparing acupuncture or propranolol with sham acupuncture, placebo, waiting-list control or usual care were included. We extracted information from the included trials using a standardized extraction form. The primary outcome was migraine episodes. The secondary outcomes included migraine days, migraine frequency, and adverse events. Results We included 19 RCTs (n =...Weiterlesen

Abstract BACKGROUND: Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is one of the most debilitating long-term side effects in breast cancer survivors. We conducted a randomized controlled pilot trial to assess the feasibility, safety, and effects of an acupuncture intervention on CIPN in this population. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Women with stage I-III breast cancer with grade 1 or higher CIPN after taxane-containing adjuvant chemotherapy were randomized 1:1 to an immediate acupuncture (IA) arm or to a waitlist control group (CG). Participants in the IA arm received 18 sessions of acupuncture over 8 weeks, then received no additional acupuncture. Patients in the CG arm received...Weiterlesen