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What Researchers Are Saying...
As reported in recent issues of The Journal of Chinese Medicine (www.jcm.co.uk):
CHRONIC HEADACHE
A large German study compared the effects of randomly assigned acupuncture, self-elected acupuncture and non-acupuncture controls on chronic migraine and tension headache in a total of 15,056 patients. After three months of treatment (fifteen sessions) the frequency of headache days reduced significantly and quality of life scores improved significantly between the acupuncture and control groups. There was no significant difference in improvement scores between the migraine and tension headache patients. (11th Annual Symposium on Complementary Health Care 2004)
MORE ON CHRONIC HEADACHE
Acupuncture has demonstrated a clear long-term benefit for patients suffering from chronic headaches. In a British study, 401 patients were randomly assigned to receive either individualized acupuncture treatment (12 treatments over 3 months), or normal care from their general practitioner (control). At 12 months after the onset of treatment, headache scores in the acupuncture group fell by 34% (compared to 16% in the control group), with 22 fewer days of headache a year. They took 15% less medication, made 25% fewer doctor visits, and took 15% fewer days off work. The acupuncture group also showed statistically significant improvements in quality of life, as measured by the SF-36 health status questionnaire, specifically in physical role functioning, energy and change in overall health. The greatest improvements were found in patients with migraine. In another paper by the same research team, it was found that the cost-effectiveness of giving acupuncture compared favorably with other health service interventions. The authors conclude that "Acupuncture in addition to standard care results in persisting, clinically relevant benefits for primary care patients with chronic headache, particularly migraine, compared with controls. Expansion of NHS acupuncture services for headache should be considered." (BMJ, doi: 10.1136/ bmj.38029.421863, 15 March 2004).
CHRONIC BACK PAIN
A meta-analysis of 33 randomized controlled trials of acupuncture has concluded that it can effectively relieve chronic lower back pain. (Annals of Internal Medicine, Vol. 142, Issue 8, pages 651-663)
KNEE ARTHRITIS
The longest and largest randomized, controlled phase III clinical trial of acupuncture ever conducted has found that acupuncture can significantly improve the symptoms of arthritis of the knee. The study of 570 patients was carried out at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. The patients were randomly assigned to receive 23 treatments of either true or sham (no actual insertion of needles) acupuncture or a 12-week knee osteoarthritis education course. At the end of the study, the true acupuncture group had the greatest reduction (40%) in knee pain and the greatest improvement (nearly 40%) in knee function. The study was funded by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) and the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), both components of the US National Institutes of Health. "For the first time, a clinical trial with sufficient rigor, size, and duration has shown that acupuncture reduces the pain and functional impairment of osteoarthritis of the knee," said Stephen E. Straus, NCCAM Director. "These results also indicate that acupuncture can serve as an effective addition to a standard regimen of care and improve quality of life for knee osteoarthritis sufferers. (Ann Intern Med, Dec 2004; 141: 901-910.)
FIBROMYALGIA
Fibromyalgia patients treated with six sessions of acupuncture experienced significant symptomatic improvement compared to a group given sham acupuncture. 50 patients with moderate to severe, recalcitrant fibromyalgia, for whom other symptom-relief treatments were ineffective, were randomly assigned to receive acupuncture or sham acupuncture (neither group knew which), administered in six sessions over two to three weeks. Patients receiving true acupuncture experienced significantly greater relief of pain, fatigue and anxiety than the sham acupuncture patients, with the greatest improvement showing one month after the end of treatment but reverting to baseline levels at a seven-month follow-up. (The International Association for the Study of Pain 11th World Congress on Pain, Sydney, Australia)
ACUPUNCTURE BOOSTS FERTILITY
A review of the medical literature on acupuncture and female fertility published in the journal Fertility and Sterility has shown that acupuncture can help reduce stress, increase blood flow to the reproductive organs and normalize ovulation and the menstrual cycle. As such, women struggling to get pregnant may want to add acupuncture to their roster of fertility-boosting treatments, according to study author Dr. Raymond Chang of Cornell University. Recent reports have shown that women who incorporate acupuncture into their in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment are more likely to become pregnant than those who use IVF alone, and that women who used acupuncture without any other fertility treatments were just as likely to conceive in the same period of time as women who took a fertility drug. (Fertility and Sterility 2002; 78: 1149-1153).
