Acupuncture Info Site

Acupuncture can influence the brains attention sphere

alan — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:14:29 +0000

The latest research in the field of acupuncture has revealed that this procedure can influence the brain’s attention sphere. Tests carried out by researchers on specific points, including the Taiyuan (Lu9) and Shenmen (Ht7), showed that the brain’s attention sphere was affected on a larger scale by the Ht7.

The research’s objective was to discover how the brain’s attention sphere reacted when needles where used on the Lu9 and Ht7 points of the body, thus providing information on how acupuncture stimulated the brain’s different functions and in what way these reacted to needle stimulation.

The event-related potentials (ERP) were tracked by using electroencephalography (EEG). Electroencephalography measures the brain’s activity, while the event-related potentials are measurements of the brain’s perception and thought responses, under the form of electrophysiological brain stimulating data.

Once the researches applied manual acupuncture on the Lu9 and Ht7 points, they checked whether there were any noticeable changes in the function of the brain’s reflecting cognitive, or P300. Another function that was tested was the brainwave, P3a, which measures how the brain reacts to changes in the environment. When acupuncture was carried out, both the P3a and P3b brainwaves were affected, the latter being another category of P300.

All information that is processed by the brain is measured in P3b, which also measures the perception of unlikely events that are out of the ordinary. The P3b brainwave’s measurement will reach its peak when the event is highly unlikely.

Chinese medicine has known the secret path to the brain through the acupuncture points Lu9 and Ht7 for over two thousand years now, which modern medicine nowadays, measures using EEG brainwaves. The Shenmen (Ht7) also known as the Spirits Gate, is an acupuncture spot located on the wrist that brings on a calming effect to the spirit and heart. People suffering from restlessness, depression, mania, disorientation, bad memory or palpitations find acupuncture in this spot effective for these conditions.

People suffering from lung ailments find the acupuncture spot Lu9 more beneficial, meaning that the Ht7 is more directly related to EEG measurements, for it is linked to cognition and attention brainwaves.

Acupuncture and pain fact sheet

alan — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 13:43:31 +0000

Many Americans suffer from physical pain, and a national survey has revealed that more that 25% of US adults had recently suffered from some kind of pain that lasted for more than one day. As well as conventional treatments, such as prescription or over the counter remedies, people will try acupuncture in an effort to relieve the pain.

A fact sheet has been released that provides basic information regarding pain and acupuncture, that summarises the scientific research that has been done on acupuncture and its use for specific types of pain, and is also a good guide for where to go for additional information.

Key points of the fact sheet include how people use acupuncture to treat different kinds of pain, The most common of which is back pain, followed by joint and neck pain and headaches. Research continues into the efficiency of acupuncture in alleviating many different kinds of pain, and there have been promising findings where some conditions were concerned, particularly ostearthritis in the knee and lower back pain.

As far as other conditions are concerned, however, additional research is needed. NCCAM, the National Centre for Complementary and Alternative Medicine currently sponsors a wide range of research into acupuncture. Acupuncture, if performed correctly, is generally considered to be safe. The theory of acupuncture in traditional Chinese medicine is that it regulates the flow of vital energy, or qi, through the body.

There is constant research going on into how acupuncture works in relieving pain, and of you are under a doctor and receiving acupuncture you should tell them about it, as you always should if you are using any alternatives or complementary practices. This gives them a full picture which will assist them in managing your health, ensuring safe and coordinated care.

For further tips about talking with your doctor or health care provider about CAM, Complementary and Alternative Medicine, check out NCCAM’s Time to Talk campaign.

Acupuncture and a wide range of pain conditions

alan — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 13:30:37 +0000

For many years now research has been done into how acupuncture could possibly help a wide range of pain conditions, including carpal tunnel syndrome, post-operative dental pain, fibromyalgia, lower back pain, headache, myofacial pain, menstrual cramps, tennis elbow and ostearthritis.

It is a very difficult task to compare the research results on acupuncture from study to study and also to draw conclusions from the accumulated body of evidence collated. This is mainly due to the diversity of the techniques used in these studies, electrical vs manual for example, controls and comparison groups and the outcome measures.

One of the most complex factors in acupuncture research is choosing which controls to use for a particular clinical trial. The final decision depends upon whether the researchers wish to study a particular area of acupuncture, such as effects on the brain, or whether they want to determine if acupuncture is useful when compared to other types of care.

