Acupuncture News and Research

Lifestyle alterations for the amelioration of hot flashes.

Maturitas. 2012 Jan 27;

Authors: Fisher TE, Chervenak JL

Abstract
Hot flashes are a common complaint among women as they transition through menopause. This article reviews the evidence of lifestyle alterations for the amelioration of hot flashes including obesity, exercise, smoking, relaxation techniques, and acupuncture. Further randomized controlled trials regarding these lifestyle alterations are needed to determine their full potential benefits regarding hot flashes.

PMID: 22285470 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Scientific tools, fake treatments, or triggers for psychological healing: How clinical trial participants conceptualise placebos.

Soc Sci Med. 2012 Jan 18;

Authors: Bishop FL, Jacobson EE, Shaw JR, Kaptchuk TJ

Abstract
Placebos are an essential tool in randomised clinical trials, where they are used to control for bias and contextual healing effects. Placebos and their effects are also studied from multiple diverse perspectives, but the perspectives of placebo recipients are seldom considered. Research shows that people form cognitive and affective representations of active treatments such as medicines, and that they use these representations to guide their behaviour; it seems reasonable to suggest that people might also think about and develop representations of placebos. We adopted a qualitative approach to examine in detail how participants in one RCT, conducted in the USA, conceptualised placebos. 12 people were interviewed 3 times each, at the start, middle, and end of a trial of placebo effects and acupuncture for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). The interview data were analysed inductively and we identified four ways in which the participants conceptualised placebos: placebos are necessary for research; placebo effects are fake; placebo acupuncture is not real acupuncture; placebos have real effects mediated by psychological mechanisms. Participants' conceptualisations of placebos were dynamic and situated in a broader psychological and socio-cultural context. Seeing placebo effects as legitimate seemed to be facilitated by having more holistic models of healing, viewing IBS as psychological, and seeing treatment as multifactorial. However, some participants maintained a negative view of placebo effects (e.g. as illusions) that was apparently inconsistent with their other beliefs (e.g. in mind-body healing mechanisms). This may indicate a dominance of negative discourses around placebos at a socio-cultural level. Negative views of placebos are inconsistent with evidence that placebo treatments can have positive effects on symptoms. RCT participants should be informed about potential benefits of placebo treatments to avoid misunderstandings and unease. Future work should improve methods of providing participants with full accurate information about placebos and their effects.

PMID: 22285289 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Sham-controlled, randomised, feasibility trial of acupuncture for prevention of radiation-induced xerostomia among patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Eur J Cancer. 2012 Jan 27;

Authors: Meng Z, Kay Garcia M, Hu C, Chiang J, Chambers M, Rosenthal DI, Peng H, Wu C, Zhao Q, Zhao G, Liu L, Spelman A, Lynn Palmer J, Wei Q, Cohen L

Abstract
BACKGROUND: Xerostomia (dry mouth) after head/neck radiation is a common problem among cancer patients. Quality of life (QOL) is impaired, and available treatments are of little benefit. This trial determined the feasibility of conducting a sham-controlled trial of acupuncture and whether acupuncture could prevent xerostomia among head/neck patients undergoing radiotherapy. METHODS: A sham controlled, feasibility trial was conducted at Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China among patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma undergoing radiotherapy. To determine feasibility of a sham procedure, 23 patients were randomised to real acupuncture (N=11) or to sham acupuncture (N=12). Patients were treated three times/week during the course of radiotherapy. Subjective measures were the Xerostomia Questionnaire (XQ) and MD Anderson Symptom Inventory for Head and Neck Cancer (MDASI-HN). Objective measures were unstimulated whole salivary flow rates (UWSFR) and stimulated salivary flow rates (SSFR). Patients were followed for 1 month after radiotherapy. RESULTS: XQ scores for acupuncture were significantly lower than sham controls starting in week 3 and lasted through the 1-month follow-up (all P's <0.001 except for week 3, which was 0.006), with clinically significant differences as follows: week 6 - RR 0.28 [95% confidence interval, 0.10, 0.79]; week 11 - RR 0.17 [95%CI, 0.03, 1.07]. Similar findings were seen for MDASI-HN scores and MDASI-Intrusion scores. Group differences for UWSFR and SSFR were not found. CONCLUSIONS: In this small pilot study, true acupuncture given concurrently with radiotherapy significantly reduced xerostomia symptoms and improved QOL when compared with sham acupuncture. Large-scale, multi-centre, randomised and placebo-controlled trials are now needed.

PMID: 22285177 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Springfield Zoning Hearing Board continues hearing for acupuncture center
Delco News Network
26, the Springfield Zoning Board voted to continue the hearing regarding a request to open an acupuncture/reflexology center in Springfield Mall. The property, 1250 Baltimore Pike, is zoned “SC-1” Shopping Center District. The business, which would ...

