Comparative analgesia between acupuncture and dipyrone in odontalgia Publication date: Available online 9 August 2019 Source: Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies Author(s): Talita Bonato de Almeida, Vera Lúcia Rasera Zotelli, Ronaldo Seichi Wada, Maria da Luz Rosário de Sousa Abstract The objective of this study was to assess whether the effectiveness of acupuncture is similar to the use of analgesics in the management of toothache. The research included 56 volunteers who were divided into 4 groups: Real Acupuncture group (n=14), Placebo Acupuncture group (n=14), Real Dipyrone group (n=14), and Placebo Dipyrone group (n=14). The interventions of the study were performed before the dental care. Inclusion criteria were toothache of pulpal origin with pain scale (Visual Analogue Scale-VAS) above 4, absence of medication for the pain, and aged over 18 years. The Real Acupuncture volunteers received a session of acupuncture using piercing needles, while volunteers from the Placebo Acupuncture group received an acupuncture session using non-piercing sham needles. Volunteers from the Real Dipyrone group received a dipyrone tablet and the Placebo Acupuncture group received a tablet with no active ingredient. Before any therapeutic intervention, we collected samples from the volunteers’ saliva to analyze the salivary cortisol, the volunteers rated the intensity of their pain using VAS, and we measured their energy level by the Ryodoraku method. After 20 minutes of treatment, all the volunteers’ analysis parameters were collected again. The Real Acupuncture group presented a greater reduction of VAS than the reduction obtained by the Real Dipyrone group (p<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between the groups for the salivary cortisol and energy level variables. It can be concluded that acupuncture was more effective in reducing odontalgia than the analgesic dipyrone and that it can be an alternative for odontalgia management.

Cervical Trigger Point Acupuncture for Treatment of Somatic Tinnitus Publication date: Available online 29 July 2019 Source: Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies Author(s): Simin Sajadi, Bijan Forogh, Masoumeh ZoghAli Abstract Cervicogenic somatic tinnitus is a subtype of subjective tinnitus and is defined as tinnitus in which forceful contractions of jaw and neck muscles modulate its psychoacoustic attributes. Various physical therapies have been proposed for the treatment of somatosensory tinnitus although there is no definitive cure for it. This report describes the use of acupuncture in the treatment of a 71-year-old woman with chronic neck pain who suffered from left-sided tinnitus for 2 years, as well. The tinnitus and neck pain severity was rated as 7 and 6, respectively, on a numeric rating scale of 10. On examination, she had restricted cervical range of motion and several myofascial trigger points in cervical muscles. Audiometric tests of the patient were normal. She received trigger point acupuncture of cervical muscles twice per week for 10 sessions. Her tinnitus completely disappeared after the third session and did not return during the 5-year follow-up. Her neck pain intensity also decreased to 1 on the numeric rating scale after 10 sessions. Based on the results of this study, direct trigger point acupuncture of cervical muscles may be beneficial in the treatment of somatic tinnitus with a long-duration effect.

Changes in Heart Rate Variability in Patients with Spleen-Qi Deficiency Syndrome Publication date: Available online 25 July 2019 Source: Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies Author(s): Agnese Olivera-Toro, Rubén Fossion, Lei Li, Rosa E. López-Gómez, Emma López-Espinosa, Ismael Jiménez-Estrada, Salvador Quiroz-González Abstract Many functional diseases are related to dysautonomia, and heart rate variability has been used to assess dysautonomia. However, heart rate variability has not been studied in Spleen-Qi deficiency syndrome (SQDS). Healthy volunteers (n = 37) and patients with SQDS (n = 67), recruited from the Clinic of the State University of Ecatepec Valley were included in the study. Outcome measures were average heart rate, standard deviation of the normal-to-normal heartbeat intervals, low frequency (LF), high frequency (HF) power, and the LF/HF ratio. Also, intestinal peristalsis, gastrointestinal symptoms (GSs), fatigue, and level of attention were measured. Standard deviation of the normal-to-normal heartbeat intervals (17 ± 2.3%) and HF (14 ± 3.1%) were lower in SQDS patients (17% ± 1.3) than in healthy volunteers. SQDS patients had higher heart rate, LF power, LF/HF ratio, and fatigue scores (9.6 ± 1.12%, 16 ± 2.1%, 22 ± 3.8%, and 21 ± 4.1%). The fatigue correlated positively with the LF/HF ratio and negatively with HF power. The SQDS group had lower concentration performance (16.2 ± 1.9%) in the d2 test. The intestinal peristalsis showed a reduction (15 ± 1.3%) as compared with control. GS score and peristalsis correlated negatively with HF. Our results suggest that the pathology of SDQS could be associated with a low vagal tone which causes a decrease in peristalsis, increased fatigue, reduced attention, and appearance of GSs.

