TCM (Acupuncture & herbs) in respiratory disease

[Guest guest]

Hi All,

 

Doc <drdrdoc, (ref 1), noted a recent report by Benno

Brinkhaus that AP + daily CHM (herbs) had a positive effect in

treating hay-fever:

 

In contrast, meta-analysis of published studies, in which Brinkhaus

also was co-author, (ref 2), found NO SIGNIFICANT effect of AP in

chronic asthma.

 

Reminds me of a variant of the classical story in which the same

blind man stumbled on two closely-related elephants and failed to

recognise the relationship!

 

Best regards,

Phil

 

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REFERENCES

(1) http://tinyurl.com/3r3op

AP, Herbs Ease Hay Fever: Tue Oct 19, 2004, by Alison McCook:

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Regular sessions of AP and daily

doses of Chinese herbal medicine may help ease the burden of

seasonal allergies, new research indicates.

 

A group of German investigators found that hay fever sufferers who

received weekly AP treatments and took three doses of a Chinese

herbal formula per day showed fewer symptoms and were less

likely to say their allergy was infringing on their daily activities than

people who received a placebo treatment.

 

" There are additional options to conventional medicine, " lead author

Dr. Benno Brinkhaus of the Charite University Medical Center in

Berlin told Reuters Health. Brinkhaus suggested that people with

seasonal allergies should consider AP and herbs, but added that

they should use it with caution, given that every treatment has side

effects.

 

According to the report, published in the journal Allergy, the

number of people with hay fever is growing in industrialized

countries, affecting between 10 and 20% of the population. Many of

these patients are now opting for alternative medicine, including

Chinese remedies, but few studies have rigorously examined their

effects, Brinkhaus and colleagues note.

 

The researchers asked 52 adults with moderate hay fever to try a

combination of AP and Chinese herbs or a placebo treatment.

People given the placebo regimen had needles applied to non-AP

sites, and were given a non-specific Chinese herbal formula.

 

After 6 weeks, 85% of treated participants showed overall

improvements in their hay fever, compared with only 40% of the

comparison group. More specifically, subjects who received the

real treatment were more likely to report that their symptoms had

decreased. They also tended to say their allergies were having less

of an impact on their daily activities, such as sleep, everyday

problems and general health.

 

People who got the genuine treatment were also twice as likely to

experience a remission of their allergy, and had a bigger decrease

in the number of drugs they took to relieve hay fever symptoms

during the study period. Patients given the real and sham treatment

were equally likely to report side effects. Brinkhaus noted that this

study focused on people who already had symptoms, and AP and

herbs may be more effective when used before hay fever kicks in.

SOURCE: Allergy, September 2004.

 

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(2) http://tinyurl.com/5n3sn

McCarney RW, Brinkhaus B, Lasserson TJ, Linde K.AP for chronic

asthma. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2004(1):CD000008.

Department of Psychological Medicine, Imperial College London,

Room 4.06, Paterson Centre, 20 South Wharf Road, London, UK,

W2 1PD. BACKGROUND: AP has traditionally been used to treat

asthma in China and is used increasingly for this purpose

internationally. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this review was to

assess the effects of AP for the treatment of asthma or asthma-like

symptoms. SEARCH STRATEGY: We searched the Cochrane

Airways Group trials register (searched August 2003), the

Cochrane Complementary Medicine Field trials register, the

Alternative Medicine Database (August 2003) and reference lists of

articles. We also contacted trialists and researchers in the field of

complementary and alternative medical research. SELECTION

CRITERIA: Randomised and possibly randomised trials using

needle AP or other forms of stimulation of AP. Any form of control

treatment was considered (no treatment in addition to conventional

asthma treatment, sham or placebo interventions, active

comparator interventions). Studies were included provided outcome

was assessed at one week or more. DATA COLLECTION AND

ANALYSIS: At least two reviewers independently assessed trial

quality. A reviewer experienced in AP assessed the adequacy of

the active and sham APs used in the studies. Study authors were

contacted for missing information. MAIN RESULTS: Eleven studies

met the inclusion criteria with 324 participants. Trial reporting was

poor and trial quality was deemed inadequate to generalise

findings. There was variation in the type of active and sham APs,

the outcomes measured and time-points presented. The points

used in the sham arm of some studies are used for the treatment

of asthma according to traditional Chinese medicine. Two studies

used individualised treatment strategies and one study used a

combination strategy of formula AP with the addition of

individualised points. No statistically significant or clinically relevant

effects were found for AP compared to sham AP. Data from two

small studies were pooled for lung function (post-treatment FEV1):

Standardised Mean Difference 0.12, 95% confidence interval -0.31

to 0.55). REVIEWER'S CONCLUSIONS: There is not enough

evidence to make recommendations about the value of AP in

asthma treatment. Further research needs to consider the

complexities and different types of AP. Publication Types: Review

Review, Academic PMID: 14973944 [PubMed - indexed for

MEDLINE]

 

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Best regards,

 

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