Acupuncture could become a valuable addition to oncology

Recently a group of scientists and clinicians in Poland studies many clinical trials about the effectiveness of acupuncture therapy to cancer patients with different conditions. They suggest that acupuncture could be a route addition to cancer treatment. The study was published in journal of Contemporary Oncology.

The scientists and clinicians looked at effect of acupuncture on different conditions including nausea and chemotherapy-induced vomiting, cancer pain, chemotherapy-induced leucopoenia, radiation induced xerostomia, hot flushes, anxiety-like behavioural and stress, chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy, cancer-related fatigue, hiccup and lymphoedema. They found that acupuncture treatment improved all symptoms mentioned above. The improvement was rated from moderate to significant.

They also summarized the mechanisms of action of acupuncture ranging from anti-inflammation, neural modulation, regulation of neuropeptide release and modulating multi-signal pathways related to the activities of immune systems.

The authors suggest that acupuncture could a part of route modality of modern oncology although more studies about procedural methodology are needed.

Reference

A Kilian-Kita et al., Acupuncture: could it become everyday practice in oncology? Contemp Oncol (Pozn) 2016; 20 (2): 119–123.   http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4925730/

Acupuncture helped alleviate headache associated with traumatic brain injury

A recent study showed that acupuncture either traditional Chinese acupuncture or auricular acupuncture significantly alleviated headache among retired Service members with traumatic brain injury. The report was published in the journal of Medical Acupuncture.

Headache after traumatic brain injury also called post-traumatic headache is one of the most common symptoms and 80% of the Service members with traumatic brain injury suffered chronic or recurrent headache. Although conventional medication is effective in relieving pain it always has potential to produce adverse effects following long-term use.

Dr. Jonas and colleagues conducted a randomized exploratory clinical study to evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture in patients with post-traumatic headache. The patients were randomly allocated into three groups, one with traditional Chinese acupuncture, the 2^nd group with auricular acupuncture and the 3^rd group with usual care as a control. Ten 60-minute acupuncture sessions were applied over a 6-week time period. Outcome measures include the Headache Impact Test (HIT), the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) and other perimeters for sleep, depression and anxiety and were performed before treatment (baseline) and at the end of the treatment. 

It was found that both traditional Chinese acupuncture and auricular acupuncture significantly alleviated headache judged by the outcome measures compared with baseline. Further, acupuncture significantly improved headache compared with control group. There was no difference in sleep, depression and anxiety between acupuncture and control group.

Authors suggested that acupuncture should be a part of standard treatment for trauma spectrum response, including post-traumatic headache.

Reference

Jonas WB et al., A Randomized Exploratory Study to Evaluate Two Acupuncture Methods for the Treatment of Headaches Associated with Traumatic Brain Injury. Med Acupunct. 2016 Jun 1;28(3):113-130.    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4926228/

Acupuncture significantly improved ophthalmoplegia caused by oculomotor nerve palsy

The oculomotor nerve paralysis usually causes ophthalmoplegia, leading to the impairment of eye movements or the response of pupils to light. Acupuncture treatment with patients suffering from oculomotor nerve palsy-induced ophthalmoplegia markedly improved the condition, according to a report recently published in journal of Evidence-Based Complimentary and Alternative Medicine.

The oculomotor nerve innervates the eyelid and four external ocular muscles including the medial rectus, superior rectus, inferior rectus and inferior oblique and others. People with oculomotor nerve palsy have double vision when looking a certain direction, the eyelid drop and widened pupil. The oculomotor nerve palsy is caused by either the pressure on the nerve or inadequate blood flow to the nerve, such as diabetes, hypertension and other disorders that affect blood supply to the oculomotor nerve. The common approach involves treatment to the causes and symptom therapy; either is in many cases not satisfactory.  

Recently, Dr. JQ Bi and colleagues in China conducted a pilot randomized controlled clinical study to assess the effect of acupuncture on the oculomotor palsy. A total of 40 patients with oculomotor palsy were randomly divided into acupuncture and control group (n=20 each group). Acupuncture stimulation was applied on acupoints ST1, EX-HN4, EX-HN5 and bilateral LI4 for 20 min each time, three times a week for four weeks. For sham control group, the same acupoints were applied but without the insertion of needles into the skin. The treatment outcome is measured by monitoring the cervical range of motion (CROM), the palpebral fissure size, response rate, at the baseline and the end of treatment.

It was reported, at the end of the study that acupuncture treatment significantly improved the conditions judged by the outcome measurements, e.g. CROM, the palpebral fissure size, response rate, compared with control group. No adverse effect was reported. The study suggested that acupuncture could be a feasible treatment for oculomotor palsy.

Reference

JQ Bi et al., Acupuncture for the Treatment of Oculomotor Paralysis: A Pilot Randomised Controlled Trial. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Volume 2016, Article ID 3961450,6 pages.     http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2016/3961450/