Effects of Acupressure on Fatigue in Patients with Cancer Who Underwent Chemotherapy Publication date: Available online 25 July 2019 Source: Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies Author(s): Atefeh Ghanbari Khanghah, Moloud Sharifi Rizi, Bahram Naderi Nabi, Masoumeh Adib, Ehsan Kazem Nejad Leili Abstract Objectives Fatigue is the commonest symptom in cancer patients; despite high levels of clinically significant persistent cancer-related fatigue, few treatments are currently available. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of acupressure on fatigue in patients with cancer who underwent chemotherapy. Methods The study was designed as a randomized and controlled trial. Ninety samples were selected using the convenience sampling method, and random block sampling was used for allocation of groups (30 for each group). The three groups were similar by age and gender. The experimental group underwent acupressure at the Zusanli (ST-36), Hegu (LI-4), and Sanyingjiao (SP-6), whereas sham pressure was used in the placebo group and no intervention was applied in the control group; the level of fatigue of participants in three groups was calculated in three phases, before, during, and after chemotherapy. Data were analyzed using SPSS, version 22. Results The results showed that the mean of visual analog score of fatigue is significantly different in three groups at the end of chemotherapy (p = 0.021). The mean visual analog score of fatigue in the acupressure group was meaningfully lower than that in the control group after chemotherapy (p = 0.028). Conclusion Results of this investigation showed that acupressure has short-term effectiveness on the cancer-related fatigue of patients undergoing chemotherapy

Stimulation of Bladder Acupoints by Cloprostenol for Treating Back Soreness in Athletic Horses Publication date: Available online 24 July 2019 Source: Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies Author(s): Eldessouky Sheta, Haithem Farghali, Safwat Ragab, Nagwa Hassan, Asmaa El-Sherif Abstract Twenty-five Thoroughbred jumper geldings suffered back soreness with poor performance, and 5 control horses were assessed by archived computer data, clinical examination, and laboratory analyses of complete blood picture, serum enzymes, and cortisol level, before and after cloprostenol-aquapuncture. The 25 diseased horses before therapy showed significant increases in aspartate aminotransferase and creatine phosphokinase with clinical pains scored mild in 15 horses, moderate in 9 horses, and severe in one horse, without changes in the hormonal and hematological data. After therapy, they responded by an increase of heart rate (57.8 ± 4.3 bpm), body temperature (38.5 ± 0.7°C), respiration rate (28.3 ± 2.1 bpm), and capillary refilling time (CRT) (1.0 ± 0.0). On the 2nd day, a significant decrease in the mean levels of aspartate aminotransferase and creatine phosphokinase (P = 0.001) was detected, while on the 4th day, they mimed the level of the 5 controls, and on the 6th day, they showed a significant decrease (P = 0.002). The serum cortisol level showed a significant increase on the 6th day of treatment (P = 0.013). The blood picture showed significant increases in red blood cells, mean corpuscular volume, platelets, white blood cells, hemoglobin, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, mean platelet volume, platelet distribution width, lymphocytes, plateletcrit, and large platelet concentration ratio (P < 0.05) and nonsignificant changes in hematocrit, granulocytes, and midocytes. The improved blood parameters, enzymes, hormones, and performance progress after cloprostenol-aquapuncture proved its effectiveness in treating back soreness in athletic horses.

Pressuring of Acupoints as a Complement to the Diagnosis of Stifle Diseases in Horses Publication date: Available online 2 July 2019 Source: Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies Author(s): Luiza P.R. Mariani, Flávia Sampaio, Andressa B. Silveira, Luis F. Bastos, Saulo H. Weber, Pedro V. Michelotto Abstract Diseases of the stifle joint remain a challenge for veterinarians. The objective of this study was to achieve a valuable acupuncture suggestive diagnosis to be considered for stifle joint diseases in horses. Thirty-nine nonlame horses involved in different activities were assessed. Acupuncture was independently performed by two evaluators. Reactions of the animal when pressurizing the point suggestive of stifle disease (PSSD), Bladder-20 and/or Bladder-21, were considered as the inclusion criteria for inclusion in the stifle group (SG, n = 31), and the animals with no reactions were assigned to the control group (n = 8). Radiographic and ultrasonographic examinations were performed and evaluated by two independent professionals blinded to the group allocation. Thermographic examination of the PSSD and stifles was also performed, after acclimatization. The ultrasound scores and radiographic findings were higher in the SG than in the control group. Thermography evidenced increased temperature in the PSSD and stifles in the SG. The minimum acupuncture diagnostic criteria for stifle joint disease had a sensitivity of 87.5% and a specificity of 57.0%, and the addition of the acupoints Gallbladder–dorsal tuber coxae, Gallbladder-27, and Spleen-13 to the minimum diagnostic criteria improved sensitivity and specificity. In conclusion, assessing the reaction at the demonstrated acupoints can facilitate a diagnosis of a potential stifle lesion.

