Abstract
NIH Study Shows Acupuncture Effective For Treating Pain
Acupuncture was one of the complementary health approaches found to be beneficial for managing pain by a group of scientists from the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health at the National Institutes of Health. The researchers reviewed 105 U.S.-based randomized controlled trials from the past 50 years, in which scientists studied seven approaches to managing back pain, osteoarthritis (OA), neck pain, fibromyalgia, severe headaches, and migraines. The researchers found promising results in favor of acupuncture and yoga for treating back pain, and in favor of acupuncture and t'ai chi for OA of the knee. Weaker evidence suggested that massage, spinal manipulation, and osteopathic manipulation might provide some relief for back pain, and that t'ai chi and relaxation might benefit patients with fibromyalgia. https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/nih-review-finds-nondrug-approaches-effective-treatment-common-pain-conditions
Leading Anesthesiology Group Suggests Acupuncture for Pain-Management Regimen
Sports injuries are common among young athletes, with >2.6 million sports-related injuries sending athletes to emergency departments annually. Prevention is the best approach, but when injuries occur, pain should be treated effectively. The American Society of Anesthesiologists Committee on Pain Medicine suggests combining various ways of treating pain, including acupuncture, physical therapy, and massage as part of a multimodal approach to treatment. Each patient should be assessed for the cause of the pain before a recommendation for the most effective treatment is made. https://www.asahq.org/about-asa/newsroom/news-releases/2016/09/pain-awareness-month
Online CME Available at AAMA Website
The American Academy of Medical Acupuncture recently announced that continuing medical education (CME) videos are available on the academy's website. Offerings include a presentation by pain medicine specialist Gary Stanton, MD, at Emerson Hospital in Concord, MA, about using French auricular acupuncture for treating neurologic disorders, and a session on physical and spiritual acupuncture practice by Steven K.H. Aung, MD, OMD, PhD, FAAFP, CM at the University of Alberta in Canada. Members must log on to the academy website to access the videos and use a promotional code of either JOURNALFREE or VIDEOFREE. Then members can take the course and the post-test and download their certificates. http://www.medicalacupuncture.org/For-Physicians/Academy-Newsletters/August-2016
Oregon Health Plan Will Cover Acupuncture for Treating Back Pain
Members of the Oregon Health Plan (OHP) with back pain can now receive acupuncture treatments and have the cost covered by an OHP health plan. Acupuncture, as well as cognitive behavioral therapy, physical therapy, osteopathic manipulation, and chiropractic manipulation, had not previously been a benefit for patients with OHP plans who did not have muscle weakness or other indications of nerve damage. Providers must assess patients to determine their risk level for chronic back pain and if the risk meets criteria for a surgical consultation. https://www.oregon.gov/oha/herc/FactSheet/Back-policy-changes-fact-sheet.pdf
Acupuncture Licensed in Kansas
Kansas became the 46th state in the United States to acknowledge acupuncture as a profession with the protected title “Licensed Acupuncturist.” The Kansas Acupuncture Practice Act passed the Kansas State Senate with a unanimous vote and it passed in the Kansas State House 115–7. The bill provides consumers with direct access to acupuncturists and takes effect in July of 2017. The bill includes a provision for both acupuncturists and physical therapists to perform dry needling. http://www.derbyinformer.com/news/business/acupuncture-licensed-in-kansas-no-longer-a-pain-for-practitioners/article_5fdd5dda-7460-11e6-b207-03822199229b.html
Electroacupuncture Effective for Treating Constipation
Zhishun Liu, MD, PhD, from the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, in Beijing, and colleagues, conducted a randomized, parallel, sham-controlled trial to evaluate whether or not electroacupuncture (EA) would help relieve chronic severe functional constipation. The 1075 patients in the study received 28 sessions during an 8-week period of EA at traditional acupoints or sham EA at nonacupoints. The researchers reported in the Annals of Internal Medicine that substantially more patients had three or more mean weekly, complete spontaneous bowel movements: 31.3% in the intervention group, compared to 12.1% in the sham group during treatment; and 37.7% and 14.1%, respectively in the follow-up periods. The researchers suggested more studies are needed to assess longer-term treatment and follow-up. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/13/well/acupuncture-with-a-zap-may-ease-constipation.html?_r=0
Medical Acupuncture Journal Offers CME Article About Dry Needling
Heming Zhu, PhD, CMD, MD, MAcu, LicAcu, and Heidi Most, MAcu, LicAcu, both at the Maryland University of Integrative Health in Laurel, reviewed the similarities and differences between dry needling and acupuncture in a recent continuing medical education (CME) article in Medical Acupuncture (Zhu H, Most H. Dry needling is one type of acupuncture. Med Acupunct. 2016;28(4):184–193). The researchers explored needles used, target points, action mechanisms, and therapeutic effects, and found that both dry needling and acupuncture shared these features, concluding that “dry needing is one type of acupuncture when acupuncture needles are used.” The researchers suggested that collaboration and integration between dry needling practitioners who are not physicians and acupuncturists, and proposed solutions to the current conflict between the professions, including the need for research, training, regulations for dry needling, and continuing education. Readers can visit the AAMA website to earn their CME credits. http://www.medicalacupuncture.org/
