bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Electroacupuncture: An Effective Treatment of Some Visual Disorders
Authors: Galewski Ralph 
Published: April 2009

Visual disorders present a special problem of treatment due to their frequent occurrence. The type and prevalence change according to the socioeconomic status of the country concerned and its health service development. Among these disorders, some involve the neurological system, such as: retinitis pigmentosa, Usher's Syndrome, premature retinopathy, amblyopia and congenital rubella. These diseases are considered to have a bad prognosis, with visual acuity loss leading to blindness, and the neurological damage has been considered irreversible. The scientific literature has little to say about the physiopathological mechanism of their degenerative processes. However metabolic changes seem to be implicated. Similar metabolic changes have been investigated in sensori-neural hearing loss, where a metabolic acidosis due to increased levels of lactic and pyruvic acids, together with enzyme disorders of the cytochrome-oxidase system have been reported. Taking as a working hypothesis that the same type of metabolic disorder exists in these visual disorders, an electroacupuncture therapy was designed that aimed to produce visual improvement through metabolic rebalance. Brief case histories are given of 44 patients having various visual disorders with neurological involvement who showed improvement with electroacupuncture. No side effects or adverse reactions were recorded following this treatment. The author proposes that electroacupuncture should be considered as a suitable alternative treatment for visual disorders with neurological involvement. Also, the previously accepted irreversibility of these disorders must be seriously questioned.
An Evidence-Based Approach to Acupuncture
Authors: Ernst Edzard 
Published: April 2009

Evidence-based medicine relies mainly on the findings from clinical trials, and to minimise selection bias such trials should ideally be randomised. As the results of clinical studies are rarely identical, the fairest judgement on the effectiveness of a therapeutic intervention is generated through systematic review of clinical trials. Systematic reviews have to demonstrate that all the available evidence that fulfils appropriate criteria has been considered. Once systematic reviews have established the current evidence on a given subject, this knowledge needs to be implemented in clinical practice. Applying the rules of evidence-based medicine to acupuncture proves it to be effective for some conditions and ineffective for others, while its effects on many medical problems remain inconclusive: this indicates areas that require further research. Evidence based medicine should not be regarded as a threat to acupuncture, but as a challenge and an opportunity Importantly, this approach is strongly in the interests of patients.
Frozen Shoulder: A Comparison of Western and Traditional Chinese Approaches and a Clinical Study of Its Acupuncture Treatment
Authors: Tukmachi Emad S 
Published: April 2009

A pilot study using acupuncture in the treatment of 31 patients with frozen shoulder showed marked improvement in 24 and improvement in 6. Patients with idiopathic or arthritic frozen shoulder responded better than those with post-traumatic aetiology. There was no relationship between response to acupuncture and age. Although this study involved no control group, the high level of improvement together with the author's clinical experience suggests that acupuncture should be considered an effective option in the treatment of frozen shoulder; the more so since conventional medical therapy has a low expectation of benefit. Aetiology pathology and clinical management are described in both Western medical and traditional Chinese terms and details of acupuncture treatment methods are given.
Development of a New Sham Needle
Authors: Park Jongbae , White Adrian , Lee Hyejung , Ernst Edzard 
Published: April 2009

The problem of providing an acupuncture placebo that is indistinguishable from genuine needling has appeared insurmountable. However, the authors have developed an apparatus, the Park sham needle unit, which is intended to match what an acupuncture-naïve subject expects to see and experience with needling, but is intended not to produce the specific needling sensation (deqi) that is felt with true needling. This can still not be regarded as a true placebo since skin contact must be made for verisimilitude and there may thus be some physiological stimulation. Nonetheless this form of sham acupuncture should be considered an advance on all previously used methods. The apparatus consists of a blunted needle, the shaft of which telescopes into the handle when tapped, so that, while the needle appears to have been inserted, it does not actually pierce the skin. The needle is held in place by a standard guide tube contained within a fitted sheath with basal ring that is secured to the skin with double sided sticky tape.
Acupuncture: Where to Place the Needles and for how Long
Authors: Campbell Anthony 
Published: April 2009

There are many ways of choosing positions on the body to needle in acupuncture treatment. Similarly there are many ways of stimulating the points chosen. Despite the variety of acupuncture methods advocated, most good-quality trials seem to show a similar 70% success rate, suggesting that there is little clinical difference between techniques. In order to simplify the Western medical usage of acupuncture, the author offers a composite view of needling techniques in which the term “Acupuncture treatment area” (ATA) refers to any suitable site of needle insertion. This may be a single traditional point, it may be a local painful area, a distant strong point, the periosteum around a joint, or it could be a large area of subcutaneous tissue, as in the lower abdomen. The author suggests that the concept of ATAs will allow acupuncture development free of theoretical expectations, and has the advantage that clinically most medical acupuncturists have already adopted this way of working.
Segmental Dysfunction
Authors: Watkin Hywel 
Published: April 2009

