Dense cranial electroacupuncture stimulation for major depressive disorder--a single-blind, randomized, controlled study.

Journal:  2012;7(1):e29651. Epub 2012 Jan 6. Author: Zhang ZJ, Ng R, Man SC, Li TY, Wong W, Tan QR, Wong HK, Chung KF, Wong MT, Tsang WK, Yip KC, Ziea E, Wong VT. Location: School of Chinese Medicine, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China. zhangzj@hku.hk Abstract BACKGROUND: Previous studies suggest that electroacupuncture possesses therapeutic benefits for depressive disorders. The purpose of this study was to determine whether dense cranial electroacupuncture stimulation (DCEAS) could enhance the antidepressant efficacy in the early phase of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD). METHODS: In this single-blind, randomized, controlled study, patients with MDD were randomly assigned to 9-session DCEAS or noninvasive electroacupuncture (n-EA) control procedure in combination with fluoxetine (FLX) for 3 weeks. Clinical outcomes were measured using the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-17), Clinical Global Impression-severity (CGI-S), and Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) as well as the response and remission rates. RESULTS: Seventy-three patients were randomly assigned to n-EA (n = 35) and DCEAS (n = 38), of whom 34 in n-EA and 36 in DCEAS group were analyzed. DCEAS-treated patients displayed a significantly greater reduction from baseline in HAMD-17 scores at Day 3 through Day 21 and in SDS scores at Day 3 and Day 21 compared to patients receiving n-EA. DCEAS intervention also produced a higher rate of clinically significant response compared to n-EA procedure (19.4% (7/36) vs. 8.8% (3/34)). The incidence of adverse events was similar in the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: DCEAS is a safe and effective intervention that augments the antidepressant efficacy. It can be considered as an additional therapy in the early phase of SSRI treatment of depressed patients. PMID: 22238631 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] Free article in pubmed 

Considerations for Use of Acupuncture as Supplemental Therapy for Patients with Allergic Asthma.

Journal: Clin Rev Allergy Immunol. 2012 Jun 3. [Epub ahead of print] Author: Yang YQ, Chen HP, Wang Y, Yin LM, Xu YD, Ran J. Location: Shanghai Research Institute of Acupuncture and Meridian, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 650 South Wanping Road, Shanghai, 200030, China, yyq@shutcm.edu.cn. Abstract This study examines the clinical and immunomodulatory effects of acupuncture in the treatment of patients with allergic asthma. The acupuncture points GV14, BL12, and BL13 were selected based on the theory of traditional Chinese medicine in treating asthma. Manual acupuncture was performed once every other day (three times per week) for 5 weeks. The needles were twisted approximately 360° evenly at the rate of 60 times/min for 20 s, manipulated every 10 min and withdrawn after 30 min.  Concentrations of sIgA and total IgA in secretions were determined by the combination of sucrose density gradient ultracentrifugation and RIA. Levels of cortisol in the plasma were measured by RIA. Total IgE in the sera was examined by ELISA. Flow cytometry was used to detect the numbers of CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, and IL-2R + T lymphocytes in the peripheral blood. The absolute and differential numbers of eosinophils in peripheral blood were counted with eosin staining.  The total efficacy of the acupuncture treatment in patients with allergic asthma at the end of one course of treatment was 85 %. After treatment, the concentrations of sIgA and total IgA in the saliva (P < 0.01, P < 0.02) and nasal secretions (P < 0.02, P < 0.02) were significantly decreased in patients with allergic asthma. The levels of total IgE in sera (P < 0.001), the counts of IL-2R + T lymphocytes (P < 0.001), and the absolute and differential numbers of eosinophils (P < 0.01, P < 0.01) in the peripheral blood were also significantly decreased. The numbers of CD3+, CD4+, and CD8+ T lymphocytes in the peripheral blood were significantly increased in the allergic asthmatics treated by acupuncture (P < 0.001, P < 0.01, and P < 0.001, respectively). The concentration of cortisol in the plasma of asthmatic patients did not change significantly after the acupuncture treatment (P > 0.05).  Acupuncture has regulatory effects on mucosal and cellular immunity in patients with allergic asthma and may be an adjunctive therapy for allergic asthma. PMID: 22661215 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Effect of acupressure at the Sanyinjiao point on primary dysmenorrhea: a randomized controlled trial.

