Spring Green Acupuncture & Herbal Clinic

04/28/2023

Acupuncture alleviates SHOULDER PAIN

Acupuncture alleviates pain and restores mobility to patients with scapulohumeral periarthritis (pain and range of motion disorder of the shoulder). This condition involves shoulder inflammation affecting the muscles, tendons, and bursa. In severe cases, there may be adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder).
Yueyang Affiliated Hospital (Hunan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine) researchers tested two approaches to acupuncture therapy. One protocol involved the application of local acupuncture points. The other acupoint prescription protocol employed the addition of three distal acupuncture points. The combined protocol of distal and local acupoints produced a 91.7% total effective rate in the clinical trial. [1]
A total of 72 patients with scapulohumeral periarthritis were admitted into Yueyang Hospital. The sample was randomly divided into a local plus distal acupuncture group and a local acupoint group. Patient age range was 40–65 years and the course of disease was within 2 years. There was no statistical difference in terms of mean age and mean course of disease prior to the beginning of acupoint application.
Results
Observation parameters were based on the Constant Murley Score (CMS), which is used to assess the shoulder. This is a 100 point scale based on: pain (15 points), activities of daily living (20 points), overall strength (25 points), shoulder range of motion (40 points). Greater numerical designations indicate greater function. Prior to treatment, the scores for the distal plus local acupuncture group and the local only acupuncture group were 54.56 ±6.20 and 55.50 ±5.16 respectively. Following treatment, the figures changed to 89.39 ±9.10 and 81.94 ±9.36. Efficacy criteria were classified into 4 categories:
• Fully recovered: shoulder pain eliminated, mobility restored
• Significantly effective: pain markedly relieved, mobility improved
• Effective: pain relieved, mobility slightly improved
• Ineffective: pain persisted, symptoms unchanged or aggravated.
Among the 36 cases in the local plus distal acupuncture group, 13 cases were fully recovered, 15 were significantly effective, 5 were effective, and 3 were ineffective. Among the 36 cases in the distal acupuncture group, 7 cases were fully recovered, 13 were significantly effective, 11 were effective, and 5 were ineffective. The efficacy rates for the two groups were 91.7% and 86.1% respectively. Both groups benefitted from acupuncture therapy, but the group receiving both local and distal acupoints had greater outcomes.(from HealthCMI)

02/20/2023

Acupuncture Alleviates Chemoradiotherapy Induced Leukopenia (low White Blood Cells)

Researchers find acupuncture combined with moxibustion effective for the treatment of chemoradiotherapy induced leukopenia. Shanghai Tongji Hospital researchers determined that acupuncture combined with moxibustion successfully increases white blood cell levels and stabilizes the overall health of patients suffering from leukopenia (a disorder characterized by reduced white blood cell levels). The results were verified by blood assays and additional clinical evidence in a controlled trial comparing the effects of medications with acupuncture and moxibustion. Acupuncture combined with moxibustion produced a positive patient outcome rate of 90.0%. The medications batilol and leucogen produced a 53.3% positive patient outcome rate for the treatment of chemoradiotherapy induced leukopenia.

Acupuncture and moxibustion produced faster positive patient outcomes than for patients receiving medications (batilol and leucogen tablets). Data points measured immediate and short-term benefits of both therapies. Acupuncture produced increased white blood cell levels by the day 3 and day 7 data points. Batilol and leucogen produced the same effect by the day 14 data point. In addition, batilol and leucogen further increased white blood cell levels at the day 21 data point that had already been achieved by the acupuncture and moxibustion group by day 14 data point. (from Health CMI)

09/01/2022

Acupuncture Unblocks Intestinal Obstructions Finding

Acupuncture is effective for relieving symptoms caused by intestinal obstructions. A recent study compared the efficacy of treating intestinal obstructions with routine biomedical care and acupuncture. The latter yielded superior patient outcomes. Efficacy rate in this study was based on a four-level symptom scoring system.
Among the 40 cases in the acupuncture group, 16 recovered, 14 were significantly effective, seven were effective, and three were ineffective. The total efficacy rate was 92.75%, higher than that of the control group (75.00%). The acupuncture group also had a shorter recovery rate in terms of the above-mentioned symptoms.
The study included a sample of 80 intestinal obstruction patients admitted into the Affiliated Hospital to Jiangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from 2018 to 2020. The patients were randomized into a routine care group and an acupuncture group, with 40 cases in each group. Cramping abdominal pain, other pain, vomiting, and inability to have a bowel movement or pass gas could be observed. Imaging showed a dilated and pneumatized intestinal canal and elevated fluid levels within.
Needles were retained for 30 minutes after obtaining a deqi sensation. Needle ends were connected to moxa to conduct moxibustion. Fourteen days of treatment were performed.(quoted from HealthCMI)

06/29/2022

Acupuncture Improves Function in Heart Failure Patients

Nov. 14, 2001 -- It wasn't so long ago that acupuncture -- the ancient practice of strategically piercing the skin with thin needles -- was considered far too "alternative" for Western medicine. But yet another clinical trial has shown that acupuncture really can bring good health effects. UCLA researchers found the treatment significantly lowers stress and improves heart function in the very sickest heart failure patients.
The team looked at people who had severe heart failure, a condition where the heart has become so weak from a previous heart attack, high blood pressure, or even an unknown cause that the organ can no longer pump enough blood through the body to keep the person healthy.
The researchers divided 14 critically ill heart failure patients -- who were all waiting for heart transplants -- into three groups. First, all the patients were tested to determine how their heart responds to stress. They performed anxiety-provoking tasks for four minutes, such as solving mathematical equations in their head, and afterward, the researchers measured blood pressure, heart rate, and sympathetic nerve activity.

