Tag: acupuncture research
Acupuncture For Allergies: Hey, It Cured Me
From the SF Chronicle. One of my favorite conditions to treat is allergy because it responds so well. Always? Of course not, but the results are typically great. My allergies disappeared, albeit after 2 courses of acupuncture (patience pays when it comes to acupuncture.) I reported on a recent editorial in the Annals of Internal…
Read MoreBrain Specificity of Acupuncture Points More fMRI
This is another study showing different brain specificity of acupuncture points in their reflection in the brain. In this case, they showed that two points close together anatomically, have different fMRI activity. Recent discussion on a similar topic here. Chin Med J (Engl). 2012 Aug;125(15):2694-700. Functional organization of complex brain networks modulated by acupuncture at…
Read MoreHuffington Post: Acupuncture as Part of Standard Cancer Care
This article is meant to start the discussion of acupuncture as a part of cancer care. Their results are quite confusing however. From the article electroacupuncture clearly helps nausea and vomiting from chemotherapy in breast cancer patients. It also suggests it can be helpful for other side effects, but isn’t specific. It’s a start. Time…
Read MoreBrain Specificity of Acupoints for Migraine
I like this study because it uses an actual “patient” group (people with an ailment) rather than healthy volunteers. And also because it shows a difference not only in the subjects reduction in pain, but actually different metabolic pain profiles in the targeted acupuncture therapy versus the acupuncture points not targeted for migraine. Helps to…
Read MoreAcupuncture for Experimentally Induced Pain
This is a different sort of experiment than one typically sees. They gave acupuncture to healthy volunteers to see if it would mitigate pain from cold pressor test, or intradermal capsaicin injections (ouch!) There was no significant difference between the sham group and verum group. I am not sure what acupuncture points they used. This…
Read MoreElectroacupuncture High Blood Pressure: Mechanisms
This shows that repetitive electroacupuncture at P5-P6 is better than manual acupuncture in increasing metenkephalin, thought to be key in the lowering of blood pressure with acupuncture. I heard Longhurst a year ago and he said that LI 11-10 is just as effective. I’ve discussed his protocol before and would find it difficult to do…
Read MoreResponders versus Nonresponders: Genetic?
There IS a wide variation in patients’ responses to acupuncture and electroacupuncture (EA.) In this study they look at gene expression that might explain those differences. I’ve seen in my own studies that vagal enhancement is more often seen during treatment in responders, and the enjancement can be dramatic in “profound responders.” PLoS One. 2012;7(8):e42331….
Read MoreAdenosine and Acupuncture Pain Relief
Recent studies have shown that adenosine increases with acupuncture, suggesting that acupuncture works partially through adenosine A1 receptors. This study suggests that the response is specific to acupoints and requires rotation of the needle. This study looks at the response to Zusanli, one of the most commonly used points in acupuncture. I’m glad to see…
Read MoreAcupuncture and Arthritis
This is from Acufinder, a directory for Acupuncturists. As usual they do incredibly poor referencing to original sources, but thought that there might be interest. “Alleviate Arthritis Pain Arthritis isn’t just one disease, but a complex disorder comprised of more than 100 distinct conditions that can affect people at any stage of life. Two…
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