Acupuncture reduces hot flush severity
Acupuncture is associated with a significant decrease in the severity, but not the frequency, of postmenopausal hot flushes. In a randomised, placebo controlled pilot study, 29 postmenopausal women averaging at least seven moderate to severe hot flushes per 24 hours, were randomised to receive seven weeks (nine treatment sessions) of either active acupuncture (standardised, individually tailored point prescriptions) or placebo acupuncture (non-penetrating placebo needles at sham acupuncture points). Those receiving active treatment had a significantly greater reduction in hot flush severity than those receiving placebo. There was no significant difference in the reduction of hot flush frequency between the active and placebo groups, however both groups experienced significantly fewer episodes of flushing. (Acupuncture for postmenopausal hot flashes. Maturitas. 2007 Apr 20;56(4):383-95).
Acupuncture for morning sickness
A meta-analysis has examined the effects of various methods for stimulating acupuncture points (acustimulation, AS) for the prevention of nausea and vomiting in pregnant women (NVP). The authors identified 14 eligible trials published over the last 16 years, involving a total of 1615 women and using either acupressure, acupuncture or electrical stimulation (ETS) as a method of AS. After the treatment, compared with controls, AS (all methods) reduced the proportion of nausea by more than 50% and vomiting by around 40%. Acupressure applied by finger pressure or wristband reduced NVP, as did ETS. However, acupuncture did not show an effect on reducing NVP. The authors advise caution in interpreting the results, as the number of acupuncture trials included was limited. (Meta-analysis of acustimulation effects on nausea and vomiting in pregnant women. Explore (NY). 2006 Sep-Oct;2(5):412-21).
Low level laser for smoking cessation
Low level laser for the stimulation of acupoints for smoking cessation: a double blind, placebo controlled randomised trial and semi structured interviews
Abstract
Aim: to determine whether the application of laser acupoint stimulation to previously reported effective earand body acupuncture points was successful in reducing the physical symptoms of withdrawal, so promoting a complete cessation of smoking.
Design: The method used was that of a double blind, randomised controlled trial and semi‑structured interviews. Adult volunteers (n=415) were recruited following a television appeal. After initial screening and application of inclusion/exclusion criteria the volunteers (n=387) were randomly allocated to either of the treatment groups A or B or C.
Intervention: Three laser therapy treatments on days 1, 3 and 7 of the programme and one sham treatment on day 14 (Group A) or 4 laser treatments carried out on days 1, 3, 7and 14 (Group B) or Group C with four sham treatments on days 1, 3, 7 and 14. Sham treatments used an inactive probe identical in appearance to active probe.
Findings: Groups A and Group B participants achieved a higherrate of non smoking than Group C. Of the two groups, four treatments (Group B) was more effective than the three treatments (Group A). The differences in the non smoking behaviors of all three groups were statisticallysignificant. Subjective data reported a lessening of withdrawal symptoms after laser treatment.
Conclusions:Laser acupoint stimulation can assist in smoking cessation by reducing the physical symptoms of withdrawal.
ACUPUNCTURE FOR AUTISM
Scalp acupuncture (SAP) may improve language development in children with autism. Twenty autistic children (4-7 years old) were divided into two groups, both of which underwent twice-weekly sessions of language therapy aimed at stimulation of cognitive and verbal abilities, over a period of nine months. Half of them also received twice-weekly SAP sessions using: Du 20, 26, GV17, temple needles and Yamamoto’s New Scalp Acupuncture cerebrum and aphasia points. Both groups showed a significant improvement in cognitive and expressive language skills, but the improvement was markedly greater in those who also had SAP. (Scalp acupuncture effect on language development in children with autism: a pilot study. J Altern Complement Med. 2008 Mar;14(2):109-14.)
http://www.jcm.co.uk/catalogue.php?catID=209&opener=0-195-209
ACUPUNCTURE REDUCES SCOLIOSIS
One session of acupuncture seems to have an influence on the deformity of some scoliosis patients. In a controlled single blind crossover study, verum acupuncture, carried out according to TCM principles, was compared with sham acupuncture and just lying in a group of 24 girls with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. In a subgroup of patients with Cobb’s angle (a measurement used for evaluation of curvature in scoliosis) of no more than 35 degrees, significant changes in surface rotation and lateral deviation of vertebrae were found after real acupuncture only. (Acupuncture in the treatment of scoliosis - a single blind controlled pilot study. Scoliosis. 2008 Jan 28;3:4.)
http://www.jcm.co.uk/catalogue.php?catID=209&opener=0-195-209
30/04/2008 Bill C-51 (first debate) Judy Wasylycia-Leis
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TzJ–m5TBA&feature=related
Joyce Murray, Liberal MP, brings up Concerns with Bill C-51
Olivia Chow, NDP MP, Requests to have Bill C-51 thrown out
Criticism of natural health products Bill C-51 mounts
Last Updated: Friday, May 9, 2008 | 5:19 PM ET
CBC News
Bill C-51, which would lead to more regulatory scrutiny of natural health products sold in Canada, is drawing some criticism.