IVF & PREGNANCY
A German study reported in June 2002 showed that adding acupuncture to the treatment protocol of patients receiving IVF increased their chances of becoming pregnant by 50%. Now a further study carried out at the Reproductive Medicine and Fertility Centre in Colorado Springs, USA, has compared the pregnancy rates of 114 women, half of whom received acupuncture before and after embryo transfer, whilst the other half underwent transfer without acupuncture (control group). The acupuncture group obtained a 51% pregnancy rate and an 8% miscarriage rate compared to 36% and 20% respectively in the control group. Acupuncture also was found to reduce the risk of tubal pregnancy and increase the live birth rate. (October 2004 meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine)
ACUPUNCTURE IMPROVES SPERM QUALITY
A study of the effect of acupuncture on sperm quality in men suffering infertility of unknown cause, found that after twice weekly treatment for five weeks, there were fewer structural sperm defects and an increase in the number of normal sperm ejaculated. Other sperm abnormalities such as immature or dead sperm were not affected. (Fertility and Sterility, Volume 84, Issue 1, July 2005, Pages 141-147)
MENOPAUSAL SYMPTOMS
In a randomized study, women suffering menopausal symptoms were treated either with acupuncture points specifically chosen to treat their disorder, or more general qi tonifying acupuncture. The acupuncture specific group showed a decrease in mean monthly hot flush severity whilst the comparison acupuncture treatment group showed no significant changes. Sleep disturbances in the point specific acupuncture treatment group also declined over the study, whilst mood changes in both groups showed a significant difference between the baseline and the third month of the study. (Holist Nurs Pract. 2003 Nov-Dec; 17 (6):295-9)
CROHNíS DISEASE
In a single blind controlled trial of 51 patients with mild to moderately active Crohnís disease, 27 were randomly assigned to receive traditional acupuncture, and 24 to receive sham acupuncture at non-points. The true acupuncture group showed significantly greater improvements in the Crohnís disease activity index than the sham group, and significantly greater wellbeing scores. Serum markers of inflammation decreased in the traditional acupuncture group but not in the sham group. (Digestion. 2004; 69 (3): 131-9. Epub 2004 Apr 26)
PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE
In a single-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study, 12 male volunteers (aged 21-26) were tested using cycle spiroergometry (measurement of oxygen uptake during bicycle exercising). Prior to exercising, volunteers received true acupuncture at different points, placebo acupuncture or no acupuncture. Needling of points Hegu L.I.-4 and Zusanli ST-36 was found to result in an increased maximum work load and significantly increased work load and oxygen uptake at the anaerobic threshold. (Deutsche Zeitschrift fur Akupunktur, 47. January 2004, pp.6-17).
MORE PROOF THAT ACUPUNCTURE WORKS
Real acupuncture directly stimulates the area of the brain that manages pain and the nervous system in a way that both sham acupuncture or simply applying pressure to the skin do not. Although many clinical studies have clearly demonstrated the value of acupuncture in treating various diseases and relieving many different symptoms, this is one of the few studies showing how the brain responds to acupuncture needling. This study also specifically demonstrates that the effect of true acupuncture is independent of whether a person does or does not believe it will be effective. (NeuroImage, Vol. 25, Issue 4, 1 May 2005, p1161-1167)
THE IMPORTANCE OF NEEDLE STIMULATION
A study has confirmed the importance of obtaining a ìde qiî sensation when needling, or at least manipulating the needle. 15 healthy subjects were needled at a real or a sham point (a non point), using both rotating and non-rotating needling methods. Functional MRI was used to determine brain activation during needling. At the real acupuncture points, an increase in cortical activation was observed when the needle was rotated but not when the needle was simply inserted without rotation. No cortical stimulation was observed when the sham point was needled. This supports the claim of Chinese traditional medicine, that stimulation of real acupuncture points has a specific effect on cortical activity. (Neuroradiology. 2004 May; 46 (5): 359-62)
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