Spinal segmental dysfunction, although used in clinical practice by medical acupuncturists, musculoskeletal physicians, physiotherapists and osteopaths, is not a concept which is familiar to the majority of medical practitioners. The concept implies that a problem in the function of a spinal segment may cause symptoms without necessarily being caused by physical pathology. Studies of the dysfunctional spinal segment have shown that physical stress, emotional stress and visceral disease all cause a reaction at the dysfunctional segment more easily than at normal segments. In the same way that individuals may have asymptomatic latent trigger points which may later become symptomatic, so individuals may have asymptomatic dysfunction which later becomes symptomatic under the influence of appropriate stimuli. There is some evidence that the clinical features of segmental dysfunction may be mediated by the sympathetic nervous system. The detection of segmental dysfunction is a clinical skill worth developing and the properties of the dysfunctional segment are worthy of further research.
Recurrent Herpes Simplex Infection from Western and Traditional Chinese Medicine Viewpoints
Authors: Stoyanov Peter , Iliev Emil 
Published: April 2009

The authors have previously followed traditional Chinese acupuncture methods in the treatment of recurrent herpes simplex infection and have had moderately good results. However, following the successful treatment of a very severely affected patient who had suffered more than 15 recurrences per year, an alternative regime was instituted. This involved body acupuncture to immunomodulating points, direct irradiation of the herpetic lesions with He-Ne laser, daily application of aloe vera extract, and specific dietary restrictions. Using this regime they report complete recovery, with no herpetic recurrence for more than a year, in up to 83% of their patients. They also measured immunological parameters before and after treatment, finding that: serum IgG, C3 complement fraction, and the protease inhibitors α1-antitripsin and α2-macroglobulin all increase, while secretory IgA and C3 complement fraction in urine normalise. These preliminary results have encouraged continuation of the clinical trials of this method.
Acupuncture in the Treatment of Hypertension and Stroke
Authors: Ren Yue Emily 
Published: April 2009

This article identifies and comments on published studies of acupuncture treatment for hypertension and stroke. In all, 27 appropriate papers were analysed: 13 were hypertension papers with 3 being of controlled trials, and 14 were stroke papers with 5 controlled trials. The articles consisted of randomised controlled trials (RCTs), controlled trials, and case series studies. The hypertension papers also involved some cohort studies. In general, sample sizes of these studies were small. Acupuncture in these papers was used as a secondary intervention for treating hypertension and as a tertiary intervention for stroke rehabilitation. The RCTs (the top of the hierarchy of evidence) of hypertension showed that acupuncture was not more effective than sham acupuncture or the anti-hypertensive drug, reserpine; however, all the case series suggested that acupuncture was an effective treatment. The RCT evidence for stroke showed that the effectiveness of acupuncture was similar to that of conventional treatment. The conclusion was that from the papers analysed there is insufficient evidence to show that acupuncture produces better results than other treatments for hypertension or stroke.
An Audit of Acupuncture in a Single-Handed General Practice over One Year
Authors: Stellon Anthony 
Published: April 2009

An audit was performed over one year on all patients undergoing acupuncture for a variety of conditions in a single-handed GP practice. The patients were observed for a further year to assess the effectiveness and duration of the treatment effect. Using the ‘measure yourself medical outcome profile’ (MYMOP) questionnaire, the effectiveness of acupuncture treatment was measured, and patients were categorised into no effect, improved or much improved. A total of 140 patients were audited over the one-year period. No effect was seen in 31% of patients, a further 31% were improved, and 38% were much improved. Those with a shorter duration of symptoms appeared to show the most benefit. During the one-year post-treatment observation period 50% of patients required further treatment. In conclusion, acupuncture appears to have been an effective treatment in the author's General Practice population. In this audit acupuncture seems to have had a short duration of effect. It is believed that this has lead to an increase in workload, not only as a result of patient demand, but also due to recurrence of symptoms following the initial success of treatment.
East and West See Eye to Eye – An Elective Report
Authors: Sistenich Vera 
Published: April 2009

A summary of personal experiences encountered as a medical student on elective at an eye hospital in China. It bears witness to the possibility of seamless combination of western and traditional Chinese medical practices in the field of ophthalmology. Included are also the acupuncture points used in the treatment of optic atrophy at this particular eye hospital. Address of eye hospital: Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center 54 South Xianlie Road Guangzhou 510060 China. Period of elective: 5th January 2001 – 11th March 2001.
Control of Infection in Acupuncture
Authors: Walsh Barry 
Published: April 2009