But when people have heart failure, this panic-alarm system is always turned on, forcing the already weak heart to work even harder. As a result, people become more vulnerable to dangerous heart rhythms.
"Advanced heart failure patients often have two or three times more sympathetic nerve activity than normal individuals," says study leader Holly R. Middlekauff, MD, associate professor of medicine at UCLA School of Medicine, in a news release.
Next, patients in the first group received authentic acupuncture with needles placed in established "acupoints." The second group received acupuncture with randomly-placed needles, and the third were told they'd be receiving acupuncture, but in fact received a sham procedure where needles were tapped against, but not inserted into, the back of the neck. Then, everyone took another stress test.
"Blood pressure and heart rate were unaffected by the acupuncture, and both increased after mental stress testing in all groups," says Middlekauff. "But sympathetic nerve activation was significantly reduced in the [authentic] acupuncture group."
It's too early to recommend acupuncture as a routine treatment, says Middlekauff, and follow-up studies are needed to confirm the findings. But "until now, no one had looked at acupuncture's effect on the very sickest heart failure patients. Our research represents a promising first step," she says.
The team presents its findings today at the American Heart Association's annual conference being held in Anaheim, Calif.
FROM THE WEBMD ARCHIVES

05/11/2022

Acupuncturist of the Month
October 2021

03/22/2022

Depression: Acupuncture outperforms drugs for the depression total cure rate with no serious adverse effects.

Researchers from Jinan University (Guangzhou, China) conclude that acupuncture is effective for the alleviation of depression. In the study, the acupuncture treatment group achieved a total efficacy rate of 88.9%, and the drug control group achieved an efficacy rate of 84.8%. Patients in the control group received administration of the pharmaceutical medication fluoxetine (known by the trade name Prozac®). The researchers conclude that acupuncture slightly outperforms fluoxetine for the treatment of depression. In addition, acupuncture treatment displays certain advantages compared with anti-depressant drugs. Acupuncture achieved a higher cure rate and the drugs had a significant adverse reaction rate.

Depression is a common mental disorder wherein patients experience prolonged melancholy. In serious cases, depression might lead to suicidal thoughts and behaviors, flattening of emotions, weakening willpower and physical pathologies. Globally, depression is responsible for a serious impact on patients’ work performance and quality of life. Hence, finding the most effective treatment has become a matter of utmost urgency to medical researchers around the world. Acupuncture has an ancient and well-documented history for the treatment of mental illness. The study focuses on a scientific comparison between drug therapy and acupuncture therapy.
The study involved the selection of 72 patients who received acupuncture or drug treatments at the Acupuncture and Psychology department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University. Patients were randomly assigned to a drug control group and an acupuncture treatment group. The treatment group was comprised of 17 males and 19 females, with an average age of 29 years and a depression medical history of 20 months; the control group had 20 males and 16 females, with an average age of 28 years and a depression medical history of 21 months.
(quoted from Health CMI)
# Spring Green Acupuncture

01/28/2022

Acupuncture relieves dry eyes and preventing ocular damage.

Research published in the Chinese Journal of Practical Ophthalmology finds acupuncture effective for the treatment of dry eye syndrome (keratoconjunctivitis sicca). Huang et al. compared patients receiving acupuncture and lubricant eye drops with patients receiving only lubricant eye drops. Patients receiving acupuncture treatments had significantly greater positive patient outcomes. Acupuncture increased lacrimal gland secretion, improved tear film stability, and slowed tear film breakdown.
Patients receiving acupuncture plus lubricant eye drops had a 76.92% improvement rate in dry eye symptoms. Patients receiving only lubricant eye drops had a 53.85% improvement rate. Tear film stability improved significantly with acupuncture. Patients receiving acupuncture plus eye drops had a tear film break-up time of 4.03 seconds compared with 2.11 seconds for the eye drop only group. Acupuncture achieved similar results in producing increased tear secretions. Acupuncture plus eye drops patients had a Schirmer I Test (SIT) value of 5.13 mm compared with 3.46 mm for the eye drop only group. In addition, acupuncture prevented ocular surface damage. The acupuncture plus eye drop group had a lower corneal fluorescein staining (FL) score of 1.05 compared with 1.31 for the group receiving only eye drops.("HelathCMI")

01/25/2022

Clinic logo

01/24/2022