JOURNAL: Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2010

LOCATION: Northern Khorasan University of Medical Sciences, Iran

OBJECTIVE:
We conducted this study to assess the effect of acupressure at the Sanyinjiao point on primary dysmenorrhea.

METHODS:
Eighty-six students participated in the study. All participants met the inclusion criteria. The study group received acupressure at Sanyinjiao point, while the control received sham acupressure. The severity of dysmenorrhea was assessed at the following time periods: prior to the intervention, 30 min, 1, 2 and 3h following the intervention. Data were analyzed using SPSS.

RESULTS:
The acupressure caused decline in the severity of dysmenorrhea immediately after intervention in both groups during their first menstrual cycle, although, there difference was not significant (p>0.05). In addition, during the same cycle, the severity of the dysmenorrhea decreased more in study group rather than control group at 30 min, 1, 2 and 3h after intervention (p<0.05). During the second menstrual cycle, acupressure made dysmenorrhea reduced in both study and control groups; however, the decline was more salient among participants of the study group at all stages after the intervention (p<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS:
Acupressure at Sanyinjiao point can be an effective, feasible, cost-effective intervention for improving primary dysmenorrhea.

Acupuncture for Depression: Exploring Model Validity and the Related Issue of Credibility in the Context of Designing a Pragmatic Trial.

Author: Schroer S, Kanaan M, Macpherson H, Adamson J.

Date: 2011 Mar 4

Journal: CNS Neurosci Ther.

Introduction:

Evaluating care that is not credible to its practitioners or patients will result in a gap between evidence and practice and the potential value, or harm, of the intervention may be underestimated. Our aim was to develop a pragmatic trial that would have better model validity and credibility than trials to date in this clinical area.

Methods:

In-depth interviews; a nominal consensus technique and five arm pilot trial conducted in UK primary care using counseling and usual general practitioner (GP) care as comparisons for acupuncture.

Findings:

Patients with long standing, severe illness that had not responded, or partially responded to conventional treatments may be interested in using acupuncture and participating in a trial. Using a database method to recruit, pilot trial patients were mostly severely depressed (87.5%); chronically ill (60% with 3+ previous episodes), with high levels of comorbidity, and medication use. Acupuncture was as credible to pilot trial participants as usual GP care and more credible than counseling: most patients (62.5%) preferred to be allocated to acupuncture, rating it more highly at baseline than counseling or usual GP care as potentially able to benefit their depression (P = 0.002). Disparities were identified in the working models of acupuncturists and counselors that suggest inherent differences between interventions in terms of the process and intended potential outcomes of therapy, as well as the interaction between patients and therapists.

Conclusion:

The Medical Research Council (MRC) framework with its phased, mixed method approach has helped to develop research that has better model validity than trials to date in this field. The next phase of research will need to involve acupuncture and counseling practitioners to help researchers to develop realistic and credible care packages for a full-scale trial, where patients are likely to be severely and chronically ill.

Acupuncture to Danzhong but not to Zhongting increases the cardiac vagal component of heart rate variability

Journal Auton Neurosci. 2011 Apr 26;161(1-2):116-20.


Authors: Kurono Y, Minagawa M, Ishigami T, Yamada A, Kakamu T, Hayano J.

Location: The Oriental Medical Center, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan.

Abstract
There is currently no convincing evidence that acupuncture has any specific effects on autonomic nervous function as assessed by heart rate variability (HRV). We examined whether the stimulation of neighboring acupunctural points, Danzhong (CV17) and Zhongting (CV16) on the anterior median line of the thorax, induced different effects on HRV.

In 14 healthy males, epifascial acupunctural stimulation (single instantaneous needle stimulation on the fascial surface without producing De-Qi sensation) was performed at CV17 and CV16 on different days in a clinical study utilizing a cross-over design.

We found that the stimulation of CV17, but not of CV16, decreased the heart rate (P=0.01, repeated measures ANOVA) and increased the power of the high-frequency component of the HRV, an index of cardiac vagal activity (P=0.01).

The low-frequency to high-frequency ratio, an index of sympathetic activity showed no significant changes for either point. Our observations could not be explained as either nonspecific or psychological/placebo effects of needle stimulation.

This study provides strong evidence for the presence of a specific acupunctural point that causes the modulation of cardiac autonomic function.

