A Chinese herbal medicine containing Dan Shen (Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae) has been shown to be helpful in treating diabetic retinopathy (DR), a severe microvascular complication of diabetes that is a major cause of adult blindness. The Chinese study investigated the use of ‘Compound Danshen Dripping Pill’ (CDDP), which is commonly used in the treatment of cardiovascular disease. In a large-scale clinical trial, involving 233 patients...Weiterlesen

ABSTRACT Hintergrund: Die altersbedingte Makula Degeneration (AMD) ist eine Krankheit, die im fortgeschrittenen Alter allmählich das zentrale Scharfsehen zerstört. Die Behandlungsoptionen sind limitiert und der Verlust der Sehkraft kann oft nicht verhindert werden. In der vorliegenden Studie wurden die Effekte einer Akupunkturbehandlung auf die Sehkraft von AMD Patienten untersucht. Methoden: Insgesamt wurden 328 Patienten mit einer klinischen Diagnose von AMD über einen Zeitraum von zwei...Weiterlesen

ABSTRACT Background: In recent years, evidence has been accumulating linking subjective tinnitus to the somatosensory system. Somatic tinnitus is defined as tinnitus in which forceful contractions of jaw and neck muscles modulate the psychoacoustic attributes of tinnitus, such as pitch and loudness. Being a somatosensory-based treatment modality, needling might well be more effective for treating somatic than nonsomatic tinnitus. Objective: The aim of this study...Weiterlesen

Patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) who use adjunctive traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to manage their condition are less likely to require endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS), according to a large population-based study from Taiwan. A total of 14,806 CRS subjects were enrolled in the study: 4294 (29%) of these were TCM users. Ninety-seven percent of the TCM users took herbal remedies. The most common Chinese herbal...Weiterlesen

An observational study from Taiwan suggests that using adjuvant Chinese herbal therapy can add benefit to standard anti-tinnitus treatment. A descriptive case series compared 10 patients with chronic tinnitus who received the herbal formula Chai Hu Jia Long Gu Mu Li Tang (CHJLGMLT, ‘Bupleurum & Dragon Bone Combination’) along with standard anti-tinnitus therapy with 11 patients who received standard therapy alone. After two months of...Weiterlesen

In vivo studies have shown that anti-oxidant phytochemicals from Gou Qi Zi (Lycium barbarum fructus, aka Chinese wolfberry or goji berry) can protect eye tissues from oxidative damage. American researchers studying type-2 diabetic mice observed that wolfberry extract could protect retinal pigment epithelial cells from the oxidative stress caused by hyperglycaemia. The researchers have previously shown that goji berries contain high levels of zeaxanthin, lutein,...Weiterlesen

A sham-controlled feasibility trial has found that electro-acupuncture given concurrently with radiotherapy can significantly reduce xerostomia (dry mouth) symptoms and improved quality of life. Twenty-three patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma undergoing radiotherapy of the head and neck were randomised to receive verum acupuncture or sham acupuncture. Patients were treated three times per week during the course of radiotherapy. Subjective xerostomia symptom scores for the acupuncture group...Weiterlesen

Electro-acupuncture (EA) at Zusanli ST-36 can affect oesophageal motility, report Brazilian investigators. Sixteen healthy volunteers underwent an oesophageal function test using high-resolution manometry. The test was performed in three phases: basal measurements, and 20 min after acupuncture stimulation of either Zusanli ST-3, or a sham point (five centimetres medial to ST-36), in a crossover design. The results showed that both verum and sham acupuncture resulted...Weiterlesen

A study by authors from the US Air Force has shown that battlefield auricular acupuncture (BFA) can reduce throat pain and decrease need for pain medication in patients with acute sore throat. BFA is a specific auricular acupuncture technique for acute pain, which involves placing semi-permanaent needles in five specific points on the ear: Cingulate Gyrus, Thalamus, Omega 2, Point Zero and Shenmen. In a...Weiterlesen

Akupunktur hilft Glaukompatienten durch Senkung des Augendruckes und einer verbesserten Blutzirkulation hinter dem Auge nach einer Behandlung. In der ersten Studie dieser Art haben japanische Forscher elf Patienten mit Offenwinkelglaukom behandelt und die Hämodynamik im Auge vor, während und nach Akupunktur oder nur Ruhephase untersucht. Die Akupunktur wurde einmalig für 15 min. durchgeführt, ohne Nadelmanipulation, bilateral an den Punkten Blase 2, Taiyang, Magen 2, Magen...Weiterlesen