Acupressure Might Relieve Cancer-Related Fatigue
Many survivors of breast cancer who suffer from fatigue found relief with stimulating and relaxing acupressure in a study led by Suzanna M. Zick, ND, MPH, at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and reported in JAMA Oncology. Dr. Zick and colleagues conducted a phase-3 randomized, single-blinded clinical trial to investigate the daily use of the modality for 6 weeks in 288 survivors of breast cancer, about a third of whom experienced moderate-to-severe fatigue for up to 10 years after their cancer treatments. Relaxing acupressure also had effects on sleep quality and quality of life. The research team concluded that relaxing acupressure is a possible low-cost option for managing cancer treatment–related fatigue symptoms. http://oncology.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2532352
Acupuncturists and Physical Therapists at Odds About “Dry Needling”
Dry needling—placing a solid needle into a muscle—is allowed in about 30 U.S. states. The practice of inserting these needles has created a “turf war” between acupuncturists and physical therapists (PTs) who use dry needles on patients. Acupuncturists maintain dry needling is just another name for acupuncture, is not within a PT's scope of practice, and places patients at risk. The American Academy of Medical Acupuncture issued a position statement, saying dry needling “should be performed only by practitioners with extensive training and familiarity with routine use of needles in their practice and who are duly licensed to perform these procedures, such as licensed medical physicians or licensed acupuncturists.” The American Medical Association has also come out against PTs performing dry needling, but the American Physical Therapy Association supports physical therapists' use of the technique. http://www.healthline.com/health-news/acupuncturists-declare-war-over-dry-needling#1
Can Acupuncture Reduce PTSD for Patients with mTBI?
Ming Zhang, MD, at First Affiliated Hospital Xi'an Jiaotong University, in the People's Republic of China, plans to conduct a randomized clinical trial to examine if acupuncture can reduce the onset of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and affective and cognitive complaints among patients with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). The researchers hypothesize that, compared to patients in “sham acupuncture” and wait-list control groups, patients in a verum acupuncture group will have fewer depressive symptoms, sleep problems, and postconcussion symptoms. Each participant will be evaluated again after 1 month of acupuncture treatment and follow-up post-hospital discharge. The research team plans to enroll 120 participants and complete the study in 2018. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02868671?term=acupuncture&recr=Open&rank=1&submit_fld_opt
AAP Issues Statement on Mind–Body Therapies for Children
Children may experience stress and some may handle it better than others. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) issued a statement about children's use of mind–body therapies—such as biofeedback, guided imagery, yoga, and meditation—saying that these therapies can be beneficial for reducing children's stress. The authors of the statement indicated that the evidence is generally supportive of these therapies being “safe and potentially effective in common and debilitating conditions.” The authors of the guidelines also stated that school-age children could experience improved concentration and self-esteem. http://www.aappublications.org/news/2016/08/22/PPMindBody08221616
Acupuncture or Alexander Technique Reduces Chronic Neck Pain
Acupuncture sessions as well as Alexander Technique lessons led to long-term significant reductions in chronic neck pain, compared with medication and physical therapy, according to a study reported in Annals of Internal Medicine. Hugh MacPherson, BSc, PhD, at the University of York in the United Kingdom, and colleagues, recruited 517 patients with neck pain lasting a median of 6 years and randomly assigned them to 12 acupuncture sessions, 20 Alexander Technique lessons plus usual care, or usual care alone. Both the acupuncture and the Alexander Technique lessons resulted in less neck pain and disability for 1 year, compared to what occurred in patients receiving usual care. None of the participants reported any serious adverse events related to either intervention. http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=2467961
Trial to Study Acupuncture's Effect on Chronic Low-Back Pain
Robert Edwards, PhD, at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, MA, will be the principal investigator of a study to investigate the effects of acupuncture on chronic low-back pain. The researchers are interested in learning about brain activity during pain and plan to look at brain activity at the beginning and the end of the study, after six sessions of acupuncture treatment. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups to receive either verum or placebo acupuncture. The researchers will measure the participants' brain activity, using functional magnetic resonance imaging, before and after the participants engage in exercises to make their back pain worse. The researchers also will measure brain activity while inflating a pressure cuff device on each participant's lower leg. The primary outcome measure is pain reduction during the 6-week study. The researchers plan to enroll 88 people, ages 18–60, and complete the study in 2017. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01595451?term=Acupuncture&recr=Open&no_unk=Y&spons=NCCIH&rank=3