Acupuncture and placebo: Effects on delaying the terminating response to a painful stimulus.
(17/798)
An experiment was performed to determine whether needles inserted into appropriate acupuncture points could delay onset of a pain-terminating response more than needles inserted as placebos into inappropriate points could. A heat source contained in a modified Hardy-Wolff-Goodell dolorimeter was used as a stimulus to produce pain on the posterolateral aspects of the left forearms of volunteer subjects. Subjects pressed a switch as soon as pain was experienced, and the latency between stimulus onset and response was measured to the nearest hundredth of a second. Response latencies were recorded before and after needling, which included electrical stimulation. Needles placed in specific acupuncture points called Ho-Ku and Wai-Kaun delayed onset of the pain-terminating response slightly more than needles inserted as placebos. Even with needles in appropriate acupuncture points, analgesia was slight and subjects still experienced pain. (+info)
Acupuncture compared with 33 per cent nitrous oxide for dental analgesia: A sensory decision theory evaluation.
(18/798)
Responses to electrical stimulation of the tooth pulp were obtained in both baseline and test sessions for subjects receiving acupuncture, 33 per cent nitrous oxide, or control conditions. A signal-detection analysis across sessions showed that both treatment groups demonstrated reduced sensitivity to stimulation, and increases in bias against reporting strong stimuli as painful. (Key words: Acupuncture; Anesthetics, gases, nitrous oxide; Measurement techniques, sensory decision theory; Pain, sensory decision theory). (+info)
Influence of acupuncture on Doppler ultrasound in pregnant women.
(19/798)
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the influence of acupuncture on the blood flow in the umbilical artery (UA), fetal aorta and uterine artery and on the fetal heart rate using two different acupuncture points (SP-6 (Sanyinjiao) and LI-4 (Hegu)). METHODS: In group A (n = 50), measurements (Doppler ultrasound and fetal heart rate) were performed at term after an uneventful pregnancy (#1) followed by acupuncture treatment using the acupuncture-point SP-6 bilaterally. The treatment time lasted 15 min after which the next measurement (#2) was carried out. The needles were then inserted into the LI-4 acupuncture point for a further 15 min. A third measurement at the end of acupuncture treatment (#3) completed the session. In group B (n = 25), measurements were made before (#1) and after (#4) acupuncture at LI-4 acupuncture points only. RESULTS: In group A, the mean systolic/diastolic (S/D) ratios of UA #1, UA #2 and UA #3 were 2.45, 2.38 and 2.22, respectively (P = 0.0012). The difference in mean S/D ratios between UA #1 and UA #3 as well as that between UA #2 and UA#3 were statistically significant (P = 0.0002 and P = 0.008, respectively). There was no difference between the mean S/D ratios of the uterine artery and between the mean resistance indices of the fetal aorta. In group B, the only significant difference between measurements following acupuncture treatment was in fetal heart rate (139 vs. 143 bpm, P = 0.02). CONCLUSION: Our study indicates a positive influence of acupuncture treatment on umbilical artery waveforms when using a combination of SP-6 (Sanyinjiao) and LI-4 (Hegu) acupuncture points. Acupuncture performed at these sites either individually or in combination does not seem to affect blood flow in the fetal aorta or uterine artery. (+info)
The methodological quality of randomized controlled trials of homeopathy, herbal medicines and acupuncture.
(20/798)
BACKGROUND: To investigate the methodological quality of randomized controlled trials in three areas of complementary medicine. METHODS: The methodological quality of 207 randomized trials collected for five previously published systematic reviews on homeopathy, herbal medicine (Hypericum for depression, Echinacea for common cold), and acupuncture (for asthma and chronic headache) was assessed using a validated scale (the Jadad scale) and single quality items. RESULTS: While the methodological quality of the trials was highly variable, the majority had important shortcomings in reporting and/or methodology. Major problems in most trials were the description of allocation concealment and the reporting of drop-outs and withdrawals. There were relevant differences in single quality components between the different complementary therapies: For example, acupuncture trials reported adequate allocation concealment less often (6% versus 32% of homeopathy and 26% of herb trials), and trials on herbal extracts had better summary scores (mean score 3.12 versus 2.33 for homeopathy and 2.19 for acupuncture trials). Larger trials published more recently in journals listed in Medline and in English language scored significantly higher than trials not meeting these criteria. CONCLUSION: Trials of complementary therapies often have relevant methodological weaknesses. The type of weaknesses varies considerably across interventions. (+info)
Unilateral versus bilateral acupuncture on knee function in advanced osteoarthritis of the knee--a prospective randomised trial.
