Revista Internacional de Acupuntura最新文献

Introduction

Jobs and/or occupations that involve standing for long periods of time, being overweight and obese, genetic predisposition, pregnancy, age, poor postural hygiene and even exposure to extreme heat can be important risk factors for the development of chronic venous insufficiency, which in turn is primarily characterised by symptoms such as pain, a feeling of heaviness, burning and even malformation (varicose veins and/or telangiectasias), cramps and oedema, most often in the lower limbs.

Objective

The aim of this project is to demonstrate the effectiveness of acupuncture treatment in conjunction with circulatory massage in reducing the symptoms of venous insufficiency and improving the quality of life of patients with venous insufficiency.

Material and methods

A patient with chronic venous insufficiency with a rating of C2 on the CEAP scale underwent clinical follow-up of 10 sessions using 0.35x50 mm filiform acupuncture needles and mineral oil. Acupuncture points Sanyinjiao (B6), Zusanli (E36), Yanglingquan (VB34), and Zhongwan (RM12) were treated for 15 minutes with manual stimulation in a toning technique. In addition, circulatory massage was performed for 20 minutes.

Results

Favourable results were obtained in terms of symptom reduction and skin appearance.

Conclusions

The use of acupuncture and the application of circulatory massage managed to reduce the symptoms of venous insufficiency and improve the patient's quality of life.

The ideal treatment for type III acromioclavicular dislocation is controversial, since there is insufficient evidence to support the best option. In this context, the electroacupuncture technique can be good auxiliary therapy for pain, as well as kinesitherapy techniques that improve mobility arches. The case of a 25-year-old male patient with sequelae of type III acromioclavicular dislocation is presented. After one month of treatment with electroacupuncture and kinesitherapy, results were obtained such as a decrease in pain, and increased range of motion and muscular strength of the right upper limb.

Introduction

Osteoarthritis is a chronic disease of the synovial joints characterized by the loss of cartilage due to mechanical and biological factors. Epidemiological studies show that the joints most affected in osteoarthritis are the hips and knees, affecting 9.6% of men and 18% of women > 60 years with clinically symptomatic osteoarthritis. For this reason, the objective of this article was to determine the effectiveness of a combined therapeutic exercise and acupuncture intervention in women > 50 years with osteoarthrosis of the knee.

Materials and methods

Randomized clinical trial, on a sample of 30 participants divided into 2 groups: real acupuncture + therapeutic exercise (A + TE group) and therapeutic exercise + sham acupuncture (TE group). SEBT (Star Excursion Balance Test), ROM (range of motion) were measured by goniometry and pain was measured using the visual analogue (VAS)scale and the WOMAC (Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index) questionnaire.

Results

The evaluated groups were statistically equal, the pain measured with VAS and WOMAC showed statistically significant changes (p < .001) between the groups, showing better results for the A + TE group. However, this improvement was not permanent since there was no additional benefit between the treatments at one month of follow-up.

Conclusions

The therapeutic strategies between acupuncture and therapeutic exercise applied in women > 50 years with osteoarthritis of the knee did not show clinically significant changes in the categories studied when comparing the interventions; however, in both treatment groups the participants experienced an improvement in the course of the intervention.

Introduction

This study aims to determine the effects of acupuncture at the Weiguanxiashu extra point, in the control of blood glucose levels in fasting adults, in the Lisbon region.

Place of study

The study was carried out at the Community Clinic of the Lisbon School of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Methods

The sample consisted of 15 individuals who underwent two interventions at different times with the same regimen (drinking 200 ml of juice). One intervention consisted of acupuncture at the Weiguanxiashu extra point and the other of only the simulation of puncture at the same acupoint. Blood glucose levels were measured three times (at 0, 15 and 30 minutes) during each treatment. The data were analysed using IBM SPSS 21 analysis software. The Wilcoxon test was used to compare the means of the initial and final blood glucose values.

Results

The initial mean of blood glucose values in the control group was 95.13 ± 10.88 mg/dL and in the experimental group it was 93.93 ± 13.33 mg/dL. In the last measurement, in the control group the mean was 116.13 ± 18.91 mg/dL and in the experimental group it was 106.67 ± 23.86 mg/dL.

Conclusion

This study showed that the use of a single point (Weiguanxiashu) was effective in controlling blood glucose levels.

Pancreatitis consists of either acute or chronic inflammation of the pancreas, clinically characterized by abdominal pain. Its aetiologies are diverse, including gallstones, alcoholism, infections, poisoning, metabolic diseases, and abdominal trauma, the latter being the most common in the paediatric population. The case is presented of a 17-year-old patient presenting posttraumatic acute pancreatitis sequelae that subsided with the application of acupuncture treatment in the Weishu (BL21) and Pishu (BL20) acupoints.