Hawaii Health Guide
Acupuncture proves to be useful in treating pain
Burlington Times News
A friend keeps telling me to try acupuncture for my low back pain. But I don't understand how a bunch of needles will help. Can you explain how acupuncture works? Dear Reader: Acupuncture is a technique of traditional Chinese medicine.
Facial Revitalization Acupuncture (FRA) Mei Rong - Traditional Chinese ...Hawaii Health Guide

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Indian Health Service Includes Licensed Naturopaths, Acupuncturists and ...
Huffington Post
A bit of integrative medicine history was made in January 2012 when the US Indian Health Service (IHS) quietly announced that licensed naturopathic doctors, acupuncturists and chiropractors would be included in 2012 in the IHS' student loan repayment ...

House Call: Acupuncture
WSIL TV
By Kevin Hunsperger CARBONDALE -- Acupuncture is an ancient form of medicine, that's being used to help people with modern day medical problems. Town Square Market in Carbondale is holding an Open House called Take Good Care of Your Heart.

HealthCMI
Acupuncture Helps Menstruation & PCOS - New Research
HealthCMI
Researchers have discovered that both electrical and manual acupuncture “improve menstrual frequency and decrease circulating androgens in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).” PCOS is a common female endocrine disorder with side-effects ...

Community Acupuncture Documentary
Annapolis Capital
On Sunday March 18th from 6-8 pm, Edgewater Acupuncture will host the screening of a documentary "Community Acupuncture: The Calmest Revolution Ever Staged." The film tells the story of the community acupuncture movement: how a small group of ...

Acupuncture for all
Mail Tribune
By John Darling Acupuncture treatments often cost in the neighborhood of $100 for the first visit and $60 to $70 after that, which might not seem like much if you have a good health-insurance plan that covers it. At the Rogue Valley Acupuncture Project ...

AboutMyArea
£10 Treatments At Five Spirits Acupuncture In Stony Stratford
AboutMyArea
Rachel Johnson from Five Spirits Acupuncture Here's an offer that's too good to resist - a thirty minute taster session at Five Spirits Acupuncture in Stony Stratford, Milton Keynes, for just £10. The taster sessions are enough to give you a sense of ...

Massage parlors raided in Greenbelt
Washington Post (blog)
By Matt Zapotosky Police raided three acupuncture and massage parlors in Greenbelt on Friday that investigators believe were being used as brothels, authorities said. Police said the parlors in the 7700 block of Belle Pointe Drive, the 7300 block ...
Greenbelt Police Raid 3 Suspected BrothelsPatch.com
Police raid suspected prostitution houses in GreenbeltWJLA

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Local vet offers acupuncture, chiropractic care for pets
SouthtownStar
Matt Marton~Sun-Times Media Six-year-old Bogart is stretched out across a veterinarian's table, tongue wagging, as 12 electric acupuncture needles send 4.5 volts of electricity coursing through his body. Bogart is a fluffy chow mix that Flossmoor ...

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Medical Watch: Acupuncture more successful than fertility treatments
WWL
A new study finds that acupuncture is helping some couples have better success with fertility treatments. Doctors say it helps manage the stress of infertility, can improve blood flow to the uterus and ovaries, and can help the brain release hormones ...

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Trusting my meat — and well-being — to alternative treatment: Mintz
Toronto Star
When I finally arrived at an acupuncturist's clinic, it was by cab, my body bent to nearly 90 degrees, clutching a cane. An hour later, I walked out, whistling. If it weren't for that, I would have the same healthy skepticism for acupuncture that I ...

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Alameda Community Acupuncture
Patch.com
We offered free acupuncture treatments. It was great! We treated 31 people in 4 hours. There were people lined up on the sidewalk. What services do you offer? We offer community acupuncture treatments. We start with a private consultation then treat ...
Busting the myths of acupunctureFemaleFirst.co.uk

all 2 news articles »

HealthCMI
Dietetics for Acupuncturists Now in Paperback – New Release
HealthCMI
The authors created the book to better help students of Chinese medicine and licensed acupuncturists explore the foundations of dietetics. Prof. Jeffrey Pang, L.Ac. is the Department Chair for Theory and Herbology at Five Branches University (Santa ...

San Francisco acupuncturist Jeremy Rothenberg's 'Somatic Acupuncture' targets ...
PR NewsChannel (press release)
Jeremy Rothenberg, a nationally certified diplomate of oriental medicine and licensed acupuncturist, has developed Somatic Acupuncture. This new comprehensive mind-body treatment eliminates pain by targeting the autonomic nervous system.

msnbc.com
Bunny gets acupuncture for twitching head
msnbc.com
DURHAM, NC — A troubled bunny at the Museum of Life and Science in Durham is undergoing acupuncture to help alleviate excessive head twitching and circling. The gray bunny named Bugsy first began exhibiting the behavior in 2007.

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abc11.com
Museum bunny gets acupuncture for twitching head
abc11.com
DURHAM -- A troubled bunny at the Museum of Life and Science in Durham is undergoing acupuncture to help alleviate excessive head twitching and circling. The gray bunny named Bugsy first began exhibiting the behavior in 2007.

and more »