Abstract
The effect of acupuncture on postoperative pain, nausea and vomiting after pediatric tonsillectomy: a systematic review.
Pouy S, Etebarian A, Azizi-Qadikolaee A, Saeidi S. Int J Adolesc Med Health. 2019:pii.
Tonsillectomy is one of the most commonly performed surgical procedures in children worldwide. Management of post-tonsillectomy complications is vital. This study evaluated the effects of acupuncture on intensity of pain, nausea, and vomiting after tonsillectomy in children. Two researchers searched individually for qualified articles on the effects of acupuncture on post-tonsillectomy pain, nausea, and vomiting, using PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase,® Google Scholar, and Ovid databases up to and including September of 2018. After appraising the searched studies critically, the researchers chose 12 studies for a systematic review. These studies involved various acupuncture methods.
The researchers concluded that their systematic review showed that acupuncture, as a complementary modality, can help prevent and reduce the severity of potential complications caused by tonsillectomy.
Treating the patient not the symptoms: acupuncture to improve overall health—evidence, acceptance and strategies.
Birch S. Integr Med Res. 2019;8(1):33–41.
An author from at the department of health sciences of Kristiania University College, Oslo, Norway discussed acupuncture's potential to improve overall health in patients. The author noted that documented mechanisms of acupuncture have suggested the possibility of whole-body effects in addition to local and regional effects. The author also stated: “Traditional theories of acupuncture have predicted whole-body effects” and asked if this enabled the possibility of “applying treatment to target overall health improvement” of patients rather than their symptoms?
After introducing the term health improvement this article explored situations in which it could be advantageous to do use acupuncture, giving examples of how health authorities in some countries have proposed broader treatment approaches focused on health improvement. The author also presented cases for which acupuncture had been recommended in a number of these proposals and provided some clinical examples of this kind of whole-body/health-improvement–targeted treatment effects. Given that health authorities have recognized this potential for the use of acupuncture, the author offered evidence of more whole-body health-improvement effects as shown in systematic reviews and examples of health experts recommending acupuncture to take advantage of these effects. Research strategies and foci were proposed and examined to develop this evidence.
The author also asked: “What are the best treatment approaches to create these effects? By what mechanisms can health improvement be produced? How can one measure these effects?” This author suggests that treatments based on pattern identification (PI) might provide the best strategies for producing health improvement—and thus, PI-based acupuncture treatments are likely to be the best strategy for clinical research on these effects.
Quantitative data for transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and acupuncture effectiveness in treatment of fibromyalgia syndrome.
Yüksel M, Ayaş Ş, Cabıoğlu MT, Yılmaz D, Cabıoğlu C. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2019;2019:9684649.
Five researchers from Turkey performed this study. They evaluated the effects of acupuncture and transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation (TENS) on quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG) changes and the therapeutic effects of the two treatments in patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). This study involved 42 patients with FMS and 21 healthy volunteers. All of the subjects were assigned randomly to 2 groups (n = 21 in each group) to undergo either TENS or acupuncture. In both groups, baseline electroencephalography (EEG) recording was performed for 10 minutes; then, TENS or acupuncture was performed for 20 minutes, followed by another 10-minute EEG recording.
Baseline qEEGs for the patients with FMS in both groups were similar. Delta and theta powers over the frontal region of patients with FMS were lower than those of the controls. Theta powers of the right posterior region were also lower than those of the controls. In the TENS group, after the treatment, an increase was observed in the alpha power of the left anterior region; there was also decrease in pain scores. In the acupuncture group, an increase was noted in the alpha power of the right and left posterior regions along with a decrease in pain scores after the treatment. The power of low- and moderate-frequency waves on resting EEG was decreased in the patients with FMS. Decreased pain and increased inhibitor activity were found on qEEG after TENS and acupuncture treatments.
Both TENS and acupuncture appear to be beneficial for patients with FMS.
Randomized controlled clinical trial of acupuncture treatment for knee osteoarthritis in the early stage.
