Revista Internacional de Acupuntura最新文献

Mixed dyslipidemia is defined as increased blood concentrations of cholesterol and triglycerides. This pathology is considered a risk factor for developing cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis or acute myocardial infarction.

We present the case of a 51-year-old patient with cholesterol and triglyceride levels above normal values who receives acupuncture treatment at points H 3 (Taichong), B 4 (Gongsun), E 40 (Fenglong), VB 34 (Yanglingquan), PC 5 (Jiangshi), H 14 (Qimen). After a treatment of 10 sessions (with a frequency of twice a week) with 1.5 cun acupuncture needles, insertion—except H 14 (Qimen) with transverse insertion following the curve of the rib—and manipulation with trepidation technique, we obtain as a result the relief of symptoms and a decrease in cholesterol (from 226.8 mg/dl to 95 mg/dl) and triglyceride (from 174.2 mg/dl to 118 mg/dl) concentrations, in addition to the reduction of cardiovascular risk according to the classical Framingham table.

Acupuncture points are essential for diagnosis and treatment in acupuncture. They are usually described in books and charts as a system of channels distributed along the body in precise and fixed places. However, despite its acceptance by academics, clinicians, and researchers, experimental evidence regarding the location and specificity of the acupoints is controversial. In this article we showed neurophysiological evidence to propose to propose that: a) the acupuncture point corresponds to an acupuncture receptive field of sensory neurons; and b) in situations such as pain and inflammation this receptive field is modified, showing neurodynamic and neuroplastic properties. Such changes in the peripheral nerve arborizations are associated with the organic conditions of the patient. Contextualization of the acupuncture receptive field is also consistent with mechanisms of acupoint sensitivity and unmasking of new acupuncture points, which would allow the understanding of similar clinical outcomes when puncturing sites close to acupuncture points. Likewise, this proposal emphasizes that for the design and execution of clinical trials, “control points” should be used away from the acupuncture receptive fields, to avoid biases in the results interpretation about clinical investigations with acupuncture.

Background

The recovery process is of utmost importance in activities where the athlete has to compete more than once a day during the competition. It is generally accepted that intense physical activity results in lactate production and the accumulation of lactate in exercising muscle is considered one of the main determining factors of fatigue.

Objective

The main goal of this pilot study was to evaluate the immediate effects of acupuncture on lactate removal after just one treatment session and to evaluate lactate, heart rate, and oxygen saturation behavior at 5, 30, and 60 min after exercise.

Methods

Four individuals were evaluated and were part of both the experimental group (real acupuncture) and the placebo group (sham acupuncture) and were tested at two distinct times with a one-week interval. Baseline values of lactate, heart rate, and oxygen saturation were measured, and then the participants performed a warm-up and subsequently completed the Wingate test. The individuals were re-evaluated 5, 30, and 60 min after the Wingate test, and either real or sham acupuncture was applied after the test.

Results

After the intervention period, there was an increased ability to reduce or remove lactate after maximum effort. No significant differences were observed in heart rate or oxygen saturation. Conclusions: The results of this case study seem to suggest that acupuncture has a positive effect on lactate removal after intense physical exercise.

The adverse events associated with acupuncture include infections with a range of causes. Reports worldwide document this phenomena, and it is recommended internationally that safe practice guides for acupuncture should be adopted to reduce the general incidence of adverse events, including infections associated with treatments of this type. Technical and regulatory documents are available for reference to achieve this aim. It is considered that if the professionals who practice acupuncture observed a series of aspects, this would affect the quality of care and in particular would help to reduce the incidence of adverse events associated with their practice. This paper describes the recommendations that are thought to be necessary to control the infections associated with the practice of acupuncture, and which are also applicable to similar techniques.

