Acupuncture Abstracts [Medline]

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Wilson DV, Lankenau C, Berney CE, Peroni DL, Mullineaux DR,

Robinson NE. The effects of a single acupuncture treatment in

horses with severe recurrent airway obstruction. Equine Vet J.

2004 Sep;36(6):489-94. Pulmonary Laboratory, Department of

Large Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine,

Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48823, USA.

REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY: Acupuncture may be

recommended for horses with 'heaves' because it is being

increasingly applied to treat human asthma. Therefore, its efficacy

was investigated in horses with this asthma-like disease.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of a single acupuncture

treatment for the relief of airway obstruction in heaves-affected

horses. METHODS: The efficacy of a single acupuncture treatment

was tested in 10 heaves-affected horses, and the effect of removal

from the dusty stall environment in 5 heaves-affected horses.

Before treatment, horses were stabled to induce airway obstruction

and, apart from trips to the laboratory for pulmonary function

measurements, they remained stabled for the duration of each

treatment. The severity of airway obstruction was quantified by

measurement of lung function before treatment (baseline), and at

20, 60, 120 and 240 mins and 24 h after the following treatments

administered in random order: halter restraint and patting, a single

acupuncture treatment by an experienced acupuncturist, and a

single acupuncture treatment using predetermined points (recipe)

by a veterinarian with no acupuncture training. In a second study,

horses were untreated and remained either in their stall or in a

paddock for all measurements of lung function, after baseline

readings were made. RESULTS: In the first study, after all

treatments, there was a temporal improvement in maximal change

in pleural pressure, pulmonary resistance, dynamic compliance,

respiratory rate, and tidal volume that lasted less than 24 h. There

was no specific effect of acupuncture treatment. In the second

study, removal from the dusty environment did not produce an

improvement in lung function in the first 6 h. We conclude that

most of the improvements in lung function observed in the study

were due to handling. CONCLUSIONS: Assessed objectively, a

single acupuncture treatment during an attack of heaves causes no

more improvement in lung function than does handling the horse.

POTENTIAL RELEVANCE: Acupuncture should not replace

conventional medical treatments for heaves. PMID: 15460072

[PubMed - in process]

 

Macpherson H, Scullion A, Thomas KJ, Walters S. Patient reports

of adverse events associated with acupuncture treatment: a

prospective national survey. Qual Saf Health Care. 2004

Oct;13(5):349-55. University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5DD,

UK. hm18. OBJECTIVE: The primary aim was to

establish from acupuncture patients the type and frequency of

adverse events they experienced and attributed to their treatment.

Secondary aims included the measurement of patient reported

adverse consequences arising from advice received about

conventional/prescribed medication or from delayed conventional

diagnosis and treatment. METHODS: Postal survey of

prospectively identified acupuncture patients. One in three

members of the British Acupuncture Council (n = 638) invited

consecutive patients to participate in the survey. Participating

patients gave baseline data and consented to direct follow up by

the researchers at 3 months. A structured questionnaire was used

to collect data on perceived adverse events. RESULTS: 9408

patients gave baseline information and consent and 6348 (67%)

completed 3 month questionnaires. Responders were not dissimilar

to non-responders for all known characteristics. 682 patients

reported at least one adverse event over 3 months, a rate of 107 per

1000 patients (95% CI 100 to 115). Three patients reported a

serious adverse event. The most common events reported were

severe tiredness and exhaustion, pain at the site of needling, and

headache. Patients receiving acupuncture treatment that was not

funded by the NHS and patients not in contact with a GP or

hospital specialist were less likely to report adverse events (odds

ratios 0.59 and 0.66, respectively). 199 (3%) of responding patients

reported receiving advice about conventional/prescribed medication,

six of whom reported adverse consequences after taking the

advice. Two patients reported delayed conventional treatment.

CONCLUSION: Patients report a range of adverse events but these

do not prevent most patients seeking further acupuncture. This

large scale survey supports existing evidence that acupuncture is a

relatively safe intervention when practised by regulated

practitioners. PMID: 15465938 [PubMed - in process]

 

Sauer H. [Additive treatment for central vestibular vertigo- Article in

German]. HNO. 2004 Oct 1 [Epub ahead of print]. Munchen. We

have observed in our own practice that numerous patients with

primary symptoms of vertigo exhibit cervical segmental muscular

imbalance and increased tension in the masticatory musculature.