There are various examples of control groups, such as participants who don’t receive any acupuncture, those who receive simulated acupuncture, such as those that mimic the procedure like a placebo, and those who receive other treatments in addition to or instead of actual or simulated acupuncture.

Placebo is playing an emerging role in acupuncture research, in a 2009 systematic review that was taken of research on the pain relieving effects acupuncture had when compared to a placebo, or no acupuncture at all, was inconclusive. Although the reviewers did find a difference, albeit small, between acupuncture and the placebo, and a moderate difference between no acupuncture and placebo, the effect of the placebo vastly differed.

The overall conclusion was that the effect of acupuncture appeared to be unrelated to the specific type of placebo procedure that was used. All of the participants in the study received standard care, that typically consists of physical therapy and analgesic drugs.

Report says on occasion acupuncture may be harmful

alan — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 14:46:21 +0000

Acupuncture has been steadily gaining status as a safe and effective alternative treatment for a great many different ailments. Much research has gone into this aspect of Eastern medicine, and it has been accepted in the Western world as something much more than some mysterious, arcane practice to be largely ignored by modern medical professionals.

However, as any qualified medical professional will attest, there is no known treatment that is completely risk-free, and acupuncture is no exception. A recent study by the National Patient Safety Agency found 34 cases in the last eight years where acupuncture treatments had resulted in ‘moderate to severe harm’ to the patient, specifically dizziness and temporary loss of consciousness, or fainting.

The report included five cases in which the patient suffered a collapsed lung, leading to chest pain and shortness of breath but no permanent injury. The incidents were reportedly the result of a needle inserted too deeply, something that presumably would happen only if the practitioner had been careless and/or inadequately trained.

NHS has approved acupuncture treatments for some conditions, based on research that has shown the efficacy of such treatment, in cases of knee pain, for instance, but funding is ultimately decided by local NHS managers. The NPSA has issued a warning to organisations in the NHS that employ acupuncturists as part of their medical force, stating that they should follow certain specific guidelines, as most problems reported were the result of a ‘lack of clarity’ about emergency procedures.

Acupuncture treatments should be carried out only in offices where emergency treatment is immediately available if needed, and only by properly qualified and experienced personnel. There is general agreement that acupuncture is an extremely low-risk treatment when practiced by a well trained professional.

New experiment says acupuncture really does have the capability to relieve pain

alan — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 14:43:12 +0000

In the Western world there is still a lot of resistance to the practice of acupuncture as a ‘legitimate’ treatment for pain. Critics say that it only works on a psychological basis, as a sort of placebo; if a patient believes it will work, that expectation is enough to alleviate some symptoms, which were probably psychological in the first place.

A new experiment has indicated that acupuncture really does have the capability to relieve pain, by intercepting and/or modifying the signals that pass between the brain and nerves in the human body.

This comes as a validation to many in the medical/scientific community who have advocated the treatment. It has also caused some confusion amongst those who are skeptical of this unconventional method of treatment because the reasons for its efficacy are basically unknown.

The new research involved MRI brain scans that measured the activity of certain areas of the brain that have a known connection to the body’s perception of pain. In basic terms, they are the areas that receive messages from all parts of the body and respond by sending danger, or pain signals which in turn activate the immune system and/or tell you to snatch your hand back from a hot stove-top, for example.

MRI data suggests that certain acupuncture points, when stimulated by needles with or without accompanying electrical charges, actually ‘dampen’ or reduce the strength of the pain signal, thereby reducing the amount of pain perceived by the brain. Acupuncture also affects the areas that control our expectation and perception of pain, working in this respect as a sort of placebo, for lack of a better word.

Dr. Nina Theysohn, director of the experiment that took place at the University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany, said that the findings support the theory that both specific and ‘non-specific’ mechanisms – essentially those we understand and those we don’t understand – are present, and that acupuncture can address both of them.

BJGP says acupuncture can help a lot of undiagnosed sufferers

alan — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 14:40:33 +0000

There is a surprisingly large percentage of patients who visit and re-visit a doctor and/or clinic without ever getting a specific diagnosis of their medical problem. Some physicians refer to them as having ‘mystery symptoms’ that are difficult or impossible to treat because the source of the symptoms is unknown. The cost that accrues with these undiagnosed symptoms is about twice that of treatment for a specific, diagnosed medical problem.