Acupuncture can control inflammation and pain by modulating various neuroimmunological communication pathways, including a catecholamine-dependent pathway. On the other hand, it has been reported that there are nerve terminals of the sympathetic nervous system in the dental pulp and these nerves can control the blood flow in the dental pulp. This study aimed to determine if acupuncture has an analgesic effect on the dental pulp and the relationship with neuroimmunological control elements in this tissue. A prospective cohort study was carried out with patients scheduled for tooth extraction for orthodontic reasons, which were treated with complementary management of electroacupuncture during the extraction process (n = 17). The success of dental anesthesia was determined using electrical tests and postoperative pain scales. In addition, the presence of the α2 adrenergic receptor in cells of immune lineage in dental pulp was determined by fluorescence microscopy. The results showed that complementary therapy with electroacupuncture has a success rate of 72.5%. In addition, cells of immune lineage in dental pulp expressed α2 adrenergic receptors. Consequently, the anatomical and molecular elements in the dental pulp related to catecholaminergic neuroimmune control are present. These anatomical and molecular elements may be related to pulp anesthesia and pain control during tooth extraction.

Low back pain is a painful syndrome located between the lower edge of the last ribs and lower to the fold of the buttocks compromising neuromusculoskeletal structures, causing functional limitation.

A case study is presented in a female patient which addresses the application of comprehensive treatment with acupuncture on VB 34 Yanglingquan and V 60 Kun Lun and the neurodynamic technique on symptoms in low back pain caused by “home office” derived from confinement by SARS-CoV-2.

After 8 sessions and frequency of 2 times a week of treatment with acupuncture needles with twisting and body of stainless-steel medical grade, with manual application inserting perpendicularly, manipulating with trepidation technique and performing neurodynamics in an active-assisted way, evaluated with PainDetect scale 2/38 points. Oswestry's low back disability scala obtained minimal disability.

This review summaries the available research on nuclear magnetic resonance to show the Auriculotherapy (AA) effect in human brains. Through search and analysis of clinical research in the PubMed/MEDLINE database, available related articles up to January 2023 were used only in English. This overview is not comprehensive and is due to be predominantly informative. A total of 4 trials met our inclusion criteria and were included in the quality analysis. Electrical stimulations were more frequent (3 studies) than needles (1 study). The above research delivers insufficient evidence that the AA at different points led to other brain structures' modulation. Although, the brain structures activated by the AA seems to overlap territories belonging to the anxiety's neurobiology. The endeavor to link the AA mechanisms to the cranial nerves combined with an embryological approach is promising. Nevertheless, additional studies with imaging, different AA techniques, and auricular points are necessary to provide evidence for this effect on mental health.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental illness triggered by a horrific event that one has either experienced or witnessed. People with PTSD are more likely to suffer from chronic pain than people who have not experienced trauma. The pain associated with PTSD may be caused by changes in the way the body processes pain signals. Auricular chromotherapy is a new treatment method that combines auriculotherapy, chromotherapy, and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) techniques. The purpose of this study was to report on four cases of chronic pain that were successfully treated with auricular chromotherapy.

Four patients with chronic pain were selected for this study. Auricular chromotherapy sessions were performed on each patient three times at one-week intervals. After the third session, a three-month follow-up was performed. After the treatments, all four patients reported that their pain had disappeared without any side effects.

These case reports suggest that auricular chromotherapy may be effective in treating chronic pain due to PTSD. Further preclinical and clinical studies are needed to investigate the mechanism of action of auricular chromotherapy in the treatment of pain.

This study aimed to characterize the scientific production of acupuncture worldwide and in Mexico. A descriptive and retrospective bibliometric analysis of the articles published worldwide on acupuncture in 2012–2022 and the articles published by researchers in Mexico without time restriction was carried out. The types of articles, the pattern of authorship, country, publication journals, impact and collaboration networks were analyzed. The Web of Science and PubMed databases were used to search the records. Also, we used the VOSviewer program and the R Bibliometrix package to assess the bibliometric analysis. The results showed that acupuncture research topics have changed in the last decade, and cell biology and genetics studies are trending. There is an evident growth in the production of literature in the area worldwide. In Mexico, acupuncture research groups exist in consolidated educational and research institutions such as UNAM, UAM, and IPN; however, there is no evidence of collaboration between them.