This paper is an update on infections, and potential infections, related to acupuncture, and a brief review of the relevant infection control procedures. There is no evidence at present to suggest that significant numbers of infections are being transmitted through standard acupuncture treatments in the UK. None the less, good infection control is essential. Like any other science, new research forces infection control to evolve and refine its procedures. Acupuncturists need to constantly review their standards as new viruses and risks are identified.
An Audit of the Effectiveness of Acupuncture on Musculoskeletal Pain in Primary Health Care
Authors: Kam Elisa , Eslick Guy , Campbell Ian 
Published: April 2009

Little is known about the use of acupuncture in general practice. We performed a retrospective review of the use of acupuncture in relieving musculoskeletal pain, a condition that is commonly encountered in general practice. A sample of 116 patient records was reviewed, from which 92 patients (mean age 52 years; 64% female) met the inclusion criterion of musculoskeletal pain. Information obtained included age, sex, diagnosis, duration of the problem, length of treatment (weeks), number of treatments, duration of each treatment (minutes), number of needles used, level of benefit obtained from the treatment, and recurrence of pain. There were many different conditions encountered. We found an association between the general practitioner using fewer needles and patients experiencing greater pain relief. This could be a reflection of treating myofascial pain syndromes, which often appear to respond well to a single needle in the key trigger point. Overall, we found that sixty-nine percent of patients had a good or excellent response to acupuncture treatment. We recommend acupuncture as a treatment option for patients who do not respond to the usual therapies (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) for musculoskeletal conditions.
Acupuncture in Patients with Valvular Heart Disease and Prosthetic Valves
Authors: Stellon Anthony 
Published: April 2009

Endocarditis has been reported in patients with valvular heart disease who have undergone acupuncture treatment, although most have been associated with the use of semi-permanent needles. This has led reviewers to suggest that acupuncture may not only be contraindicated in such patients but that prophylactic antibiotics should be given. This study investigated the use of acupuncture treatment in patients with proven valvular heart disease and observed whether endocarditis developed in such patients. All patients in a single-handed GP practice with proven valvular heart disease, including those with prosthetic valves, were identified over a ten-year period. Those who had undergone acupuncture treatment underwent a clinical examination and diagnostic tests, which focused on the signs, symptoms and laboratory criteria for the diagnosis of endocarditis and included a transthoracic echocardiogram. Autopsy findings were reviewed in any patient who died. Based on these clinical and laboratory data, using the modified Duke's criteria for the diagnosis of endocarditis, patients were identified as having definite or possible endocarditis, or the diagnosis was rejected. All patients underwent brief acupuncture with no skin disinfectant and no prophylactic antibiotics were given. Semi-permanent needles were avoided. Thirty-six patients with valvular heart disease underwent a total of 479 acupuncture treatments over a ten-year period. The median number of treatments was 9 (range 1 – 72), with a follow-up after treatment of 5.75 years (range 0.5 – 10 years). Definite endocarditis was not found in any patient, but two patients had possible endocarditis, eventually discounted by both negative blood cultures and echocardiography. In conclusion, brief acupuncture was safe in this small cohort of valvular heart disease patients and no case of endocarditis was detected over a ten-year period.
A Proposed Experimental Model of Myofascial Trigger Points in Human Muscle after Slow Eccentric Exercise
Authors: Itoh Kazunori , Okada Kaoru , Kawakita Kenji 
Published: April 2009

Background The purpose of this study was to develop an experimental model of myofascial trigger points to investigate their pathophysiology. Methods Fifteen healthy volunteers who gave informed consent underwent repetitive eccentric exercise of the third finger of one hand (0.1Hz repetitions, three sets at five minute intervals) until exhaustion. Physical examination, pressure pain threshold, and electrical pain threshold of the skin, fascia and muscle were measured immediately afterwards and for seven days. Needle electromyogram (EMG) was also recorded in a subgroup of participants. Results Pressure pain thresholds decreased to a minimum on the second day after the exercise, then gradually returned to baseline values by the seventh day. On the second day, a ropy band was palpated in the exercised forearm muscle and the electrical pain threshold of the fascia at the palpable band was the lowest among the measured loci and tissues. Needle EMG activity accompanied with dull pain sensation was recorded only when the electrode was located on or near the fascia of the palpable band on the second day of exercise. Conclusion These results suggest that eccentric exercise may yield a useful model for the investigation of the myofascial trigger points and/or acupuncture points. The sensitised nociceptors at the fascia of the palpable band might be a possible candidate for the localised tender region.
Trigger Point Acupuncture Treatment of Chronic Low Back Pain in Elderly Patients – a Blinded Rct
Authors: Itoh Kazunori , Katsumi Yasukazu , Kitakoji Hiroshi 
Published: April 2009

