Abstract It is common for patients with cancers in HongKongseeking ChineseMedicine(CM) therapies as supportive careduring cancertreatment and to manage treatment-related side effects. This article provides clinicalpracticeguideline(CPG) on the use of CM for specificclinicalindications caused by cancerand during cancertreatment, including pain, constipation, and insomnia, and aims to guide local licensed CM practitioners and provide beneficial reference for social medical decision makers and patients. In this manuscript, we summarize the clinicalmanifestation, CM pattern classification, and CM intervention including herbal treatment, acupuncture treatment, regulating, and nursing based on pattern differentiation. Authors: Lam WC1, Zhong L1, Liu Y2, Shi N2, Ng B3, Ziea E3,...Weiterlesen

Abstract BACKGROUND & AIMS: The Chinese herbal medicine, MaZiRenWan (MZRW), has been used for more than 2000 years to treat constipation, but it has not been tested in a randomized controlled trial. We performed a trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of MZRW, compared with the stimulant laxative senna or placebo, for patients with functional constipation (FC). METHODS: We performed a double-blind, double-dummy, trial of 291 patients with FC based on Rome III criteria, seen at 8 clinics in Hong Kong from June 2013 through August 2015. Patients were observed for 2 weeks and then assigned randomly (1:1:1) to...Weiterlesen

Abstract Purpose: Recurrence of acute exacerbations has a major impact on patients with COPD. Therefore, effective prevention and treatment of exacerbation is crucial in the management of COPD, especially for patients with moderate to severe disease. This study evaluated the effectiveness of YuPingFeng granule administration in preventing exacerbation and improving symptom score, as well as its long-term (1 year) safety profile, in patients with COPD. Patients and methods: This was a randomized, double-blind, parallel, placebo-controlled study of 240 patients from eight centers in China. Participants were eligible if they had mild to severe COPD as defined by Global Initiative for...Weiterlesen

Abstract BACKGROUND: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is characterized by pain, functional disability, poor quality of life (QoL), high socioeconomic impact, and annual costs of over $56 billion in the United States. Acupuncture (AC) is widely in use; however, studies show severe methodological shortcomings, did not consider the functional diagnosis for the allocation of acupoints and their results showed no differences between verum and control groups. OBJECTIVE: The authors aimed to objectively assess the safety and efficacy of AC treatments for RA. METHODS: 105 RA patients with a functional diagnosis of a „Pivot syndrome“ or „Turning Point syndrome“ were randomly assigned to...Weiterlesen

Abstract BACKGROUND: The main symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease GERD are heartburn and acid regurgitation. Proton-pump inhibitors (PPI) are considered to be safe and effective for the treatment of GERD. In traditional Chinese medicine, wu chu yu tang (WCYT) is used to treat nausea after eating, vomiting, and diarrhea. PURPOSE: We designed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial to evaluate the therapeutic effect of WCYT on GERD using omeprazole as a PPI for the positive control. METHODS: Ninety patients with GERD were randomly assigned to the 1) control group (CG), who received an oral administration of omeprazole (20 mg) once per...Weiterlesen

Abstract OBJECTIVE: To examine the effect of Gua Sha therapy in the treatment of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DNP). DESIGN: An open-label randomized controlled study was conducted with usual care as the control (60 subjects in Gua Sha group and 59 subjects in usual care group). Outcome measures included Toronto Clinical Scoring System (TCSS), Vibration Perception Threshold (VPT), Ankle Brachial Index (ABI), and fasting plasma glucose (FPG). There were 12 consecutive sessions of Gua Sha, one session per week. RESULTS: After the first cycle of Gua Sha intervention, only performance of sensory function measured by the VPT, and peripheral artery disease...Weiterlesen

Abstract Background/Aims: Despite the wide use of acupuncture for the management of visceral pain and the growing interest in the pathophysiology of visceral pain, there is no conclusive elucidation of the mechanisms behind the effects of acupuncture on visceral pain. This systematic review aims to provide an integrative understanding of the treatment mechanism of acupuncture for visceral pain. Methods: Electronic and hand searches were conducted to identify studies that involved visceral pain and acupuncture. Results: We retrieved 192 articles, out of which 46 studies were included in our review. The results of our review demonstrated that visceral pain behaviors were...Weiterlesen

Abstract Cancer pain is one of most prevalent symptoms in patients with cancer. Acupuncture and related techniques have been suggested for the management of cancer pain. The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN®) guidelines for adult cancer pain recommends acupuncture, as one of integrative interventions, in conjunction with pharmacologic intervention as needed. This review presents the latest available evidence regarding the use of acupuncture for cancer pain. It also provides “actionable” acupuncture protocols for specific cancer pain conditions and related symptoms in order to provide more clinically relevant solutions for clinicians and cancer patients with pain. These conditions include postoperative cancer...Weiterlesen

Abstract OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess analgesia provided by acupuncture, alone or in combination with pharmacotherapy, to patients presenting to emergency departments with acute low back pain, migraine or ankle sprain. DESIGN: A pragmatic, multicentre, randomised, assessor-blinded, equivalence and non-inferiority trial of analgesia, comparing acupuncture alone, acupuncture plus pharmacotherapy, and pharmacotherapy alone for alleviating pain in the emergency department. Setting, participants: Patients presenting to emergency departments in one of four tertiary hospitals in Melbourne with acute low back pain, migraine, or ankle sprain, and with a pain score on a 10-point verbal numerical rating scale (VNRS) of at least...Weiterlesen

Abstract BACKGROUND: Acupuncture is underutilized as an adjunct cancer therapy. The main study objectives were to determine the feasibility of administering acupuncture as palliative therapy to patients with advanced ovarian or breast cancer and to assess the effect on symptoms and quality of life (QOL). METHODS: This study was a pilot, single-armed prospective clinical trial for patients with advanced cancer to receive 12 acupuncture sessions over 8 weeks with follow-up at weeks 9 and 12. Ambulatory patients with advanced ovarian or breast cancer were enrolled to receive treatments at an outpatient academic oncology center. Symptom severity was measured before and...Weiterlesen