Recent Medline Abstracts on AP

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Cho SH, Whang WW. Acupuncture for vasomotor menopausal symptoms: a systematic

review. Menopause. 2009 May 6. [Epub ahead of print]. Hospital of Korean

Medicine, Kyung Hee University Medical Center, Seoul, Korea. OBJECTIVE:: The aim

of this study was to critically assess whether acupuncture therapy reduces

vasomotor menopausal symptoms and to evaluate the adverse effects of acupuncture

therapy on the basis of the results of randomized controlled trials (RCTs).

METHODS:: Nineteen electronic databases, including English, Korean, Japanese,

and Chinese databases, were systematically searched for RCTs in which

acupuncture was used to reduce vasomotor menopausal symptoms before July 2008.

There were no language restrictions. The methodological quality of the eligible

studies was assessed using the categories provided by the Menstrual Disorders

and Subfertility Review Group. RESULTS:: Eleven studies, which included a total

of 764 individual cases, were systematically reviewed. The methodological

quality of the trials varied substantially. Six trials compared acupuncture

treatment to sham or placebo acupuncture. Only one study using a nonpenetrating

placebo needle found a significant difference in the severity outcomes of hot

flashes between groups (mean difference, 0.48; 95% CI, 0.05-0.91). Five studies

reported a reduced frequency of hot flashes within groups; however, none found a

significant difference between groups. An analysis of the outcomes of the trials

that compared acupuncture with hormone therapy or oryzanol for reducing

vasomotor symptoms showed that acupuncture was superior. Three RCTs reported

minimal acupuncture-related adverse events. CONCLUSIONS:: There is no evidence

from RCTs that acupuncture is an effective treatment in comparison to sham

acupuncture for reducing menopausal hot flashes. Some studies have shown that

acupuncture therapies are better than hormone therapy for reducing vasomotor

symptoms. However, the number of RCTs compared with a nonpenetrating placebo

control needle or hormone therapy was too small, and the methodological quality

of some of the RCTs was poor. Further evaluation of the effects of acupuncture

on vasomotor menopausal symptoms based on a well-controlled placebo trial is

therefore warranted. PMID: 19424092 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

 

Borud EK, Alraek T, White A, Fonnebo V, Eggen AE, Hammar M, Astrand LL,

Theodorsson E, Grimsgaard S. The Acupuncture on Hot Flushes Among Menopausal

Women (ACUFLASH) study, a randomized controlled trial. Menopause. 2009

May/June;16(3):484-493. From the 1The National Research Center in Alternative

and Complementary Medicine, University of Tromsø, Tromsø, Norway; 2Dept of

General Practice and Primary Care, Peninsula Medical School, Universities of

Exeter and Plymouth, UK; 3Institute of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine,

University of Tromsø, Tromsø, Norway; 4Dept of Clinical and Experimental

Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden;

and 5Clinical Research Center, University Hospital of North Norway, Tromsø,

Norway. OBJECTIVE:: This study compared the effectiveness of individualized

acupuncture plus self-care versus self-care alone on hot flashes and

health-related quality of life in postmenopausal women. METHODS:: This study

involved a multicenter, pragmatic, randomized, controlled trial with two

parallel arms. Participants were postmenopausal women experiencing, on average,

seven or more hot flashes per 24 hours during seven consecutive days. The

acupuncture group received 10 acupuncture treatment sessions and advice on

self-care, and the control group received advice on self-care only. The

frequency and severity (0-10 scale) of hot flashes were registered in a diary.

Urine excretion of calcitonin gene-related peptide was assessed at baseline and

after 12 weeks. The primary endpoint was change in mean hot flash frequency from

baseline to 12 weeks. The secondary endpoint was change in health-related

quality of life measured by the Women's Health Questionnaire. RESULTS:: Hot

flash frequency decreased by 5.8 per 24 hours in the acupuncture group (n = 134)

and 3.7 per 24 hours in the control group (n = 133), a difference of 2.1 (P <

0.001). Hot flash intensity decreased by 3.2 units in the acupuncture group and

1.8 units in the control group, a difference of 1.4 (P < 0.001). The acupuncture

group experienced statistically significant improvements in the vasomotor,

sleep, and somatic symptoms dimensions of the Women's Health Questionnaire

compared with the control group. Urine calcitonin gene-related peptide excretion

remained unchanged from baseline to week 12. CONCLUSIONS:: Acupuncture plus

self-care can contribute to a clinically relevant reduction in hot flashes and

increased health-related quality of life in postmenopausal women. PMID: 19423996

[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

 

Dennehy EB, Schnyer R, Bernstein IH, Gonzalez R, Shivakumar G, Kelly DI, Snow

DE, Sureddi S, Suppes T. The safety, acceptability, and effectiveness of

acupuncture as an adjunctive treatment for acute symptoms in bipolar disorder. J

Clin Psychiatry. 2009 May 5. [Epub ahead of print]. Dept of Psychological

Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA. OBJECTIVE: There is

growing interest in the utility of nonpharmacologic treatments for mood

symptoms, including mood elevation and depression associated with bipolar

disorders. The purpose of this research was to provide preliminary data on the

safety, effectiveness, and acceptability of adjunctive acupuncture in the acute

treatment of hypomania and depression associated with bipolar disorder. METHOD:

Two randomized trials were conducted to assess the benefits of adjunctive

acupuncture for symptoms of depression and hypomania in patients with bipolar

disorder (DSM-IV criteria). For 20 patients experiencing symptoms of hypomania,

targeted acupuncture (points specific to symptoms) was compared to acupuncture

points off the acupuncture meridian over 12 weeks (from May 2000 through May

2003). For patients experiencing symptoms of depression (n = 26), targeted

acupuncture was compared to acupuncture for nonpsychiatric health concerns over

8 weeks (from November 2001 through May 2003). Preexisting psychotropic

medications were maintained at stable doses throughout study participation.