Objective There is some evidence for the efficacy of acupuncture in chronic low back pain, but it remains unclear which acupuncture modes are most effective. Our objective was to evaluate the effects of two different modes of trigger point acupuncture on pain and quality of life in chronic low back pain patients compared to standard acupuncture treatment. Methods Thirty five consecutive out-patients (25 women, 10 men; age range: 65–81 years) from the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Meiji University of Oriental Medicine, with non-radiating low back pain for at least six months and normal neurological examination, were randomised to one of three groups over 12 weeks. Each group received two phases of acupuncture treatment with an interval between them. Nine patients dropped out during the course of the study. The standard acupuncture group (n=9) received treatment at traditional acupuncture points for low back pain, while the other acupuncture groups received superficial (n=9) or deep (n=9) treatments on trigger points. Outcome measures were VAS pain intensity and Roland Morris Questionnaire. Results After treatment, the group that received deep needling to trigger points reported less pain intensity and improved quality of life compared to the standard acupuncture group or the group that received superficial needling to trigger points, but the differences were not statistically significant. There was a significant reduction in pain intensity between the treatment and interval in the group that received deep needling to trigger points (P<0.01), but not in the standard acupuncture group or the group that received superficial needling to trigger points. Conclusion These results suggest that deep needling to trigger points may be more effective in the treatment of low back pain in elderly patients than either standard acupuncture therapy, or superficial needling to trigger points.
The Effects of Laser Acupuncture on Chronic Tension Headache – a Randomised Controlled Trial
Authors: Ebneshahidi Narges Sadat , Heshmatipour Mojtaba , Moghaddami Alireza , Eghtesadi-Araghi Payam 
Published: April 2009

Objective Headache affects the quality of life for many people throughout the world. Tension headache is among the commonest forms. Acupuncture is the most widely practised non-medicinal treatment for headaches. The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of laser acupuncture in this type of headache. Methods Fifty patients with chronic tension-type headache were randomly allocated to treatment or placebo groups. Patients in the treatment group received low energy laser acupuncture to LU7, LI4, GB14, and GB20 bilaterally. Points were irradiated for 43 seconds, and the intensity was 1.3J (~13J/cm2). Ten sessions were given, three per week. The placebo group was treated in a similar way except that the output power of the equipment was set to zero. The outcome variables were headache intensity (VAS), duration of attacks, and number of days with a headache per month, by daily diary, assessed monthly to three months after treatment. Results There were significant differences between groups (P<0.001) in changes from baseline in months one, two and three, in median score for headache intensity (treatment group -5, -3 and -2, placebo group -1, 0 and 0), median duration of attacks (treatment group -6, -4 and -4, placebo group -1, 0 and 0 hours), and median number of days with headache per month (treatment group -15, -10 and -8, placebo group -2, 0 and 0). Conclusion This study suggests that laser acupuncture may be an effective treatment for chronic tension-type headache, but the results should be confirmed in larger and more rigorous trials.
The Integration of Acupuncture within Medicine in the UK – the British Medical Acupuncture Society—s 25Th Anniversary
Authors: Baldry Peter 
Published: April 2009

Acupuncture was first used in China, probable about 2000 years ago. When acupuncture first arrived in the West in the 17th century, the principles which the Chinese had used to explain its actions were at variance with current scientific knowledge of the body's structure and function. This led to the rejection of acupuncture by the medical profession in the UK, although individual practitioners adopted it with enthusiasm, usually needling the point of maximal tenderness to treat musculoskeletal pain. Acupuncture was more generally accepted in France and Germany, where the pioneering British physician Felix Mann encountered it in the 1950s. He then taught acupuncture to other medical practitioners and organised regular meetings in London, from which the British Medical Acupuncture Society, BMAS, emerged in 1980. The tradition of biannual scientific meetings has continued since then. The Society has many connections with prominent acupuncturists internationally and is a founder member of the International Council of Medical Acupuncture and Related Techniques (ICMART), and has hosted two world congresses. The Society was involved in standardisation of the meridian nomenclature published in 1990. The Society's scientific journal, Acupuncture in Medicine, was founded in 1981 and has gained international recognition, being indexed on several databases. The Society has established regular teaching courses at different levels, which lead to professional qualifications of Certificate and Diploma. The membership is now open to different health professionals, has grown steadily and now stands at nearly 2500. The Society is administered from offices in Cheshire and London. Many individual members have contributed to the Society's characteristic Western ‘medical’ approach to acupuncture in which needling is seen as a form of neuromuscular stimulation that owes little to traditional meridians or points. The Society has shown a particular interest in acupuncture for myofascial trigger point pain. Members of the Society have contributed to the evidence base of acupuncture with several books, clinical trials and reviews. The Society is optimistic that it will have an increasingly important role in promoting the use and scientific evaluation of acupuncture for the public benefit.