This is frequently associated with functional blockades, especially

in the joints of the head and upper cervical spine. Particularly

important are special receptors of the small vertebral joints and

muscle insertions at the cervicocranial transition. Evidence

indicates that there are neuroanatomic structures between these

receptors and the central vestibular and cochlear core area of the

brain stem, which can explain the vertigo symptoms as well as the

frequently associated tinnitus, headache or otalgia. Therapeutic

approaches include interruption of the pathological reflex arcs so

that muscle tension can resolve and imbalances are equalized. The

nociceptive stimulus to the brain stem and its core centers thus

recedes. Deafferentation follows from the reflex zones of the

posterior oral cavity in the sense of oral acupuncture. Additional

procedures include neural therapeutic injections at acupuncture

points at the cervicocranial transition, the ear, and maxillary area

as well as needle acupuncture of the head, ear, and hand. In

isolated cases, improvement of the vertigo symptoms is noticed as

early as after the first treatment session. Among other methods,

spinovestibular tests according to Romberg and Unterberger can be

employed to objectify treatment results. PMID: 15459763 [PubMed

- as supplied by publisher]

 

Tatewaki M, Strickland C, Fukuda H, Tsuchida D, Hoshino E,

Pappas TN, Takahashi T. Effects of acupuncture on vasopressin-

induced emesis in conscious dogs. Am J Physiol Regul Integr

Comp Physiol. 2004 Sep 30 [Epub ahead of print]. Department of

Surgery, Duke University Medical Center and VA Medical Center,

Durham, NC, USA; Department of Internal Medicine, Japanese

Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan. Background &

Aims: Although acupuncture has a significant clinical benefit, the

mechanism of acupuncture remains unclear. Vasopressin, a

posterior pituitary hormone, is involved in nausea and vomiting in

humans and dogs. To investigate the anti-emetic effects of

acupuncture on vasopressin-induced emesis, gastroduodenal

motor activity and the frequency of retching and vomiting were

simultaneously recorded in conscious dogs. Methods: In seven

dogs, four force transducers were implanted on the serosal

surfaces of the gastric body, antrum, pylorus, and duodenum.

Gastroduodenal motility was continuously monitored throughout

the experiment. Vasopressin was intravenously infused at a dose

of 0.1U/kg/min for 20 minutes. Electroacupuncture (EA, 1-30 Hz) at

pericardium-6 (PC6), bladder-21 (BL21) or stomach-36 (ST36) was

performed before, during and after the vasopressin infusion. To

investigate whether the opioid pathway is involved in EA-induced

anti-emetic effects, naloxone (a central and peripheral opioid

receptor antagonist) or naloxone methiodide (a peripheral opioid

receptor antagonist) was administered before, during and after EA

and vasopressin infusion. Results: Intravenous infusion of

vasopressin induced retching and vomiting in all dogs tested.

Retrograde peristaltic contractions (RPCs) occurred before the

onset of retching and vomiting. EA (10 Hz) at PC6 significantly

reduced the number of episodes of retching and vomiting. EA at

PC6 also suppressed RPCs as well. In contrast, EA at BL21 or

ST36 had no anti-emetic effects. The antiemetic effect of EA was

abolished by the pretreatment with naloxone, but not naloxone

methiodide. Conclusion: It is suggested that the anti-emetic effect

of acupuncture is mediated via the central opioid pathway. PMID:

15458968 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

 

Klein J, Griffiths P. Br J Community Nurs. 2004 Sep;9(9):383-8.

Acupressure for nausea and vomiting in cancer patients receiving

chemotherapy. St Mary's Hospital, London. joan.klein@st-

marys.nhs.uk Practitioners working with patients undergoing

chemotherapy regularly encourage them to use acupressure in the

form of Sea Bands trade mark for the relief of treatment-related

nausea and vomiting. This mini-review sets out to uncover and

examine the evidence base for this recommendation. A mini

systematic review was carried out to identify randomized controlled

trials comparing the use of acupressure plus usual care with usual

care alone. The population was adult patients receiving cancer

chemotherapy. The outcome was nausea or vomiting duration or

intensity. Searches on Medline, Embase, AMED, the Cochrane

Library, Cancerlit and Cinahl identified two randomized controlled

trials involving 482 patients with compared acupressure to no

intervention control. The results suggest that acupressure may

decrease nausea among patients undergoing chemotherapy but

further work is required before conclusively advising patients on the

efficacy of acupressure in preventing and treating chemotherapy-

induced nausea. PMID: 15389150 [PubMed - in process]

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