A rally was held Friday at the Federal Court in Calgary to protest passage of the proposed legislation, which would amend the federal Food and Drugs Act.
One hundred protesters showed up to voice their opinions about the legislation, which received second reading in April.
Websites and online groups have sprung up across the country imploring their members to lobby their MPs to halt the progress of the bill.
Critics feel the bill will outlaw up to 60 per cent of natural health products currently sold in Canada, making many natural health products that have been sold in Canada for decades unavailable for purchase and penalizing parents who give herbs or supplements to their children.
They also argue that the government could designate any natural health product a prescription drug, making it available by prescription only. They say these types of provisions will force small companies out of the market.
In a speech last month at the Emerging Issues in Customs conference in Mississauga, Ont., federal Health Minister Tony Clement defended the bill, saying that it would allow the federal government to be able to continuously monitor the safety of products even after they have been approved.
“We propose maintaining a rigorous assessment of health products prior to making them available,” he said. “On top of that, Bill C-51 would provide the authority we now lack to make a recall as soon as we know there’s a problem.
“We’re seeking to gain the new authority to reassure the public that the government can, and will, act to protect health and safety as early as possible,” he said.
Acupuncture more effective than conventional treatments for back pain: study
Filed under: Acupuncture & TCM, Low Back Pain, Research, Western Medicine
Last Updated: Monday, September 24, 2007 | 4:50 PM ET
CBC News
Suffering from low back pain? Acupuncture might be a better option than conventional medication, physical therapy and exercise, according to a new study.
“Our study, which directly compared the conventional, non-surgical treatments with acupuncture, showed that patients who were treated with acupuncture over a period of about six weeks experienced nearly 50 per cent decrease in pain intensity, while those treated with physical therapy and other conventional treatments over a period of six weeks had less than 25 per cent improvement,” Heinz Endres, one of the authors, told CBCNews.ca.
The findings are published in the Sept. 24 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.
German researchers conducted a randomized clinical trial involving 1,162 patients, with an average age of 50, that had suffered chronic low back pain for approximately eight years.
Study participants were broken into several groups. One group of 387 patients underwent 10, 30-minute sessions of verum acupuncture, which consisted of inserting needles into fixed points to a depth of five millimetres to 40 millimetres, based on traditional Chinese medicine.
Another group of 387 patients underwent “sham” acupuncture for the same time period, which consisted of inserting needles superficially (one millimetre to three millimetres) into the lower back avoiding all known verum points or meridians.
‘Acupuncture has not yet been recommended as a routine therapy. We think this will change with our study.’— Heinz Endres
And a third group of 388 patients underwent conventional therapy, which involved a combination of medication (analgesics), physical therapy and exercise for 30 minutes a session for 10 sessions.
In the study, the response rate was defined as a 33 per cent improvement in pain or a 12 per cent improvement in functional ability.
“At six months, response rate was 47.6 per cent in the verum acupuncture group, 44.2 per cent in the sham acupuncture group and 27.4 per cent in the conventional therapy group,” reads the study.
“The superiority of both forms of acupuncture suggests a common underlying mechanism that may act on pain generation, transmission of pain signals or processing of pain signals by the central nervous system and that is stronger than the action mechanism of conventional therapy,” the authors conclude.
Sham acupuncture raises questions
The authors also point out that the subtle difference in the response rate to both sham and verum acupuncture “forces us to question the underlying action mechanism of acupuncture and to ask whether the emphasis placed on learning the traditional Chinese acupuncture points may be superfluous.”
The study’s outcome could mean that there are no specific effects of acupuncture, that the effect of acupuncture is very small or the success of acupuncture is not dependent on accessing specific points nor depths in the skin, the authors theorize.
“The narrow difference between verum and sham acupuncture also leads to the consideration of whether there might be only a “super-placebo” effect in operation for both forms of acupuncture. Alternatively, however, it can be also be theorized that sham acupuncture does not present a genuine placebo effect, but that it actually triggers specific physiological effects as well, of which we are not yet aware,” said Endres.
Regardless, the researchers feel that because the difference in response rates between the acupuncture therapies and conventional treatment is too dramatic to ignore and “suggests a common underlying mechanism that may act on pain generation, transmission of pain signals, or processing of pain signals by the central nervous system that is stronger than the action mechanism of conventional therapy.”
The researchers conclude that acupuncture “gives physicians a promising and effective treatment option for chronic low back pain, with few adverse effects or contraindications. ”
Got back pain? See a doctor
Endres says that anyone experiencing back pain should consult their doctor as soon as possible to determine the nature of the pain.
Secondly, he says, treatment should be started as soon as possible, to prevent acute back pain from turning into chronic back pain.
“There are many widely used and recommended conservative, non-surgical forms of treatment such as physical therapy, massage, chiropractic manipulation, or short-term use of NSAIDs like diclofenac, ibuprofen or others,” he says.
“Unlike these treatments, acupuncture has not yet been recommended as a routine therapy,” says Endres. “We think this will change with our study.”
http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2007/09/24/acupuncture-study.html