Introduction

Post-dural puncture headache (PDPH) is common among patients undergoing surgical procedures with spinal anesthesia. Conservative therapy might be associated with poor outcomes and delayed recovery. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of acupuncture on post-dural puncture headache in comparison to conservative treatment.

Method

In this single-blind randomized clinical trial 60 PDPH patients were divided into three groups. Group A received conservative pharmacological treatment, group B received acupuncture and group C received acupuncture sham. Outcomes were measured as pain intensity (visual analog scale VAS) and recovery time (time that pain falls from 4–7 to 0–3 on visual analog scale).

Results

All three groups had no significant difference in terms of gender, age, and baseline pain (immediately after the surgery). Pain intensity decreased significantly in acupuncture group comparing to other groups. Furthermore, acupuncture reduced pain faster than other treatments. The overall general condition of the patients in group A and B was not significantly different, however significantly improved compared to group C.

Conclusion

Acupuncture therapy can be an effective method to manage PDPH in a shorter time and can reduce the need for epidural blood patch and pharmacological analgesia. However, further randomized trails are required to validate these findings.

Tibial muscular dystrophy is a neuromuscular disease characterized by weakness in plantar flexion with low incidence in Mexico but a rather high presence in Finland. The case of a 69-year-old Mexican man diagnosed with tibial muscular dystrophy is presented. Following 4-month treatment with both acupuncture and physical therapy, results of increased muscular strength and articular mobility were achieved.

Objective

Evaluation of the energy levels of patients with dental pain before and after acupuncture or dipyrone.

Design

Analysis of energy parameters from a randomised double-blind clinical trial.

Location

Piracicaba Dentistry Faculty (FOP/Unicamp) in Piracicaba/SP, Brazil.

Participants

The clinical trial included 56 volunteers randomly assigned into 4 groups: Acupuncture, Placebo Acupuncture, Dipyrone and Dipyrone Placebo. The selected volunteers presented dental pain of pulpal origin with a pain score of over 4.

Interventions

Before any therapeutic intervention, the volunteers’ energy levels were measured using the Ryodoraku method. After this procedure, each volunteer received treatment according to their group. After 20 minutes, the volunteers’ energy and pain levels were measured again.

Main measurements

Ryodoraku and pain scale.

Results

All the patients had a deficient energy profile before the intervention. There was a numerical drop in energy in all groups after the interventions. The kidney meridian presented the greatest laterality imbalance before the interventions. There was no relationship between the side of the dental pain and the side with the highest energy of the meridian with the greatest laterality imbalance.

Conclusions

The patients with dental pain showed energy deficiency before therapeutic interventions, with a higher imbalance in the kidney meridian and a higher loss of energy when placebo acupuncture was used.

Introduction

In the absence of a vaccine or specific treatment to control the current pandemic, it is necessary to continue investigating potential therapeutic agents against COVID-19. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been used in the treatment of patients with SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) and MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus), and may have a role in the prevention, treatment, or rehabilitation of patients with COVID-19.

Objective

Describe the current state of the scientific literature published until May 17, 2020 about TCM in the management of patients with COVID-19.

Material and methods

Scoping review that included PubMed, Embase, Scopus and 18 databases of the World Health Organization International Registry of Clinical Trials Platforms. Empirical and theoretical publications in English and Spanish were included.

Results

A total of 35 documents and 93 clinical trial records (n = 128) were included; 46 clinical trials evaluated decoctions, capsules, granules, injections, and oral solutions based on herbal agents. The documents were narrative reviews (n = 9), letters to the editor (n = 6), editorials (n = 3), systematic reviews (n = 4), in silico studies (n = 4), comments (n = 2), case series (n = 2), and clinical practice recommendations (n = 2), clinical practice guidelines (n = 1), in vitro studies (n = 1), and opinion article (n = 1).

Conclusions

Only two case series studies using herbal remedies reported benefits for patients with mild and severe SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia. There are 78 ongoing randomized controlled trials that will soon provide evidence on the efficacy and safety of TCM in patients with COVID-19.

This article presents the case of a 55-year-old female patient who attended an acupuncture consultation with a one-month history of facial paralysis with failure of pharmacological treatment. The patient was treated with acupuncture and electroacupuncture for 3 weeks, 2 sessions per week (6 treatment sessions), obtaining full recovery of facial gestures and symmetry. This result suggests the effectiveness of acupuncture and electroacupuncture at low frequencies as a treatment for facial paralysis.