An American group has found that acupuncture can significantly and persistently reduce stress in university students and staff. Their study included 111 participants with high self-reported stress levels who either studied or worked at a large urban university. Participants were randomised into a verum or sham acupuncture group, and both groups received treatment once a week for 12 weeks. The treatment group received needling at...Weiterlesen

Acupuncture is effective for insomnia relief. Research published by Zhejiang Chinese Medical University finds acupuncture more effective than a powerful sleep drug for improving sleep duration, quality, latency, efficiency, and daytime functioning. Acupuncture achieved a 92.9% total effective rate and the drug zopiclone achieved a 67.9% total effective rate. [1] Zopiclone is a central nervous system depressant used for helping patients fall asleep and maintaining...Weiterlesen

ABSTRACT Background: Anxiety is a very common psychiatric symptom and can also occur in many physical conditions. Due to the limitations of conventional pharmacotherapy, the discovery of nonpharmacologic treatments that alleviate anxiety effectively is clinically important. Yintang (EX-HN 3), an acupoint located between the eyebrows, is known to have a mentally stabilizing effect in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Objectives: This preliminary review was conducted to investigate the current state of...Weiterlesen

A team of Chinese investigators has found that acupuncture can improve mood and sleep quality in patients with depression. One hundred and forty subjects with clinical insomnia were randomised to one of two acupuncture protocols; standard (Hegu LIV-3, Yintang M-HN-3 and Baihui DU-20) or augmented (adding Lieque LU-7 and KID-6 with intradermal needles for sustained treatment). Participants received two sessions weekly for six weeks, with...Weiterlesen

Chinese investigators have found that acupuncture can contribute to a clinically relevant improvement in perimenopausal insomnia (PMI), both subjectively and objectively. Seventy-six perimenopausal women with insomnia received ten sessions of acupuncture at bilateral Shenshu BL-23 and Ganshu BL-18 with unilateral Qimen LIV-14 and Jingmen GB-25, or placebo needling at the same acupoints, over a three week period. After treatment, the decrease from baseline in sleep...Weiterlesen

ABSTRACT Background Depression is recognised as a major public health problem that has a substantial impact on individuals and on society. People with depression may consider using complementary therapies such as acupuncture, and an increasing body of research has been undertaken to assess the effectiveness of acupuncture for treatment of individuals with depression. This is the second update of this review. Objectives To examine the...Weiterlesen

One of the largest randomised controlled trials on acupuncture for insomnia has found it to be effective and safe. Researchers from Hong Kong randomised 224 subjects with insomnia to acupuncture alone (bilateral Sishencong M-HN-1, Anmian M-HN-54, Neiguan P-6, Shenmen HE-7 and Sanyinjiao SP-6 and ear Shenmen, plus Yintang M-HN-3 and Baihui DU-20, acupuncture plus auricular acupressure (Shenmen, Heart, Kidney, Liver, Spleen, Occiput and Subcortex), or...Weiterlesen

A Chinese research team has found acupuncture to be as effective as nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) for helping people quit tobacco smoking. Although a total of 300 participants were recruited, the dropout rate was high (35 per cent) and so only 195 participants finished the trial. Participants were randomly assigned to receive acupuncture (Baihui DU-20, Lieque LU-7, Hegu L.i.-4, Zusanli ST-36, Sanyinjiao SP-6, Taichong LIV-3,...Weiterlesen

In order to investigate the different effects of acupuncture and moxibustion on chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and alterations in the autonomic nervous system by measuring heart rate variability (HRV). Forty-five participants were recruited and randomly divided into 3 groups using a randomization schedule. The control group (CG, n = 15) and the acupuncture group (AG, n = 15) were treated by manipulation acupuncture, and the...Weiterlesen

In a collaborative study between Chinese and US cancer centres, the Chinese formula Ren Shen Yang Rong Tang (RSYRT, ‘Ginseng Decoction to Nourish the Nutritive Qi’) has been found to significantly reduce severe fatigue in cancer patients. RSYRT is a tonic formula containing 12 herbs: Bai Shao (Radix Paeoniae alba, Dang Gui Radix (Angelicae Sinensis) Chen Pi (Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae), Huang Qi (Radix Astragali), Rou...Weiterlesen