Effect of acupuncture on allergen-induced basophil activation in patients with atopic eczema:a pilot trial.

Journal: J Altern Complement Med. 2011 Apr;17(4):309-14

Authors: Pfab F, Athanasiadis GI, Huss-Marp J, Fuqin J, Heuser B, Cifuentes L, Brockow K, Schober W, Konstantinow A, Irnich D, Behrendt H, Ring J, Ollert M.

Location:
Department of Dermatology and Allergy, Technische Universität München, Biedersteiner Straße 29, Munich, Germany.

Abstract:

OBJECTIVE AND METHODS:
The crucial symptom of atopic eczema is itch. Acupuncture has been shown to exhibit a significant effect on experimental itch; however, studies focusing on clinical itch in atopic eczema and corresponding mechanisms are lacking. The study design was a unicenter, single-blinded (observer), prospective, randomized clinical pilot trial with an additional experimental part. In 10 patients with atopic eczema, we investigated the effect of acupuncture treatment (n = 5) compared to no treatment (n = 5) on itch intensity and in vitro basophil CD63 expression upon allergen stimulation (house dust mite and timothy grass pollen) in a pilot trial.

RESULTS:
Mean itch intensity in a visual analog scale was rated significantly lower in the acupuncture group (-25% ± 26% [day 15-day 0]; -24% ± 31% [day 33-day 0]) than in the control group (15% ± 6% [day 15-day 0]; 29% ± 9% [day 33-day 0]). From day 0 (before treatment) to day 15 (after 5 acupuncture treatments) as well as day 33 (after 10 acupuncture treatments), the acupuncture group showed less CD63 positive basophils than the control group regarding stimulation with house dust mite and grass pollen allergen at various concentrations (5 ng/mL, 1 ng/mL, 0.5 ng/mL, or 0.25 ng/mL).

CONCLUSIONS:
Our results show a reduction of itch intensity and of in vitro allergen-induced basophil activation in patients with atopic eczema after acupuncture treatment. Reducing basophil activation can be a further tool in investigating the mechanisms of action of acupuncture in immunoglobulin E-mediated allergy. Due to the limited number of patients included in our pilot trial, further studies are needed to strengthen the hypothesis.

Gastrointestinal symptoms of infantile colic and their change after light needling of acupuncture: a case series study of 913 infants.

Date: 2011 Aug 11

Journal: Chin Med 6(1):28.

Authors: Reinthal M, Lund I, Ullman D, Lundeberg T.

ABSTRACT:

Background Infantile colic is a common painful clinical condition associated with signs of distended intestines and an increase in colon peristalsis. However, clinical documentation of observed gastrointestinal functions in the condition is still lacking. Even though the ailment is common, no clear treatment guidelines exist.

While acupuncture with minimal stimulation has been shown to be effective in reducing crying behaviour of infants suffering from colic, the documented effect of acupuncture on gastrointestinal function in children with infantile colic is scarce.

This case series study aims to document the symptoms of routinely rated gastrointestinal function and the changes in these symptoms after minimal acupuncture in a larger group of children with infantile colic.

Methods:

This study included 913 infants with normal weights, and lengths at birth. The infants' mean age was 5.4 weeks when the observations started, and had colic symptoms since two weeks after birth. Light needling stimulation of the acupuncture point LI4 was performed for 10-20 seconds bilaterally on a daily basis for a mean of 6.2 consecutive days. A questionnaire with verbal rating scales for the parents' evaluation was used before and after the treatment period.

Results Before treatment the infants were assessed by the parents in terms of 'often have inflated stomachs' (99%) and 'seldom drool' (76%), 'regurgitate' (53%) and 'belch' (62%). Moreover, the reported frequency of defecation was 5-8 times per day (64%), with a yellowish-green colour (61%) and with a water-thin consistency (74%).

After treatment, the variables of inflated stomachs, drooling and regurgitating were systematically changed, and rated by the parents as occurring 'sometimes' while belching was rated as occurring 'often' and the frequency of defecation was reduced to 1-4 times/day with a mustard yellow colour and a gruel-like consistency. The parents also rated their impression of the infants' general colic symptoms including crying behaviour as much ameliorated in 76% of the cases.

Conclusion:

The results of the present study show that minimal acupuncture at LI4 in infantile colic is an effective and easy treatment procedure that, furthermore, is reported to be without serious side effects.