Luo X, Hou XS, Tian ZY, Meng X, Li SM, Bai P. Zhen Ci Yan Jiu. 2019;44(3):211–215.
The objective of this study was to observe the therapeutic effect of acupuncture for patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) in the early stage. Sixty patients with knee OA were randomized into a medication group and an acupuncture-combined-with-medication (acupuncture) group (n = 30 in each group). Patients in the medication group were treated with external applications of diclofenac diethylamine emulgel around the affected joint, 3 times/day, for 2 successive weeks, and with reasonable exercising training. Patients in the acupuncture group received routine medication and reasonable exercising training. This group also received acupuncture at the following: Ashi-points; Zusanli (ST 36); Yanglingquan (GB 34); Yinlingquan (SP 9); Neixiyan (Ex-LE 4); and Dubi (ST 35). The acupuncture was performed on the affected side with filiform needles manipulated with a uniform reinforcing–reducing method for a while, followed by retaining the needles for 30 minutes. The treatment was given once every other day for 2 weeks. The patients' pain was assessed with a visual analogue scale (VAS). The Western Ontario McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) scale (0–240 points) was used to evaluate the severity of their knee OA. The Diagnosis of Syndromes of Traditional Chinese Medicine was used to assess the therapeutic effect after the treatment.
After the treatment, the VAS and WOMAC scores of both groups were significantly and respectively decreased, compared with their own pretreatment scores (P < 0.05). The scores of the two indexes in the acupuncture group were lower than those of the medication group (P < 0.05). Of the cases in the medication and acupuncture groups, 5 (16.67%) and 6 (20.00%) were cured; 17 (56.67%) and 19 (63.33%) experienced marked improvement; and 6 (20.00%) and 4 (13.33%) were effective; 2 (6.67%) and 1 (3.33%) were ineffective, with the effective rate of cure plus marked effectiveness being 73.33% and 83.33%—all respectively. No significant difference was found between the 2 groups with respect to the therapeutic effect (P > 0.05).
The researchers concluded that acupuncture combined with medication had a better therapeutic effect in the treatment of knee OA in the early stage than that of only medication.
Clinical trial of acupuncture treatment of gastroesophageal reflux cough by needling dorsal segment of the Governor Vessel.
Gao DX, Bai XH. Zhen Ci Yan Jiu. 2019;44(2):140–143.
Researchers observed the curative effect of acupuncture stimulation of the back segment (10 spots below the spinous processes from T-3 to T-12) of the Governor Vessel when treating gastroesophageal reflux cough (GERC). A total of 60 patients with GERC were divided randomly into acupuncture and medication groups (n = 30 in each group). For patients in the acupuncture group, the depression spots below the spinous processes from T-3 to T-12—including acupoints Shenzhu (GV 12), Shendao (GV 11), Lingtai (GV 10), Zhiyang (GV 9), and Jinsuo (GV 8), and nonacupoints (T4, T8, T12)—were punctured with filiform needles, once every other day for 8 weeks. Patients in the medication group were instructed to take omeprazole capsules (20 mg/time), twice per day for 8 weeks. The therapeutic effect was assessed with the Reflux Diagnostic Questionnaire (RDQ; scores of symptoms of heartburn, retrosternal pain, acid regurgitation, and food regurgitation; 0–40 points), a cough-symptom score (0–3 points), and the Leicester Cough Questionnaire (LCQ; scores of physiologic, psychologic, and social functions, 0–21 points).
Following the treatment, RDQ scores and cough-symptom scores during both daytime and night-time were significantly decreased in both groups (P < 0.05), and the scores for physiologic status, psychologic health, and social function of the LCQ were increased significantly in both the acupuncture and medication groups, comparison with the patients' pretreatment scores (P < 0.05). The therapeutic effect of acupuncture was markedly superior to that of medication for lowering RDQ and cough-symptom scores during the daytime and night-time, and for raising LCQ scores for physiologic status, psychologic health, and social function (P < 0.05).
The researchers concluded that acupuncture stimulation of the dorsal segment of the Governor Vessel is effective for reducing clinical symptoms and improving quality of life for patients with GERC.