A new study published in the British Journal of General Practice suggests that acupuncture can help a lot of those undiagnosed sufferers. The study, carried out by a team at the University of Exeter, involved 80 patients with varying symptoms including muscular/skeletal ailments, chronic pain, fatigue and emotional problems.

Researchers divided the patients into two groups, with one receiving 12 five-element acupuncture treatments over a period of 26 weeks; the control group received none. Almost 60% of acupuncture patients reported a significant improvement and a sense of increased well-being. After that 26-week trial, the control group was treated in the same way, with the same results.

In the three months prior to beginning the study, the 80 patients had made a total of nearly 280 visits to a hospital, clinic or other non-NHS health facility, all of which resulted in little or no relief from their symptoms. The researchers concluded that the addition of acupuncture to conventional treatments is a viable and effective option for patients who do not find relief with other methods of treatment.

The difference, as proponents have pointed out, may lie in the fact that this Eastern medical practice emphasizes the treatment of ‘the whole person’ as opposed to just the symptoms reported. In any case, says the trial manager Charlotte Paterson, the next step is a study of cost-effectiveness as it relates to the NHS.

New research acupuncture helps back pain

alan — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 01:53:47 +0000

New research has shown that acupuncture can help relieve back pain better than many conventional medications or physiotherapy. Three acupuncture techniques were carried out on patients, including a “fake” technique and all three appeared to relieve back pain better than medically accepted treatments, according to a new American study.

The “fake” treatment featured sessions with toothpicks being jabbed into the skin but not breaking the skin as the needles do in acupuncture and even this technique seemed to be more effective than drugs and physical manipulation of the body such as massage and exercises.

At the Group Health Center in Seattle, Dan Cherkin, PhD, carried out the tests and studied the results. “It seems that techniques that emulate true acupuncture can help relieve chronic back pain better than conventional methods which is amazing,” he said. “It doesn’t appear to matter that you are not following proper acupuncture procedures to have more effect than some of the medicines people rely upon,” he added.

The research results were printed in the Archives of Internal Medicine, and consisted of more than 600 volunteer patients who had never had acupuncture previously, but whom suffered from continual back pain. Patients were split into four groups; a control group with no acupuncture, specialized acupuncture patients, normal acupuncture patients and “fake” acupuncture patients.

Treatments were carried out twice a week for 3 weeks, followed by one session for the final 4 weeks. Outcomes were measured at eight weeks, six months and at the end of the year. In this research paid for by the National Institutes of Health patients were not told specifically about what treatments were being offered, only that different types of acupuncture was being researched.

Results indicated that an average of sixty per cent of patients felt they had gained some relief in all three of the acupuncture groups, compared to less than forty per cent of the control group who received everyday medicines and treatments.

After 12 months, acupuncture patients were still more likely than the control group to notice an improvement in their wellbeing, although the improvement, as expected, diminished over time. Cherkin said that the results would open up more questions about how the mysterious ancient technique actually works.

Acupuncture and chronic dry mouth

alan — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 01:42:28 +0000

Acupuncture could hold the key to relieving a chronic dry mouth conditions according to new medical research. Xerostomia, is a condition which causes a lack of saliva to be produced and leads to significant eating, sleeping and talking problems among sufferers. However, research from the University of Texas and Shanghai’s Fudan University, has indicated that acupuncture significantly helped patients tested under experimental conditions.

University researchers at the Anderson Cancer Center in Texas and the Cancer Center in Shanghai revealed that acupuncture was carried out successfully on patients who were being treated with radiation therapy for neck and head cancers.

“Some people may not consider this condition a serious side affect of the treatment of these cancers, but we have learned from patients that it does significantly affect their quality of life, because it affects eating as well as sleeping and talking and thus can also impact on a patient’s recovery,” said Lorenzo Cohen, (Ph.D.), Integrative Medicine Program director. “Microbial growth can be a problem if there is a decrease in saliva and resulting problems can be nutritional issues and bone infection,” he added.

In the study, doctors looked at more than 80 patient subjects suffering from nasopharyngeal carcinoma and receiving radiotherapy courses for cancer. Around half of the patients received normal care while the other half were given acupuncture. Saliva flow was monitored by the use of a Xerostomia questionnaire. Doctors measured the responses of the patients about how dry their mouth felt or if the problem had eased.

