Revista Internacional de Acupuntura最新文献

Objectives

Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is a neuropathic pain, usually unilateral, affecting one or more trigeminal nerve innervation territories. The current study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture in TN pain control.

Methods

An integrative review was developed on Medline (Pubmed), LILACS (BVS) and Cochrane Library databases. Keywords “trigeminal neuralgia” AND “acupuncture” were combined in different ways to ensure a wide search of primary studies. Article reference lists were also screened. Inclusion criteria comprised clinical studies developed in humans, without date publication limit, published in languages English, Portuguese and Spanish, performing any type of acupuncture therapy for TN pain control.

Results

Among the six studies selected, most were randomized controlled clinical trials, developed in China. Only one study performed a retrospective cross-sectional. To assess pain, most used the VAS scale. There were very similar methods concerning points selection and treatment protocols. All studies found a significant decrease in pain frequency or intensity, disregarding the type of acupuncture applied.

Conclusion

Acupuncture therapy seems to decrease frequency and intensity of TN pain episodes, alone or in combination with gold standard medications. However, there is a need for standardizing methodological issues and prospective evaluations.

Objective

This study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness and characteristics of electroacupuncture (EA) at ST36 in the overexpression of proteins in a murine model of obesity.

Methods

A murine model of obesity with hypercaloric diet was used, n = 6 per group, a sham acupuncture group and a group with EA at ST36, in a 7-week non-randomized controlled experimental trial of treatment. At the end of the treatment body weight, glucose and protein expression of white adipose tissue was evaluated by proteomic analysis.

Results

This study demonstrated the regulation of five proteins using electroacupuncture, and these proteins fulfil a function regulating cellular processes that can lead to homeostasis and respond to the effects of a hypercaloric diet. It is shown that the effect of ST36 presents changes in the metabolism of lipids and triglycerides as well as improving the intercellular processes towards homeostasis, proposing proteins that are regulated using acupuncture.

Conclusions

This study provides a preliminary understanding of the beneficial effects of the effect of electrostimulation at the ST36 point on adipose tissue in a murine model with hypercaloric diet. The proteins that were identified could help to justify the regulatory effect towards cell homeostasis and the therapeutic effect that can be obtained by using this therapy. This work represents the beginnings of the description of the mechanisms of action at the level of protein expression by treatment with electroacupuncture at low frequency.

Objective

This study aimed to analyze the effect of acupuncture in Heart auricular point on cardiovascular function in healthy subjects.

Design

A kinetics cross-sectional experimental study was conducted at Clínica de Acupuntura, Unidad Iztapalapa, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Ciudad de México, México.

Participants

Eight healthy university students (four women) aged 21.12 ± 1.81 (mean ± SD) participated in the present study to investigate the kinetics of the acute effect of acupuncture stimulation at auricular point Heart.

Interventions

The study consisted of one session of manual auricular acupuncture in the Heart point in the right ear. The following data for every heartbeat: Cardiac output (CO), heart rate (HR), stroke volume (SV), mean arterial pressure (MAP), and systemic vascular resistance (SVR) were computed. Manual acupuncture was applied at the auricular point Heart.

Results

This treatment showed an inhibitory effect on CO, HR, SV, and MAP; and stimulatory effect on SVR. Our results showed that acupuncture at the auricular point Heart initially produced a decrease in both HR and SV, therefore in CO; and secondly, a rise of SVR as a compensatory response.

Conclusions

Data suggest the possibility of vagal stimulation immediately after auricular acupuncture in Heart point with a secondary sympathetic response.

Introduction

Although pharmacotherapy has been shown to be effective in the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia (NT), there are patients who do not achieve a good response, or who have intolerable adverse effects. Neurosurgery, also effective, has contraindications, risks and recurrences. Although acupuncture has been associated with pain relief, this response needs to be more documented in patients with poor response to conventional pharmacotherapy. We set out to describe the clinical outcome of patients with trigeminal neuralgia with poor response to medications, treated with stimulation of acupuncture points, determining their effects on pain intensity.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective study reviewing clinical charts, in one centre, including patients diagnosed with trigeminal neuralgia with poor response to conventional pharmacotherapy, who were treated with laser and needle acupoint stimulation, 3 sessions weekly, 4 to 12 weeks. Pain intensity was the principal measurement.

Results

Seven patients, with 5 months or more with trigeminal neuralgia without response to conventional pharmacotherapy were analysed. Five were women. The mean age of the patient was 59.0 years (range 34–87 years). All tolerated the treatment well. Pain intensity decreased significantly (from a mean [SD] 9.8 [.4] at the beginning, to 2.3 [2.5] in session 10 (week 4), and to 1.3 [2,0] at week 12; p < .001). At week 4, in 5 patients, pain intensity had decreased by 50%, and 3 were without pain.

Conclusions

Patients with trigeminal neuralgia and poor response to conventional pharmacotherapy, treated with stimulation of acupunctural points using needles and laser puncture, with individualized selection according to diagnosis by traditional Chinese medicine, had a satisfactory clinical outcome with good treatment tolerance and significant relief of pain intensity.

Introduction

Episodic paroxysmal anxiety is a disease characterized by the sudden and unexpected occurrence of acute anxiety attacks that consist of a sensation of fear or malaise accompanied by physical and cognitive symptoms. The purpose of this study is to verify the effects of acupuncture on episodic paroxysmal anxiety symptoms.

Research problem

What are the effects of acupuncture on the symptoms of episodic paroxysmal anxiety in a case study?

Methods

A case-study was conducted in which an acupuncture point protocol was applied for 10 sessions once a week in a female patient suffering from episodic paroxysmal anxiety. The anxiety scale of Dr Aaron Beck - better known as the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) served as a measurement tool to evaluate the results before the first and after the last session.

