I like studies comparing points and their outcomes. Here they compare the type of stimulation at the acupuncture points and the resulting changes in the local skin reaction and the subjects HRV and Heart Rate before, during and after the session. Nicely done! A Transcontinental Pilot Study for Acupuncture Lifting-Thrusting and Twisting-Rotating Manipulations Tao Huang, [...]
12/30/2012
Decrease in Preoperative Anxiety with One Point Acupuncture Treatment
A treatment using a single ear tack placed on Yin Tang for 20 minutes before surgery (perhaps an ear tack was used to avoid issues with the needle falling out with patient movement) compared to a sham acupuncture point, showed decreased anxiety by two different outcome measurements. No change was seen in the control group. [...]
12/30/2012
Acupuncture in Lab Mice for Alcohol Withdrawal
This study shows that electroacupuncture during alcohol withdrawal in mice improves with electroacupuncture of 100 Hz at Du14 and Du 20 and not at Susanli and Neiguan. This study is beyond my expertise, but I applaud the study design which compares acupoints as well as including controls. In addition, it is counterintuitive that Du14 and [...]
12/20/2012
Breech Babies Verted with Moxibustion
Moxibustion (burning of mugwort) near the classic point for version of a breech presentation leads to 58% vertex presentation at birth as opposed to 43% of pregnant women who had non-specific moxabustion. Well powered study of 406 healthy pregnant women. Nice! Their conclusion “Moxibustion at acupuncture point BL67 is effective and safe to correct non-vertex [...]
12/18/2012
Acupuncture for Better Focus? Persistence Pays Off
A patient told me the story of a friend who went religiously for Acupuncture for a year for help with focus. She’s now able to read a book every other day. It was a good reminder for me to encourage patients to “stick with it” (pardon the pun), and a good reminder for me too! [...]
12/14/2012
Hormesis: Benefits of Low Dose Stressors
One strategy in my mission to improve acupuncture results is to find models in nature that explain why humans would have evolved to respond to acupuncture. What is it mimicking in nature that makes it have it’s healing properties? For example, is it an analog of grooming, or touch? I came across the concept of [...]
12/13/2012
Acupuncture, Itch and the Brain
From Napadow, the brain circuitry of itching and where verum acupuncture seems to be working at the brain level. Cereb Cortex. 2012 Dec 4 The Brain Circuitry Mediating Antipruritic Effects of Acupuncture. Napadow V, Li A, Loggia ML, Kim J, Schalock PC, Lerner E, Tran TN, Ring J, Rosen BR, Kaptchuk TJ, Pfab F. Martinos [...]
12/13/2012
Auricular Acupuncture on Gastrointestinal Mobility and HRV
The topic of vagal tone is key to our understanding of stress and HRV. We’ve looked at acupuncture and GI motility (upper and lower) before. In this study, they looked at auricular acupuncture (AA) , somatic/body acupuncture (SA)and its effect on GI motility and HRV in rats. HRV did not appear to be influenced by [...]