(21/798)
We report a prospective randomised trial of acupuncture given to 44 patients with advanced osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee awaiting total knee joint replacement. Patients were randomly allocated into two groups, group A receiving acupuncture to the most affected knee only and group B receiving acupuncture to both knees. Acupuncture was given to four local points around the knee and one distal point. The local points were Spleen 9 (Yinlinquan, SP9), Spleen 10 (Xuehai, SP10), Stomach 34 (Liangqui, ST34), and Stomach 36 (Zusanli, ST36). The distal point was Large Intestine 4 (Hegu, LI4) on the first web space of the ipsilateral hand. A blinded observer assessed knee function before starting treatment, and at the end of two and six months. Analysis of the results showed a significant reduction in symptoms in both groups, and this improvement was sustained for six months. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups. In conclusion, unilateral acupuncture is as effective as bilateral acupuncture in increasing function and reducing the pain associated with OA of the knee. This trial is not able to distinguish the specific from the non-specific effects of the treatment. (+info)
A comparison of acupuncture with advice and exercises on the symptomatic treatment of osteoarthritis of the hip--a randomised controlled trial.
(22/798)
Acupuncture is becoming a common technique within the physiotherapy profession as a treatment modality for pain relief; however, few randomised controlled trials have been undertaken to assess the effectiveness of acupuncture, particularly in the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA) of the hip. Therefore, a randomised trial to compare the effectiveness of acupuncture with advice and exercises on the symptomatic treatment of OA of the hip was carried out. Thirty-two patients awaiting a total hip arthroplasty were randomly allocated to either the experimental group, (A), to have six sessions of acupuncture each lasting up to 25 minutes, or the control group, (B), to be given advice and exercises for their hip over a six week period. Group A consisted of three men and 13 women, and group B consisted of four men and eight women. The average age in group A was 66 years and in group B it was 68 years. Patients were assessed for pain and functional ability, using a modified version of the WOMAC questionnaire, pre-treatment, immediately post-treatment and at eight weeks post-treatment. The pre-treatment WOMAC scores in the two groups were similar (p=0.85). There was a significant improvement in group A (decrease in WOMAC score) immediately post-treatment (p=0.002) and this was maintained at the eight-week follow-up (p=0.03). There were no significant changes in group B. When the changes in WOMAC scores were compared between groups, a significantly greater improvement was found between pre-treatment and immediately post-treatment in group A, compared with group B (p=0.02). The changes between pre-treatment and the eight-week follow-up also showed a significant improvement in group A compared with group B (p=0.03). In conclusion, this trial supports the hypothesis that acupuncture is more effective than advice and exercises in the symptomatic treatment of OA of the hip. (+info)
The needle and the lancet: acupuncture in Britain, 1683-2000.
(23/798)
Although commonly regarded as a late twentieth century phenomenon, acupuncture use in Britain has a surprisingly long history, beginning with its seventeenth century transmission from China and Japan. Acupuncture was in use in the great hospitals of Paris before a second stage of transmission and translation brought it to nineteenth century Britain. Acupuncture's first wave of popularity and its results in British medical practice can be examined through examples drawn from the Lancet, the BMJ and other medical periodicals. This historical transmission of acupuncture to the UK can be fruitfully compared to its modern analogue, and historical patterns of acupuncture use can be compared with those displayed in contemporary Britain. (+info)
Developments in veterinary acupuncture.
(24/798)
Veterinary acupuncture has been developing rapidly in recent years. Public attention has been focused on acupuncture as a possible therapeutic intervention for their pets by the media. Interest in acupuncture from the veterinary profession has therefore been primarily driven by owner demand. Veterinarians are now seeking courses in acupuncture that are relevant to themselves as general practitioners rather than as specialists in complementary medicine. Evidence of the efficacy of acupuncture in treating any of the veterinary species is limited, so it is significant that two acupuncture-related trials at Glasgow University Veterinary School are currently receiving funding. (+info)