Abstract Background Although acupuncture is widely used for chronic pain, there remains considerable controversy as to its value. We aimed to determine the effect size of acupuncture for 4 chronic pain conditions: back and neck pain, osteoarthritis, chronic headache, and shoulder pain. Methods We conducted a systematic review to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of acupuncture for chronic pain in which allocation concealment was determined unambiguously to be adequate. Individual patient data meta-analyses were conducted using data from 29 of 31 eligible RCTs, with a total of 17 922 patients analyzed. Results In the primary analysis, including all eligible RCTs, acupuncture...Weiterlesen

Abstract Muscle pain is a common medical problem that is difficult to treat. One nonpharmacological treatment used is acupuncture, a procedure in which fine needles are inserted into body points with the intent of relieving pain and other symptoms. Here we investigated the effects of manual acupuncture (MA) on modulating macrophage phenotype and interleukin-10 (IL-10) concentrations in animals with muscle inflammation. Carrageenan, injected in the gastrocnemius muscle of mice, induces an inflammatory response characterized by mechanical hyperalgesia and edema. The inflammation is initially a neutrophilic infiltration that converts to a macrophage-dominated inflammation by 48 h. MA of the Sanyinjiao or Spleen...Weiterlesen

Abstract Background and Objective: Earthquakes are associated with severe psychiatric disorders, such as anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Current first-line therapies for PTSD have well-known side-effects. Acupuncture is a complementary approach to help patients cope with mental problems after natural disasters and public health events. This article describes an acupuncture intervention conducted by the Lombard Association of Medical Acupuncturists/Acupuncture in the World in the earthquake-stricken area of Amatrice in Central Italy and measures the effect of acupuncture on earthquake-related pain and psychologic symptoms in the victims. Methods: The intervention lasted 5 weeks, from September to October 2016. Adult patients with...Weiterlesen

Abstract PURPOSE: Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy is a complex side effect with few available treatment options. The aim of the study was to test the effectiveness of an 8-week course of acupuncture in the management of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy in cancer patients who were receiving or had received neurotoxic chemotherapy. METHODS: Randomized assessor-blinded controlled trial with 2 arms; one arm received acupuncture twice weekly for 8 weeks, while the other arm was a wait-list control group receiving only standard care. Primary outcome was pain intensity and interference over the past week using the Brief Pain Inventory at the end of the...Weiterlesen

Original Titel: Association between use of Chinese herbal medicine and depression risk in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: A nationwide retrospective cohort study DGP – Die Studie zeigt einen positiven Effekt der chinesischen Kräuter. Patienten mit rheumatoider Arthritis entwickelten weniger oft eine Depression. Aber auch die Behandlung mit chinesischen Kräutern erfordert die Betreuung durch einen Arzt oder qualifizierten Therapeuten und ist abhängig von Begleiterkrankungen, Symptomen und dem allgemeinen Gesundheitszustand. Depressionen sind häufig bei rheumatoider Arthritis und können die Lebensqualität weiter verringern. Eine Studie aus Taiwan untersuchte, ob chinesische Kräuter einen Einfluss auf Depressionen bei rheumatoider Arthritis haben. Die Studie untersuchte die chinesische...Weiterlesen

Abstract In the mechanisms of acupuncture analgesia, an important aspect often overlooked is the anti-inflammatory effect of acupuncture, which is mainly attained through the self-limiting inflammatory response-inflammatory reflex and its regulation of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal(HPA) axis and autonomic nerve system (the vagus nerve and the sympathetic postganglionic fiber). The significance of anti-inflammatory effect of acupuncture in analgesia is manifested twofold: The first, inflammatory nociceptive pain is a major type of chronic pain. The second, neurogenic inflammation is the mechanism by which certain acupoints or acu-reflex points (ARPs) are formed at the body surface and have short-cut connections to the pathological focus. Selecting ARPs and applying appropriate sensory stimulation or local microtrauma (affected by different needling means or stimulation parameters), combined with low-frequency electrical stimulation or the vagus stimulation in the...Weiterlesen

Abstract Acupuncture, for the westerns countries, is an innovative and low-cost therapy for treatment and prevention of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). However, most of its effects and mechanisms are poorly understood. Thus, the objective of this work was to systematically review the literature regarding the clinical effects of acupuncture for the treatment and prevention of CVDs. A search for papers published in English or Portuguese in the past 20 years was conducted at PubMed, SciELO, and PEDro databases. Clinical trials conducted on the effects of acupuncture were included in this review. Two reviewers extracted the data independently from the remaining 17 articles after screening. The most...Weiterlesen

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses Research resource Lianne Aquilina and Mark Bovey: British Acupuncture Council review, 2019 A body of evidence is presented on the topic of acupuncture administered for IVF or ICSI that indicates acupuncture has a significant treatment effect on clinical pregnancy and birth rate when conducted at varied time points. Research is ongoing and is not conclusive. Key points A 2018 systematic review and meta-analysis found acupuncture to have a significant treatment effect in improving the birth rates of subfertile women undergoing IVF or A summary of previous reviews from 2009 to 2017 found acupuncture had a beneficial...Weiterlesen

Original Titel: Efficacy of Acupuncture Therapy for Chemotherapy-Related Cognitive Impairment in Breast Cancer Patients DGP – Chinesische Forscher erprobten in ihrer Studie, ob die Akupunktur geeignet sein könnte, um Beeinträchtigungen der Denkleitung zu vermindern, die Brustkrebspatientinnen, die eine Chemotherapie erhalten, betreffen können. Die kleine Studie zeigte vielversprechende Erfolge der Akupunktur – die Patientinnen, die die Akupunktur erhielten, schnitten in der Folge in zahlreichen Tests zur Messung der Denkleistung besser ab. Durch Chemotherapie kann die Prognose von Brustkrebspatientinnen oftmals deutlich verbessert werden – allerdings können mit der Chemotherapie auch Nebenwirkungen einhergehen, die zahlreiche Organe betreffen können. Manche Krebspatienten entwickeln durch die Chemotherapie Beeinträchtigungen der Denkleistung, sogenannt kognitive Beeinträchtigungen. Chinesische Forscher erproben, ob...Weiterlesen

Abstract Background: A natural-killer (NK) cell is a cytotoxic lymphocyte that responds to tumor formation. Electroacupuncture (EA) in patients with cancer, who had chemotherapy, enabled them to maintain their T-cell counts (CD3+, CD4+, and CD8+) and NK-cell activity. Objective: To evaluate NK-cell levels and tumor sizes in patients with cervical squamous-cell carcinoma (SCC) after EA on ST 36 (Zusanli). Design: This study was a randomized, experimental clinical study with a pre–post-test, control group design. Setting The study was performed in the obstetrics and gynecology department, Gynecology Oncology Division of the Rumah Sakit Dokter Soetomo General Hospital, in Surabaya, Jawa Timur, Indonesia, conducted from...Weiterlesen