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Practice
Acu. | Issue #29 | Winter 2020
Evidence base Overseas member and recovering scientist Lisa Sherman selects top abstracts of the season from the Journal of Chinese Medicine's news section to keep you up to date with the latest in acupuncture research
Lisa Sherman Overseas Member: North Carolina RESEARCH
Acupuncture arthritic neck pain
Four weeks of acupuncture treatment can alleviate cervical spondylosis (CS)-related neck pain and improve quality of life, with effects persisting for a minimum of three months. Eight hundred and ninety-six patients were randomised by Chinese researchers to receive optimised, shallow, or sham acupuncture. Treatment in the optimised acupuncture group consisted of traditional acupuncture (at bilateral SI 15 jian zhong shu, TH 3 zhong zhu, DU 14 da zhui and two bilateral pairs of M-BW-35 hua tuo jia ji points), followed by intradermal needle therapy (INT, at bilateral SI 15 jian zhong shu, and two bilateral pairs of M-BW-35 hua tuo jia ji points). Those in the shallow acupuncture received subcutaneous needling at the same points as in the OAG, followed by INT using the same method as in the OAG. Sham acupuncture was carried out using shallow needling at sham points. Patients received eight to ten treatment sessions, two to three times a week, for four weeks. At week 4, significant differences in favour of optimised acupuncture were observed for changes in neck pain scores between the OAG and both the shallow and sham acupuncture groups. The differences in scores between the OAG and the shallow and sham acupuncture groups were still significant at week 16. Optimized acupuncture treatment (acupuncture and intradermal needling) for cervical spondylosis-related neck pain: a multicenter randomized controlled trial Pain. 2020 Sep 14
Acupuncture better than drugs for IBS
Acupuncture may be more effective than drug treatment for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), according to research carried out in China. Five hundred and thirty-one patients with IBS were randomised to receive acupuncture or pharmacological treatment (PEG 4000 20 g/d, for IBS-C, and pinaverium bromide 150 mg/d, for IBS-D) over a six-week period, followed by a twelve-
week follow-up. Acupuncture (at DU 20 bai hui, M-HN-3 yin tang, and bilateral LIV 3 tai chong, ST 36 zu san li, SP 6 san yin jiao, ST 25 tian shu and ST 37 shang ju xu) was carried out three times a week for six weeks (18 sessions). From baseline to week 6, total IBS symptom scores decreased by 123.51 in the acupuncture group and 94.73 in the drug treatment group, and these between-group differences in symptom scores in favour of acupuncture were found to persist at week 18. These results suggest that acupuncture is more effective than drug treatment for IBS, and results in clinically meaningful benefits, with effects lasting up to 12 weeks. Effect of Acupuncture in Patients With Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Mayo Clin Proc. 2020 Aug;95(8):1671-83
Acupressure helps gut recover after C-section
Postoperative acupressure can help with the recovery of the gastrointestinal system (GIS) after caesarean section, report Turkish investigators. A total of 160 primipara pregnant women delivered by caesarean section under spinal anaesthesia were randomised into four groups: group 1 received acupressure, group 2 received coffee (three times a day), group 3 chewed sugar-free gum for 15 minutes (six hours post-operation), and group 4 was a control. Participants in the acupressure group received 10 minutes of acupressure at bilateral ST 36 zu san li twice in the postoperative period (1.5 hours and 5 hours after the participant was brought to her room). The results showed that acupressure led to the occurrence of flatulation and defaecation earlier than did the interventions in the other three groups (coffee, gum-chewing and control groups), and the difference was significant. Effects of acupressure, gum chewing and coffee consumption on the gastrointestinal system after caesarean section under spinal anaesthesia. J Obstet Gynaecol. 2020 Aug 17;1-8
Acupuncture reduces plantar fasciitis pain
Manual acupuncture (MA) and electroacupuncture (EA) can decrease heel pain and improve function in patients with plantar heel pain syndrome (PHPS). Chinese researchers randomised 92 patients to receive 12 treatment sessions of EA or MA over four weeks with 24 weeks of follow-up. MA was carried out at two ah shi points, plus BL 57 cheng shan, KI 3 tai xi and BL 60 kun lun. EA was performed at the same points (2 Hz for 30 minutes). Treatment responders were defined as patients with at least a 50 per cent reduction from baseline in worst pain intensity experienced during their first steps in the morning. Both EA and MA appeared to have positive effects, resulting in decreased heel pain and improved plantar function compared with baseline. In the EA group, 54.8 per cent of patients were classified as responders, compared with 50.0 per cent of the MA group after the four-week treatment, a non-significant difference. Comparison of electroacupuncture and manual acupuncture for patients with plantar heel pain syndrome: a randomized controlled trial. Acupunct Med. 2020 Aug 18;964528420947739
Benefits of acupuncture in menopause are long lasting The beneficial effect of acupuncture on menopause symptoms can last for at least 21 weeks post-treatment, according to a Danish research team. Data was analysed from a randomised controlled trial where women with moderate to severe menopausal symptoms were offered weekly acupuncture treatment over five consecutive weeks, and randomised to an early intervention group that received treatment immediately and a late intervention group with a six-week delay. Western medical style acupuncture was administered at REN 3 zhong ji, REN 4 guan yuan and bilateral LIV 8 qu quan, SP 6 san yin jiao and SP 9 yin ling quan. A
