A Chinese herbal formula, ‘Ningdong granules’ (NDG), has been shown to reduce tics in children with Tourette’s syndrome. The formula, which contains the herbs Tian Ma (Rhizoma Gastrodiae), Dang Shen (Radix Codonopsis), Mai Men Dong (Radix Ophiopogonis) Bai Shao (Radix Paeoniae alba), Long Gu (Fossilia Ossis Mastodi), Mu Li (Concha Ostreae), Di Long (Pheretima) and Gan Cao (Radix Glycyrrhizae) has previously been used in China the treatment of children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in China. In a randomised, double-blind study 120 paediatric Tourette’s patients were randomly divided into four groups. One group received NDG, another received usual drug treatment, consisting of the antipsychotic medicationhaloperidol (Hal), the third group...Weiterlesen

A Chinese herbal formula has shown potential for improving working memory performance in healthy adults, an Australian pilot study has found. Sailuotong (SLT) is a standardised three-herb formula that combines specific doses of the key bioactive constituents from the concentrated extracts of Panax ginseng (ginsenosides), Ginkgo biloba (flavone-glycosides) and Crocus sativus (crocins), which has been developed to enhance cognitive and cardiovascular function. Using a randomised crossover design, the study assessed the effect of treatment for one week with SLT and placebo on neurocognitive and cardiovascular function in 16 healthy adults. Neuropsychological testing showed that treatment with SLT, but not placebo,...Weiterlesen

A large, prospective cohort study carried out in Japanese seniors has found that consumption of green tea is significantly associated with a lower risk of developing functional disability (problems with daily activities, such as bathing or dressing). Information on daily green tea consumption and other lifestyle factors was collected via questionnaire from 13,988 Japanese individuals aged 65 or over, and subjects were followed up for three years. The results showed an inverse relationship between functional disability risk and the consumption of green tea – the more green tea people drank, the lower their disability risk. Nearly 13% of those who...Weiterlesen

ABSTRACT Objective: Motion sickness is the main cause of nausea-related symptoms during passive motion in transportation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of electroacupuncture (EA) for the reduction of motion sickness symptoms. Materials and Methods: Study participants were randomly assigned into three groups: Group A, therapeutic EA; Group B, sham EA; and group C, a control group. After an EA session, participants were exposed to a motion stimulus, using a rotating chair. Their symptoms were measured using the Greek version of the Gianaros Motion Sickness Assessment Questionnaire (MSAQ). Application of verum EA and sham EA to the...Weiterlesen

ABSTRACT Background: Multiple sclerosis is considered a complex and heterogeneous disease. Approximately 85% of patients with multiple sclerosis indicate impaired gait as one of the major limitations in their daily life. Acupuncture studies found a reduction of spasticity and improvement of fatigue and imbalance in patients with multiple sclerosis, but there is a lack of studies regarding gait. Design: We designed a study of acupuncture treatment, according to the Heidelberg model of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), to investigate if acupuncture can be a useful therapeutic strategy in patients with gait impairment in multiple sclerosis of relapsing-remitting type. The sample consisted...Weiterlesen

Abstract Objective To determine differences in cerebral activity evoked by acupuncture and conventional stroke treatment, and identify the treatment targets. Methods In total, 21 patients were randomly divided into two groups. Group A (11 patients) received both acupuncture and conventional treatment, while Group B (10 patients) received conventional treatment only. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was performed on each participant before and after treatment. Regional homogeneity (ReHo) analysis was performed to investigate the potential mechanism of acupuncture treatment by comparing differences in cerebral activity between treatments. Results Group A showed higher ReHo in the frontal lobe (BA6, BA46), supra-marginal...Weiterlesen

Objective: To observe clinical effects of acupuncture combined with blood-letting by a three-edged needle for treating Bell’s palsy of wind-heat syndrome at the acute stage. Methods: One hundred patients were randomly divided into a treatment group (50 cases) treated by acupuncture plus blood-letting and a control group (50 cases) treated by simple acupuncture. Four courses of treatments were given in both groups. The main symptoms and signs were observed and clinical effects evaluated with scores after one week, 2 weeks and one month of treatments respectively. Results: After treatment, the scores for symptoms and signs were significantly different from those...Weiterlesen

Original Titel: The Natural Product Curcumin as a Potential Coadjuvant in Alzheimer’s Treatment. Die Alzheimer-Erkrankung zeichnet sich durch eine zunehmende kognitive Beeinträchtigung der Patienten aus und betrifft rund 12 % der über 65-Jährigen. Die Weltgesundheitsorganisation WHO schätzt, dass über 48,6 Mio. Menschen weltweit an dieser Erkrankung leiden. Die Autoren dieser Studie haben in früheren Arbeiten eine Hypothese zu möglichen Mechanismen der Krankheitsentwicklung vorgeschlagen, die mit den klinischen Beobachtungen konsistent zu sein scheint. Nach diesem neuroimmunomodulatorischen Konzept löst das körpereigene Immunsystem eine Kaskade molekularer Signale aus, die letztlich zu Ansammlungen des fehlerhaft konstruierten Tau-Proteins in den Zellen, und damit zum Pfad der neuronalen...Weiterlesen

Simultaneous use of local acupoints together with points on the Governing vessel can promote functional repair after peripheral nerve injury, report Chinese investigators. The team compared the clinical efficacy of acupuncture at Governing vessel plus local channel points (GV/LC group) with acupuncture at local channel acupoints alone (LC group) in the treatment of 30 patients with peripheral nerve injury. In the GV/LC group, in addition to local channel points at the injury site, the following acupoints on the Governor vessel were stimulated: Baihui DU-20, Fengfu DU-16, Dazhui DU-14 and Shenzhu DU-12 (for injury of the upper limb), and Jizhong DU-6,...Weiterlesen

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical effects of acupuncture for diabetic peripheral neuropathy. METHODS: Totally 65 patients were randomly divided into a treatment group of 32 cases and a control group of 33 cases. On the basis of conventional treatment of diabetes, acupuncture was used in the treatment group, and inositol was orally administered in the control group. During a 3-month treatment, changes in the symptoms were observed. After basic treatment for both the two groups, acupuncture was used in the treatment group, and inositol was orally administered in the control group. The Basic Treatment All the patients were conventionally treated,...Weiterlesen