Acupuncture is an effective treatment for depression during pregnancy, according to a new American study. A hundred and fifty pregnant women with a diagnosis of major depression were randomised to receive 12 sessions of acupuncture consisting of a standardised point prescription specific for depression, or one of two active controls – control acupuncture or massage – over eight weeks. Women who received specific acupuncture experienced a greater rate of decrease in symptom severity compared with the combined controls or control acupuncture alone. They also showed a significantly greater response rate (63.0%) than the combined controls (44.3%) and control acupuncture alone...Weiterlesen

A Chinese study has shown that acupuncture at Sanyinjiao SP-6 can decrease the amount of analgesia required in the first 24 hours after caesarian section. Sixty women who had spinal anesthesia during caesarian section were randomly assigned to receive either acupuncture or electro-acupuncture at bilateral Sanyinjiao SP-6, or to a control group. Women in the acupuncture and electro-acupuncture groups delayed the time of requesting morphine up to 11 minutes later than the control group. The total dose of patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) used within the first 24 hours was 30%-35% less in the acupuncture groups compared with the control group, which...Weiterlesen

Researchers from Iran have found that acupuncture is significantly associated with decreased duration of labour. They randomised 63 nulliparous women to receive either verum acupuncture at Sanyinjiao SP-6 and Hegu L.I.-4, or sham acupuncture at the same points. No significant variations in pain scores or serum cortisol levels were observed between the two groups. However, the duration of labour was found to be significantly lower in the group receiving real acupuncture. Effects of LI-4 and SP-6 Acupuncture on Labor Pain, Cortisol Level and Duration of Labor. J Acupunct Meridian Stud. 2015 Oct;8(5):249-54 Quelle: www.jcm.co.ukWeiterlesen

Researchers find acupuncture more effective than hormone drug therapy for the treatment of endometriosis. Acupuncture relieves menstrual pain due to endometriosis, reduces the size of pelvic masses, lowers CA125 levels, and reduces the recurrence rate of endometriosis. CA125 a is biomarker for several types of cancer and benign conditions including endometriosis and menstrual disorders. Researchers at Tongji University hospital compared acupuncture with standard drug therapy. Patients receiving acupuncture achieved a 92.0% total effective rate. Patients receiving mifepristone achieved a 52.0% total effective rate. Mifepristone, also known by its trademarked name RU-486, is a synthetic steroid that inhibits progesterone action and...Weiterlesen

ABSTRACT Objectives This article investigates the efficacy of acupuncture for the maintenance of breastfeeding during the first 3 months of a newborn’s life. Subjects and interventions After written informed consent was obtained, 90 women were randomly divided into two groups: acupuncture treatment or observation. Acupuncture sessions were performed twice weekly for 3 weeks (total six sessions). The control group made weekly visits to the clinic and the midwife observed their breastfeeding, giving routine care. In both groups, a semistructured clinical assessment of breastfeeding quality was carried out by the midwife at enrollment and after 3 weeks. Moreover, in both groups...Weiterlesen

Researchers from Nanjing Traditional Chinese Medicine University and Haian Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital find acupuncture combined with herbs effective for the alleviation of endometriosis. Two patient groups were compared in a six month clinical trial. One group received Traditional Chinese Medicine (acupuncture and herbs) and the other group received mifepristone (RU-486®, a synthetic steroid that inhibits progesterone action, used for the treatment endometriosis or as an abortifacient). Ultrasonography for detection of endometriomas and growths in addition to blood tests (cancer antigen 125, anti-endometrial antibody) were used to determine treatment efficacy. The bloodwork was equivalent and ultrasonography finds both TCM and...Weiterlesen

Vulvar vestibulitis is a disease of unknown aetiology involving inflammation of the skin and the mucous secreting glands found in the skin of the vulvar vestibule. It can occur in women of all ages, whether sexually active or not, can persist for years, and gives rise to symptoms such as severe pain on pressure (for example cycling, exercise or tight fitting clothes), intercourse or insertion of tampons, burning, stinging and irritation, redness and the urge to urinate frequently or suddenly. Possible implicating factors include human papilloma virus, chronic yeast infections, chronic bacterial infections, chronic changes of the acid-base balance in...Weiterlesen

A study of 593 women at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Adelaide, Australia, who were less than 14 weeks pregnant and suffered from symptoms of nausea or vomiting, compared traditional acupuncture, simple acupuncture at Neiguan P-6 only, sham acupuncture and no acupuncture. The acupuncture patients received two 20-minute sessions of acupuncture in the first week followed by one weekly treatment for four weeks. Traditional acupuncture consisted of the insertion of a maximum of 6 needles at a mixture of abdominal points and points selected according to pattern differentiation. Abdominal points were Burong ST-19, Chengman ST-20, Liangmen ST-21, Youmen KID-21, Futonggu...Weiterlesen

Acupressure at Sanyinjiao SP-6 can help with cervical ripening in labour, according to a study from Iran. In a randomised trial, 150 primigravid women with term pregnancies were randomised to one of three interventions: acupressure at Sanyinjiao SP-6 performed by a researcher, self-applied acupressure at Sanyinjiao SP-6, and routine care only. For both active intervention groups acupressure was applied at Sanyinjiao SP-6 for 20 minutes, once a day for five days. At 48 hours after beginning treatment, cervical ripening scores were found to be significantly better in the researcher-performed acupressure group and self-performed acupressure group, in comparison with the control...Weiterlesen

Abstract Nausea and Vomiting in Pregnancy (NVP), or morning sickness is a common clinical condition affecting at least 50% of women in the first trimester of pregnancy. The acupuncture point Pericardium 6 (PC6) is located on the palmar side of the wrist and is one of the principle points in terms of Chinese medicine for treating all forms of vomiting and nausea. Six studies were thoroughly examined in the form of a systematic review to investigate the efficacy of PC6 by applying acupuncture and acupressure to treat NVP. Following the research, PC6 appears to be effective in reducing the symptoms...Weiterlesen