RESULTS: Regardless of acupuncture assignment or symptom pattern at entry, all

patients experienced improvement over the course of study participation. There

was evidence that acupuncture treatment did target the symptom dimension of

interest (mood elevation in Study I, depression in Study II). There were few

negative side effects and no attrition directly associated with adjunctive

acupuncture. CONCLUSIONS: Novel methodologies are needed to assess the utility

of acupuncture as adjunctive treatment of mood episodes associated with bipolar

disorder. We observed similar benefits associated with " placebo " acupuncture

experiences and active treatment. Further studies are warranted. TRIAL

REGISTRATION (STUDY II): clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00071669. ©

Copyright 2009 Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc. PMID: 19422756 [PubMed - as

supplied by publisher]

 

Chen MF, Yu HM, Li SF, You TJ. A complementary method for detecting qi vacuity.

BMC Complement Altern Med. 2009 May 8;9(1):12. [Epub ahead of print]. Qi vacuity

(QV) is defined by traditional Chinese medicine as a loss of energy in the human

body. An objective method for detecting QV was not available until recently,

however. The automatic reflective diagnosis system (ARDK) is a device that

detects human bioenergy through measuring skin conductance at 24 special

acupoints on the wrists and ankles. METHODS: This study used the ARDK to measure

skin conductance on 193 patients with QV and 89 sex- and age-matched healthy

controls to investigate whether the device is useful in detecting QV. Patients

diagnosed with QV have three or more of five symptoms or signs; symptom severity

is measured on 5 levels and scored from 0 to 4 points. We compared the

difference in the mean ARDK values between patients with QV and healthy

controls, and further used linear regression analysis to investigate the

correlation between the mean ARDK values and QV scores in patients diagnosed

with QV. RESULTS: The mean ARDK values in patients with QV (30.2 +/- 16.8muA)

are significantly lower than those of healthy controls (37.7 +/- 10.8muA; P <

0.001). A negative correlation was found between the mean ARDK values and QV

scores (r coefficient = -0.61; P < 0.001). After adjusting for age, the

decreased mean ARDK values in patients with QV showed a significant correlation

with the QV scores. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the mean ARDK values

reflect the severity of QV in patients diagnosed with the disorder. They also

suggest that the bioenergy level of the human body can be measured by skin

conductance. ARDK is a safe and effective complementary method for detecting and

diagnosing QV. PMID: 19422719 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

 

Kramer S, Winterhalter K, Schober G, Becker U, Wiegele B, Kutz DF, Kolb FP, Zaps

D, Lang PM, Irnich D. Characteristics of Electrical Skin Resistance at

Acupuncture Points in Healthy Humans. Altern Complement Med. 2009 May 8. [Epub

ahead of print]. Multidisciplinary Pain Centre, Dept of Anaesthesiology,

University of Munich , Munich, Germany . Objectives: The aim of this study was

to evaluate the phenomenon of electrical skin resistance (ESR) changes at

different acupuncture points (APs). Setting: This single-blinded study was

performed at the hospital of the University of Munich. Design: Six common APs

were measured (SJ05, PC06, LU06, ST36, SP06, GB39) in 53 subjects. Subgroups

were formed with varying time intervals for follow-ups (1 minute, 1 hour, 1

week) and a varying grade of reduction of the stratum corneum. Methods:

Electrical skin resistance measurements (ESRMs) were taken from a skin area of 6

x 6 cm using an array consisting of 64 (8 x 8) electrodes. The electrodes

corresponding to the AP were located and the ESRM results were compared to those

of the surrounding electrodes. The methodological setting made it possible to

minimize major influence factors on electrical skin impedance measurements.

Results: A total of 631 ESRMs was evaluated: In 62.8% of the measured APs, no

significant ESR difference was found. In 234 (37.2%) of the ESRMs, the ESR at

the AP was significantly different from the surrounding skin area, with 163

(25.9%) points showing a lower and 71 (11.3%) points showing a higher ESR.

Reproducibility was extremely high after 1 minute but was low after 1 hour and 1

week. Conclusions: This study shows that electrical skin resistance at APs can

either be lower or higher compared to the surrounding area. The phenomenon is

characterized by high short-term and low long-term reproducibility. Therefore,

we conclude that APs might possess specific transient electrical properties.

However, as the majority of the measured APs did not show a changed ESR, it

cannot be concluded from our data that electrical skin resistance measurements

can be used for acupuncture point localization or diagnostic/therapeutic

purposes. PMID: 19422323 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

 

Best regards,