Results

After the 10th treatment, the patient's symptoms showed significant progress. There is no worsening of any symptom, and a reduction by one level of severity in all initial 19 symptoms, totalling a reduction of 36 points on the Bai anxiety scale.

Conclusion

We conclude that acupuncture can be an excellent therapy in the relief and control of symptoms in patients with EPA.

Introduction

The development of new strategies and work tools to optimize recovery time after an injury or to increase athletes’ sports performance has led to the exploration of traditional Chinese medicine techniques such as acupuncture.

Objective

To analyse the effect of acupuncture on the treatment of sports injuries and the improvement of athletic performance.

Design

A systematic integrative review based on PRISMA.

Data sources

Articles available in the databases PubMed/MEDLINE, PEDro and The AcuTrials®Database were reviewed for retrieval of records. The search was developed using Boolean search algorithms such as “acupuncture therapy” OR “Acupuncture” AND “sports” NOT disease NOT health y “acupuncture” AND “sports” OR “injuries”, although related free language terms were also used.

Selection of studies

a) randomized clinical trials, case studies, narrative reviews, systematic reviews and meta-analyses - the latter must comply with the PRISMA, COCHRANE statement or be registered in PROSPERO; b) studies published between 2009 and 2019; c) publications written in English and Spanish; d) full text available, and e) publications that evaluated the effect of acupuncture on musculoskeletal injuries and sports performance.

Results

With a Price index of 61.1%, 18 articles published in international journals were retrieved, of which eight (44.4%) were randomized clinical trials; four (22.2%) were narrative reviews; five (27.7%) were systematic reviews and/or meta-analyses; and one (5.55%) was a case study. There is evidence for acupuncture as an effective treatment for sports injuries with components of inflammation and pain, mainly in the lower extremities, probably due to the analgesic effect and improved blood flow. However, although the traditional acupuncture protocol may be effective in improving muscle strength/power, more research is required regarding the effect on low-moderate intensity exercise.

Conclusions

Acupuncture is a tool with potential to improve physiological and psychological variables related to injury treatment and sports performance; however, more standardized research is required.

Objective

To determine the analgesic effect of acupuncture in outpatients with headache.

Material and methods

A longitudinal, descriptive study of clinical cases of patients who attended a private acupuncture clinic was carried out. Specific points of traditional Chinese acupuncture were used.

Participants

Sixty-three patients with headache were evaluated between men and women who met the study inclusion criteria.

Results

At the end of the 2-week treatment, complete remission of pain was obtained in 77.7% of patients, while in 8% there was no improvement.

Conclusions

Chinese classical acupuncture has been shown to be effective for the treatment of headache in the control of its main symptoms such as pain. Despite this, in the present study about a quarter of the patients did not achieve total cure, although they did achieve symptom relief.

Objective

To evaluate the effect of electroacupuncture at low frequencies in a murine model using a modified depression model with the forced swimming test for seven weeks.

Material and methods

12 mice of the CD-1 strain, two groups (n = 6), a group with electroacupuncture (EA) treatment (4–6 Hz, 14 sessions of 20 min, for seven weeks) and a group of sham acupuncture (Sham), using a modified depression model, with the forced swim test.

Results and conclusions

In this study, in the EA group a significant effect on depression was shown using the forced swim test. It was determined that the group with EA increased their body weight (on average by 4 g), which could be interpreted as a behavior that seeks to preserve life and therefore mice retain their appetite toward achieving adequate growth and development. In this way, it can be shown that EA has an antidepressant effect, favoring increased motivation to survive and reducing behaviors corresponding to states of depression.

Facial paralysis is a neurological condition characterised by a sudden paralysis of the muscles innervated by the seventh cranial nerve. Although it is more common in adults, the paediatric population is not exempt from presenting with it, and the bilateral form being even rarer. The case is presented of a 13-year-old boy with bilateral facial paralysis. The enzyme markers suggested cholestasis, but otherwise asymptomatic. It was resolved completely by exclusive treatment with acupuncture.

Objective

Evaluate the most used acupuncture points in the treatment of depression by the Argentine Acupuncture Society (SAA) and in the current bibliography.

Justify the use of the heart meridian (C-7 Shenmen point) for the treatment of depression.

Methods

Retrospective observational study of the most used points by the SAA for heart disharmonies between October 2015 and December 2017 and comparing them with 9 randomised controlled studies of the “Acupuncture for depression” Review. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.

Results

An evaluation was made of 118 clinical histories from the outpatient department of the SAA were evaluated. They included 47 patients with Heart Disharmony Patterns, 33 patients with biomedical diagnoses of depression, anxiety, or insomnia. Points used: C-7 Shenmen (75%), DU20 Baihui (70%), V15 Xinshu (61%), PC6 Neiguan (45%).

Compared to the 9 randomised controlled studies of “Acupuncture for depression”, the selection criterion was the use of distance points. Points used: DU20 Baihui, C7 Shenmen, PC6 Neiguan, H3 Taichong, R3 Taixi, V62 Shenmai, E36 Zhusanli, B6 Sanyinjiao, and IG4 Hegu

In both populations, the most commonly used distal point was the C7-Shenmen, the meridian point of the heart, showing the heart-brain interaction. Studies with functional Magnetic Resonance demonstrated brain modulation at the level of functional neural networks in the case of depression, with C7 Shenmen.

Conclusions

There was a high level of agreement between the points used by the SAA and the current bibliography: DU20-Baihui, C7-Shenmen, and PC6-Neiguan

The relationship between the brain-heart and the concept of “interoception” and “Embodied cognition” explain the modulation of the C7-Shenmen point at the level of neural networks in the case of depression.