Acupuncture and Related Therapies最新文献

Objective

To review and analyze pneumothorax associated with acupuncture worldwide.

Methods

We searched MEDLINE, PUBMED, NHS, CNKI(China), VIP(China) and WanFang(China) using the MeSH terms “acupuncture” and “complications/adverse events/side effect” and “pneumothorax” for eligible articles. We included and analyzed all original case reports, reviews and prospective studies.

Results

There are 37 Chinese articles and 40 articles in other languages published with case report which reported 128 cases and 51 cases with pneumothorax induced by acupuncture,respectively. There are 24 articles with prospective studys or reviews. pneumothorax is the most common among the all severe adverse events related to acupuncture. However, acupuncture is an important cause of pneumothorax which is missing from the western medical books.

Conclusions

Acupuncture should be emphasized and listed in the western medical textbooks as an iatrogenic cause to pneumothorax.

A lack of scientific studies to prove or disprove the claimed effects of acupuncture has led to its rejection by many of the western scientific community. Now that many effects of acupuncture can be explained in terms of endogenous physiological mechanisms, and that these effects are reported as similar or sometimes superior to established treatments with a very low incidence of side effects, the integration of acupuncture with conventional medicine may be possible. Some of these aspects will be presented in this condensed overview.

Diabetes is a serious metabolic disorder prevailing among people with ageing and sedentary lifestyle associated with rapidly growing urbanization and industrialization. Medicinal plants prescribed in thesaurus of Ayurveda and used by folklore have been a source of relief in controlling different types of diabetes all over the world. At the present time, the use of these herbal drugs is growing at high pace because of its cost effectiveness and free from the side effects over pharmaceutical hypoglycemic agents. The current review presents the profiles of approximately 35 plants having anti-diabetic activity and potential to reduce the oxidative stress, reported in the literature from 2005 to 2015. This review has been presented in such a fascinating manner which includes the plant along with its family, part used, phyto-constituents responsible for particular action in a tabulated form. Present study might provide a momentum to find newer antidiabetic entities.

Acupuncture is a therapeutic technique in which fine solid metal needles are inserted into the body and manipulated, in order to elicit local, segmental and extra-segmental effects, thus modulating the activity of the Peripheral and Central Nervous System (including the activity of the Autonomic Nervous System). Training on Acupuncture for medical doctors usually involves peer practice of needling throughout the duration of the training program. It is expected that the occurrence of adverse events during training reflects the most common adverse events reported during acupuncture practice. We recorded all of the adverse events reported by the trainees of the 3rd Edition of the medical acupuncture training program of the Health Sciences School of the University of Minho (HSS-UM) and classified them according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE, version 4.0, June 2010). The most common events reported, as we expected, were pain and bruising. We conclude acupuncture training is safe, as mostly minor effects occurred during the training program, bruising and pain being the most common. We also concluded that the CTCAE is a valuable tool for classification of acupuncture related adverse events.

Introduction

Non pharmacologic interventions like counselling and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), have been shown to be effective for smoking cessation. In the present study we wanted to evaluate the effectiveness of counselling in smoking cessation combined with true or sham TCM.

Methods

477 smokers (172 men and 305 women) were randomized into 3 groups: group A (sham TCM and counselling), group B (true TCM and counselling) and group C (true TCM). TCM intervention included pharmacopuncture, plum-blossom needling and auriculotherapy. The main outcome measures were the percentage of non-smokers and the Fagerstrom nicotine addiction score in those still smoking at the end of treatment, and after 6 months and 1 year.

Results

At the end of treatment, the percentage of non-smokers was: 57.1% in Group A, 59.1% in Group B, and 49.4% in Group C. After 1 year, the percentage of non-smokers was significantly lower in group C (19.1%) than in groups A (30.1%) and B (32.7%) (p = 0.015). The Fagerstrom test in the subjects still smoking was not significantly different in the 3 groups at the end of treatment and after 1 year.

Conclusions

TCM could be an effective treatment for smoking cessation when used as a single technique and especially combined with counselling. Further studies are needed to determine its efficacy.

The Standards for Reporting Interventions in Clinical Trials of Acupuncture (STRICTA) were published in five journals in 2001 and 2002. These guidelines, in the form of a checklist and explanations for use by authors and journal editors, were designed to improve reporting of acupuncture trials, particularly the interventions, thereby facilitating their interpretation and replication. Subsequent reviews of the application and impact of STRICTA have highlighted the value of STRICTA as well as scope for improvements and revision.

The clinical effects following acupuncture stimulation can be attributed to peripheral and central effects. Histological studies have revealed that many acupuncture points have dense innervation, and are often located in direct relation to skeletal muscles, connective tissue, as well as to cells with neuro-immune-modulatory role [66], suggesting that these tissue may contribute both to the peripheral and central effects.

This article is a condensed version of the chapter “Overview of sensory stimulation and mechanisms of acupuncture” written by the authors for the book MEDICAL ACUPUNCTURE: A WESTERN SCIENTIFIC APPROACH, Second Edition by Filshie, Cummings, and White (Elsevier, 2015) and reprinted with permission.

Background

The WHO rates hypertension (HTN) as one of the most important causes of premature death worldwide. HTN is directly responsible for 57% of all stroke deaths and 24% of all coronary heart disease (CHD) deaths in India.

Objective

The study was aimed to determine the effects of manual acupuncture stimulation of a modified protocol of four points versus slow (yogic) breathing to obtain a decrease in blood pressure immediately on hypertensive subjects.

Methods

46 subjects out of 127 were recruited for the study and divided in to two groups. Out of which 38 people successfully completed the study. The eligibility criteria were: Both sexes, age between 35 and 60 years, diagnosed with hypertension at least 3 years or less, without systemic complications and no prior experience of acupuncture. There Pre and Post Intervention Blood pressure was taken as an outcome measure.

Results

Slow breathing group showed a significant reduction in the systolic component of the blood pressure (p < 0.007) whereas in the acupuncture group it was unaffected. In the acupuncture group there was a significant reduction in the diastolic component (p < 0.02) and a little reduction in the systolic component which was not significant (p = 0.3). There were no significant changes in the diastolic component in the slow breathing group (p > 0.5).

Conclusion

The results of the present study suggests that yogic breathing practices decreases the systolic components of the blood pressure whereas the acupuncture group is effective in reducing the diastolic component of the blood pressure.

Endometriosis is a common cause of pain in the pelvic region in women. Endometriosis pain has often been considered to be a homogeneous condition. However, multiple mechanisms have been shown to contribute making it a therapeutic challenge. Many of the current medical treatments for it include oral drugs like non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs, contraceptives, progestogens, androgenic agents, gonadotrophin releasing hormone analogues, as well as laparoscopic surgical excision of the endometriosis lesions. In many patients these treatments are insufficient or associated with side-effects. Three studies have described the application of different needle stimulation techniques (acupuncture) and the results suggest that acupuncture may be a valuable treatment option to some.