After six months of treatment, results showed that the acupuncture group noticed considerably more improvements. However researchers have stated that more in depth studies are required to shed light on why acupuncture seems to benefit patients. Acupuncture has also been reported to improve other chronic illnesses such as back pain and that it can be more effective than conventional drug therapies.

Acupuncture and Addiction

alan — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 01:40:18 +0000

In recent years acupuncture has moved from a somewhat bohemian alternative treatment to being a well respected and much studied treatment for many different ailments and illnesses. It is used alongside traditional remedies as extensive research has proved that it can be highly beneficial and due to the manner in which the patient receives it there are no side effects.

One of the most recent breakthroughs in is the way acupuncture is now being used to treat addictions. This covers the potentially life threatening addictions to drugs and alcohol and also the less severe ones such as food and nicotine. Extensive research has been done in this field over the years and acupuncture is now highly regarded in the medical profession as being a effective method of addiction control.

The first testing was done back in 1974 in New York when acupuncture was tested on drug addicts alongside the traditional methadone in an attempt to get habitual drug users clean. The results achieved by the acupuncture were so successful that the methadone faction was dropped from the programme. The director of the Lincoln Memorial Hospital where the test reported at the time that acupuncture produced better results than the methadone.

Whereas Methadone is a Heroin substitute and in itself is a highly addictive drug, acupuncture is a totally natural technique, thus producing no side effects. When further testing was carried out, it was found to have the same results whether the drug user was addicted to Heroin, Crack, Cocaine, psychedelics, amphetamines or barbiturates.

Addicts who go down the acupuncture route report a drop in their craving, relief from withdrawal symptoms and an overall feeling of relaxation coupled with much a improved quality of sleep. There are now many acupuncture and detox centres open in the US that are public funded.

The physiological evidence that has been gleaned on acupuncture being used in this way is also how it benefits alcoholics. The marked reduction in cravings, withdrawal and overall calmness is credited with being the only way to wean hardened addicts of the likes of drink and drugs, and these are widely regarded as the hardest addictions to kick.

Acupuncture raises the level of Endorphins in the body, these are our natural pain killers and by heightening their levels in the nervous system, the vicious withdrawal symptoms associated with giving up drink or drugs are greatly alleviated. This helps the addict to overcome the addiction and kick their dangerous habit once and for all.

Acupuncture and Children

alan — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 01:40:01 +0000

Acupuncture has been with us for over 3000 years and is an integral part of Chinese history. While it was at one time dismissed as just a myth by those who had no real understanding of how acupuncture actually worked. Nowadays however ,extensive clinical research has proven the benefits of all kinds of illnesses and ailments, both mental land physical, and only a lack of practitioners stop it being accepted even more widely.

Whilst we know all about the benefits it can give adults in kicking addictions, treating womens problems, chronic fatigue and pain, depression, insomnia and many more, one of the emerging areas where it is really forging ahead is in the treatment of children.

Depending on their age and the traditional fear that kids have of anything needle shaped, there is both the traditional method used as well as a needle free technique from Japan called Shonishin. This non-insertive technique still used the traditional acupoints but uses instruments instead, and this can have the added benefits that parents can be taught how to do it to continue with the treatment at home.

Many babies fall victim to a variety of allergies and recurrent infections which puts them almost permanently on medication and any parent seeing their baby in distress suffers just as much. More parents are turning to acupuncture as an alternative to traditional treatments for headaches, anxiety, ADHD, allergies, projectile vomiting, recurrent water and ear infections and back and neck pain

It’s a little known fact that children are also very susceptible to depression, and as long term therapy isn’t something that most parents want to condemn their children to, acupuncture has proved a reliable treatment for this time and time again. Very young children are perfectly amenable to the needles of traditional acupuncture that are the width of a hair, whilst for older ones Shonishin has comparable results.

At the end of the day it is purely at the discretion of the parent if the child undergoes a course of acupuncture treatment, and it is very dependent on where you live as to whether it is widely available or not. Countries such as the US have dedicated acupuncture centres and use them as complementary rather than alternative treatments.

Alternative treatment is a tag that all advocates of acupuncture and Shonoshin have been trying to shake off, as this has long been a term with untested ‘out there’ treatments and there has been such extensive and intensive research done into acupuncture that is certainly no longer belongs in this category, and should be considered as a serious medical treatment for adults and children alike.