Thermal Effects of Acupuncture by the Infrared Thermography Test in Patients With Tinnitus Publication date: Available online 27 June 2019 Source: Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies Author(s): Wa Cai, Ai-Wen Chen, Lei Ding, Wei-Dong Shen Abstract Previous studies have confirmed the efficacy of acupuncture treatment for tinnitus. However, no relevant studies of the exact mechanism of acupuncture efficacy on tinnitus have been published. Enrolled participants with left-sided tinnitus received acupuncture treatment at TE3 and TE5. The acupuncture session lasted for 30 minutes. The infrared thermography (IRT) test of each participant's bilateral aural regions and visual analog scale scores were taken before and after the first acupuncture treatment session. Fifty-four participants accepted acupuncture treatment and the IRT test. The temperature differentials of both sides were reduced significantly, but the maximum, minimum, and average temperature of bilateral aural regions did not have a significant difference before and after acupuncture session. The acupuncture's effects for tinnitus were associated with the improvement of cochlear blood flow via the IRT test. We have planned a full-scale randomized controlled trial to find out more about the underlying mechanisms of acupuncture for tinnitus.

Treatment of Plantar Fasciitis with the Yuan-Luo Point Pair: A Clinical Case Report Publication date: Available online 3 June 2019 Source: Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies Author(s): Jonathan Day Abstract This case report chronicles the treatment of a case of plantar fasciitis with acupuncture and tuina over six clinic visits. The patient was a 41-year-old female with plantar fasciitis for two months. A variety of acupuncture and electroacupuncture protocols were used at first, with no benefit. After the fourth and fifth visits, however, the patient experienced total relief of pain and a significant reduction in stiffness that persisted through her final visit two weeks later. These later treatments included the yuan-luo (origin-connecting) acupuncture point pair KI 3 and BL 58, which is one possible explanation for their effectiveness. The yuan-luo pair is a classical point combination with much theory behind it, yet no studies have been published regarding its practical uses in clinic. This case is an example of one practical application of the pair; further examples are needed.

Editorial Board Publication date: June 2019 Source: Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies, Volume 12, Issue 3 Author(s):

Complete Recovery Following Electroacupuncture Therapy in Refractory Unilateral Sensorineural Hearing Loss Publication date: June 2019 Source: Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies, Volume 12, Issue 3 Author(s): Warangkana Arpornchayanon, Supanimit Teekachunhatean Abstract Role of electroacupuncture (EA) in refractory unilateral sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) remains unclear but might be promising for the Meniere's disease. Two cases of unilateral SNHL who were unresponsive to conventional treatment of sudden SNHL showed complete recovery after receiving EA therapy. The first case was a 46-year-old woman who received EA in the seventh month after the acute onset of sudden right hearing loss and tinnitus. She had mild-to-moderate degree of SNHL at high frequencies in the right ear with episodic vertigo. The second case was a 55-year-old woman who received EA in the sixth year after developing sudden SNHL in the right ear. Before the EA began, her pure tone average of the affected ear was 45 dB and the phonetically balanced score was 88%. The regimen for both patients included 12 sessions of EA over four weeks at the main acupoints (Tinggong (SI 19), Ermen (TE 21), Qimai (TE 18) and Yifeng (TE 17) on the affected ear and the adjuvant acupoints (Zhongzhu (TE 3), Hegu (LI 4), Qihai (CV 6), Guanyuan (CV 4), Taixi (KI 3), and Taichong (LIV 3)). Both patients regained their normal hearing thresholds three weeks after the first EA. No adverse events were observed. Hence, EA may be a useful additional therapy in unilateral SNHL, even at the late phase when other treatments have failed because the possibility of Meniere's disease cannot be excluded.